Chenard-Walcker

France, 1901 – 1946

(1) Chenard, Walcker et Cie, Asnières, Seine, 1901 – 1907

(2) SA des Anciens Établissements Chenard et Walcker, Gennevilliers, Seine, 1907 – 1946

The Chenard-Walcker company was founded in 1899 and made tricycles before exhibiting the first Chenard-Walcker car at the 1901 Paris Salon. It was a 1.160cc twin with mechanically operated side valves in a T-head, coil ignition, four forward speeds, and a flitchplate frame. The most interesting feature was, however, the ‘double’ back axle with the drive taken by two cardan shafts independently of a second, dead axle beam. This was to be a feature of the Chenard-Walcker make until the middle 1920s, though at first a cheaper Chenard-Walcker 10hp car was for sale with conventional drive, and there as also a short-lived Chenard-Walcker 12hp twin with side-chain transmission in 1904. A 4.1-litre 4-cylinder with Iow-tension magneto ignition followed in 1903, and by 1905 only Chenard-Walcker fours were made, the smallest short-stroke 2.6-litre was made exclusively for export to Britain. By 1906 the Chenard-Walcker cars for sale had the classic radiator with round core. In 1907 Chenard-Walcker cars had pressed-steel chassis, twin transmission brakes, and no hand throttle. New during 1908 was a 9/10hp single that had a 4-speed gearbox, though neither this nor its companion twin was quoted after 1910, by which time L-head engines had arrived on the 2.1-litre P-type. From 1912 to 1914 the Chenard-Walcker cars had monobloc power units with full-pressure lubcrication. Friction dampers were standard, and capacities of the fours were 1.6-litres and 3-litres. A big six joined the Chenard-Walcker range in 1913.

The staple 1919 Chenard-Walcker was the usual uprated 1914 design, the 3-litre Chenard-Walcker UU, still with separate 4-speed gearbox and foot transmission brake; it was joined by a 2651cc Chenard-Walcker 12CV in 1920, and by a 2-litre, the Chenard-Walcker TT, in 1921, and a 3-speed 1½-litre Chenard-Walcker Type Y, appeared in 1923, these old-fashioned machines persisiting for several years. New in 1922, however, was the Touté-designed 3-litre, an ohc four with dry-sump lubcrication that gave close on 90bhp, and had the usual Hallot servo brakes on front wheels and transmission only. These Chenard-Walcker cars finished 1st and 2nd in the first Le Mans 24-Hour Race of 1923, as well as winning the 1924 Circuit des Routes Pavées. A 2-litre edition followed soon afterwards, these sports Chenard-Walcker cars being made until 1927. From 1925 there were also parallel sv touring editions of Chenard-Walcker with similar chassis and plug covers giving the appearance of ohv units.

In 1924 and 1925 the Chenard-Walcker company raced a bi-block straight-8 which in its final form had brakes on all four wheels, and achieved nearly 110mph on 130bhp. But it was never reliable though it was catalogued, at 84.525 francs for a Chenard-Walcker tourer. Much more successful were the 1100cc ‘Chenard-Walcker tanks’ for sale with 55bhp 2-bearing pushrod engines and differential-less back axles that had two successful racing seasons (1925 and 1926) and even staged a comeback in 1937, when two Chenard-Walcker examples finished 1st and 2nd in the Bol d’Or. For 1927 the company introduced the 8CV Chenard-Walcker Z2, a tough little family car with 1300cc sv short-stroke engine, magneto ignition, 4-speed gearbox, conventional rear axle, and fabric bodywork; it sold for 24.000 francs. That year, however, an association with Delahaye, which lasted until 1932, led to the rationalization of both companies’ ranges, and it became difficult to tell the two makes apart. A production edition of the ‘Chenard-Walcker tank’ came out in 1928 with a 1½-litre ioe engine, but this was the last Chenard-Walcker with any sporting potential; the range now consisted of pedestrian sv fours, plus a couple of Delahaye-like ioe sixes with capacities of 2½-litres and 2.9-litres. The smaller of these, the Chenard-Walcker 14CV, was still being made in 1934. In 1932 the Chenard-Walcker T11 appeared, a new 12CV four on the usual lines with a free-wheel as standard equipment. Then in 1934 Chenard-Walcker cars, now free of Delahaye influence, adopted transverse ifs. They also offered a 3560cc sv V8, the Chenard-Walcker Aigle 8, which used their own engine, in effect a double T11 unit. In 1935 the Chenard-Walcker cars had torsion-bar front suspension and the option of a Cotal gearbox, and ohv engines became available; the range consisted of two fours and the eight. A 4-cylinder fwd car did not go into production.

