Car body + injection molding plant Beutler

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Car body + Spritzwerk Beutler AG
legal form Corporation
founding 1943
resolution 1987
Seat Thun , Switzerland
Branch Automobiles

Carrosserie + Spritzwerk Beutler AG , previously Gebr. Beutler & Cie. and Carrosserie Beutler AG , was a Swiss coachbuilder who crafted bodywork on cars - chassis manufactured.

Company history

VW-Porsche Coupé with Beutler body from 1957

The company Gebrüder Beutler was founded by Ernst and Fritz Beutler in 1943. The company was located at Gwattstr. 40–42 in Thun in the canton of Bern . Beutler switched to individual pieces, respectively. Small series. Although the company was always somewhat overshadowed by the most famous Swiss bodybuilder, Graber, it made a name for itself through straightforward, elegant designs and impeccable execution. Beutler's specialty was sporty bodies for light European chassis. In 1955 the company name was Gebr. Beutler & Cie. At the beginning of the 1960s it was foreseeable that as a result of the introduction of the self-supporting construction method and the dwindling number of manufacturers who could provide chassis, the demand for special bodies would decline. In 1966 the company was Carroseries Beutler . From 1981 the company was called Carrosserie + Spritzwerk Beutler AG . On September 8, 1987 bankruptcy was opened.

Body shop

Beutler produced bodies on the chassis of many automobile manufacturers. Most of them were European manufacturers.

Austin

1950 showed Beutler each a convertible based on the Austin A70 and A90 on the automotive mat of Geneva . Austin should not have been interested in a cooperation, as the Austin A90 Atlantic already had its own, albeit unconventionally shaped, convertible in its range.

Bentley

Based on a Bentley Mark VI from 1947, a customer order resulted in a convertible, which received a "more modern" body just two years later, also from Beutler. Beutler used the existing body structure.

BMW

In 1961, Beutler built a coupe based on the BMW 503 .

Bristol

When Beutler showed a coupé and a convertible based on the Bristol 401 at the Geneva Motor Show , they had to be measured against international competition: Touring Superleggera had designed the factory body and Pininfarina also offered variants. Both Beutler vehicles have been preserved and restored. The originally ivory-colored coupé with a black roof is now painted dark green with a gray roof.

1957 revived contact with Bristol. The British company commissioned Beutler to design a body for the prototype of the Bristol 406 . Beutler designed a two-seater coupe in the pontoon style . The filigree roof structure was typical for Beutler. The rear fenders were a bit bulged and had a slight "swing". Fins were indicated on the stern. Beutler made a copy of the vehicle and showed it to the public for the first time in October 1957 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London . However, Bristol opted for a British solution and had a much more conservative body built by Jones Bros. in Willesden UK . It is possible that two more Bristol 406 were dressed for private customers at Beutler.

Bugatti

Beutler received the 14th order for a new body in 1947. It concerned a 4/5 seat convertible body on a Bugatti Type 49 with a 3.2 liter eight-cylinder in - line engine . At the same time built Beutler also a Cotal - preselector gearbox one, a rather unusual for a body shop work. The lines are restrained and follow that of Chapron or Graber . With its front, detached "pontoon" fenders and hinted rear ones, it corresponds to contemporary tastes. The execution was made in aluminum over an aluminum frame and is considered to be precise and precisely tailored. At that time, the use of large, free-standing headlights was rather conservative. They were supplied by the Swiss auto supplier Scintilla AG in Solothurn (part of the Bosch Group since 1954 and a garden tool manufacturer today). The vehicle still exists.

Citroën

Far less known than the Chapron factory convertible for the Citroën DS19 is the version by the Beutler brothers, some of which were produced in 1959 and 1960. The information on the number of items produced varies between one and four. The Beutler design had less chrome trim than the Chapron version. The rear doors were welded shut.

Delahaye

Most of the once so important manufacturers of French luxury cars had to give up after the Second World War , not least because a horrific luxury tax was introduced in France, which caused the domestic market to collapse. One of the last of these brands was Delahaye . In addition to Faget & Varnet , Motta , Graber and of course Chapron , Beutler also dressed some 235 .

Fiat

In 1956, Beutler offered a different body based on the Fiat 600 at a price of 4,000 Swiss francs . The bow and stern were lengthened, but the interior dimensions remained unchanged.

Healey

A coupé and two convertibles were built by Beutler on chassis from the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick (United Kingdom). They all appear to have been versions with the Riley 2.4 liter engine . At least the coupé has been preserved.

jaguar

In 1953 Beutler built a convertible based on the Jaguar Mark VII .

Jowett

Based on the Jowett Jupiter , a convertible with rear jump seats was created in 1951. The vehicle was right-hand drive and took second place in a beauty contest in Lucerne .

Lancia

The Aurelia B21 built Lancia from 1952. Beutler presented soon to complement the Roadster - and coupe versions of Pininfarina own, conventional molded version of a coupe.

Maico 500 Sport with a body from Beutler

Maico

Beutler produced four convertibles of the 500 Sport for the small car manufacturer Maico . In addition, Beutler designed a coupé version of the model. Although the prototype was shown at the New York Motor Show in 1958 , serial production was discontinued due to financial difficulties on the part of the client.

