The 411 was one of the new models that made up the Hotchkiss Serie 400, a family of high-class cars with four-cylinder engines built between 1933 and 1937. It took its name from its four cylinders and its eleven fiscal horsepower, and it was the smallest car in the range.
Hotchkiss 411 at a glance
| Maker | Automobiles Hotchkiss, France |
|---|---|
| Family | Serie 400, 1933–1937 |
| 411 introduced | 1933 |
| Engine | 2,010 cc four-cylinder with overhead valves |
| Power | 50 hp at 3,000 rpm |
| Top speed | 110 km/h |
| Gearbox | four-speed manual |
| 412 | 2,413 cc, 55 hp |
| 413 | 2,324 cc, 58 hp, 123 km/h |
| 1934 | the 413 was renamed 411 S |
| 1936 | the 411 and 413 were renamed 480 and 486 |
| Replaced by | Hotchkiss 864 at the end of 1936 |
The 411 is described in the Italian Wikipedia article on the Serie 400 and has no article of its own.
History of the Hotchkiss 411
One series for the four-cylinder cars
The Serie 400 was introduced in 1933 to gather under a single name the various Hotchkiss models with similar characteristics that had followed one another in previous years, including the AM and AM2. More broadly, it grouped all the new Hotchkiss cars with four-cylinder engines, using chassis and mechanical parts derived directly from the four-cylinder models of the years before. In 1933 three models appeared: the 411, the 412 and the 413.
Naming and engines
The naming was simple: the first figure gave the number of cylinders and the other two the fiscal horsepower. The 411 had a 2,010 cc four with overhead valves, the engine derived from the three-litre six of the first AM80 with two cylinders removed, and it produced 50 hp at 3,000 rpm. The 413 used a bored-out version of the same engine at 2,324 cc, with 58 hp and 123 km/h, while the 412 had a larger 2,413 cc four, the engine already used in the AM of the previous decade, but detuned to 55 hp.
Renaming and the end of the series
In 1934 the 413 was renamed 411 S, and the 413 returned in 1935 when the range was revised; the 412 was dropped at that point, leaving the 413 and the 411, which were also offered as cabriolets. At the beginning of 1936 the 411 and 413 became the 480 and 486, the last two figures now giving the cylinder bore in millimetres instead of the fiscal rating. At the end of the same year the 480 and 486 were taken out of production and replaced by the 864, a car of similar character.
Design and features
- Overhead-valve four: the 2,010 cc engine came from the three-litre six of the AM80 with two cylinders removed.
- Fiscal naming: the figures in the model name gave the cylinder count and the fiscal horsepower.
- 110 km/h: a respectable speed for a small luxury car of 1933 on French roads.
- Open bodies: from 1935 the surviving 411 and 413 were also offered as cabriolets.
Hotchkiss 411 versions
- 411: the 2,010 cc base model, 50 hp and 110 km/h.
- 412: the 2,413 cc car with 55 hp, dropped in 1935.
- 413: the 2,324 cc car with 58 hp and 123 km/h, renamed 411 S in 1934 and back as 413 in 1935.
- 480 and 486: the 1936 names of the 411 and 413, using bore instead of fiscal rating.
- Cabriolet: open bodies offered on the 411 and 413 from 1935.
The 411 was replaced by the 864, and its four-cylinder line went back to the AM and AM2. The six-cylinder cars of the same years formed the Serie 600. More cars are in the Hotchkiss collection.
Sources
- Hotchkiss Serie 400, Italian Wikipedia: models, engines, renaming
- Hotchkiss, Italian Wikipedia: the company’s range in the 1930s
- Hotchkiss, French Wikipedia: the overhead-valve engine family
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