Twelve Royal Tigers

Hit by the fall in the trade in the mid-1930s, the owner of a modest Lancashire cotton firm recruited his bright young nephew to broaden the business. His solution was to build coach bodies. This had hardly started when two key staff members left and set up as rivals. This book tells the amazing story of these two rivals, Bellhouse Hartwell and Beccols, in a fascinating tale of rivalry and enterprise, and of hope, disappointment and success in those now distant, early post-war years. The coaches produced by these two companies between 1947 and 1955 were very much of their time; sometimes avant-garde, sometimes outlandish and flamboyant, but always stylish and distinctive. With nearly 300 photographs and illustrations, many never seen before and all expertly restored, every page is a delight to the eye - it's a brilliant reference work and a beautiful book.