Hotchkiss AM Series History

After a failed attempt at a luxury prototype (the AK), Hotchkiss adopted a single-model strategy and in 1923 launched the AM — a sensible, Coventry-designed 2.4-litre 12CV four-cylinder with a four-speed gearbox, four-wheel brakes, wire wheels, and the Hotchkiss drive. The man behind the car was British engineer Alfred Herbert Wilde, who moved from Hotchkiss's Coventry plant (sold to Morris in 1923) to Paris as chief engineer of the car division.

Between 1924 and 1928 the AM was Hotchkiss's sole product, selling at over a thousand units a year and offering genuine 70 mph performance at a moderate price. The engine gained overhead valves in 1926 and rod-operated brakes in 1928, keeping it competitive. Maurice Vasselle drove the AM to back-to-back-to-back victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1932, 1933, and 1934 — the first manufacturer to achieve a Monte hat-trick.

The one-model policy ended in 1929 when Hotchkiss added six-cylinder AM73 and AM80 variants. The AM80, a short-stroke 3.0-litre seven-bearing ohv six, became the foundation for all subsequent Hotchkiss models, bridging the four-cylinder era to the 686 generation.