The AM and the AM2 were two luxury cars built by the French maker Hotchkiss between 1924 and 1932. The AM was a conventional torpedo that sold reasonably well, and the AM2 of 1926 added an overhead-valve engine; together they laid the ground for the four-cylinder Hotchkiss models of the 1930s.
Hotchkiss AM / AM2 at a glance
| Maker | Automobiles Hotchkiss, Saint-Denis, France |
|---|---|
| Production | 1924–1932 |
| AM | 1924–1928 |
| AM2 | 1926–1932 |
| Engine, AM | 2,413 cc four-cylinder in-line, side valves |
| Power, AM | about 45 hp |
| Top speed, AM | just under 100 km/h |
| Engine, AM2 | same 2,413 cc four, overhead valves |
| Power, AM2 | 50 hp at 2,800 rpm |
| Top speed, AM2 | 105 km/h |
| Gearbox | four-speed manual |
| Bodies | torpedo, saloon, coupé and cabriolet |
Sources differ on the start of production: the Italian article dates the AM from 1924, while the French article puts the AM 12 HP at the 1922 Paris Salon.
History of the Hotchkiss AM / AM2
A conventional car that mattered
The AM was presented in 1924 as an honest torpedo, rather ordinary in appearance, which met with modest success and nothing more. Even so, together with other Hotchkiss models such as the AF and AL, it prepared the ground for the more successful cars that followed. It carried a 2,413 cc four-cylinder in-line engine with side valves, giving about 45 hp and a top speed just short of 100 km/h, with a four-speed manual gearbox. Soon after the launch the AM was also offered as a saloon, a coupé and a cabriolet.
Overhead valves: the AM2
In 1926 Hotchkiss added a version with the same engine but overhead valves, a solution borrowed from the AF and AL. This model was renamed AM2 and was built alongside the side-valve AM. The new valve gear raised output to 50 hp at 2,800 rpm and the top speed to 105 km/h. In 1928 the AM was dropped and the AM2 remained alone in the list, staying in production until 1932, when the four-cylinder range was reorganised into the Serie 400.
Place in the range
French sources date the model from the 1922 Paris Salon, where Hotchkiss showed the AM 12 HP, and note the slogan the firm adopted in the middle of the decade, «la voiture du juste milieu» — the car of the happy medium. That positioning fits the AM well: it was aimed at a comfortable, discreet bourgeoisie rather than at sporting buyers. From the autumn of 1925 a new line of overhead-valve engines appeared, the 2.3-litre four that later served in the AM2 series, and the same engine family survived at Hotchkiss until 1954.
Design and features
- Side valves, then overhead valves: the AM’s 45 hp gave way to the AM2’s 50 hp at 2,800 rpm.
- Four body styles: torpedo, saloon, coupé and cabriolet from shortly after the launch.
- A hundred kilometres an hour: the AM just failed to reach it, the AM2 passed it at 105 km/h.
- A base for later cars: the four-cylinder AM2 line led directly to the Serie 400 of 1933.
Hotchkiss AM / AM2 versions
- AM torpedo: the original open four-seater of 1924.
- AM saloon, coupé and cabriolet: closed and open bodies added soon after the launch.
- AM2: the overhead-valve version from 1926, built alongside the AM.
- AM2 alone: from 1928 to 1932, the only model of the pair left in production.
The AM2’s four-cylinder line led to the 411 and the Serie 400, while the six-cylinder cars grew into the Serie 600. More cars are in the Hotchkiss collection.
Video: Hotchkiss AM 2 de 1932
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Hotchkiss AM e AM2, Italian Wikipedia: engines, power, production years
- Hotchkiss, French Wikipedia: the 1922 Salon, the slogan, the engine line
- Hotchkiss, Italian Wikipedia: the company’s early car production
_-_btv1b53190130w.jpg){kind=link}