The finest automobiles the world has ever seen were produced during the 1920s and early 1930s. For one thing, the choice of truly fine cars was much greater than at any time since. There were a dozen fine chassis being built in America, and those who wished could select from at least another dozen from abroad. The best of these were fitted with coachwork form a number of fine body builders here or in Europe. Competition led not only to improvement in design but to the development of quality to the highest standards. There were a number of small to medium sized manufacturers of both chassis and bodies, staffed by master craftsmen, who were dedicated to the ideal of building the best rather than simply the most. Most custom car building businesses have long since been out of business, and their records have been lost or destroyed.

The Custom Body Era

Pfau, Hugo

A.S. Barnes and Co.

The author, a body designer for Le Baron, describes, with the aid of nearly 400 photographs, coachwork mounted to Packard chassis between 1906 and 1941 by American and European coachbuilders.

The Coachbuilt Packard (Motoring Library)

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

Motorbooks, International

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pfau, Hugo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pfau, Hugo

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pfau, Hugo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Custom Body Era

The Coachbuilt Packard (Motoring Library)