The Waterhouse Company of Webster, Massachusetts were coachbuilders making high quality custom bodies for chassis supplied by the major automotive businesses.
Waterhouse was founded in 1928 by Charles L Waterhouse (1870-1953) with his sons Moses Sargent Waterhouse and Lewis Osbourne Waterhouse. Charles L Waterhouse senior had been a key employee at Judkins and the brothers had spent some years there.[1]
When demand was high in 1929 they received an order from Packard's export department for a car to be exhibited at the Paris salon. It was a very short notice order which no other coachbuilder would accept. The new body attracted the attention of Packard's president and orders for duplicates followed.[1]
The doors were closed on the coachbuilding section in 1933[1] but they continued to make small boats and during World War 2 supplied marine ordnance and, after the war, furniture.
Waterhouse also put their custom bodies on Pierce-Arrow, Lincoln, Du Pont, Chrysler, Marmon and Stutz.
External links
References
- Hugo Pfau, The Coachbuilt Packard, Darlton Watson, London 1973 ISBN 0901564109^