Minerva Type AK History

Introduced for 1927 as the replacement for the 30CV, the Type AK was Minerva's prestige flagship for a decade. Its 6.0-litre, six-cylinder Knight sleeve-valve engine produced approximately 150 bhp — extraordinary for a passenger car of the era — giving the AK a top speed of around 90 mph despite its substantial weight. Dewandre vacuum servo brakes ensured the heavy car stopped as effectively as it accelerated.

Both long- and short-wheelbase chassis were offered, inviting the world's most celebrated coachbuilders. American firm Rollston bodied several AKs as convertible sedans; Parisian atelier Hibbard & Darrin constructed AK town cars; Belgian coachbuilder Vanden Plas also contributed bodies. The results were among the most visually distinguished automobiles of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The AK remained in production, alongside the newer straight-eight models, until approximately 1937, when the merged Minerva-Impéria concern wound down pre-war Minerva production entirely.