Graber, also known as Carrosserie Hermann Graber, was a coachbuilding company founded in 1927 by Hermann Graber in Wichtrach, Switzerland. Hermann Graber had previously worked as a car mechanic and coachbuilder for various firms, including the Swiss company Gangloff and the French company Letourneur et Marchand.
In the early years, Graber produced bodies for a variety of car brands, including Bugatti, Talbot-Lago, Mercedes-Benz, and Bentley. The company gained a reputation for producing elegant and luxurious designs, often incorporating Art Deco elements.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Graber established a close relationship with the British car manufacturer Alvis. Alvis had been producing cars since 1919, but by the 1950s, it had moved away from producing its own coachwork and instead relied on outside coachbuilders to supply bodies for its chassis.
Graber began supplying bespoke bodies for Alvis chassis in 1950, and over the next two decades, the company provided Alvis with some of its most iconic designs. These included the Alvis TC 108G, which featured a sleek and aerodynamic body, and the Alvis TD 21, which had a more understated but still elegant design.
Graber also produced bodies for other car manufacturers, including Aston Martin, BMW, and Rolls-Royce. However, the company was hit hard by the decline of the coachbuilding industry in the 1960s, and it ceased production in 1970.
Today, Graber-bodied cars are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, and examples can be found in museums and private collections around the world. The company's legacy as a master coachbuilder lives on, and its designs continue to inspire car enthusiasts and designers to this day.
