For Sale -1939 Hotchkiss Monte Carlo 680 Decouvrable (Cabriolet). 

Contact for us details 

Registration number: WXG 923,
Chassis No: 680-82388,
V5: Not present,
Odometer reading: 14,624 miles,
Date of first registration in UK: 01/04/2015,
Year of Manufacture: 1939, 
MOT: Exempt,
History: None,
Engine Size: 3016cc
Fuel type: Petrol,
Transmission: 4spd Cotal Manual Gearbox,
Colour:  White,
No handle for operating the soft top.
No of former keepers as per HPI check: 2

Unfortunately we have no V5 or history from this deceased estate.. However the car's history is well documented by Brightwells, the Auctioneers who sold the car to to the current owner (now deceased) in  2017 for £44,000 and we are aware that prior to that the car was sold in 2015 by H&H for £38,060 in 2015 at chateau Impney , Droitwich.

It was described by H&H Auctioneers in an earlier Auction as follows: -

 "Rare and elegant Grande Routiere with usine 'Decouvrable' coachwork
- 3-litre OHV straight-six engine, Cotal electromagnetic transmission
- Never allowed to deteriorate to the point of needing restoration

This supremely elegant two-door Decouvrable typifies the pre-war 'Grande Routiere' class of rapid, luxurious touring cars made by prime French manufacturers Delage, Delahaye, Talbot Lago and Hotchkiss. They were designed to make short shrift of the country's poplar-lined Routes Nationales and invariably featured straight-six engines of around 3-litres capacity coupled to Cotal electromagnetic manual transmissions.

The sale car was constructed at the onset of war, when Hotchkiss rapidly ceased the manufacturer of motorcars in order to concentrate on munitions. It is likely that 'WXG 923' survived the conflict secreted in a company facility outside Auxerre, and was not sold to its first owner until 1947. He was a wealthy Lisbon-based industrialist, where the car has remained until recently, changing hands just three further times.

The 680 Monte Carlo was powered by Hotchkiss's own 3016cc OHV straight-six engine, which drove through the aforementioned rapid and smooth changing four-speed Cotal manual gearbox. Unlike its major competitors, Hotchkiss tended to fashion its own coachwork and this model was one of its most exclusive, and therefore expensive, offerings. The principal benefit of the chic Decouvrable hood system was the additional rigidity afforded by integrating the window frames into the main bodywork.

We have been made aware that the few previous owners of this car have been apparently wealthy enough to maintain it in good order. The engine is mechanically superb; the Cotal gearbox has been upgraded and operates exceptionally well; the bodywork is extremely sound and the entire motorcar was repainted in a soft shade of Old English White some ten years ago and the wool-lined hood retrimmed in Dark Blue mohair. The interior is delightful, with excellent, similarly-coloured leather trim and original wooden dashboard and door cappings'. The Hotchkiss rides on a matching set of barely used Avon crossply tyres and comes complete with colour-matched hood cover. A notably rare and exciting opportunity."
 

We understand that the car has been little used since purchased. It has been stored for the last few years. It starts and runs well, and does not appear to have deteriorated at all. 

The Classic Car Club of which the owner was a member, wrote the following when it was exhibited at the Historic Vehicle Gathering at Powderham Castle in 2017. It won the best in show.. 
"This car has the three litre single carburettor engine, developing about 80bhp.  It has the mid length 10’ 3” wheelbase and carries the Monte Carlo four seat “decouverable” bodywork.  The roof unfurls with assistance from a large key leaving the side door and window frames complete to provide protection from the wind..  It is dated 1939 but was apparently not completed until 1946 when production resumed following the war.  It is fitted with the optional Cotal gearbox which would have added almost a third to the price when new.  The gearbox is an electrically operated dual epicyclic four speed unit, gear selection is via a little four position selector to the side of the steering wheel.  A reversing lever allows all four speeds to be used either forwards or backwards!
Post war regulations in France did not permit domestic sales of cars of this type and the car was first registered in Portugal in 1947.  It appears to have just two owners there until being imported to the UK in 2015 after having been extensively restored.   It caught my eye when I saw it in a sale in April this year and I’m delighted at the positive reaction to it at HVG 2017.  As far as I know it is the only one of its type in the UK at present."