1926 Amilcar/AC Type-G Special

Established in a small Parisian premises by Joseph Lamy and Emile Akar in July 1921, Amilcar’s first product was a cyclecar. Designed by Jules Salomon and Edmond Moyet, it was first exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in October of that year, by which time Amilcar had relocated to a larger factory on the northern edge of Paris. The first true 'car' to appear wearing the Amilcar badge was a 903cc four-cylinder called the CC, built on a short 2,320mm wheelbase, which in turn gave birth to two further versions, the slightly longer Amilcar C4 sports car, while the CS, introduced in 1924, was a brisker sports version with the engine size increased to 1,004cc.

In 1925 Amilcar introduced the Type G, powered by a 1,100cc version of the four-cylinder engine (good for 27bhp), with a 4-speed transmission and suspension via semi-elliptic leaf springs with shock absorbers on both axles. Top speed was said to be in the region of 100km/h depending on the type of bodywork, which was offered in saloon, coupé and convertible variants. Having had limited market success, production ceased in 1927.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Amilcar gained a reputation for putting in giant-killing performances on the European racing scene. The French manufacturer took a string of victories in voiturette racing, won the Monte Carlo rally in 1927 and came within a hair's breadth of winning several major Grand Prix outright.

On offer here is a Type G-based, AC-engined Special that was built by Richard Stanley in Australia to continue that legacy. Around 40 years ago, Richard rescued a 1926 lightweight G-series Amilcar chassis, removed its modest 1,100cc side-valve engine and through his own business, Richard Stanley's Coachcraft Pty Ltd, began work on the fabulous Special we have on offer today.

The car continued to be developed over the years, pursuing an active competition career in the late 1990s and at one time was known as the 'fastest Vintage car in the country'. A new engine was built for the car in 1990 utilising a heat-treated aluminium block, new wet liners, new forged pistons, new steel crank and rods, new competition cylinder head and valves, new camshaft and a solid, heat-treated copper head gasket. It's fuelled through a 2 1/4" SU with the supercharger running at 15lb/ft of boost and will run on petrol or methanol. We understand that running on petrol, the engine develops around 220bhp at the wheels, while if running on methanol 260bhp is on tap – quite something when you consider the car weighs under ¾ tonne! Power is fed through the Alvis 12/50 close-ratio 4-speed gearbox to the Amilcar 1100 rear axle which is 'steel-spool' locked and out to the rear wheels via '28-spline' half-shafts. The front axle is strengthened Amilcar 1100 and the drum brakes are 2-litre Amilcar which are now hydraulic.

Within the car's fascinating history file are some summarised results sheets listing ten straight outright wins in Pre-War and Vintage between 1993 and 2000 at Winton Circuit, a pole and second place in the support race at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1988 and 1992 and fastest lap in a similar race at Albert Park in 1997. There are simply dozens of other hill climb and sprint wins and FTDs on a separate list. Clearly a very quick motor car.

The Special was shipped to the UK in 2014 and the process of recommissioning it for competition was commenced, making its UK debut at Chateau Impney hill climb in 2019.

The car is accompanied by a large and detailed history file containing the aforementioned race results, build details, a components list, a seven page article about the history and build in an edition of the ‘French Rocket’ and detailed instructions for starting the car on either petrol or alcohol. There is simply too much information to list here and considering that this is a unique vehicle, we highly recommend interested parties to come and see the car and study the history for themselves.

There are a lot of spares with the car including wheels, diffs and an engine block and the car is accompanied by CAMS papers, its UK V5C and VSCC eligibility documents which can be studied whilst going through the aforementioned history file. Offered at a competitive estimate when you consider the rarity and potential access to prestige events, or just great fun motoring, we welcome your inspection of this special motorcar.

Beautifully presented in gleaming black, this little two-seat Voiturette looks, every inch the 1920s French racer and would be welcome absolutely anywhere including, as it's currently UK-registered, the pub on a Sunday lunchtime!