From 1937 onwards Chenard-Walcker cars slowly lost their individuality. Their bodies were replaced by Chausson coachwork identical to that of the Matford, and only one Chenard-Walcker model retained the 2.180cc ohv Chenard-Walcker engine. The other Chenard-Walcker cars had 1911cc 4-cylinder Citroën and 3622cc Matford units. Finally Citroën and Matford chassis were adopted as well and the Chenard engine dropped, the only ‘native’ components of the cars being their back axles – though the cabriolets were quite handsome, being of Vutotal type with no screen pillars. A few Chenard-Walcker 11CV and 21CV cars were made after World War 2, but from 1947 the staple Chenard-Walcker product was a forward-control light van, the development of which was continued by Peugeot after that company took over in 1951.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Hotchkiss

France, 1903 – 1955

(1) Hotchkiss et Cie, St. Denis, Seine, 1903 – 1936

(2) Automobiles Hotchkiss, St. Denis, Seine, 1936 – 1955

The American Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss set up his ordnance Horchkiss car factory at St. Denis in 1867; the Hotchkiss cars were the result of an arm slump. The work of Terrasse, these first Hotchkiss cars were T-headed fours with pair-cast cylinders, 5-ball-bearing crankshafts, low-tension magneto ignition, round honeycomb radiators, 4-speed gearboxes, and the famous Hotchkiss drive by live axle and open propeller shaft. Initially cylinder capacities of Hotchkiss cars were 4.6-litres and 7.4-litres, but the Hotchkiss car company’s first racers of 1904 were 17.8-litre monsters notable for their aiv and chain drive. Though their 1905 successors conformed once more to touring-car practice, they were even bigger Hotchkiss cars, with 18.815cc and an alleged 130bhp. Hotchkiss’s last racing season was 1906 with their Grand Prix Hotchkiss cars had 16.3-litre L-head units and quick-detachable wire wheels. Though these Hotchkiss cars were unsuccessful, Hotchkiss sold 167 cars that year, with gate change standardized, and a choice of five Hotchkiss car models: a short-lived 4.2-litre petrol brougham, fours of 18, 30 and 42hp, and their first six. The last-mentioned Hotckiss car was the large V-type that evolved into a 9½-litre machine and was still being offered in 1912 as a Hotckiss car. Chassis price was £1.000 and it was capable of 60mph.

The slump following the Agadir crisis led to the abandonment of ball-bearing crankshafts on Hotchkiss cars; at the same time there was a move towards smaller Hotchkiss cars with the 3.1-litre T-type, with side valves in an L-head and high-tension magneto ignition. Two years later came something even smaller and more modern, the 12/16hp Hotchkiss X-type with 2-bearing crankshaft and three forward speeds at £390. Soon monobloc engines spread up the range to the 3.7-litre Hotckiss AB of 1912. From 1911 there were some smaller L-head sixes, the 4.678cc Hotchkiss X6 and the 5½-litre Hotchkiss AC6; 1912 sales were a record 598 Hotchkiss cars. Electric lighting was available from 1913, and all the 1914 Hotchkiss car models – the 2.6-litre Hotchkiss AG, the 4-litre Hotchkiss AF, the 5.7-litre Hotchkiss AC, and the 6-cylinder Hotchkiss AC6 – had semi-elliptic suspension all round.

The wartime demand for Hotchkiss machine guns led to the establishment of a branch factory under the Englishman Harry Ainsworth, this subsequently making engines for W.R. Morris until it was absorbed by him in 1923. At home Hotchkiss sold off their surplus works capacity at Lyons and concentrated on a revised Hotchkiss car again, the AF with full electrics and a horseshoe-shaped radiator in place of the traditional round one. Its successor, the Hotchkiss AH of 1921, had cantilever rear springs and torque tube drive, and a year later came the Hotchkiss AL with ohv, and a detachable head; front-wheel brakes were added for 1923. There was also a prototype luxury Hotchkiss car at the 1921 Paris Salon; this Hotchkiss AK had a 6.6-litre 6-cylinder ohc engine, dual ignition, 4-speed unit gearbox, servo-assisted 4-wheel brakes, and a cruciform-braced frame, but it never went into production.

