Carbodies

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Invicta 4½ Liter S-Type Low Chassis 2-seat sports tourer (1931)
MG Magnette series NB Airline Coupe (ca.1936)
Austin FX3 Taxi (1957)

Carbodies was a British manufacturer of coachworks and taxis based on Holyhead Road in Coventry from 1919 to 1988 .

Company history

The company was founded in 1919 by Robert Jones , who took over the cartwright business from Gooderham . Carbodies did not produce individual bodywork on customer request, but produced series for automobile manufacturers who did not have their own bodywork department, whose body shop was overloaded or who wanted to have an additional variant produced externally. Typical customers were Alvis , the Rootes Group , MG or Rover . From 1935 the small manufacturer Railton was added.

During the Second World War , the company manufactured bodies for military vehicles and components for aircraft construction.

After the war, Carbodies ran its arms production press to capacity with a major order from Austin to manufacture taxi bodies . In addition, orders came in from Ford to build convertible bodies for the Consul , Zephyr and Zodiac models . MG, along with other BMC brands, also remained a major customer.

In 1954 Jones sold the company to the Birmingham Small Arms Company , which also included the luxury class manufacturer Daimler . In 1973 BSA was bought by Maganese Bronze Holdings . Since 1989 the company has been called London Taxis International .

Vehicle manufacturers with carbodies bodies

Ford Cabriolets from Carbodies

  • Ford Consul Cabriolet

  • Ford Consul Mk. I Cabriolet

  • Ford Consul Mk. II Cabriolet

  • Ford Consul Mk.II Cabriolet

  • Ford Zephyr Mk. II Cabriolet

Combination conversions from carbodies

Carbodies increasingly shifted production to station wagon conversions for various manufacturers, based on raw limousine bodies and their own body parts. Carbodies also made prototypes and tools and worked on projects such as: B. the bonnet for the Jaguar E-Type .

  • Humber Hawk Series 1 Estate (1957-1960)

  • Humber Hawk Series I Estate (1957-1960)

  • Singer Vogue Estate (1965)

  • Triumph 2500S Estate (1976)

literature

Daimler Conquest Mark II Century Drophead Coupe (1955–1957)
  • Nick Walker: AZ of British Coachbuilders, 1919-1960 ; Bay View Books, Bideford, Devon, UK (1997), ISBN 1-870979-93-1 (English)

Web links

Commons : Carbodies  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files