Roe having a surplus of second-hand charabanc bodies by 1925. Plaxtons diversified and began to build charabanc bodies on Ford Model T chassis. The charabanc of the 1920s tended to last only a few years. The open topped charabanc, known as the "Car Alpin", greatly improved guest access. In 1913, Royal Blue purchased its first motor charabanc, and motors rapidly replaced the horses. The charabanc appears in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Tatiana was driving a charabanc by herself, when it crashed. She helped found the Charabanc Theatre Company, an all-women touring group. At the age of sixteen he became a charabanc driver taking visitors on day outings. Within the story the charabanc is referred to as a 'chara' in colloquial Welsh English. She then joined the Charabanc Theatre Company which toured Britain, Europe, the US, and Canada.