Fleetwood Metal Body was an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

coachbuilder A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

formed on April 1, 1909. The company name was derived from

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania Fleetwood, also called ''Schlegelschteddel'' in Pennsylvania Dutch, is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,085 at the 2010 census. It was home to the Fleetwood Metal Body company, an automobile coachbuilder purchased by ...

, home of the company at the start, and lived on for decades in the form of the

Cadillac Fleetwood The Cadillac Fleetwood is a model of luxury car that was manufactured by the Cadillac division of General Motors between 1976 and 1996. The "Fleetwood" name was previously used as a prefix on several of Cadillac's models dating back to 1935. F ...

and various Fleetwood trim lines on Cadillac cars. As of 2022, the remaining original buildings of Fleetwood Metal Body are undergoing restoration and renovation into loft-style apartments.

Fleetwood

The Fleetwood, Pennsylvania facility is located at 69 South Franklin Street. The business was relocated to Detroit in 1931 but the structure remains. It was a top-tier producer of

coachbuilt A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

metal and wood automobile bodies. Fleetwood bodies graced cars owned by royalty of India and Japan, American presidents, and screen stars like Rudolph Valentino. Fleetwood produced bespoke bodies on chassis from

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

, Cadillac, Daniels,

Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American race car, racing and luxury car, luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred Duesenberg, Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is ...

, Fiat,

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

, Packard,

Pierce-Arrow The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks ...

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

, SGV, and Stutz. Bodies were manufactured according to the customer's specifications, then sent by rail to the

rolling chassis A rolling chassis is the chassis without bodywork of a motor vehicle ( car, truck, bus, or other vehicle), assembled with suspension and wheels. Heavy vehicles Separate chassis remain in use for almost all heavy vehicles ranging from pickup ...

manufacturer where assembly was completed. Most of the bodywork crafted in Pennsylvania was used by Packard, with the rest of production being split between Cadillac and Lincoln.

Purchase by Fisher

1971 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 (d) - Flickr - denizen24

Fleetwood was purchased by Fisher Body in 1925, and became an

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

provider of bodies for

Detroit Assembly Detroit Assembly (also known as Detroit Cadillac, Cadillac Assembly or Clark Street Assembly) was a General Motors automobile factory in Detroit, Michigan on Clark Street, south of Michigan Avenue ( U.S. Route 12). It began operations in 1921 and ...

on Clark Street, and integrated into General Motors in 1931. The factory was located at the southwest corner of Fort Street and West End Street in the Detroit neighborhood of Delray, approximately 2 miles east of the Ford River Rouge Complex. The

Fisher Freeway Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs north–south from Miami, Florida, to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. I-75 enters the state from Ohio in the south, north of T ...

was named for the original factory location, which later became known as Fisher Plant #18. The location was closed in 1987 when manufacturing was transferred to the

Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly, also called Factory Zero, is a General Motors automobile assembly plant straddling the border between Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan. It is located about three miles (five km) from GM's corporate headquarters. Wh ...

factory, and the site was redeveloped as the Container Port Group Detroit facility. Similar to LeBaron, Fleetwood continued to build bespoke bodies for several years, mainly for Cadillac. In the early 1930s Fleetwood-bodied Cadillacs often wore a trim piece denoting a sweep panel across

cowl A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks. Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...

and

hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

. After 1934 and before Fleetwood was made a model name of Cadillac, it was responsible for elaborate detailing on expensive Cadillacs with standard bodies.Some Cadillacs up until the 1970's had a Interior by Fleetwood, Body by Fisher tag on some door sill plates.

References

External links

Fleetwood Historical Society
{{Authority control Coachbuilders of the United States Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 1909 Former General Motors subsidiaries Companies based in Berks County, Pennsylvania Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1909 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1931 1909 establishments in Pennsylvania 1931 disestablishments in Pennsylvania 1925 mergers and acquisitions Defunct manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania

Fleetwood

Purchase by Fisher

See also

References

External links