While still only a concept, driving Bentley’s roughly $2 million Bacalar is a glimpse into the old craft of coachbuilding.

Exclusivity was never an issue in the early years of the automobile. Those who were wealthy enough to afford cars before the era of mass manufacturing would normally commission their favored style of bodywork from the same coachbuilders who had previously made horse-drawn carriages. It was a largely separate—and more dignified—trade to the grubby business of making frames, engines, and axles.

Coachbuilding survived for an impressively long time after the arrival of production line-built cars, but it became increasingly harder and more expensive as vehicles got more and more complex.
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