1925 Amilcar 4 CGS

These lightweight, small-displacement sports cars provide a true pre-war motoring experience at a fraction of the cost of their more expensive French cousin from Molsheim

by Ed Godshalk

Of all the small sports-racing cars that proliferated in France after World War One, the Amilcar was the most famous and most successful. Built at St. Denis from 1921 through 1937, they did extremely well in the hotly contested 1,100-cc class, in which so many fierce little French cars were racing. The car being offered for sale here is said to be the Amilcar CGS show car introduced at the New York Salon in 1926, featuring a 1,074-cc engine with full-pressure lubrication, four-wheel brakes, four-speed transmission, and front semi-elliptic springs. Its known history is complete back to 1947, and it has been listed in the Amilcar registry since 1952. Purchased in 1995, it was given a full restoration in Holland, by the specialists in the Automuseum Deventer. When purchased, it was missing its hood and engine. As such, a new hood has been fabricated and an engine was located. While not original, it is the correct type. The car has been driven only 500...