There was a time when horse carriages were purpose-built by bespoke specialists whose sole aim was to give style and substances to their clients, and each was grander than the other, meant to signify the power and prestige of a ruling family or its nobility.
Costs were not an issue, material was plentiful and time was in abundance - all these attributes led to some of the most beautiful horse-drawn carriages which were pride of ownership for their blue-blooded masters.
When the early automobile started firing on its cylinders in the early 1900s, these bespoke coach builders were quick to recognise thepotential of offering custom made bodies for the mechanicals. Picture this: an automobile was available something like a Tata truck today, where only the front end was there and a wooden seat, as delivered from the factory.
To this, master craftsmen worked on wood and metal and even experimented with new wonder materials like aluminium to produce what can evocatively only be termed as works of art. Gurney-nutting, Windowers, Cross & Eliss, Charlesworth etc. were manufactured in England, while continental Europe prided itself in names like Figoni-Falaschi from France.
Murphy, Locke, Fleetwood were the toast of America which graced cars like the Deusenberg and Cords, ane of the most famous cars of their time. In those days, looking good and gracefulness was important - no one cared a damn for aerodynamics and such modern mumbo-jumbo.
Lights, grilles, body-work, seating etc was considered to be high points of elegance and even safety was not given any consideration. Often, bodies could cost three times as much as the original car!
Over a period of time, car manufacturers started manufacturing their own bodies as part of the complete car and the ancient art of customising has been largely lost to cost considerations and robotic welds. But these old cars have given us the world's most beautiful automobiles.