Whittingham & Mitchel

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Whittingham & Mitchel Limited
legal form Limited Company
founding 1921
resolution 1964
Reason for dissolution Takeover by competitors
Seat Fulham ( London ), United Kingdom , later: various locations in Surrey
management temporarily: Eustace Watkins
Branch Body construction, also metal and plastics processing, shipbuilding and ship technology

Whittingham & Mitchel Limited , sometimes referred to as W&M for short , is a former British company that has worked in a variety of industries over the decades . It became known in particular for its activities as a body shop for automobiles between 1931 and the outbreak of World War II , when the company was based in west London .

The company was mainly due to open, often four-seat tourer - bodies specializing, but also built sporty designed Roadster and closed saloons on. The style was generally reserved to elegant and sporty. Towards the end, however, more unusual, aerodynamically influenced sedans and coupés with rounded roofs and low hatchbacks were added.

Initially, Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. Mainly chassis of the middle class , but turned increasingly to upper class models in the late 1930s . Chassis from Wolseley , Rover , Vauxhall , Singer and MG were typical . More rarely, but increasingly towards the end, Whittingham & Mitchel used chassis from more exclusive brands such as Lancia , Alvis , Frazer Nash - BMW , Railton , Allard and in at least one case also Rolls-Royce .

Many body designs come from the then well-known British designer H. W. Allingham , at the beginning occasionally also from Freddie March , the then Earl of March, later Duke of Richmond and founder of the Goodwood race track .

A special feature of W & M compared to many contemporary competitors is the fact that the bodies are not regularly produced on behalf of private customers, but mostly in small series for other companies. The most important customer at the beginning was Eustace Watkins , a very successful automobile dealer specializing in Wolseley vehicles at the time , who also became the owner of Whittingham & Mitchel for several years . At the same time, W & M produced special body variants on behalf of many different automobile manufacturers , for external design offices and other large car dealerships .

After the end of the Second World War, W & M moved the company headquarters to the London area. Only individual body structures were made and the company turned to other fields of activity until the end of 1964.

The company history

The interwar period

A Wolseley Hornet EW Daytona Sports with an open four-seater sports car body by Whittingham & Mitchel from 1932. This body variant was produced in small series and was sold exclusively through the Eustace Watkins dealership.
A Vauxhall 14 ASX Stratford Sports Tourer with an open four-seater touring car body made by Whittingham & Mitchel in 1933. This six-cylinder model was designed by H. W. Allingham and was sold as a production model through the regular Vauxhall dealer network.

The Whittingham & Mitchell Ltd. was founded in London in 1921 and had its first company headquarters in the Fulham district in the more upscale west of the city. The company started out as a sheet metal processing company. In 1929 there was a restructuring with a capital increase in order to be able to take over a motor vehicle and body shop.

In 1931, the company moved into larger premises at 126, New King's Road, Fulham, London SW 6, which had previously been used by the carriage and coachbuilder Regent Carriage Company . At that time, W & M Ltd. Known primarily as a vehicle paint shop, but quickly expanded the range to include body construction.

One of the first orders of this new division came from the designer Earl of March, of a self-designed body variant of Wolseley Hornet at W & M was built. It was mainly sold through Kevill-Davies & March , a trading company for exclusive automobiles that the designer had co-founded.

In 1932 Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. first appeared at the British International Motor Show in London's Olympia and was described as a coachbuilder who specializes in sports car bodies based on the Wolseley Hornet . Four Wolseley Hornet EW Daytona Sports were on display . E W stood for the client Eustace Watkins , temporarily the largest Wolseley dealer in the United Kingdom, and Daytona was a supplementary brand name . The two companies were so closely related at the time that Eustace Watkins founded Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. eventually acquired in full. Since the company Kevill-Davies & March was a direct competitor of Eustace Watkins, W & M lost the Earl of March order after the acquisition by Watkins to the competing coachbuilder John Charles & Company .

From model year 1932/33 onwards , Whittingham & Mitchel was able to win over the automobile manufacturer Rover as a new client for a series of open four-seater sports cars that could be built on different chassis. From then on, the company was considered the most important independent manufacturer of open factory bodies in Great Britain. The next and subsequently largest customer was the automobile manufacturer Vauxhall from 1933 with various models and body variants, followed by Singer from 1934 and, at the height of 1935, also British Salmson , MG , Talbot and others.

