Originally, cars were built by hand, one at a time. After the assembly line became commonplace in the automobile industry, there were still coachbuilders who produced amazing works of automotive art for wealthy clients using Cadillac, Packard, Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce and other chasses. At one time, prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s, there were probably hundreds of custom coachbuilders in the United States. One of the displays at the LeMay America’s Car Museum features a number of these coachbuilt cars.

According to the display:
“When mass production helped bring the price of an automobile within reach of the ordinary family, simply owning a car was no longer enough to distinguish oneself from the masses. One-of-a-kind manifestations of the coachbuilder’s art were just the ticket—setting in motion the golden age of handcrafted auto bodies.”


Shown above is a 1918 Cadillac Type 57, Brewster Body Town Limousine. Cadillac was one of the first American automakers to produce a limousine. William Brewster, whose family had begun building horse carriages in the early nineteenth century, established an automotive coachworks in 1910 which catered to the top of the market.


Shown above is a 1926 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Silver Ghost.


Shown above is a 1924 Lincoln Model L Towncar which was considered one of the most elegant chauffeur-driven automobiles of the 1920s.


Shown above is a 1942 Cadillac Town Brougham Derham.


Shown above is a 1936 Alvis Silver Eagle SG.



Shown above is a 1930 Lincoln Brougham with a body by Brunn and Co. of Buffalo, New York.




Shown above is a 1927 Cadillac 7-Passenger Touring Phaeton with a custom Fisher body.


Shown above is a 1916 Buick Abadal. Francisco (Paco) Abadal was a Hispano-Suzia salesman and racing driving in Barcelona before he began building fast luxury cars in 1912.




Shown above is a 1923 Lincoln 124A Touring Car.