1914 Hotchkiss AG Tourer

Description

Hotchkiss was an armaments manufacturer which diversified into cars in the early years of the twentieth century. Just 50 Model AG Tourers were produced in 1914 before the company was instructed by the French government to return to making guns as World War One overran Europe. Interestingly, the 49th of this total of 50 somehow found its way to Melbourne, along with several six-cylinder chassis which were destined for the Melbourne Fire Brigade. The AG served as the brigade’s staff car. According to automotive historian, the late Michael Sedgwick, the other 49 AGs were all destined for the French army for ambulances and staff cars on the Western Front. Sedgwick believed that number 49 might have been the sole surviving Type AG. The Hotchkiss has virtually no electrics, the only wiring being the leads from the magneto to the four spark plugs and another lead to earth the magneto to stop the engine. The crankcase is aluminium. Neither the cylinder head nor the sump is removable. Maximum speed is 50 miles per hour, attained at 2000rpm, making it a surprisingly long-legged cruiser for its day. The footbrake operates on a drum on the transmission shaft while the external handbrake slows the rear wheels. Regarded by experts as being on a par with Rolls-Royce for quality, the early Hotchkiss cars were owned mostly by the European rich. The firm continued to make cars until 1954 but after World War One never again produced cars of equivalent quality and status to the Model AG.