The return of Ainsworth to St. Denis in 1923, coincided with the construction of a new Hotchkiss car factory and a more realistic type of car, the 2.4-litre 12CV Hotchkiss AM, with 4-cylinder sv engine, 4-speed unit box, four-wheel brakes, wire hwwls, and Hotchkiss drive once more. Between 1924 and 1928 it was the Hotchkiss car company’s staple product, selling at the rate of over a thousand a year and offering a 70mph performance at a modest outlay. It persisted until 1932, acquiring ohv in 1926 and rod-operated brakes in 1928, and its engine was used in some Morris-Léon Bollées. Even better was the Hotchkiss AM80 of 1929, largely the work of Bertarione. This was a short-stroke (80x100mm), 7-bearing ohv 3-litre six that owed a good deal to the AM2, though early cars featured torque tube drive; it was to be the basis from which all subsequent Hotchkisses were evolved. A silent 3rd gearbox featured on 1931 Hotchkiss car models, Hotchkiss drive reappeared in 1932, and 1933 improvements included Bendix brakes, cruciform-braked frames, down-draught carburetors and mechanical fuel pumps. Hotchkiss AM80 engines were also fitted to Sizaire Frères and Tracta cars.

The 1933 Hotchkiss car range was expanded both up and down, with new Hotchkiss 12CV (2-litre) and 13CV (1.3-litre) fours for the economy market, and an 85mph fast tourer, the 100bhp 3½-litre Hotckiss AM80S, for the enthusiast. This Hotchkiss car was based on the car with which Vasselle won the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally. Hotchkiss cars repeated this success in 1933 and 1934: in the latter year the Hotchkiss cars collected two Glazier Cups in the Alpine Trial. There were further wins in the Monte Carlo in 1938 and 1939; on the latter occasion a Grand Sport Hotchkiss car tied with a 3½-litre Delahaye. Radiators were moved forward on the 1934 Hotchkiss cars, and the 3-litre gave way to a 2.650cc 15CV that was not a success and lasted only one season. The 1935 Hotchkiss cars had synchromesh and integral boots, and at the top of the 3½-litre 20CV range was the twin-carburettor Hotckiss Paris-Nice, a 115bhp sports car capable of 95mph. Hydraulic brakes appeared in 1936 on Hotchkiss cars (to be quietly dropped halfway through 1937). The sports 20CV engine was now giving 125-130bhp and when allied to a short 9ft 2in wheelbase resulted in the Hotchkiss Grand Sport, a true 100mph saloon.

By 1938 the horseshoe radiator on the Hotchkiss car was now a wire-mesh grille, but despite the exigencies of French rearmament programmes the Hotchkiss car company managed to deliver 2.751 Hotchkiss cars that year, made up of the two fours, the reinstated 3-litre Hotchkiss 680, and the 3½-litre Hotchkiss 686 in various forms, including seven-seater limousines with the single-carburettor 100bhp engine. Hotchkiss also came to the rescue of the ailing Amilcar concern, helping to make the Grégoire-inspired 1.185cc Compound, a small fwd saloon with unitary construction in Alpax; this was sold in England, though not in France, as a Hotchkiss car. A 1.3-litre ohv development, the Hotchkiss B67, was ready for production when France collapsed in the summer of 1940.

Hotchkiss never really recovered from World War 2, though Peugeot were briefly interested in the Hotchkiss car company and Hotchkiss 686 cars won the first two post-war Monte Carlo Rallies of 1949 and 1950. The Hotchkiss 12CV and Hotchkiss 20CV were back in production, unchanged, by 1946, but the first year’s output was a miserable 117 Hotchkiss cars. Hydraulic brakes and independent front suspension did not appear until 1949 on Hotchkiss cars (though Hotchkiss had experimented with the latter in 1937), and a Cotal electric gearbox became a factory option. The 1951 Hotchkiss car models were ‘facelifted’ with V-screens, recessed headlamps and auxiliary coil rear suspension, but in the meantime there had been an expensive mistake: the acquisition by Hotchkiss of the rights to the Grégoire flat-4. This ingenious device was a development of the 1938 Amilcar theme featuring all-round independent suspension and a 4-speed overdrive gearbox, as well as front wheel drive. Production Hotchkiss car models with 2.2-litre engines were said to achieve 95mph and 30mpg, but the teething troubles were endless, and Hotchkiss only managed to make 250 Hotchkiss cars in the end. There was a shutdown in 1952 and the price of recovery was a merger with Delahaye that led inevitably to concentration on commercial vehicles. The old Hotchkiss cars 13CV and 20CV received another facelift in time for the 1954 Paris Salon, but his was their swansong, though medium-powered trucks continued to be made until 1970, along with a version of the American Jeep built under licence.

GB, 1920

Hotchkiss et Cie, Coventry, Warwickshire

Hotchkiss of Coventry, a British offshoot of the famous French Hotchkiss car firm, was set up during World War 1 to make engines in Britain. Their units became best known as the motive power for Morris and BSA light cars, but before they were taken over by William Morris, Hotchkiss experimented with a small car of their own. The Hotchkiss car consisted of their 1.080cc air-cooled V-twin ohv engine installed with a 3-speed gearbox in a pre-war Morris Oxford chassis. It never went into production.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS, TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com