TJ Richards & Sons

TJ Richards & Sons was a coachbuilding company which operated in Australia under various names from 1885 through to 1951.

The history of TJ Richards and Sons began in 1885 when Adelaide-born blacksmith Tobias John Martin Richards opened a business named "TJ Richards, Wheel Wright and Coach Builder" in the Adelaide suburb of Mitcham. Richards developed the "King of the Road" two wheeled sulky and also adopted this name as his trade slogan. In 1900 the company moved to new larger premises in Hindmarsh Square in the city of Adelaide. Agencies were established in other Australian locations and exports to overseas countries including England, South Africa and India were undertaken. Richards coachwork won over 500 awards in various exhibitions.

By 1903 Richards had been joined in the business by his three sons Henry Ernest, Claude Alfred Victor and William Egbert. The company produced its first automobile body in 1905 and a dedicated department for this activity was formed in 1912.

In 1913 the company name was changed to "TJ Richards & Sons", Richards having recently handed over the operation of the company to his sons. In 1920 the company moved again, this time to a 7½ acre site on the corner of Anzac Highway and Leader Street in the Adelaide suburb of Keswick. The first mechanical body press was installed in 1924 and an assembly line was established shortly after this. Bodies were produced for various makes including Bianchi, Citroën, Fiat, Maxwell, Oakland, Overland, Armstrong-Siddeley, Austin, Huppmobile, Berliet, Durant, Amilcar, Rover and Rolls-Royce.

...
Wikipedia