Cadillac - 1931 |
Coachbuilding, the creation of unique
and beautiful custom automobile bodies, witnessed a
renaissance during the 1925 -1942 period. Wealthy buyers
would select from renderings provided by the auto dealerships
with the most expensive and impressive makes of cars
– Cadillac, Lincoln, Pierce-Arrow, etc. The very
rich customers would simply express their desires and
a body would be created as per their specifications.
It was an era pre-dating unit body steel construction,
so building a wooden frame dressed in aluminum for a
chassis was relatively simple and could be very luxurious.
Although not very common, some owners would order two
bodies – an open tourer or roadster for the summer
and an enclosed sedan or limousine for the winter and
have the service department switch them out as the weather
changed.
Coachbuilt designs began with sketches that filled trash
cans until a design was approved and a rendering was
made to present before the management or clients. If
approved, a full-size detailed drawing was made on a
wall. Scale models were often made. Once the car was
produced, the renderings were included in the dealer
albums or framed and hung on the walls of the dealership.
Often the renderings were presented to the owners after
he made payment and while he waited for completion of
the car. Unfortunately, most renderings were destroyed
once the car was built, so only a few of those beautiful
renderings exist today. If we are lucky, years later
they are found it attics and basements.
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