Corsica Coachworks was a small British coachbuilding business founded in 1920 just after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. They were builders of bespoke car bodies, employing no in-house designer. They realised customers' designs for them. Almost every Corsica body is unique.

History

Corsica Coachworks was run by Charles Henry Stammers (1884-1945), his brothers-in-law, Joseph and Robert Lee, and Albert Wood. The company name referred to the address of its original premises in Corsica Street,

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was sit ...

( Islington, North London). After a few years the business relocated further out of town to an alleyway off The Broadway, Cricklewood (Northwest London). Throughout its existence Corsica Coachworks remained small, never employing more than 20 people.

Products

Most Corsica bodies were fitted to the more sporting types of car, with bodies produced for Daimler, Bentley, Bugatti,

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and Wolseley models. At least 14

Bugatti Type 57 The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants (including the famous Atlantic and Atalante) was a grand tourer car built from 1934 through 1940. It was an entirely new design created by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. A total of 710 Type 57s were ...

s were furnished with Corsica bodies. One of the most notable Corsica bodied Type 57 cars was made using a chassis with parts from a famous Bugatti racing car. Bugatti was known for reusing and re-purposing chassis from their racing cars, then shipping the bare chassis to a customer for a new custom body. The Corsica Bugatti Type 57 Surbaisse 3.3-Litre Four-Seat Sports (1937) was made with an English style sporting body, completely unlike the typical Type 57 sporting bodies from continental European coachbuilders. And the chassis rails have been identified as the very same parts used in a Le Mans Type 57 "Tank" Streamliner. Just as the business was closed at the beginning of the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

the company completed a Rolls-Royce limousine for Princess Marie Louise "and there may have been a few others like it".

Design

Every body would have been unique but a few dealers required short runs of a particular shape. If the owner's ideas on a body shape were too unformed, a contract draughtsman would be called in. The foreman body maker, Bert Skinner, would draw the entire body on plywood hanging on the wall including full-scale sideviews. After the body's frame had been built, the sheet aluminium or

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would be shaped around it. Wings (mudguards) would be first outlined freehand in wire, then metal shaped to fit.

Employees

At peak: * Screenmaking and fittings 3 * Paint shop 4 * Trimming shop 3 * Body shop up to 7 * Panel shop 3 * wing maker * blacksmith These details have been supplied from memory not records.

Famous customers

Sir Malcolm Campbell Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a ...

, Ford Dagenham, Nico Embiricos, 'Taso' Mathiesen, Colonel Giles, Colonel Sorrel (Bugatti London), Forrest Lycett,

Cecil Kimber Cecil Kimber (12 April 1888 – 4 February 1945) was a motor car designer, best known for his role in being the driving force behind The M.G. Car Company. Biography Kimber was born in London on 12 April 1888 to Henry Kimber, a printing engi ...

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Legacy

The two most important principals, C. H. Stammers and Joseph Lee, died during

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. Their premises were sold to S Smith & Sons. Robert (Dick) Lee moved to coachbuilders Alpe & Saunders in Kew, then formed

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in High Street, Putney, moving later to Battersea (Fry, Lee, McNally). They made the bodies for HWM cars, the famous Gulbenkian taxi and the ''

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'' Hispano-Suiza.

References

* Mike McCarthy, The Boys from Kings Cross, ''Classic and Sportscar'' magazine, p.p. 110-115, June 1991. Interview with Jack and Charles Stammers, sons of the founder. * Nick Walker: ''A–Z of British Coachbuilders 1919–1960''. Shebbear 2007 (Herridge & Sons Ltd.) .

References

External links

Images not otherwise available:
Bugatti 57SC for Colonel G M Giles. Possibly Corsica's most famous car

Bugatti for Colonel Giles front

The same car in 2000

* ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/dmentd1/sets/72157627912290230/with/6254669877/ Squire drophead coupé prototype 1937
1938 Corsica-bodied lea-Francis Sports
{Dead link, date=July 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Corsica Vehicle manufacture in London Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1920 1920 establishments in England