Hotchkiss AM2

Click Here for Full Screen Image - Click Here to Download Image

Founded in 1875 as the Paris branch of the American Hotchkiss munitions manufacturer, Hotchkiss of St. Denis built its first car in December 1903.

Though its chief executive and managing executive were Americans and its works manager was the Englishman Henry Ainsworth, the Hotchkiss was the epitome of the French luxury touring car during the inter-war period.

The firm’s mainstay in the Twenties was the four-cylinder 50hp 2.4-litre AM, which was re-designated AM2 in 1926 when overhead valves were added. The AM2 was a car that justified its slogan ‘Le Juste Milieu’ (‘The Golden Mean’) – it’s price placing it exactly between the inexpensive Citroen and the luxurious Hispano-Suiza.

AM2 reliability was legendary: the car could cruise at a steady 60mph as long as the road allowed, with a top speed of 70mph. It had a four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel drum brakes and semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear.

This 1926 AM2 car was bought as a rolling chassis by Andrew Bremner in 2014 after a couple of years of negotiation with its owner in the depths of Wales. The design of the car as you see it was put together by Andrew and his son’s brother-in-law, an expert in restoring quality British vintage cars.

Built around a wooden frame by local craftsmen, the bodywork, bonnet, petrol tank, seats and mahogany dash were all built from scratch. Mechanical parts were searched for, found and put to service. When the big day came to start it up, it was immediately obvious that All Was Not Well: plumes of smoke everywhere.

The engine was removed, rebuilt and refitted in short order with Mr Bremner really getting his teeth into the project. The car is now a runner - which can be seen at: www.dropbox.com/s/006jx7q6kcqne9h/Hotchkiss.mov?dl=0

It comes with a huge file covering the car's ownership over the past 40 years and includes an original parts catalogue (in French), photocopies of workshop manuals, correspondence, details of parts acquired and work done, which we are sure will absorb the new owner for hours and provide a real insight to the car.