Even before the outbreak of the Second World War, however, many larger automobile manufacturers began to offer fewer body variants ex works and, for reasons of rationalization, increasingly manufacture them themselves. In addition, open touring cars also lost importance in Great Britain in view of the possible higher speeds and the increased comfort requirements of customers. In addition, there was a recession as a result of the looming war.

In the last pre-war years Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. therefore increasingly for smaller, more exclusive British automobile manufacturers. Presumably Eustace Watkins parted ways with the company during this time. From then on, this operated as Whittingham & Mitchel Motors and was active as a body builder and motor vehicle repair company .

World War II and the post-war period

An Allard J1 competition open sports with a two-seater body by Whittingham & Mitchel from 1946, one of the rare post-war bodies by this body manufacturer.

During the Second World War, Whittingham & Mitchel built components from light metal , including parts for the De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito fighter aircraft .

After the end of the Second World War, W & M moved to Staines in the county of Surrey on the western edge of London, while the small automobile manufacturer Allard took over the previous premises in London as one of several production facilities. For a short time Whittingham & Mitchel continued the body shop on a small scale at the new location. In addition to Allard , Sunbeam-Talbot was the only major customer that remained, but there were no follow-up orders.

The company realigned itself and specialized in ship equipment made of light metal up to entire boats . The company's headquarters and production facility were moved within Surrey several times, temporarily to Byfleet near the former race track of Brooklands and 1956 to Chertsey . The company also temporarily supplied large construction companies with prefabricated components . In 1964, last year as an independent company, the construction of ships and floating docks accounted for around two thirds of sales. The second pillar was most recently the production of larger furniture from the plastic thermoplastic such as laundry and kitchen sinks for kitchens , washrooms and bathrooms . To this end, Whittingham & Mitchel also had the subsidiary Robinson Formings Limited in North Hayling .

At the end of 1964, W & M was finally bought up by the Woods of Colchester company and lost its legal independence.

The client

In the comparatively few years in which W & M Ltd. as a coachbuilder was active, it had an unusually large number of clients, some of whom competed strongly with each other. The focus was on the production of small series, whereas exclusive one-off pieces remained the exception. Customers included many well-known British automobile manufacturers, outside design firms and several large automobile dealers, but unlike many other coachbuilders, they were generally not private customers.

British automobile manufacturer

Whittingham & Mitchel's customers include many mass manufacturers of British automobiles such as Rover , Vauxhall , Singer and MG , but especially towards the end there are also various exclusive brands such as Rolls-Royce , Lagonda , British Salmson , Alvis , Allard and Railton .

Allard

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the young automaker Allard started in the last few years before the outbreak of World War II. In any case, there is evidence of open two-seater sports car bodies for an Allard V12 from 1939 with a V - 12 cylinder engine from the Lincoln Zephyr , of which only three examples were built before the outbreak of World War II, and also for the Allard J1 Competition Whittingham & Mitchel Open Sports from 1946. In addition to W & M , Allard worked in parallel with the coachbuilders Coachcraft and Ranalah before the war, and then in parallel with Paramount Sheet Metal . In 1946, W & M and Paramount dressed seven Allard vehicles together , and in 1947 a total of 173.

The relationship between Whittingham & Mitchel Limited and Allard is also special because Allard took over the former workshops of W & M in London's New King's Road as one of several production facilities after the end of the Second World War .

Alvis

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the automobile manufacturer Alvis also only started in the last few years before the outbreak of World War II. In any case, there is evidence of a unique piece clad by Whittingham & Mitchel with the model name Alvis 4.3 liter SC short chassis Concealed Hood Drophead Coupé with chassis number 14844, which was possibly intended for the Monte Carlo Rally in 1939. The smaller Alvis 12/70 with a touring body from W & M was also built in 1939 .

British Salmson

Whittingham & Mitchel's relationship with automaker British Salmson began in 1935 when the body shop was at its height. The factory contract initially produced open two-seater sports cars, and later also fashionable, streamlined sedans with four doors, six side windows, a round roof and a low hatchback, e.g. from 1937 based on the British Salmson S4D 14 hp, the latter being reminiscent of the Flying Standard, which was progressive in design .

