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Luxury for the Ages.(Escape Roads)
Byline: BROOKS BRIERLEY
The aftermath of World War II was not the best time to come out with a luxury car, but Jean-Albert Gregoire was not to be deterred. In October 1947 the French engineer introduced an innovative car at the Paris show that combined an air-cooled square-block engine with an aluminum chassis featuring a special suspension and proven front-wheel-drive design. The Gregoire had all the makings of an ideal car.
Established French manufacturer Hotchkiss, which had been a technically competitive firm in the 1930s, saw the Gregoire as a way of maintaining its status postwar, and it took on production. Ominously, the new car proved difficult to build, and the project began three months behind schedule in June 1951.
The Gregoire's pronounced nose and aerodynamic body make for a charismatic look that is accentuated by placing the engine ahead of the front wheels. Even so, the car's dimensions-98-inch wheelbase, 183-inch length, near-60-inch height and 5.5x16-inch tires-puts it right at home on today's roads. The gas tank holds right around 12 gallons of regular-grade gasoline (that needs no additives).
The one-piece cast-aluminum cowl, wind- shield and body frame saved weight as it added strength. The car's compact low shape combined independently sprung wheels and rear coil springs for good handling and a smooth ride. A Bendix-Tracta drive system and four-wheel Bendix hydraulic brakes complete the major specifications. The Gregoire may be 55 years old, but in many respects it is a thoroughly modern car.
Hotchkiss' French-language catalog described the 70-hp four-cylinder engine in English as a "double flat-twin.'' Whereas the prototype engine displaced 2000 cc, the production version was slightly larger, displacing 2190 cc, which indicated the 90-mm bore and 86-mm stroke are not quite the original's perfect 86-mm square-"supersquare'' was thought better technically.
Our featured car is the only known Hotchkiss Gregoire exported to the United States. The original owner, who bought it in 1953, appears to have lost interest quickly: It sat for 40 years in ...
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Source: HighBeam Research, Luxury for the Ages.(Escape Roads)