Carbodies

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Carbodies is a British company based in Holyhead Road, Coventry, that started as a coachbuilder but is now best known for its taxicab production business.

The company was founded in 1919 when Robert Jones bought the vehicle body making business from Gooderham. Rather than make bespoke bodies to individual designs, Carbodies set out to produce production runs of coachwork for makers thet did not have their own bodyshops or were short of capacity. Typical companies supplied were Alvis Cars, the Rootes Group and MG.

During World War 2 the company made bodies for military vehicles and aircraft components.

After the war Carbodies got a major contract from the Austin Motor Company to make taxi bodies as well as work from Ford, making the bodies for the convertible Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac. MG remained a major customer, along with other BMC makes. Carbodies also supplied prototype bodies and tooling, projects including the Jaguar E-type bonnet.

In 1954 Robert Jones sold the company to the BSA group and in 1973 BSA was bought by Manganese Bronze. The company is now called LTI Ltd, an abbreviation of London Taxis International.