For W & M this was a first long-term contract with a more exclusive small series manufacturer. He also worked in parallel with the body shop companies Newns , REAL and Ranalah . The relationship lasted until 1939 when British Salmson permanently ceased automobile production.

Frazer Nash-BMW

Regarding the business relationship between W & M Ltd. and Frazer Nash-BMW , few details are known. It only began in the last few years before the outbreak of World War II. Of the 700 or so vehicles that Frazer Nash purchased from BMW in Eisenach between 1934 and 1939 , over seventy were unbodied; Abbott of Farnham dressed 38, the rest of Whittingham & Mitchel and Bertelli .

Lagonda

Starting in 1933 , Whittingham & Mitchel manufactured bodies for the smallest and cheapest model Rapier for the then Staines-based automobile manufacturer Lagonda , including one of two prototypes that was shown at the 1933 Motor Show in London's Olympia and which the designer Tim Ashcroft then used as a private car . Other coachbuilders who manufactured Rapier bodies for Lagonda during this period were Abbott , Maltby , Newns and Ranalah . It is unclear whether and to what extent the move from Whittingham & Mitchel to Staines after the end of World War II is linked to Lagonda .

MG

One of 28 MG PA Airline Coupés with body by Whittingham & Mitchel from the years 1934–36, a typical representative of the British “Art Deco”, designed and marketed exclusively by H. W. Allingham.
The special metal sliding roof of an MG Airline Coupé with three Plexiglas inserts in the so-called "three-window" or "cathedral design".
The only MG Midget TA with an “Airline Coupé” body.

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the automobile manufacturer MG began in the particularly successful year 1935. The MG N-Type Magnette 2/4-seater were produced in small series on behalf of the factory . They had open 2 + 2-seater sports car bodies typical of W & M. This model was marketed through MG and was part of the regular sales program.

In addition to the sports tourers, Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. the particularly fashionable MG Airline Coupés from 1934 . While the body builder Carbodies was responsible for the coupés based on the N-Type Magnette , W & M manufactured the vehicles based on the MG PA , PB and TA types . These were designs by the English designer HW Allingham that were only available from 1934 to 1936 and exclusively through Allingham. In this respect, only fifty of the 11,500 MG s of these years were built with the special Airline Coupé body, 43 of them by Whittingham & Mitchel (28 MG PA s, 14 PB s and one TA ). Car bodies that were no longer needed after production was phased out were sold individually by Carbodies and W & M to third parties, which is why at least one HRG from 1938 carries such a body.

Railton

The business relationship between W & M and the small series manufacturer Railton only began shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Even after the war, Whittingham & Mitchel as well as Carbodies and Martin Walter Ltd. a few Railton vehicles, possibly 14, mostly from pre-war stocks. In particular, a limousine that Whittingham & Mitchel built on a pre-war chassis in 1947 is documented.

Rolls Royce

In the spring of 1933, W & M built one of the most striking Rolls-Royce Phantom II 40/50 hp as a Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton . The unique piece with the chassis number 25 EX was commissioned by the London Rolls Royce dealer Barkers and its US customer J. Eskdale. Whittingham & Mitchel received the left-hand drive chassis directly from the manufacturer, where it had previously served as a test vehicle and development vehicle in the specification as Phantom I Super Sports with a limousine body from Park Ward .

W & M designed one of the sportiest Rolls-Royce bodies of the time with two separate, sporty passenger compartments, foldable windshields at the front and rear, front doors cut out like a roadster and sportily covered rear wheels. Other features were one in the footboard integrated storage compartment for golf clubs as well as in rows total arranged 179 cooling air vents on the sides of the hood and beneath the doors, which served to the cooling water -temperatures even with the proposed fast driving long distances in southern Europe and the United States constantly to hold.

