An expensive, slow car with poor fuel economy, the French AAA from 1919/1920 only stands out for being the first alphabetically. But there is also a brochure with technical data, a comparison with a petrol car, and a side view drawing of the six-seater saloon. Plus the emblem. That's all there is, and no photograph has yet appeared – if a finished car really existed.
At the 15th Paris Motor Show, Cycle and Sports Exhibition in 1919, two large electric car chassis were presented at stand No. 22. The company was called Ateliers d'Automobiles & d'Aviation, and it was ambitiously seeking buyers for a supposedly luxury car that could reach 45 km/h with a range of about 125 kilometres, and also had a high cost of about 55,000 French francs.The company wanted to present two models, the 6A with a wheelbase of 3.10 metres and the 10A with a wheelbase of 3.50 metres, as well as van and truck versions. Already somewhat fanciful, the company also presented a brochure at the show, which is all that remains of this adventure. The brochure only features the emblem and a side view of a car, a drawing that tells us absolutely nothing about what the car might have looked like.
The brochure begins with the following sentence, which gives us a glimpse of why they attempted to create a car so different from the offerings of the time:
"There are currently around 150,000 electric vehicles in the United States. In France, only a hundred..." This electric car, apart from its great economy, simplicity, robustness and quiet running, also offered something that no one else did in those years: a ten-year warranty on the mechanics. With the usual question: what happens to the warranty if the company ceases to exist?
Its life was short-lived, and no photograph of a finished AAA car with bodywork has ever been found; a year later, the company had to close its doors due to a lack of customers.
The brochure exists, it is a real rarity, and is valuable for that reason.
