Amilcar

Amilcar was a historic French automobile manufacturer founded in 1921 in Saint-Denis, near Paris, by Joseph Lamy and Émile Akar, hence the brand's name. Founded with the aim of producing lightweight, accessible, and sporty vehicles, Amilcar quickly established itself as a leader in the so-called "cyclecar" sector—small, economical cars that benefited from tax breaks and were highly successful in the 1920s. The first model, the Amilcar CC, was a simple and agile two-seater, followed by the CS and especially the CGS, considered one of the brand's most iconic vehicles, equipped with four-cylinder engines that guaranteed good performance and a sporty drive. The CGS and its successor, the CGSS, also enjoyed success in racing, where Amilcar gained international recognition thanks to the lightness and maneuverability of its models, capable of excelling in endurance races and hill climbs. In the 1920s and 1930s, the company expanded its range with more powerful models, such as the C6, equipped with a six-cylinder engine designed for racing, and the M2 and M3, more touring cars aimed at a bourgeois audience seeking elegance as well as sportiness. Despite its technical innovation and good reputation, Amilcar suffered from the economic difficulties linked to the Great Depression and increasingly fierce competition, particularly from French brands such as Citroën and Peugeot, which offered more spacious and affordable popular cars. In the 1930s, the financial situation worsened, and Amilcar was absorbed by Hotchkiss, another French car manufacturer, which in 1937 decided to discontinue production of vehicles bearing the Amilcar brand, marking its official end. Despite its short existence, the brand remained a symbol of the vibrancy and creativity of the French automotive industry between the wars, remembered for its compact sports cars and for its contribution to the popularization of small racing cars accessible to a wider audience. Today, Amilcar is no longer an active brand, but its classic cars are highly prized by collectors and classic car enthusiasts, who consider them a rare example of the craftsmanship, innovation, and sporting spirit so typical of the French 1920s and 1930s, keeping alive the memory of one of the most fascinating and original car manufacturers of its era.