The vehicle has survived to this day and was sold for £ 80,000 at auction in 2009, although it was not street legal or drivable at the time. The manufacturer Ilario produces a miniature model of this vehicle in 1:43 scale in a limited edition as a high-priced collector's item.

rover

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the automobile manufacturer Rover began as early as the 1932/33 model year. Whittingham & Mitchel manufactured the open, four-seater Rover Rajah sports cars , which could be built on four different Rover chassis and were marketed in the factory via the official Rover sales program . W & M produced four of a total of 27 rovers - "Customs" of this model year, ie models with special bodies that were available in addition to the factory bodies produced in large series. For the 1933/34 model year, Whittingham & Mitchel and Rover continued their collaboration with only a few changes. At the same time, Carbodies manufactured the two-seater Rover Nizam roadster , George Maddocks the four-seater convertible Rover Rance and Weymann's Motor Bodies (1925) Limited the four-door “Sports Saloons” Rover Maharaja .

Rover thus became W & M's first major customer and played a key role in making Whittingham & Mitchel what was then the most important body construction company in Great Britain, which manufactured open bodies on a factory basis. Charlesworth Bodies had previously manufactured similar bodies for Rover , but had given up further cooperation when they had become the main supplier of Alvis bodies in 1933 .

When Rover tightened its range of bodies for the 1935 / '36 model year for reasons of rationalization, W & M only had to build an elegant convertible version of the Rover 14 designed by H. W. Allingham.

Singer

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the automobile manufacturer Singer began in 1934. Whittingham & Mitchel manufactured the open Singer 11 Tourer for several years on a factory basis .

Talbot / Sunbeam-Talbot

A
Whittingham & Mitchel bodyshell Talbot Ten Tourer from 1936, which was mass-produced and marketed by the Rootes Group on a factory order .

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the English automobile brand Talbot began in 1935. Whittingham & Mitchel initially produced the touring version of the Talbot Ten, derived from the Hillman Minx , in large series until 1938. The touring version of the Sunbeam-Talbot Ten and the 3-liter followed until the outbreak of World War II . The orders from Talbot and Sunbeam-Talbot , along with those from Vauxhall, made a decisive contribution to the capacity utilization of W&M . At the same time, Thrupp & Maberly produced other tourers, while Abbott and Carbodies produced convertibles .

After the Second World War, Whittingham & Mitchel and Sunbeam-Talbot continued their collaboration. In addition to the touring bodies, more complex convertible versions were also created here. Sunbeam-Talbot was Whittingham & Mitchel's only and last major customer in the post-war period , before the body shop there was given up around 1948.

Vauxhall

The business relationship between W & M Ltd. and the automobile manufacturer Vauxhall , then one of the largest automobile manufacturers in Great Britain, began in 1933. With a duration of six years it was the most consistent cooperation for Whittingham & Mitchel . W & M manufactured the open Stratford Tourer and the Airline Coupé, each based on the Vauxhall Light Six and later the Vauxhall DX , the open Cavendish Tourer based on the Vauxhall Big Six and the Velocity convertibles - in parallel with the bodybuilder Ranalah - the Sandringham based on the Vauxhall DX . The rare two-seater convertible with an old-fashioned, fold-out mother- in - law seat in the rear was particularly unusual for this period .

British automobile dealer

In addition to the aforementioned automobile manufacturers, several large automobile dealers were also regular customers of Whittingham & Mitchel . The company clad un-body new car chassis in small series, which were then marketed exclusively through these dealerships. Chassis manufacturers, to which W & M Ltd. Only through these dealers connected without (also) producing factory bodies were AC , Austin , Ford , Lancia and Wolseley .

Eustace Watkins

The business relationship between W & M and the major London Wolseley dealer Eustace Watkins Ltd. began in 1932. Special bodies on Wolseley chassis were made until shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Even after the war, the two companies worked together on, had expanded as Eustace Watkins its sales program and Whittingham & Mitchel now rowing boats and light motor boats with purchased outboard motors moved.

From 1930 to 1932, Eustace Watkins had his special bodies on Wolseley chassis manufactured by the London bodywork company Abbey Coachworks , but then switched to W & M Ltd. , which already produced similar vehicles for the trading company Kevill-Davies & March . Apparently in order to be able to exert greater influence on the prices of the vehicle bodies , to secure sufficient contingents for himself and to oust Kevill-Davies & March as direct competitors, Eustace Watkins acquired the bodybuilder in the mid-1930s, but probably still came across the company before the outbreak of World War II due to declining orders.

