Barker was a coachbuilder

Coachbuilder

A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...

 and builder of bodywork for prestige cars.

Founded in London in 1710 by a guards officer, and subsequently trading as Barker & Co. Ltd, the company went into receivership in 1938 and its brand name and business were taken over by its long-term rival Hooper

Hooper (coachbuilder)

Hooper was a British coachbuilding company based in London.-Founding:The company was founded as Adams and Hooper in 1805 and held a royal warrant from 1830, building elegant horse drawn carriages, supplying them to King William IV, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. The first royal car, a Hooper...

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Barker was the recommended bodywork supplier for early Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce is a British brand; it may refer to:*Rolls-Royce Limited, the original company founded in 1906, and split into Rolls-Royce plc and Rolls-Royce Motors in 1973*Rolls-Royce plc, the aerospace, power systems and defense company....

 cars, although the choice was the customer's and there were several other prominent builders. One such Rolls-Royce with Barker bodywork, The Silver Ghost, is now the most valuable car in the world, valued at USD$57 million. The Silver Ghost was originally built for Rolls-Royce for use in their publicity activities.

Rolls-Royce did not start to build their own bodywork until the opening of their Crewe

Crewe

Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...

 works in 1949, however Park Ward

Park Ward

Park Ward was a British coachbuilder founded by William M. Park and Charles W. Ward in 1919. They had worked together at F.W. Berwick Ltd., the makers of Sizaire-Berwick cars.Their business operated from Willesden, North London.-History:...

, another coachbuilder which had come to specialise in Rolls-Royce and Bentley

Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...

 bodies, had been a wholly owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce since 1939.

As well as Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Barker also constructed bodywork on chasis by other manufacturers including Daimler

Daimler

- Daimler with reference to motor vehicles :refers to:* Gottlieb Daimler , German automobile inventor- Business co-founded by Gottlieb Daimler :...

, Napier

Napier

-People:* Napier * John Napier -Australia:* Electoral district of Napier, a state electoral district in South Australia* Mount Napier, a dormant volcano in Victoria...

, Duesenberg

Duesenberg

Duesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based American luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking racing cars.-History:...

, and Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

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External links

• http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=50&g2_itemId=43613