The later Ami 8 fastback saloon featured a steeply raked rear window, in contrast to the earlier reverse-raked rear window of the Ami 6 notchback. Over 1,, units were manufactured over the entire production run. Ami is the French word for friend. The "cheval fiscal" was a French fiscal unit based on engine size with the smaller CV designating economy cars. The Ami is a rebodied 2CV with certain mechanical upgrades particularly a larger engine than the s 2CV , to compensate for the added weight.
At launch all the cars were powered by an air cooled cc two-cylinder flat engine which would also be offered at extra cost in the 2CV from The platform chassis and suspension is similar to the 2CV, being independent all round using leading and trailing arms and coil springs interconnected front to rear.
The Ami's seats were easily removable. Sales pitches of the Ami included photographs of the seats being used as picnic chairs. The Ami and the Ford Taunus P3 were the first cars with rectangular or lozenge-shaped non-round headlights. Soon this innovation found its way to the exclusive coach built Maserati GT. The most visible change involved the replacement of the fixed windows on the rear doors with two-part horizontal sliding windows, similar to those already fitted on the front doors.
The Ami 6 sedan is distinguished by an unusual reverse-raked notchback rear window, similar in style to the Ford Anglia E in Great Britain. It was first put into production on the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and Lincoln Continentals. In the American cars the rear window could be opened as an aid to ventilation before air conditioning became standardised, and in the American fashion was given a name, the "Breezeway Window".
The later Ami 8 saloon has a fastback rear window. It was redesigned by the French car design and bodywork company, Heuliez. Most notable changes were the front part and bonnet and the sloping, rather than inverted, rear window on the saloon. The estate version of the Ami 8 , the 'Break' had a similar general appearance to that of the Ami 6 although the later car's taillights were integrated into the rear wings.
