Cunard (coachbuilder)
Encyclopedia
The Cunard Motor & Carriage company was a British vehicle coachbuilder
. It was founded in London in 1911 and continued in various forms up to the 1960s.
The main customer for the bodies was Napier & Son
and from its works in Lower Richmond Road, London, SW15 Cunard provided a range of coachwork to fit on Napier chassis. Shortly after its formation, Cunard became a subsidiary of Napier and acted as their in-house coachbuilder but continued to supply bodies to other companies.
In 1924 Napier stopped making cars and the Cunard business was sold to Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd
who were looking for premises in which to build their range of car bodies. The Cunard name was dropped.
The name was revived in 1930 by an ex Cunard managing director, R. I. Musselwhite and V. E. Freestone from another well known coachbuilder, Thrupp & Maberly
. New premises were opened in Acton in West London. In 1931, after only a few bodies had been made, the company was bought by the London agent for Morris cars Stewart and Arden and both Musselwhite and Freestone left. Production was now concentrated on a range of standard bodies for Morris, Rover and Wolseley (especially the Hornet
model).
With the decline in the specialist coachwork business as car makers increasingly turned to mass produced, pressed steel bodies, Cunard moved into commercial vehicle bodies. The name was changed to Cunard Commercial Bodybuilding and a move made to Wembley in North London where it continued into the 1960s.
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
. It was founded in London in 1911 and continued in various forms up to the 1960s.
The main customer for the bodies was Napier & Son
Napier & Son
D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...
and from its works in Lower Richmond Road, London, SW15 Cunard provided a range of coachwork to fit on Napier chassis. Shortly after its formation, Cunard became a subsidiary of Napier and acted as their in-house coachbuilder but continued to supply bodies to other companies.
In 1924 Napier stopped making cars and the Cunard business was sold to Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd
Weymann Fabric Bodies
Weymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used a patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric...
who were looking for premises in which to build their range of car bodies. The Cunard name was dropped.
The name was revived in 1930 by an ex Cunard managing director, R. I. Musselwhite and V. E. Freestone from another well known coachbuilder, Thrupp & Maberly
Thrupp & Maberly
Thrupp & Maberly was a British coachbuilding company based in London, England.-Origin:This business was created by a merger in 1858 of the carriage builders Joseph Thrupp, who established his business in George Street in 1760, and George Maberly.As far back as the 1880s Thrupp & Maberly began its...
. New premises were opened in Acton in West London. In 1931, after only a few bodies had been made, the company was bought by the London agent for Morris cars Stewart and Arden and both Musselwhite and Freestone left. Production was now concentrated on a range of standard bodies for Morris, Rover and Wolseley (especially the Hornet
Wolseley Hornet (1930)
thumb|right|275px|1932 Wolseley Hornet EW SpecialThe Wolseley Hornet was a lightweight saloon car produced by the Wolseley Motor Company from 1930 to 1936...
model).
With the decline in the specialist coachwork business as car makers increasingly turned to mass produced, pressed steel bodies, Cunard moved into commercial vehicle bodies. The name was changed to Cunard Commercial Bodybuilding and a move made to Wembley in North London where it continued into the 1960s.