was due to be built and would have become Vinciguerra's personal transport, but there is no trace of this unique vehicle ever having been constructed. There was also, in 1946, a proposal for a simpler three door estate version, but by this time it was becoming increasingly clear that the Amilcar Compound's post-war renaissance was not part of the agenda of Charles de Gaulle’s highly interventionist government. Post-war planning There seems to have been some overlap of responsibilities regarding the Amilcar Compound’s development between Jean-Albert Grégoire and Clément Vinciguerra. In any event, after 1940 Grégoire was increasingly preoccupied by other projects, notably one with Simca for the production of a light metal car. It was the company man Clément Vinciguerra at Hotchkiss who took the project forward. Anticipating that peace would at some stage break out, by 1941 Clément Vinciguerra had designed a new version of the Compound to take the B67 engine and transmission package. The design was similar to that of the existing car, but featured innovative touches such as an Americanized slatted front grill. Under the skin more dramatic changes were foreseen. Mindful of the materials shortages and technological restrictions that might accompany its production, the design for this car, known as “Project 704” had a greatly reduced dependency on exotic materials, and featured a traditional separate chassis. The design drawings progressed to the construction of a prototype which would be used as a private car and survived well after the war. This car clocked up more than before being scrapped. Unfortunately no one photographed it, however. After the war Hotchkiss was not one of the automakers most favoured by the Pons Plan. The Pons Plan reflected government determination to structure the French auto-industry according to priorities identified by politicians and civil servants: exclusion or any departure from it created great difficulties in obtaining necessary permissions and materials. Government strategy did not wholly exclude Hotchkiss from auto-making, but it did pigeon hole the company's auto-making activities: these were to be restricted to those of a niche (probably luxury car) manufacturer focused on export sales. The Amilcar Compound did not fit into that definition, and plans to relaunch the car after the war therefore could not be implemented. Britain The car was sold on the British market as the Hotchkiss Ten. References Amilcar vehicles