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Defining a coachbuilder was straightforward
prior to World War II. They were companies that
built luxurious bodies on expensive chassis for
their wealthy customers. Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce,
Duesenberg and Packard were just a few of the
companies that have almost all completely disappeared.
Since WWII thousands of small firms have specialized
in producing conversions or rebodying cars for
the needs of individuals or companies that have
unique applications. Commercial applications vary
from ice cream trucks to hearses, emergency vehicles
and limousines. Others are for fun and are created
for the auto enthusiast. Over the past 60 years
we have seen two types of conversions — replicas
and custom bodies on mass-produced chassis and
cars with engine and/or body modifications.
Examples of replicas of antiques on modern chassis
are:
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1963 Cord |
1968 Cord |
1977 Auburn |
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1979 Auburn |
1969 Bentley (Ruger) |
1970 Bentley (Ruger) |
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1973 Ford (Timis) |
1971 Stutz |
1971 Duesenberg |
1980 Duesenberg |
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What would some of these cars
look like today if the manufacturers were still
in existence? The following cars are on modern
chassis:
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1973 Packard (Titan) |
1975 Packard (Titan) |
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1976 Stutz Blackhawk |
1977 Stutz Blackhawk |
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Most popular have been the "modifieds".
Those custom companies that improve the performance
and/or change the appearance of the car include:
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1984 Bertone |
1979 Crayford |
2001 Saleen |
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1976 Traditional Coachworks |
1971 Yenko |
1971 Yenko |
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