The special bodies on Wolseley chassis had the additional designation "EW Daytona" . Up to four versions based on the Wolseley Hornet and subsequently the models Nine , 10/40 , 12/48 and Fourteen were available . Four-seater tourers and, depending on the chassis, two-seater roadsters, drophead coupés or two-door saloons were available as body variants.

A Wolseley Hornet EW Daytona Sports with a Whittingham & Mitchel -Karosserie from 1932 is in the Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon , Warwickshire issued.

Kevill-Davies & March

The business relationship between W & M and the London automobile trading company Kevill-Davies & March began around 1931/32. The dealership, which sold MG vehicles from 1931 , soon afterwards also Lancia , Wolseley and Hillman and, in cooperation with the car dealer Jack Olding, finally also Riley and AC , was Whittingham & Mitchel's first major customer . The first product was sporty special bodies in small series based on the Wolseley Hornet , which the co-owner Earl of March had designed and which were sold exclusively through Kevill-Davies & March . The contract moved to competing coachbuilder John Charles & Company in the mid-1930s when the car dealer Eustace Watkins took over W&M .

In 1935 Whittingham & Mitchel manufactured open four-seater tourers for Kevill-Davies & March on the chassis of the Lancia Augusta . The "semi-sports four-seater" were based on the contemporary Alfa Romeo Le Mans models. They were exclusive and expensive: With the standard ohc -Motor, who was classified hp after the British tax formula by 12, they cost 450 British pounds , in an uprated version with Centric - compressor even 487 £ 10 s.

W. Harold Perry

Another automobile dealer who commissioned Whittingham & Mitchel to produce a special model in small series was the major London Ford dealer W. Harold Perry Ltd. From 1935, W & M produced the Ford 8 Kerry Tourer . The reason was that Ford did not offer an open body version in this vehicle class ex works for cost reasons and with a view to the torsion-free ladder frame.

HA Saunders

Between late 1934 and early 1935 Whittingham & Mitchel took on an order from automobile dealer HA Saunders and completed some Austin Arrows . The vehicles were originally built by the coachbuilder AP Compton on behalf of Normand Garages , but the production and marketing had led to economic problems. Saunders took over from the company Normand Garages further distribution and Compton some unfinished vehicles it at W & M was complete. This is how other Austin Seven Arrow “65” Sports 2-Seater , Austin Seven Arrow “75” Competition 2-Seater and Austin 10 Arrow Sports 2 and 4-Seater were created .

Jack Olding & Co.

Another customer of W & M Ltd. the great London automobile trading company was Jack Olding & Co. basis were the AC - underslung chassis that the car manufacturer AC (Acedes) Cars Limited was introduced for model year 1934th They enabled particularly sporty lines, which is why the Earl of March designed a series of open sports car bodies and two-seater fixed-head coupés on chassis with a regular wheelbase , which were considered particularly elegant. They were primarily marketed through Jack Olding . However, probably only the first vehicles were built under the supervision of March at Whittingham & Mitchel , before this order also went to John Charles & Co. and in some cases to Arthur Mulliner Ltd. moved to Northampton .

At that time, these AC models attracted particular public attention through partly factory-supported participation with successes in the Monte Carlo Rally and the International Alpine Tour as well as in the 1935 MCC One-Hour Trial on the Brooklands race track.

Unique pieces on behalf of the customer

Whittingham & Mitchel received the order for further vehicles, which were only produced as one-offs, neither from a manufacturer nor a trading company for automobiles, but as an exception from an end customer:

  • In May 1934, W & M delivered a Bentley 3½ liter with an open 2 + 2-seater roadster body and a sloping rear, which the then well-known Brooklands racing driver Captain Eric Burt had commissioned. The vehicle has been used successfully in several races. Later, possibly as early as 1935 or 1939, it received a new four-seater tourer body from Park Ward , although it is unclear whether this was the result of an accident or to meet other racing regulations.
The vehicle still exists today in largely unrestored condition and was sold for £ 85,500 at auction in 2014.
  • Whittingham & Mitchel realized one of the most unusual vehicle bodies in 1935 on the basis of another Lancia Augusta . The body was extremely angular, had several storage compartments for luggage and technical equipment, and was reminiscent of officer's cars for military purposes or expedition vehicles. According to the British newspaper Telegraph , which describes the vehicle as “one of the ugliest of all time”, the body was designed by an unspecified “famous fashion designer”.

