Description
In 1950 Hotchkiss presented its new model Anjou as a 13. 50 and 20. 50 with two engines of differing capacity. With the inline 4-cylinder with 2’312cc in the 13. 50, 72 horsepower were available but the 3’485cc inline 6 of the 20. 50 (20 tax hp) delivered a healthy 100 hp, rather competitive in those days. In the same year Fritz Ramseier from the Worblaufen coachworks received an early Hotchkiss chassis on the commission to create a cabriolet coachwork for it. From the front all the way back to the torpedo panel, this 4-door cabriolet with its commission number 1147 corresponds mostly to the standard Anjou version of the 20. 50 but the forward mud guards already showed clear ponton lines compared to the Hotchkiss factory version. With its flowing lines to the rear and the extension of the front mudguard sweep all the way to the onset of the rear mudguard the result was strikingly elegant. In fact, it proved so popular that in 1951 a second example was built. Our car is equipped with the optional electromagnetic Cotal gearbox with four speeds and an additional lever for forward and reverse selection. According to our information, the first owner of the noble French car was a wealthy banker. Later the Hotchkiss changed ownership twice before it was taken over by an enthusiast in 2005 who had the coachwork, and the interior restored over the next two years. A photographic documentation as well as receipts for all the work are available. In 2017, the Hotchkiss was taken over by the vendor and added to his collection but driven only sparingly. Currently this exceedingly rare cabriolet is in good to very good condition, has had five owners and will be handed over to a new connoisseur with the latest veteran MOT from March 2016.
