coachbuilders
Custom car creators
Coachbuilders are craftsmen or companies that build vehicle bodies, especially custom or luxury automobile bodies mounted on a separate chassis.
The term dates from when horse-drawn coaches were built by specialized artisans distinct from wheelwrights.
In the automotive era, coachbuilders created bespoke bodies for wealthy clients: The Rolls-Royce chassis was sent to Italian coachbuilders for finishing.
The trade has largely disappeared as mass production replaced coach-built construction.
Vehicle's external structure
- chassisStructural support base
- coachworkVehicle body design
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- assemblyConstructing from components
restoration · customization · convertible · sedan · coupe · limousine · roadster · prototyping
Skilled manual tradesperson
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
- metalworkShaped metal objects
joinery · upholstery · trimming · leatherwork · forging · apprenticeship · journeyman · master
Wooden circle builder
- wainwrightWagon and cart maker
- phaetonLight open horse carriage
- landauTwo-section folding coach
- broughamEnclosed horse-drawn vehicle
surrey · buggy · hansom · barouche · spokes · axles · springs · harness
Made to individual specifications
- exclusivityState of being limited
- prestigeReputation commanding admiration
- opulenceShowy, abundant prosperity
- Rolls-RoycePremier British automaker
Bentley · Maybach · handcrafted · tailored · refinement · elegance · gilded · ornate
Custom passed through generations
- legacyWhat's passed down
- vintageQuality from past eras
- antiqueOld valued collectible
- restorationReturning something to condition
conservation · patrimony · historical · bygone · marque · provenance · archive · museum
bodywork
Vehicle's external structure
- chassisStructural support base
- coachworkVehicle body design
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
assembly · restoration · customization · convertible · sedan · coupe · limousine · roadster · prototyping · aerodynamics
artisan
Skilled manual tradesperson
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
metalwork · joinery · upholstery · trimming · leatherwork · forging · apprenticeship · journeyman · master · guild
wheelwright
Wooden circle builder
- wainwrightWagon and cart maker
- phaetonLight open horse carriage
- landauTwo-section folding coach
brougham · surrey · buggy · hansom · barouche · spokes · axles · springs · harness · livery
bespoke
Made to individual specifications
- exclusivityState of being limited
- prestigeReputation commanding admiration
- opulenceShowy, abundant prosperity
Rolls-Royce · Bentley · Maybach · handcrafted · tailored · refinement · elegance · gilded · ornate · plush
tradition
Custom passed through generations
restoration · conservation · patrimony · historical · bygone · marque · provenance · archive · museum · preservation
- carriage tradeswheelwrights, coachmen, saddlers, blacksmiths, cartwrights
- Horse-drawn transportcarriages, wagons, coaches, buggies, carts