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Amilcar C6 - Grand Prix car for the road

Name: Amilcar C6 1927
Brand: Amilcar

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Created on November 12, 2021

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Bonhams

Balz Schreier

Zoute Grand Prix

Archiv Hermann Schwarz

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Bonhams

Balz Schreier

Zoute Grand Prix

Archiv Hermann Schwarz

Archiv

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - almost as expensive as a Bugatti Type 35A at the time

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - only 3.4 meters long

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - wheelbase 2.2 meters

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - the exhaust leads to the rear with practically no damping

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - weighing less than 600 kg

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - almost like it was back then

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - beautiful pre-war racing car for the road

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - just over 1.2 meters wide

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - 197 km/h were achieved at that time with 75 hp

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - you shouldn't expect too much comfort

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - you always keep an eye on the front wheel

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - still easily holds its own in road traffic today

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - of course there is no heating

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - compact dimensions, also in width

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - exposed to wind and weather

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - the road and racing versions differed only in details

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - beautiful color combination

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - unfortunately you have to think about the sound

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - showed the rear end to most competitors at the time

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - just enough space for two people, nothing more

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - ran well over 160 km/h at the time

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - minimal weight and comfort

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - rigid axles front and rear in the style of the time

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - A look under the hood

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - longitudinally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine with supercharger

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - two overhead camshafts

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Amilcar lettering on the engine

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - beautifully designed lettering on the camshaft cover

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Dashboard with Ki-Gas gasoline pump

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - free-standing wheels without mudguards

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - central hubs with labeling on which side they are to be mounted

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Drum brakes front and rear

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - rear axle leaf spring assembly

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - small version and original together

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Amilcar CG (1930) - There's always something to write about on an Amilcar - four-cylinder model

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Amilcar C6 (1930) - Engelbert Graf Arco v. Zinneberg at the Gaisberg Race 1930

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Amilcar in 1928 - Advertising - Closed middle class cars

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - ready for the next journey

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - better not to touch the exhaust when getting in

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - a technical work of art

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Technology shown appetizingly

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - an automotive sculpture

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Amilcar C6 C0 Voiturette (1928) - not sold at Bonhams Paris Sale 2012, highest bid € 430000 (Lot 220)

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - at the GP Brugger Schachen 2013

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - at the Klausenrennen 2013 in the regularity classification

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Amilcar C6 Voiturette (1927) - offered as lot 348 at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction 2015

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Amilcar C6 Voiturette (1927) - offered as lot 349 at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction 2015

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Ollon-Villars hill climb 2017

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - Class A-1 - Concours d'Elégance Suisse in Coppet 2018

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In-line six-cylinder engine of the Amilcar C6 (1927) - Class A-1 - Concours d'Elégance Suisse in Coppet 2018

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A look under the hood of the Amilcar C6 (1927) - Class A-1 - Concours d'Elégance Suisse in Coppet 2018

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Amilcar C6 (1926) - Ollon-Villars hill climb 2017

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Amilcar C6 (1926) in the group of pre-war racing cars up to 1945 at the Grand Prix Suisse Berne Memorial 2018

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Amilcar C6 (1926) - in the "Corso" category at the Opfertshofen Memorial Hill Climb "Rendezvous am Kleinen Klausen" 2021

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Amilcar C6 from 1926 in the garage - OTM Fribourg 2016

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View of the heart of the Amilcar C6, the in-line six-cylinder engine - OTM Fribourg 2016

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - International Edelweiss Mountain Prize Rossfeld 2018

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Amilcar C6 (1927) - only it was not allowed to sound - Rétromobile Paris 2020

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Amilcar C6 (1928) - at the GP Historique de Monaco 2021 in Series A (Pre-war Grand Prix cars and Voiturettes)

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Amilcar C6 (1930) - Winner of the "Best Preserved Car" award at the Zoute Concours d'Élégance

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Summary

In the 1920s, a sleek sports car called the Amilcar C6 was built in Paris. Thanks to its powerful in-line six-cylinder engine with two overhead camshafts and supercharger, it could compete with the fastest cars and was essentially a Grand Prix car in disguise. Only a few examples could be built at the price for which you could have bought a Bugatti Type 35A. This makes it all the more appealing to come across one of these rare two-seaters. This vehicle report tells the short history of the Amilcar C6 and shows a surviving example in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Racing victories as the goal
From 4 to 6 cylinders
For the private racing driver
Technical gem
Quel bruit!
One of around 55 built
From racing to luxury

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

When four people think alike, great things can happen. And so it was in 1919 when Emile Akar, Joseph Lamy, Edmont Moyet and André Morcel met for the first time. Akar and Lamy had the money and, coincidentally, a car factory, while Moyet and Morcel had the ideas and, above all, the thirst for racing victories. The name was quickly found; it was made up of the surnames of the investors (Akar and Lamy), if you moved the letters around correctly. The two prototypes were so well received that the decision was made to go into series production, and the first CC production cars were completed on the Rue du Chemin Vert as early as 1921, with a four-cylinder engine with 904 cm3 and 18 hp. This was enough for 80 km/h and, thanks to the low price, for many interested buyers, so that soon five cars a day could be built.

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