AMILCAR, Saint-Denis / Boulogne-sur-Seine, France, 1921-1939


This company was formerly called “New Joint-Stock Company of AMILCAR Cars”. Her factory was located in Saint-Denis, a working suburb of Paris. The main competitor of AMILCAR was the Salmson firm founded in the same year. Intense rivalry lasted a long time, until now historians doubt which of them created the best cars. Both companies produced almost identical cars - light and low sports cars of small classes. The name AMILCAR is an anagram, that is, a word composed by rearranging the letters of other words, in this case the names of its founders, Lamy and Akar, were used.
The first car in 1922 was a light sporty “CC” with a 4-cylinder engine of 903 cm3, developed by engineer Edmond Moyet. Later, “CS” models were added to it with a 985 cm3 and “C-4" engine with a 1004 cm3 engine.
1924 was for the company the most productive. Then, the production went to the most famous sports car with an open body CGS Grand Sport with an engine in 1094 cm3 with side valves and brakes on all wheels. Two years later, her better-known low-frame version of the CGSS Grand Sport appeared. These cars became the hallmark of AMILCAR and brought the company many sporting achievements in the 20s. At the same time, two passenger models “E” and “L” with 4-cylinder engines of 1580 and 1187 cm3, respectively, were produced. Against the background of sports cars, they clearly lost.
By the end of the 20s, AMILCAR began to move away from light and cheap cars, placing the main emphasis on more powerful and large passenger cars. On the basis of the "CG" was developed 6-cylinder version of the "C-6", which in the racing performance developed 103 hp In 1930, a “C-8” passenger car appeared with an 8-cylinder engine with a working volume of just 1811 cm3, which was then increased to 1991 cm3. Sport continued to play an important role in AMILCAR activities: in 1928, the company introduced the sports car series “M", which was produced until 1935 with engines of 1.25-1.7 liters.
The economic crisis has affected the activities of the company, which was not able to fight with stronger competitors, producing massive passenger cars. In order to somehow improve their affairs, in 1932 the lightweight and cheap passenger car “5CV" was released. But later on, AMILCAR again stubbornly mastered the production of high-end models. In the mid-30s, it launched the comfortable G-36 cars. ”With a 4-cylinder engine of 2.5 liters and Pegase with a 2.15-liter engine from the car“ Delahaye - 134. ”Cars had no success.
In 1937, another French car company, Hotchkiss, swallowed the company, and its company moved to the town of Boulogne-sur-Seine, where production lasted only two years. The latest AMILCAR was a passenger Compound - a fairly advanced and promising front-wheel drive car with aluminum chassis, designed by the famous French engineer Gregoire. But he could not save the company from collapse.

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