Carlton Carriage Company

The Carlton Carriage Company was a highly respected London coachbuilder that provided bespoke coachwork for some of the finest car makers of the 1920 and 30’s. They are best known for their drophead coupes which are archetypal designs of the British Jazz Era.

Carlton Carriage Company was founded in 1924 under the name of the Kelvin Carriage Company and changed its name to Carlton Carriage Co in 1925. The founders had close connections with E&B Hall, Motor Car Industries and the Waverly car company. Carlton began exhibiting at Olympia in 1926.

The firm’s business offices were in Shepherd Bush, London and their manufacturing operations were originally located at Waldo Works, Waldo Rd. These later moved to Trenmar Gardens Willesden London NW 10. Their design team during the 1930s was sought after for their drophead designs especially on Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis. Their last designer was Cyril James Ingram who among other things specialized in reboding pre-war Rolls-Royces in the 1950s/60s.

Carlton created bodies for both European and American manufacturers. The main European manufactures for which Carlton provided bodies included: Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Daimler, Delahaye, Hipano-Suiza, Humber, Lancia, Lagonda, Mercedes, MG, Rolls-Royce, Talbot, Vauxhall and Waverly. The main American manufacturers that they created bodies for included: Buick, Chrysler, Essex, Hudson, Oldsmobile, Packard and Pontiac. Carlton also worked as a contract manufacturer for other coachbuilders including Connaught and Offord.

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