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

Volkswagen

D, 1936 to date

(1) Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Stuttgart, 1936 – 1937

(2) Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Volkswagens, Berlin; Stadt des KdF-Wagens, 1937 – 1938

(3) Volkswagenwerk GmbH, Berlin Wolfsburg, 1938 – 1960

(4) Volkswagenwerk AG, Wolfsburg, 1960 to date

The development of the Volkswagen car is closely linked with the name Ferdinand Porsche. After World War 1 he tried to realize one of his favourite schemes: a small economical car for a wide public. One of his attempts was the Austro-Daimler Sascha. He continued his efforts while working for Daimler-Benz at Stuttgart. His plan was brought a step nearer to fruition when he set up his own office at Stuttgart. There he designed small cars for Zündapp in 1932 with 5-cylinder radial engines, and for NSU in 1933 with 4-cylinder horizontally opposed units. But neither Zündapp nor NSU were able to invest vast sums during the Depression years and neither design was put into production, although a few prototypes were built.

In 1934 Porsche was directed by the Nazi government of the day to develop a small car and to build three prototypes. These prototypes Volkswagen cars were constructed by Porsche and his team in his own garage. They were ready in 1936 and the design became known as the VW3. Another series of 30 prototypes Volkswagen cars (VW30) was built in 1937 by Daimler-Benz and in Porsche’s newly founded workshops at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, the site of the present Porsche works. In 1938 the final version Volkswagen car, the VW38, was introduced. These types Volkswagen car had 704 or 984cc air-cooled engines. Also in 1938 the foundation stone for the new Volkswagen car factory was laid, and the name KdF-Wagen was officially adopted. KdF was the abbreviation for ‘Kraft durch Freude’ (strength through Joy), the Nazi organization which sponsored and financed the development of the Volkswagen car, controlling it through its newly founded Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Volkswagen cars. 

In his Stuttgart workshops, Porsche built three streamlined, Volkswagen-based sports cars with tuned engines for the intended Berlin-Rome Race of 1939, but this event was cancelled as a result of the outbreak of World War 2. They can be regarded as the forerunners of the Porsche sports car which appeared after the war. Until 1939 no Volkswagen cars were available for the public and only prototype Volkswagen cars existed. During the war the Volkswagen car was built in various versions for the armed forces with an increased engine capacity of 1.131cc. The Jeep-type Kübelwagen and an amphibious Volkswagen car, the latter with 4-wheel drive, were produced in large numbers and were the first Volkswagen cars to become widely known. After the war the Volkswagen car factory came under British control and a number of Volkswagen cars were assembled from parts. In 1945 a total of 1.785 Volkswagen cars was produced, this number being increased to 10.020 Volkswagen cars in 1946, all of them delivered to the British army. These private versions Volkswagen cars used the 1.131cc engine, developing 25bhp. In 1949 the Volkswagen car factory was released from British control and returned to German administration.

The Volkswagen car works themselves produced only the saloon version Volkswagen car but several convertible Volkswagen cars were offered by various firms. The four-seater convertible Volkswagen car by Karmann – one of Germany’s oldest coach-building firms – and the Karmann-Ghia two-seater convertible and coupé versions Volkswagen cars became part of the official sales programme. The Volkswagen car became known as a car which made no changes in body style although the technical details of the Volkswagen car were constantly improved. In 1954 the engine of the Volkswagen car was developed to 1.192cc and 30bhp and a further increase in engine output to 34bhp came in 1960. In 1961 the five millionth Volkswagen car was produced. In the same year a new model Volkswagen car was introduced, the Volkswagen 1500 with a 1.493cc 45bhp engine and new body, followed two years later by the 1500S Volkswagen car developing 45bhp. 1965 saw the ‘Beetle’ Volkswagen car with a 1.285cc 40bhp engine and the introduction of another new model the 1600TL Volkswagen car with a 1.584cc 54bhp engine. Since 1966 the Beetle Volkswagen car has also been available with the 1.493cc engine. The 1968 versions Volkswagen car of the 1500 Beetle and 1600 were available with a selective automatic transmission; at the same time 12-volt electrics were standardized on all Volkswagen cars save the basic 1200. In 1969 Volkswagen cars attempted to broaden their range with the Volkswagen 411, still an air-cooled flat-4, but this Volkswagen car was now featuring unitary construction, McPherson strut independent front suspension, and a new type of semi-trailing link independent rear suspension already tried on 1600s. The 1.679cc pushrod engine of the Volkswagen car developed 68bhp, and the Volkswagen car was sold as a 4-door saloon or estate car. The 1970 Volkswagen cars could be had with fuel injection. Another new Volkswagen car was the VW 181, an open jeep-type vehicle available in civilian or military guises. Sales that year were 1.621.197 Volkswagen cars. Prices for the Volkswagen cars ranged from DM4.626 for a 1200 saloon up to DM8.755 for the most expensive 411.

The Volkswagen 411, however, did not prove a great commercial success, and for 1971 Volkswagen cars took advantage of their ownership of the Audi-NSU combine to issue the latter firm’s piston-engined Ri80 derivative, the K70, under their own imprint. This development smacked of heresy at Wolfsburg, for the new Volkswagen car had a vertical 5-bearing water-cooled 4-cylinder ohc engine mounted at the front and driving the front wheels. The Volkswagen car came in 75bhp and 90bhp forms; other differences from the NSU prototype were the 4-speed manual gearbox, a wheelbase 6½in shorter, and a far lower price – DM 9.450 as against the DM17.300 asked for the Ro80. The Volkswagen Beetle was now available with a 60bhp 1.584cc engine and front disc brakes, McPherson strut front suspension being used on this version Volkswagen car. During 1972 the Volkswagen car firm began production of electrically-propelled light vans and Kombis. On 17 February 1972 the Volkswagen Beetle officially broke the Model-T Ford’s record of 15.007.003 units of an individual model. The 1973 Volkswagen Beetles had panoramic windscreens, an came in 1.2-litre, 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre sizes, with disc brakes available on all Volkswagen cars but the 1200. At the same time the 411E Volkswagen car with fuel injection was replaced by an improved 412E. The 1600 series Volkswagen car, the Karmann-Ghia coupés and the K70 were continued, as was the open VW 181.

Volkswagen cars are currently manufactured or assembled in several foreign countries and is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HON  

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