Company name and locations:
1921-1937	Sté Nouvelle pour l'Automobile Amilcar, St.Denis
1937-1939	Sté Financière pour l'Automobile, Bologne-sur-Seine

 

Of all the sports cars that were born in France after the First World War, Amilcar was the most famous and the one that won the most popular. His name is an anagram of MM. Lamy and Akar who launched the brand.

After its debut in Paris, the firm moved quickly Amilcar in large premises in Saint-Denis, where she remained until the end of its activities.

The company, located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, will specialize in producing cyclecars,

This approach helps to democratize the automobile, which was before the war for the rich or a few insiders.

A new tax rules had to appear for cyclecars have a capacity of less than 1100 cm3 and weigh less than 350 kg.

In this context came the first Amilcar, type CC.

 Unlike other cars that were based cycle technology motorcyclists, there was a reduction in car chassis with conventional 4-cylinder engine side (903 cm3), box 3 speed and suspension quarter-elliptical springs stronger and more homogeneous.

His success came from its weight and power advantages that enabled it to reach 100 km / h, and the many victories in competition, which earned him a clientele of young athletes.

Amilcar was founded by Andre Morel and engineer Edmond Moyet to build cyclecars with sufficient performance for Morel to realise his dream of competition success. Emile Akar, a Paris businessman, and Joseph Lamy, an executive at cyclecar maker Le Zebre, backed Morel's and Moyet's prototype, which was enthusiastically received. Powered by a diminutive 904cc four-cylinder sidevalve engine, Amilcar's first model, the CC, commenced production in 1921. The CC was praised for its excellent, responsive handling and adequate power, attracting a large and loyal following and setting the pattern for future models. It also provided Morel with his desired competition success when he became the 1100cc Class champion of France in 1922.

Within a couple of years Amilcar found itself at a disadvantage to Salmson, whose new twin-overhead-camshaft four was considerably more powerful, and responded with a twin-cam six. First seen in 1925 and universally admired for their low build and light weight, the Type CO (works) cars boasted supercharged engines with integral cylinder heads and exquisitely machined crankshafts running in seven main (roller) bearings. In October 1926 at the Paris Salon the company introduced a production version with detachable head, plain-bearing engine, the C6, which Autocar magazine described as 'beautifully finished, excellently streamlined...' Fed by a Roots-type supercharger and equipped with dry sump lubrication, the C6 engine represented state-of-the-art automotive technology, delivering a maximum power output of over 60bhp. Effectively a Grand Prix car in miniature, the exclusive, limited edition C6 was exactly what Amilcar's sporting clientele had been asking for, though the price of 60,000 Francs placed it firmly in Bugatti Type 35A/37 territory.

The C6 enjoyed considerable success against the rival Salmsons and BNCs but away from the racetrack the company was not doing so well. Its straightened circumstances led to a drastic cutback of the competitions department in 1927, though in private hands the advanced Amilcars continued racing well into the 1940s. Today, despite a production run of barely a single season, these exquisitely crafted Grand Prix voiturettes have become the quintessential Amilcar and among the most recognisable French competition cars of the Vintage era.

 When the global economic crisis erupted in October 1929, Amilcar known problems like many other brands. The races have cost dearly, and the company heavily in debt is finally put into liquidation in 1935. Emile Akar and Joseph Lamy were forced to resign.

 Amilcar is acquired by the firm Hotchkiss, who introduced the new Amilcar Compound in 1937 and received an excellent reception, with its sporty seduces the public.

 Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 put an end to his career prematurely that seemed promising. . After the Liberation, the Hotchkiss company will not manufacture the compound, indicating the end of history Amilcar. This will let the brand image of its cycle fabulous cars.