1939 Hotchkiss Cabourg Berline

Hotchkiss was a weapons-making firm that added automobiles to its product line in the early 1900s, as its Wikipedia entry mentions.  By the mid-1930s, its cars were solid entries in France's upper-middle to entry-luxury price/prestige hierarchy.  Plus, Hotchkiss was quite successful in the famous Monte Carlo Rallies.

Today's post deals with Hotchkiss' 6-cylinder 4-door berline (sedan), the model 686.  It appeared for the 1936 model year and continued in production until the early 1950s, with time out during World War 2.  Those berlines were marketed under the model name "Cabourg," a town on the Normandy coast located between Deauville and Caen.

It was succeeded by a car with a somewhat similar 1930s appearance that I discussed here in the post "Hotchkiss Anjou Walkaround".

Due to availability of Internet images, model year 1939 cars are feaured below.

Gallery

1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline
As seen at the 1938 Salon de l'automobile, Paris.   Photo via Toutes les voitures françaises 1939 - p.52.  There is some camera lens distortion in the photo: note the front wheel.

1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - unknown photo source
A slightly better view of the Cabourg's left side.  The passenger compartment greenhouse side windows are not especially tall or rounded around the B-pillar, thereby avoiding the bloated appearance seen on a number of American cars of the mid-thirties.  Whereas the design is not exciting or even memorable, it's well-done and I class its appearance as pleasing.

1936 Hotchkiss 680 Cabourg berline - car-for sale photos
Early Cabourgs had front fenders that flowed over the wheel wells: standard practice for most early 1930s cars.

Rear quarter view.  The trunk hinges suggest that this might be an early production version.

c.1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - via Auto ancienne
Hotchkiss's 1937 facelift focused on fenders, reshaping them into the fashionable teardrop profile.

1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg berline - car-for sale photos
Now for a mini-walkaround.

French car styling could often be quirky, but this design would have been at home in the U.S.A.

Hotchkiss grille design was improved in 1938 with the addition of the central, vertical divider.  The flat, one-piece windshield was out-of-date in 1939, two-segment, V'd windshields being the most common in America.

The dashboard also is old-fashioned by 1939 American standards.