This vehicle is almost entirely built with advanced aluminum components. Stamped Aluminum and steel body, the chassis including the one piece firewall is cast aluminum. The 4 cylinder horizontally opposed engine, transmission and suspension structures are cast from aluminum as well. The unique 4 wheel independent suspension uses horizontal coil springs that are stretched not compressed in their range of motion. The Hotchkiss Grégoire was an advanced car in the early 1950s, and despite its age, drives much like a modern car. There were very few Hotchkiss Grégoires ever to be exported to the United States. This car was shipped from France to the Mack Corporation in New York in 1953. We found this car in Colorado; it had covered less than 7,000 miles, but was almost beyond repair. It had been parked under a tree for 40 years, and when the tree finally fell, it landed on top of the car. The windshield was broken and the roof was caved in, but the aluminum was in good enough condition to be straightened and welded.
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