The bodies

The body structure

The W & M superstructures rested, as was customary, typically on separate chassis, the body structures were accordingly not self-supporting . Whittingham & Mitchel chose sheet metal made of aluminum or steel as the body material, depending on customer requirements or availability , and sometimes made individual parts of a vehicle with one material and the rest with the other material. The metal sheets, which were largely made by hand, rest, as was customary at the time, on a stiffening hardwood structure.

The unusually large number of customers and vehicle models was made possible by the fact that W & M often produced the same or similar parts in larger series, which could be adapted to several chassis with little or no work.

How many bodyworks Whittingham & Mitchel produced in the comparatively few years as a bodybuilder is not known, with a production of several bodies per day at times, a medium to high four-digit number is realistic. How many of these vehicles still exist today is also not documented. However, the number is relatively small: many vehicles were abandoned and scrapped during the war or in the booming post-war years. The wooden structures tend to rot in the long run and preventive measures against corrosion on load-bearing and non-load-bearing metal parts in today's sense were missing. In addition, there is sometimes negligent processing quality due to the time and cost pressure that prevailed in the middle class segment at the time, as well as the fact that Whittingham & Mitchel bodies were considered less worthy of preservation than those of well-known, older bodybuilders who clad luxury vehicles on behalf of customers.

The body designers

In the comparatively few years in which Whittingham & Mitchel Ltd. When the body shop was active, the company implemented body designs by various designers. Some of them probably came from in-house designers, primarily the rather simple open tourers and sports cars with two or four seats. The models that were commissioned by the works also included external designs by designers from these automobile manufacturers.

From a design point of view, those W&M bodies are of particular importance that came from two renowned designers at the time, Henry W. Allingham and the Earl of March.

Allingham

HW Allingham was a particularly active automotive designer in the 1920s and 1930s who had grown into this role as a businessman. In 1921 he was a co-founding partner and sales manager of the coachbuilder Chalmer and Hoyer . After the company had been renamed Chalmer and Hoyal ("-al" for Allingham) in 1925 and Hoyal Bodybuilding Corporation in 1928 , Allingham took on responsibility for the body design for the first time. In 1931 the body construction division, which from then on traded as John Charles & Company , was sold, and Allingham built a new company that dealt primarily with body design. In particular, he won the automobile manufacturers Vauxhall , Rover and MG as customers and had his designs manufactured by the bodybuilders Whittingham & Mitchel , Motor Bodies and Carbodies . In some cases, in coordination with the manufacturers, he also took over the sole sale of exclusive special models.

The Whittingham & Mitchell Ltd. manufactured several models designed by Allingham from 1933:

  • for Vauxhall between 1933 and 1939 the airline coupés and the Stratford tourer, each based on the smaller six-cylinder model Light Six and its successor DX , and later also the Sandringham convertible based on the DX ;
  • for Rover 1935 / '36 the Rover 14 Cabriolet and
  • for MG 1934 to 1936 the airline coupés based on the models PA , PB and TA as well as from 1935 the N-Type Magnette 2/4-seater tourer .

The airline coupés made by Whittingham & Mitchel based on designs by Allingham are particularly appealing in terms of design. With their distinctive rounded roof and the flowing rear sloping rear, they are typical representatives of English Art Deco ; an MG Airline Coupé is therefore on the front cover of the book Art Deco and British Car Design by Barrie Down from 2010.

Earl of March

Freddie March, the then Earl of March, was a well-respected automobile designer in the 1930s. For this purpose he ran the company March Models Ltd. with its own showroom at 28 Berkeley Street in London's posh West End. At the same time, he ran the trading company Kevill-Davies & March Ltd. with Hugh Kevill-Davies . with offices at 9, Bruton Street and its own car dealership with several exclusive brands.

From 1931 March designed his own special bodies, which he had initially manufactured by Whittingham & Mitchel , later also by John Charles & Company and Arthur Mulliner and partly exclusively through Kevill-Davies & March , partly via partners such as Jack Olding or partly through the regular authorized dealers of the automobile manufacturers marketed. March limited his entrepreneurial activities in the automotive industry from 1935, after he obtained the position of Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon with the death of his father.

