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Makes › LeBaron · Coachbuilder (carrozzeria) – bodies, not complete cars · United States United States

LeBaron

LeBaron, Carrossiers was a New York design and coachbuilding firm founded by Raymond Dietrich and Thomas Hibbard, with a body plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It worked with Packard and Pierce-Arrow and was later taken over by Briggs and moved to Detroit.2,1

Lincoln Model K Convertible Roadster by LeBaron
Lincoln Model K Convertible Roadster by LeBaron
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0
7Cars bodied
0Individual chassissee each car
1920Founded

Cars with bodies by LeBaron

The car itself is credited to its chassis manufacturer. Open a car to see its individual chassis.

Key facts

Founded
1920, New York1 Independently researched
Founder
Raymond H. Dietrich and Thomas L. Hibbard1 Independently researched
Headquarters
Columbus Circle, Manhattan, later Fifth Avenue, New York; body plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut1 Independently researched

History

Raymond Dietrich and Thomas Hibbard, who had worked at Brewster & Co., founded LeBaron in New York in 1920 as designers who had other builders make their bodies, choosing a memorable French-sounding name. On 7 January 1924 it merged with the Bridgeport Body Co. to form LeBaron, Inc., and Dietrich left in 1925 to start Dietrich Inc. in Detroit. Walter O. Briggs acquired the firm in 1926-27 and its main operation moved to Detroit; the Fifth Avenue office closed in October 1930 and the Bridgeport plant about two months later. The Detroit operation continued until the start of World War II and produced small series for Chrysler.

2,1

Milestones

  1. 1920
    Dietrich and Hibbard founded LeBaron in New York.1
  2. 1924-01-07
    LeBaron merged with the Bridgeport Body Co. to form LeBaron, Inc.1
  3. 1926
    Walter O. Briggs acquired LeBaron (1926-1927).1

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    A history of coachbuilder LeBaron Level D Vanderbilt Cup Races
    • Founded 1920 in New York
    • Bridgeport merger (January 7, 1924)
    • Briggs takeover (1926-1927)
    • Founded 1920 in New York by Raymond H. Dietrich and Thomas L. Hibbard
    • Raymond H. Dietrich and Thomas L. Hibbard founded LeBaron
    • Began on Columbus Circle in Manhattan, later Fifth Avenue; body plant in Bridgeport
    • A history of coachbuilder LeBaron
    Accessed 2026-11-13
  2. 2
    Flashback Friday: Looking into LeBaron Level C RM Sotheby's
    • Flashback Friday: Looking into LeBaron
    Accessed 2026-11-13

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