The Amilcar C4 is a light sporting car designed for road use made between 1922 and 1929 by the French

Amilcar The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1940. History Foundation and location Amilcar was founded in July 1921 by Joseph Lamy and Emile Akar. The name "Amilcar" was an imperfect anagram of the partners' names. The b ...

company. The C4 is one of three models introduced by Amilcar in 1922; the others were the CC and the CS, both of which were significantly different from the C4, although they did use the same chassis (which was lengthened for use in the C4). The C4 was touted as a more economical and usable vehicle than the other more sporty models. The C4, publicly introduced at the Paris Salon, was offered in three models: the highest-produced was the "Torpedo", which was offered in full Torpedo style or slightly toned down ("Torpedo Skiff"); both were available configured with 2, 3 or 4 seats. Also available were a sedan (of classical 1920s layout), and a commercial version (usable to deliver small or light articles). The variety of styles available provided a wide selection to the public; this fact combined with the models' low initial cost and moderate operating costs caused the C4 to be fairly popular during its eight-year production run.

Description

The C4

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

is a lengthened version (by 14 cm) of that of the

Amilcar CC The Amilcar CC was a light sporting car produced by the French Amilcar company from 1922 to 1925. It was powered by a 903 cc four-cylinder, side-valve A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, p ...

model.

Coachwork A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

for this vehicle was fabricated by subcontractors and delivered to the Amilcar for final assembly. Power for the C4 was provided by the same unit used in the CS, a 1003 cc four-cylinder engine (two valves per cylinder) with a bore, a stroke, a

magneto ignition An ignition magneto, or high-tension magneto, is a magneto that provides current for the ignition system of a spark-ignition engine, such as a petrol engine. It produces pulses of high voltage for the spark plugs. The older term ''tension'' ...

AND Solex carburetor; it was rated at 22 KW at 2800 rpm. The vehicle transmission (which was also used in the CC and CS models, the only difference being the longer length of the gearshift levers, necessitated by the longer chassis) provided three speeds, with power being sent to the rear wheels (a differential was not used on the rear-wheel power distribution scheme until the 1925 model, however). The suspension used semi-elliptic leaf springs in both the front and rear as well as fitted friction type dampers. Brakes were only provided on the rear wheels. The drum-type brakes were 220 mm diameter (increased to 225 mm in 1928), and were operated by foot-pedal, which differed from the hand-lever operation employed in both the CS and CC automobiles. Standard equipment was ample for the period, consisting of a speedometer with recording odometer, an ammeter, and the dashboard incorporating lighting. The horn initially was a classical trumpet with rubber bulb; this was replaced by an electric horn beginning in 1925.

References

from ''Histomobile'', C4 page
from the Amilcar site, section covering the history and details of the C4 and of its specification pag

Amilcar vehicles Vehicles introduced in 1922 {{Vintage-auto-stub

Description

See also

References