Based on designs by the Earl of March, Whittingham & Mitchel made :

  • from 1931 special bodies for the Wolseley Hornet ;
  • from 1934 individual sports tourers and coupés based on the AC Six with Underslung chassis as well
  • from 1935 sports tourer based on the Lancia Augusta .

In addition, it is occasionally noted in the literature that early Earl of March designs are said to have significantly influenced the following airline coupés from Allingham and W & M.

literature

  • Nick Walker: A – Z British Coachbuilders: 1919–1960 . Herridge & Sons Limited, Shebbear, Devon, United Kingdom 2007, ISBN 978-0-9549981-6-5 , pp. 187 and 188 (English) .
  • Barrie Down: Art Deco and British Car Design: The Airline Cars of the 1930’s . Veloce Publishing Limited, Poundbury, Dorset, United Kingdom 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-522-3 , pp. 72, 76, 128 (English) .
  • Nick Baldwin et al: The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers . Facts on File Publications, Oxford, United Kingdom 1987, ISBN 0-8160-1844-8 , pp. 21, 271, 528 (English) .

Web links

Commons : Whittingham & Mitchel  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k Nick Walker: A – Z British Coachbuilders: 1919–1960 . Herridge & Sons Limited, Shebbear 2007, ISBN 978-0-954-99816-5 , pp. 187 f.
  2. ^ The Whittingham and Mitchel company on Grace's Guide website , accessed August 12, 2015
  3. a b c d e f g h i j Nick Walker: A – Z British Coachbuilders: 1919–1960 . Herridge & Sons Limited, Shebbear 2007, ISBN 978-0-954-99816-5 , p. 187.
  4. a b The Whittingham & Mitchel company on Grace's Guide website with reference to The Times (newspaper) July 7, 1964 , accessed August 13, 2015 (English)
  5. The Autocar (magazine), Volume 71, 1933, p. 629 (English)
  6. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Nick Walker, A – Z British Coachbuilders: 1919–1960, Herridge & Sons Limited, Shebbear, Devon, United Kingdom, 2007 , ISBN 978-0-954-99816-5 , p. 188.
  7. ^ The Whittingham & Mitchel company on Grace's Guide website with references to Martin Sharp, Michael C. F. Bowyer, Mosquito , Crecy Books, 1995 and The Times (newspaper), July 7, 1964 , accessed August 18, 2015
  8. The Whittingham & Mitchel company on Grace's Guide website with reference to The Times (newspaper), December 12, 1964 , accessed August 18, 2015.
  9. Michael Sedgwick, Cars of the 1930s , R. Bentley, 1970, p. 355 (English)
  10. Image of an Allard J1 Competition Whittingham & Mitchel Open Sports on the portal pinterest.com , accessed on August 18, 2015 (English)
  11. ^ Nick Baldwin et al .: The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers, Facts on File Publication . Oxford 1987, ISBN 0-8160-1844-8 , p. 21.
  12. The Alvis 4.3 Liter SC short chassis Concealed Hood Drophead Coupé on the portal alvisarchive.com , accessed on August 18, 2015 (English)
  13. MotorSport (magazine), 1970, p. 654 (English)
  14. One of around fifty British Salmson S4Ds with a four-door saloon body from Whittingham & Mitchel on the occasion of an auction on October 16, 2013 on the H&H Auctions website  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link became automatic marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on August 18, 2015@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.classic-auctions.com  
  15. a b c The Motor (magazine), Volume 72, 1937, p. 470 (English)
  16. ^ Werner Oswald, Eberhard Kittler, All BMW automobiles since 1928 , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 2000, ISBN 3-613-02053-X , pages 86 f.
  17. MotorSport (magazine), 1969, p. 974 (English)
  18. The story of the Lagonda Rapier on the rapierregister.com website , accessed on August 28, 2015 (English)
  19. ^ Nick Baldwin et al: The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers, Facts on File Publications . Oxford 1987, ISBN 0-8160-1844-8 , p. 271
  20. Barrie Down: Art Deco and British Car Design: The Airline Cars of the 1930’s . Veloce Publishing, Poundbury 2010, ISBN 978-1-845-84522-3 , p. 72.
  21. The Railton story on the website of standardmotorclub.org.uk , accessed on August 20, 2015 (English)
