Coachbuilding

Coachbuilding is the art of crafting custom car bodies, often by hand, on a bare chassis. Before the era of mass production, luxury automakers like Duesenberg, Packard, and Cadillac would sell rolling chassis to customers, who then hired coachbuilders such as LeBaron, Brunn, or Saoutchik to design and construct bespoke bodies tailored to their taste. Coachbuilding emphasized craftsmanship, proportion, and individuality, with influences from architecture, fashion, and Art Deco design. This tradition deeply influenced early customizers, who brought the same spirit of personalization and elegance to more affordable, mass-produced cars in the 1930s and beyond.