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

Pierce (-Arrow)

US, 1901 – 1938

(1) The George N. Pierce Co, Buffalo, N.Y.

(2) Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co, Buffalo, N.Y.

Of the many prestige cars built in the United States, probably none enjoyed more favour for a longer period thant the Pierce-Arrow car. This car began humbly enough. The first model, the Pierce Motorette, appeared in 1901. The Pierce Motorette was produced by George N. Pierce, a builder of bicycles and birdcages and this little Pierce car was powered by a 2¾hp De Dion engine. This initial venture proved successful and was followed in 1902 by a similar Pierce car but with the output increased to 3½hp. For 1903, the Arrow name appeared and the Pierce-Arrow car company introduced a 15hp 2-cylinder Pierce Arrow car, with a 6½hp machine as a sideline.

In 1904 the name was changed to Great Arrow and the Pierce Great Arrow cars had power units capable of 28hp. It was such a Pierce-Arrow car which won the Glidden Tour, a reliability test, and from this point onward, the Pierce-Arrow car was one to be reckoned with. Power was gradually increased on the Pierce-Arrow car as was the size of the car through the immediate years and by 1908, the Pierce Great Arrow car boasted 60bhp at 1.000rpm. Up to 1909, steering-column change was used. This was the last year in which the word Great appeared in the Pierce-Arrow car name.

The Pierce-Arrow car was introduced in 1909 and such was the firm’s reputation that production of Pierce-Arrow cars was limited and the supply seldom met the demand of the public. An interesting option on the enclosed-drive limousine Pierce-Arrow car for 1911 and later was a bulge in the roof to allow ladies to enter through the rear doors without crushing the elaborate hats then in fashion against the roof.

In 1913, the first Pierce-Arrow cars appeared with the headlamps attached to the tops of the front mudguards, although this innovation was optional on the Pierce-Arrow car. The greater percentage of Pierce-Arrow cars were to appear with this type of headlamp fitting, but the earlier arrangement was available on the Pierce-Arrow car until the early 1930s.

By 1914, Pierce-Arrow cars were available in three sizes. The Pierce-Arrow 66 (reputedly this Pierce-Arrow car was the largest stock car built in the United States) was powered by a 6-cylinder engine with a 5x7in bore and stroke, giving the Pierce-Arrow car a capacity of 12.7-litres. The wheelbase was 12ft 3½in and the tyres on this Pierce-Arrow car were 37in. A complete line of bodies was offered for the Pierce-Arrow car with prices ranging from $5.850 to $7.300. The 8½-litre Pierce-Arrow 48 was built on a wheelbase of either 11ft 2½in or 11ft 10in with a price rnage of $4.850 to $6.300 and the Pierce-Arrow 38, with a wheelbase and prices of 10ft 7in or 11ft and $4.300 to $5.400, constituted the smallest line Pierce-Arrow car. Transmission of the Pierce-Arrow car was 4-speed with direct drive on top gear.

By 1915, with somewhere between 12.000 and 13.000 Pierce-Arrow cars having been built and of these a good percentage Pierce-Arrow cars still on the road, the Pierce-Arrow car was considered as a top prestige car compared with anything in its price class or even about it. Except for 1928, the name never appeared on the Pierce-Arrow car radiator, as it was felt the Pierce-Arrow cars were easily recognizable without it. In frequent cases, Pierce-Arrow cars of this period were sold with a single chassis and two bodies, one open and one closed, which could be alternated with the seasons. Tyres of the Pierce-Arrow cars were reduced to 35in in size and the Pierce-Arrow car plant was expanded about 1916 to accommodate the increased orders, not only for private Pierce-Arrow cars, but for the commercial vehicles which the Pierce-Arrow car company had been building since 1911. The enormous Pierce-Arrow 66 was discontinued during 1917 and the 38 and 48 were continued at prices ranging from $4.800 for the cheapest Pierce-Arrow 38 to $7.000 for the most expensive Pierce-Arrow car, the 48, exclusive of custom bodies. In 1920, the two cooling vents located above the bonnet of Pierce-Arrow cars were eliminated and the cowl parking lights were removed, all lighting being replaced in the headlamps. The last right-hand-drive Pierce-Arrow cars were built late this year. Pierce-Arrow cars being one of the very last American cars to change over to left-hand steering. A new series Pierce-Arrow cars was introduced for 1921, the line being split in size between the 38 and 48 Pierce-Arrow car models. These retained the 6-cylinder engine. For the first time, bonnet louvres were used on Pierce-Arrow cars.

By 1923, sales of Pierce-Arrow cars were dropping and less than two years later, the Pierce-Arrow car company introduced a smaller companion car, the Pierce-Arrow Model 80. This was the first Pierce-Arrow car to be equipped with 4-wheel brakes. The L-head 6-cylinder engine of this Pierce-Arrow car developed about 70bhp. Prices ranged from $2.895 to about $4.000. The Pierce-Arrow cars sold reasonably well in comparison with the larger Pierce-Arrow 36 but the Pierce-Arrow car company was showing an annual deficit and production of Pierce-Arrow cars was diminishing. In 1928, the stockholders voted to place the Pierce-Arrow car company under the control of the successful Studebaker Corporation because of prevailing business conditions.

A new Pierce-Arrow car was introduced for 1929, the Pierce-Arrow car company adopting a straight-8 engine of over 6 lites in place of the old six. The Pierce-Arrow car was offered on two wheelbases at prices beginning at $2.775, and this was Pierce Arrow’s best year, with 9.700 Pierce-Arrow cars delivered. For 1930, three different 8-cylinder engines were offered the prospective purchaser. Because of the relationship between Pierce-Arrow cars and Studebaker, a number of the Pierce-Arrow cars bore a striking resemblance to the Studebaker President Eight, largest of the Studebaker line. Demand of Pierce-Arrow cars continued to fall, and production with it, in 1931, and for 1932 the Pierce-Arrow car company introduced two 12-cylinder lines in addition to its eight, but even then, only 2.692 Pierce-Arrow cars were built during the year. These twelves came in 140bhp, 5½-litre, and 150bhp 7-litre forms, and these Pierce-Arrow cars were priced from $3.900 up.

For 1933, the Pierce-Arrow carcompany introduced a special show car, the Silver Arrow, of which only five were made but which served as an imitation fof the shape of Pierce-Arrow cars to come. Priced at $10.000, the Silver Arrow Pierce-Arrow car had a 12-cylinder 175bhp engine and no running boards. A tapered back, split rear window and spare wheels concealed in compartments behind the front wheels made this Pierce-Arrow car one of the most talked about cars of the year. The Pierce-Arrow car was displayed at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

In 1933, a group of Buffalo businessmen made the Pierce-Arrow car an entity of its own once more. Ab Jenkins was breaking racing records with Pierce-Arrow cars and although the publicity was excellent, business was not for the Pierce-Arrow car company. After 1934, the basic changes in design were slight. The Pierce-Arrow car company turned out both eights and twelves but by 1935, with less than 1.000 Pierce-Arrow cars produced, it was apparent that the end of the make Pierce-Arrow cars was in sight. Retaining its classic radiator, the Pierce-Arrow car limped through 1936 and 1937, with a handful produced in 1938 when the Pierce-Arrow car company went out of business.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; KM

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