  22. a b The Rolls-Royce Phantom II 40/50 hp Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton with body by Whittingham & Mitchel on the website of the Bonhams auction house on the occasion of an auction on September 18, 2009 , accessed on August 27, 2015 (English)
  23. The Rolls-Royce Phantom II Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton with body by Whittingham & Mitchel as a miniature model on the website carmodel.com , accessed on September 9, 2015
  24. Michael Sedgwick: Cars of the 1930s . R. Bentley, 1970, p. 259 (English)
  25. Overview of the Rover 10/25 hp on the Rover Freunde Deutschland e. V. , accessed on August 27, 2015
  26. The coachbuilder Whittingham & Mitchel on the website of simoncars.co.uk , accessed on August 28, 2015 (English)
  27. The Talbot Ten and the Sunbeam-Talbot Ten on the website of simoncars.co.uk , accessed on August 28, 2015 (English)
  28. One of four known  Vauxhall L-Type 14 hp ( Light Six ) from 1934 on a British sales portal , accessed on September 2, 2015 (English)
  29. MotorSport (magazine), 1953, p. 33 (English)
  30. Image of a Vauxhall Light Six with a two-seater convertible body by Whittingham & Mitchel with an unusual "mother-in-law seat " , accessed on September 2, 2015 (English)
  31. The Motor (magazine), Volume 94, 1948, p. 41 (English)
  32. The Wolseley 12/48 Tourer with body by Whittingham & Mitchel from 1937 on the website of worthpoint.com with reference to the Wolseley Ten offered at the same time , accessed on September 2, 2015 (English)
  33. a b MotorSport (magazine), December 1974 issue, pages 47 to 51, "The Cars of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon" as a digital scan , accessed on September 3, 2015 (English)
  34. A Lancia Augusta Sports Tourer dressed for Kevill-Davies & March on the classicdriver.com website , accessed on September 3, 2015 (English)
  35. Overview of the Ford model series Y and C including special bodies on the Ford Y and C Model Register website ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on September 3, 2015 (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fordyandcmodelregister.co.uk
  36. Nick Walker: A – Z British Coachbuilders: 1919–1960 . Herridge & Sons Limited, Shebbear 2007, ISBN 978-0-954-99816-5 , p. 100.
  37. Forum post on the Austin Arrow with further information , accessed on September 3, 2015 (English)
  38. a b c John Mclellan, Classic ACs - Car Carrier to Cobra , Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 0-7509-2042-4 , pages 56 f. (English)
  39. The Bentley 3½ liter with the chassis number B171AE and Park Ward body, previously with body by Whittingham & Mitchel , on the website of the Bonhams auction house with reference to the book by Johnnie Green, Bentley, 50 Years of the Marque , pages 171 and 192 , accessed September 9, 2015
  40. Whittingham & Mitchel as coachbuilders for Bentley chassis on the website of derbybentley.co.uk , accessed on September 9, 2015 (English)
  41. Brief description and picture of the Lancia Augusta with an unusual special body by Whittingham & Mitchel on a private website on the history of the Lancia automobile brand , accessed on September 9, 2015
  42. Image of the Lancia Augusta with an unusual special body by Whittingham & Mitchel on a private website on the history of the Lancia automobile brand , accessed on September 9, 2015
  43. ^ Illustration of the Lancia Augusta with special body by Whittingham & Mitchel on a private French website for the Lancia Augusta / Belna , accessed on September 9, 2015 (French)
  44. Brief description of the Lancia Augusta with special body by Whittingham & Mitchel on the website of the British newspaper Telegraph , accessed on September 9, 2015 (English)
  45. a b c Barrie Down: Art Deco and British Car Design: The Airline Cars of the 1930’s . Veloce Publishing, Poundbury 2010, ISBN 978-1-845-84522-3 , p. 72 ff.

Remarks

  1. For company name: In the (professional) literature and on websites is also the spelling found Whittingham and Mitchel with the conjunction "and" instead of the ampersand "&" . Sometimes there is also the misspelling "Mitchell" .