4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1954–60
NAMED MODELFrance

Cournil-converted Hotchkiss Jeep.

The Jeep conversions that came before the Tracteur: Hotchkiss-assembled CJ-3B Jeeps (JH) fitted by Cournil with the Hotchkiss-built diesel, an adapted clutch housing and a transfer box of his own. A batch of 170 left his assembly line.

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Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLETracteur Cournil JA (1960–77)BUILT BYBernard Cournil, AurillacIN SERVICE1954–60OPERATED INFrancePRODUCTION170LAYOUT4 wheels · 80″

The record

Cournil was a regional Hotchkiss Jeep distributor and concluded his own licence with Willys in 1954 to assemble Jeeps. He machined stronger gearbox wheels in his own workshop and replaced the petrol engine with the Ferguson tractor diesel that Hotchkiss built under licence. By 1960 he judged the Jeep chassis too weak for central French farm work and replaced it with his own frame.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1954–60
ENGINEStandard 23C dieselStandard 23C diesel
PRODUCTION RUN170 (Unusual Off-Road Locomotion)
COUNTRY OF ORIGINFrance
OPERATED INFrance
STATUSout of production
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINETracteur JA
FAMILYTracteur JA
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE80″

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Cournil ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  2. 2Cournil ↗Wikipédia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  3. 3Cournil Tractor ↗Unusual Off-Road Locomotion (Jean-Marc Maclou) · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-24 · status: researched