Amilcar was born amid the of the _Cyclecar_ and _Vouiturette _movements in early 20th century France. Prior to the outbreak of World War I, French motoring enthusiasts created a market for light, affordable performance cars with smallbore engines. Fitting somewhere between a motorcycle and a standard automobile, the Cyclecar was adopted by a multitude of manufacturers. In the years after The Great War, France was eager to regain its standing as a world leader in automobile production, and as the economy struggled to fully recover, the inexpensive cyclecars again proved popular among buyers. Another driving factor for the perpetuation of the tiny cyclecars was the French tax code that greatly favored small cars. The French government even went so far as to provide a specific definition of a Cyclecar: It specified any three or four wheeled vehicle, with one or two seats, weighing no more than 350 kilograms and with an engine that must not exceed 1100c.c. If any of those factors were exceeded, the car was moved into the official _Voiturette _class. Manufacturers were able to get ever more power out of small engines, and as a result, the 1100c.c. cyclecar and voiturette class became a hotbed for performance motoring, with customers often buying these small cars for weekend competition use.