Aims. We determine the fundamental parameters of a sample of B stars with apparent visual magnitudes brighter than 8 in the field-of-view of the CoRoT space mission, from high-resolution spectroscopy. Methods. We developed an automatic procedure for the spectroscopic analysis of B-type stars with winds, based on an extensive grid of FASTWIND model atmospheres. We use the equivalent widths and/or the line profile shapes of continuum normalized hydrogen, helium, and silicon line profiles to determine the fundamental properties of these stars in an automated way. Results. After thorough tests, on both synthetic datasets and very high-quality, high-resolution spectra of B stars for which we already had accurate values of physical properties from alternative analyses, we applied our method to 66 B-type stars contained in the ground-based archive of the CoRoT space mission. We discuss the statistical properties of the sample and compare them with those predicted by evolutionary models of B stars. Conclusions. Our spectroscopic results provide a valuable starting point for any future seismic modelling of the stars, should they be observed by CoRoT.