I think automobiles have a real social aspect to them.
Whenever we make our way into a village
or one of the forgotten little corners of the world,
people are always very happy to see us.
Always a thumbs up and a big smile,
and people love to tell us stories about their first car:
“I had the same one” or “My dad had the same..."
Some even know the make and model, like Bugatti, or the different cylinders,
and it’s very rewarding to see that enthusiasm.
Because having a car is about more than just getting around,
enjoying a drive or going for a road trip.
It’s about getting your hands on something you’ve dreamed about for years.
It took me more than 20 years of dreaming to get this car.
When you finally do, there’s nothing like it.
Amilcar, like many small car manufacturers, took advantage
of legislation in the 1920s that allowed cars
weighing less than 770 pounds to benefit from cheaper taxes.
That’s why they were making cyclecars, as were many of their competitors.
The public wanted a real car,
with brakes at the front, shock absorbers, a stronger motor,
and so Amilcar grew
and made much more powerful cars.
The Pegasus G36 was special.
Nothing revolutionary, but still, it had many technical innovations
that made it interesting.
First of all, it was made from aluminum, and weighed 1650 pounds with a full tank.
They never did any real wind-tunnel testing,
but, with aviation taking off, it sort of copied
the form of an airplane wing.
It was made from aluminum and, under the hood, had a 2.5 liter pushrod motor,
which was nothing special – others were already making single overhead camshafts,
but it was still relatively powerful,
with 85 horsepower and a top speed of 100 to 105 miles per hour.
It had double-hydraulic braking system from Lockheed,
which set it apart,
and an independent forward axel – although the rear axle could be stiff.
And, depending on the rules of the racetrack,
it could also be easily modified:
depending on the track, you could remove the headlights or the fender…
Above all, it’s a car that was made for endurance,
with both a forward and rear gas tank.
It wasn’t built for Formula One,
instead it was built more for the French Grand Prix, an endurance race,
not to mention the 24 Hours of Le Mans when, in 1938,
it was driven by Mrs. Roux and Mrs. Rouault.
But it was a relatively strong competitor.
The problem was that Amilcar was small, and the factory was in trouble.
This particular unit, unfortunately, never got the upgrades it deserved,
because on the 101st lap at Le Mans, the motor broke down
and the car was often difficult to manage
on the different racetracks.
Mr. Mestivier even had to deal with a broken camshaft,
leaving Jaguar and their SS100 to win certain races.
It was after the war that Mrs. Roux acquired this car,
as she was married to Mr. Mestivier.
With it, she won many coastal races.
Maurice Mestivier won the coastal race of La Turbie
and Mrs. Roux won the Paris-Vichy-Saint-Raphaël women’s race.
She would take along her little dog, Mowgli, which was always good for a laugh,
to see that little dog getting tossed around the car. It was a very different time for racing.
It was during an expert assessment that Jean-Pierre Cornu
told me about this car and its interesting history
after which I had but one wish, which was to own it.
In the end, I added it to my collection, and we still enjoy it very much –
whether for rallies here in France,
or, like last year, the rally around Lake Léman.
So it’s a car that still brings lots of joy,
with a story that has always interested me
and I hope will interest you too.