Amilcar was founded by Andre Morel and engineer Edmond Moyet with financial backing from Emile Akar, a Paris businessman, and Joseph Lamy, an executive at cyclecar maker Le Zebre. The new company's intent was to build cyclecars and sporting voiturettes, and its first model was the CC, with production commencing in 1921. Initially based in Paris, the company's success soon forced them to seek larger accommodations, relocating to Saint-Denis on the northern edge of the city in mid-1924.

Amilcar displayed a small cyclecar in October 1921 at the Paris Motor Show, which capitalized upon a government initiative that reduced the rate of annual car tax for vehicles weighing less than 350 kg. Additionally, the vehicles were to provide seating for no more than two people and were powered by an engine less than 1100cc. If the vehicle satisfied these requirements, it was considered a cyclecar; if not, it was a voiturette (a miniature automobile).

The Amilcar CC was equipped with a four-cylinder 904cc side-valve engine offering 18 horsepower and paired with a three-speed gearbox. The suspension was a quarter-elliptic spring setup. From this model later birthed the Types CS and 4C. The CC gained a reputation for its adequate power, responsive handling, and utilitarian accommodations. Its competition prowess was soon put on display when Morel became the 1100cc Class Champion of France in 1922.

The Amilcar CC had a 91-inch wheelbase; the C4 was a slightly longer sports car and the CS (introduced in 1924) was a sports version with a side valve engine that displaced 1,004cc and featured splash lubrication.

The subsequent Amilcar CGS would be the company's most successful model, with production commencing in 1924 and continuing through 1929. Its performance and reliability gained Amilcar a favorable reputation worldwide, and it was eventually built under license in Italy, Germany, and Austria, and sold in the USA by no less than Maybach Motors in New York City.

The CGS 'Grand Sport' of 1924 had a 1,074cc side-valve engine and four-wheel brakes. From 1925, a new pressure-fed engine with a vane-pump was mounted on all CGS cars. This led to the more sporty CGSS 'Grand Sport Surbaissé' (built under license in Germany (as the Pluto) and in Austria (as the Grofri) and in Italy (as Amilcar Italiana)).

By the mid-1920s, Amilcar was widely recognized as the most successful of all cyclecar marques.

This 1923 Amilcar CG special, the ex-Howie Gilmore Car, wears aluminum coachwork and is currently equipped with a supercharged Ford E93 A engine. It has been given a restoration and fitted with modern safety amenities that include a fuel cell, competition seat, five-point harness, and a roll bar. It is well known in the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) and a frequent competitor at many hill climb and vintage racing events.

An Amilcar engine remains with the vehicle, although it is not installed.

by Dan Vaughan