Packard

In 1951, Beutler produced a convertible body based on a Packard for a customer . A special feature was a radiator grille in pre-war design. The front fenders reached into the side door. The rear wheels were covered.

Porsche

Volkswagen-Porsche Beutler

Porsche was one of the first customers. From 1948 to 1949, Beutler built a small series of six convertibles of the new 356 , probably at the order of the Swiss car importer AMAG . At that time, Porsche was based in Gmünd . The third vehicle in this series still exists in Switzerland. Here the convertible cost CHF 12,220.

In 1957, the Beutler brothers received the order to build more bodies, this time for a 356 B Coupé . Two prototypes were ready in November 1959. The design was clearly derived from the Beutler Coupé for VW from 1956/1957. The body was made of aluminum. Fittings, bumpers and tail lights were taken over from the factory version. Ferry Porsche agreed to the design. Even so, only five Beutler 356 B were built. There seem to have been differences regarding the order processing in contact with the customer, whereupon Porsche stopped delivering components.

Rolls Royce

Beutler built a hotel bus on the chassis of a Rolls-Royce Phantom II that was extended.

Salmson

A new body was also created on the chassis of a Salmson .

Simca

Beutler built a coupé based on the Simca Aronde 1300 in 1958 . The vehicle had a strikingly wide, oval grille and is still in existence today.

VW

VW-based convertible
Pickup based on VW Beetle

Beutler manufactured commercial vehicles based on the VW Beetle . In addition to pickups , station wagons and small delivery vans were created . The latter offered a payload of 250 kg .

An elegant coupé with French lines based on the Beetle was presented in 1957. VW was not interested in outside companies competing with their own VW Karmann . It appears that this or a similar design was subsequently offered to Porsche.

Bugatti replica

Around 1970 Beutler began to offer replicas of a Bugatti Type 57 convertible. The vehicles should be built by hand in a complex process. Nothing is known whether such replicas were built and the possible number of pieces and their drive. After 1981 they were no longer advertised.

Tuning

In the 1980s, Beutler took part in the emerging fashion of vehicle tuning . Some conversions of the Porsche 911 with spoilers and fender flares were made under the name Beutler California . In 1981 and 1982, based on the Mazda RX-7, there was also the Twin-Top model with a T-Top Targa roof .

literature

  • Roger Gloor: Post-war car , 2nd edition (1981), Hallwag AG, Bern and Stuttgart, publisher Automobil Revue , ISBN 3 444 10263 1 .
  • Dieter Günther, Rob de La Rive Box, Max Stoop: Swiss automobiles. Passenger cars and special bodies from 1945 until today. Autovision, Hamburg 1992, ISBN 3-9802766-2-7 .
  • Auto Catalog No. 24 (1980/81) , Vereinigte Motor-Verlage, Stuttgart, p. 130.
  • Auto catalog no.25 (1981/82) , Vereinigte Motor-Verlage, Stuttgart, p. 137.
  • Auto Catalog No. 26 (1982/83) , Vereinigte Motor-Verlage, Stuttgart, p. 128.
  • Auto Catalog No. 28 (1984/85) , Vereinigte Motor-Verlage, Stuttgart, p. 136.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Auto Catalog No. 24 (1980/81) , p. 130.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Swiss automobiles. Passenger cars and special bodies from 1945 until today.
  3. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 68
  4. ↑ www.rrab.com (accessed April 15, 2012)
  5. ^ Thoroughbred-cars.com: Bristol 401 Beutler
  6. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 89
  7. ↑ shorey.net: Illustration of the Bristol 406 Beutler
  8. ↑ oldtimergalerie.ch: Bugatti Type 49 Cabriolet Beutler; Vehicle history
  9. ↑ oldtimergalerie.ch: Bugatti Type 49 Cabriolet Beutler; Vehicle history
  10. ↑ oldtimergalerie.ch: Bugatti Type 49 Cabriolet Beutler; Vehicle history (English)
  11. ↑ oldtimergalerie.ch: Bugatti Type 49 Cabriolet Beutler; Vehicle history (English)
  12. ↑ www.scintilla.ch ( Memento of the original from April 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.scintilla.ch
  13. ↑ oldtimergalerie.ch: Bugatti Type 49 Cabriolet Beutler
  14. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 113
  15. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 127
  16. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 178
  17. ↑ Healey Owners Club website (English)
  18. ↑ Open pontoon elegance from Thun - Jaguar Mark VII Beutler Cabriolet on zwischengas.com
  19. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 197
  20. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 214
  21. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 99
  22. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 286
  23. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 389
  24. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Porsche 356 B Cabriolet Beutler (1958)
  25. ↑ www.rrab.com (accessed April 15, 2012)
  26. ^ Lexicon of forgotten types of cars (accessed April 15, 2012)
  27. ↑ Gloor: Post-War Car (1981), p. 365
  28. ^ Auto Catalog No. 26 (1982/83) , p. 128.
  29. ↑ Auto Catalog No. 25 (1981/82) , p. 137.