Chrysler was but one of many firms that contracted LeBaron to build bodies for their cars. Although LeBaron supplied many beautiful bodies for the 1931-33 Chrysler Imperial straight-eights, the last catalogued body that LeBaron built for Chrysler was the 1934-37 Chrysler Custom Imperial Airflow CW, each with a "Custom Body by LeBaron Detroit" plate. (They were all actually 1934-35 models, but they sold so poorly Chrysler was able to stretch them out into 1937.) And by the 1930's LeBaron was a subsidiary of Briggs Manufacturing, who built bodies for Ford, Plymouth, Packard, and others. Chrysler obtained the rights to the LeBaron name when they purchased the American body operations of Briggs in late 1952. Ford purchased Briggs's British operations. Like most American body builders, Briggs had no Canadian plants. Packard purchased bodies from LeBaron with the last catalogued model for the V-12 series being the 1937 Packard All-Weather Town Car, models 1507 and 1508. However, LeBaron's very last Packard models were a Touring Sedan and a Touring Limousine in the Custom Super-8 180 series for 1942, model 2008 (148" wheelbase). LeBaron also supplied bodies for Lincoln, with the last catalogued being offered in the 1939-40 V-12 model K series. For those years (1940 models were bascially leftover 1939 models with the blue Lincoln nameplates replaced with black versions) LeBaron built a convertible roadster (model 410), convertible sedan (model 413B), 2-passenger coupe (model 412 - on a 136" wheelbase), and convertible sedan phaeton (model 413A) No LeBaron bodies were built after World War II. LeBaron, Carossiers, was founded in 1920 by Thomas L. Hibbard and Raymond H. Dietrich with Ralph Roberts joining the firm shortly after. The firm, though, did not build bodies but just designed them in offices located in New York City.. Ray Dietrich took a leave of absence from the firm in 1921 while Tom Hibbard left for Paris in 1923 and formed a partnership with Howard "Dutch" Darrin. LeBaron's first break came with William Durant selecting LeBaron in 1922 to design a line of bodies for the Locomobile, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which he had just purchased. In 1924 LeBaron, Carossiers (body designers) merged with the Bridgeport Body Company (body builders) to form LeBaron, Inc, with design offices in New York City and plant in Bridgeport. In 1926 LeBaron, Inc. was purchased by Briggs Manufacturing Co. Shortly after, Ralph Roberts moved to Deroit and set up LeBaron Studios. This operation designed many bodies for firms such as Ford (Model A), Chrysler, Stutz, Graham, Marmon, and other Briggs customers. The Briggs plant on Meldrum Avenue was set up to build custom amd small runs of bodies. This operation was incorporated as LeBaron-Detroit Company, a subsidiary of Briggs. The Bridgeport plant was closed in 1931 and all operations moved to the Meldrum plant in Detroit. The Detroit LeBaron plant turned to war production in 1942 and never built a LeBaron body again. Also note the spelling --> LeBaron. No space between "Le" and "Baron". Never. The "LeBaron Coachworks" of 1963 was at the Jefferson Avenue assembly plant and it existed in the minds of the people who dreamt up the name. Probably the same people who dreamt up the "Imperial Division". Both 'firms' existed only on paper, and that was marketing/advertising paper, at that. In reality, the LeBaron series was built on the same assembly line as the Custom and Crown. Only the 1960 LeBaron received any special treatment, and that was due to the rear window. From 1961 to the end in 1976 the LeBaron used roof stampings with a smaller rear window opening. No more filler pieces and lead filling. The 1982-89 Chrysler Fifth Avenue actually received more attention as it used the regular M body roof with an extension welded on. Instead of lead filling the gaps, Chrysler used a padded vinyl roof. And the E-body New Yorker received the same treatment, by the way. No Imperial LeBaron, from the first in 1957 to the last in 1976, was assembled on another line or in another plant separate from the Custom or Crown models . The LeBaron seats were installed by the same assembly line workers that installed the seats in a Custom or Crown. Sorry, but LeBaron is just a name. Just like Continental, New Yorker, Rogue, Champion, or Biscayne. The LeBaron series cars were more lush than the Custom and Crown series, but they received no more care or concern than any other Imperial, which really was nothing to be ashamed of. And all 1957 to 1976 Imperial LeBarons are Imperials. The make is Imperial and the series is LeBaron. And that is the way Chrysler sold them, all of them. All prewar LeBarons were bodies only. Thus a Packard Custom Super-8 180 series with a LeBaron body was a Packard. Period. The series was Custom Super-8 180, and the body builder was LeBaron. There was never a car make called LeBaron. And "Le Baron" is not the way it was spelled before World War II when the body firm was in business. "Le Baron" was a Chrysler spelling that they later corrected. "LeBaron" is the correct way to spell the name. Bill Vancouver. BC ----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com ----------------- This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm