Amilcar CO

About this model

Amilcar produced the racing car in various versions from 1925 onwards. Initially, it was planned as a two-seater. From 1925 onwards, the accompanying mechanic was eliminated, so that all vehicles were monopostos.

First, there was normal CO, also known as CO long. Its wheelbase was 2235 mm. In the CO short, the wheelbase was shortened to 2160 mm.

The CO experimental of 1926 was designed for record runs over short distances. The body was aerodynamically shaped. The driver was sitting in the middle of the vehicle. Front brakes were dispensed with.

From May 1927, the CO offset was introduced. The engine and gearbox were offset nine centimetres to the left. The driver sat on the right again. In this way, the cardan shaft could run from the front engine to the rear axle next to the seat.

All vehicles had a six-cylinder in-line engine with DOHC valve timing. Initially, it had a bore of 55 mm, a stroke of 77 mm and a displacement of 1098 cc. It produced 90 hp with a Roots blower. The cylinder head was fixed. A further development resulted in a 56 mm bore, 74 mm stroke and 1094 cc displacement. The reduced stroke was intended to enable higher speeds. The engine output was initially given as 105 hp and later as 107 hp. The cylinder head was now removable. A third variant had a bore of 57 mm, a stroke of 83 mm and a displacement of 1271 cm³. However, it was only available in CO offset.

Two or three vehicles were built from normal CO and one to three from CO short, a total of three to five. There is no longer a complete vehicle, but two vehicles with engines from the Amilcar Type C 6. The CO experimental remained a one-off that was quickly dismantled. Three or four vehicles of the CO offset were produced, one of them with the larger engine. Two complete vehicles with Type C 6 engines and a non-complete one still exist.