Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing company with a history of coachbuilding and tuning and is famous for such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri.

Early years

The company had small coachbuilding origins in the 1820s as the family firm of Salmons and Son which was based at Tickford Street in Newport Pagnell. With the advent of the internal combustion engine, the company progressed into developing coachbuilt cars as early as 1898 and prospered. In 1925 it announced the Tickford "All Weather" saloon which was actually a convertible with the hood mechanism operated by inserting and turning a handle in the rear quarter-panel. By the late 1930s 450 people were employed producing 30 car bodies a week. In 1942 the company ceased family ownership and became “Tickford Motor Bodies” simply known by the name of "Tickford". In 1955 it was bought by David Brown, who was already the owner of Aston Martin (since 1947) and Lagonda (since 1948) and an extensive user of Tickford bodies. He soon moved Aston Martin onto the site at Tickford Street where it remained until Ford moved DB7 production to Bloxham and then to Gaydon for the DB9 and DBS. The Tickford name disappeared between the late 1950s and 1981.