Graber

The body shop Graber was in Wichtrach (Canton Bern ) established Swiss manufacturer of automobile bodies, who designed numerous special bodies for European and American Chassis 1926-1970 and produced. Some of Graber's creations won before and after the Second World War, beauty prices. The company was known for his restrained, but nevertheless elegant body designs that consistently followed the so-called Ponto form since the 1950s, contrary to the trend of the time largely dispensed with decorative details and ornaments. A special compound consisted of the British luxury car manufacturer Alvis, whose chassis Graber clothed over a period of almost two decades.

Company History

The Carosserie Graber goes back to a wheelwright in Wichtrach. 1925 took over Hermann Graber, who was born in 1904 the son of the previous owner, operation and shifted the activity rapidly in the manufacture of automobile bodies.

As early as 1926 was the first vehicle with Graber body: a two -seater convertible based on a Fiat 509 By this time let Graber a hinge system patent with which to open vehicle doors were either to the left or to the right. Accordingly, these models also had two door handles outside. 1929 won a karossierter of Panhard & Levassor 20 CV Graber the Concours d'Elegance in St. Moritz. This success contributed to Graber's Europe-wide notoriety. In the 1930s, the company introduced a number of special bodies for chassis from Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Bugatti, Duesenberg and Packard ago.

After the Second World War, Graber increasingly focused on British chassis. Numerous individual pieces were written on the basis of Lagonda, Rolls -Royce and Rover; Bentley created a total of 35 Graber- structures, of which 12 for the Bentley Mark VI.

In 1948 Graber, Swiss general representation of the British luxury brand Alvis. Two years later, Graber presented on behalf of customers for the first time its own body for a Alvis chassis forth; it was followed by numerous other individual pieces on Alvis basis.

In the 1950s, the combination of Alvis Graber and intensified. After the many years of Alvis designer G.T. Smith -Clarke had left the company, designed Hermann Graber factory bodywork of 1955 featured Alvis TC 21/108G. The bodies were initially prepared at Graber itself; but later they emerged in the British body works and Willowbrook Park Ward. According to some authors, the British plants Graber produced draft under license. The Alvis Owners Club, however, claims that the Park Ward bodies resembled the Graber- design only on superficial examination; Park Ward have revised the Swiss presented in view of an improved space itself. All later work bodies of the T series to the last model, the TF 21, also followed Graber designs. In addition, Graber paid regularly continue Alvis chassis in the sales order with self-designed special bodies out of which emerged a year less than ten copies. Graber created this two-door coupe - in English usage Saloons -, convertibles and four -door sedans, three of which still exist. Graber bodies were less than the factory set-ups and generally had more raked A and C pillars. A special feature of Graber's individual designs were very thin C-pillars. In addition to building Graber revised to request the suspension of karossierten of him cars.

Hermann Graber died 1970. Upon his death, the production of special structures ended in Wichtrach. A total of about 800 vehicles at Graber had arisen. The company continued to exist as a body repair shop. From 1980 to 1996, the Graber Sports garage was an official Ferrari importer. 2001, the company was taken over by a well-known Swiss classic car restorer and relocated to Toffen.

Rear view of the Talbot -Lago T 26

The last series of Alvis Cars: A TF 21 in 1967 and coupé body