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75 yars of Citron automobils;

60 yars of Citron Traction Avant

75 yars ago th intrsting and colourful history of Citron automobils bgan. In 1934, Citron prsntd thir first front-whl driv cars and startd a rvolution in auto production.

AndrCitron was born in 1878. A succssful studnt, h attndd th Polytchnical school in Paris and workd for som tim with th car company "Mors". In 1905, at th ag of 27, h foundd his first company, "AndrCitron & Ci", which was changd to "Socitds ngrnags Citron" (Citron Cog Factory ) in 1913. Also in 1913, Citron foundd yt anothr company to tak advantag of a patnt h had rgarding carburttors. This company was locatd on th Quai d Javl (today Quai AndrCitron) in Paris. arly in his carr, Citron was imprssd by th production mthods of Hnry Ford, who pionrd th us of th assmbly lin as arly as 1908 for th Ford Modl T in th U.S.A. Citron undrstood that h had to analys production mthods and that h had to divid it into singl logical stps in ordr to calculat th industrial production of an itm mathmatically.

With th outbrak of World War I, AndrCitron rcivd a commission, bginning in 1915, to produc 7,500 75mm grnads - good work for a small company. Citron was abl to convinc th Frnch Ministry of Dfnc that h could dlivr much biggr quantitis with industrial production. Th company grw rapidly and in 1918 it occupid 80,000 squar mtrs at th Quai d Javl in Paris whr, in 1914, thr wr still gardn allotmnts. 12,000 popl wr occupid producing grnads. At th pak th output rachd 20,000 pics! Th company was vry progrssiv in th social fild: a cantin and a kindrgardn wr prsnt as was a dntal clinic. During th war, Citron startd thinking about th "days aftr". H talkd about building 1,000 automobils a day at a pric that would nabl vryon to own on of his cars.

1919: Th first "Citron"...

By 1919, th first Citron auto was producd - th Typ A. quippd with a 4-cylindr ngin of 1326 cubic cm (10-fiscal-HP) capacity, it was capabl of a top spd of 65km/h. On was abl to ordr six diffrnt body styls dirctly from th factory, this at a tim whr on got th chassis and th ngin from othr makrs and had it compltd by a coachworks of your own choic! vn th spar whl and th lighting wr includd in th pric of F7,205. From Jun to Dcmbr 1919, Citron producd 2,500 cars. In 1920, thy had alrady producd 20,200!

Also in 1920, Citron first tstd half-track autos calld "Autochnills" using th patnts of Adolph Kgrss. In impassabl rgions thy wr vry usful, and thir rliability hlpd to improv th rputation of Citron as an automobil manufacturr. Th half-tracks wr not only usd by th armd forcs, in road-building and agricultur, but also by diffrnt post offics, among thm th Swiss PTT which quippd thir "Autochnills" with skis at th front.

In 1921, th first Citron Taxis appard on th strts of Paris. Th big nws at th Paris Motor Show in Octobr was th 5 hp Typ C, a ral car for th popl with 856 cubic cm ngin, 60 km/h top spd, availabl as a Torpdo with two sats. Th car was first availabl in th summr of 1922 and was sold only in on colour: lmon yllow. Th small car was a ral succss. In 1924, it was prsntd as a thr-satr. Th third sat was in th rar in th middl and th passngr put his ft btwn th two front sats. This vrsion, namd th "Trefl" (Clovr Laf) gaind a grat dal of fam. Up to March 1926, it stayd in production with only minor changs - about 90,000 wr built and quit a numbr still xist today.

Aftr th B12 of 1925, th B14 was introducd in 1927, drivn by a 1538 cubic cm ngin with 22 tru horspowr. It was followd by th C4 in 1929. Also in 1929, th C6 was introducd - th first six cylindr Citron (2442 cubic cm), and th first Citron to rach 100 km/h.

AndrCitron was vry succssful in drawing th public's attntion with laborat publicity campaigns. In 1922, airplans wrot th nam "Citron" in th sky ovr Paris; in 1925 th nam "Citron" could hav bn rad on th iffl towr: 200,000 lightbulbs wr ncssary and svral kilomtrs of cabling!

xpditions...

From 17 Dcmbr 1922 to 7 January 1923, a Citron xpdition crossd th Sahara dsrt by automobil for th first tim, from Algirs to Timbuktu, a distanc of 3,200 kms, avraging 150 kms a day with 10hp B2 half-tracks - an normous ffort for th priod!

From 28 Octobr 1924 to 26 Jun 1925, a furthr xpdition, th famous "Croisier Noir" (Black Journy) crossd th African continnt from Algria through Knya to th Cap of Good Hop.

On 4 April 1931, th "Croiser Jaun" (Yllow Journy) startd in Bruit. Th goal was to rach Bijing with th C4 and C6 typ half-tracks. In btwn thr wr dsrts, glacirs, mountains, and war zons. On C4F rachd 4,208m and st a world altitud rcord for cars. In th Himalayas, part of th way through, th paths wr not drivabl and th cars had to b taken apart, carried through, and rebuilt afterwards! On 12 February, 1932 the cars triumphantly reached Beijing.

Records...

From the beginning of 1932, the C4 and C6 were equipped with the "Floating Power" engine which was mounted in a new way, using a Chrysler patent. The engine was secured with rubber mounts instead of being bolted directly to the chassis, thereby eliminating major engine vibrations. The first cars using this new engine mounting were recognizeable with a stylized swan in front of the Citroen double chevrons.

By the end of 1932, the types "8", "10", and "15" followed, called "Rosalie" after a Citroen "Rosalie 8" which covered 300,000 km in 134 days with an average of more than 93 km/h and breaking not less that 106 world records! More runs of the same kind followed and proved the reliability of the small Citroen.

AndreCitroen advertised his products not just to adults. Soon he produced toy cars to capture the attention of children - his future customers. The first words he wanted them to be able to speak were: "Mama, Papa, Citroen".

Financial problems...

The first clouds on the Citroen horizon appeared after the Wall Street crash of October 1929 and the ensuing world crisis. In 1933, at the peak of the crisis, Citroen rebuilt the factories at the Quai de Javel completely, in order to have sufficient capacity to produce his impending new model. Enormous halls were built. 6,000 guests were invited to the grand opening. The rebuild was a big challenge for the company. In April 1933, t here was a strike which served to amplify the difficulties. The cars didn't sell well abroad because of the exchange rates and the restrictions certain countries introduced against foreign products. By the end of 1933, Citroen had so many debts, that the Michelin company had to be called for financial help.

With front wheel drive to the future...

Within a short period the Traction Avant Type "7" was developed - a car that was radically different in all respects to other cars of the time: self-supporting uni-body, front-wheel drive, torsion bar suspension, to mention only the most important features. The first plans even called for an automatic two-speed transmission - a feature that had to be dropped. The most significant feature was that the car was about 20 cm lower than its predecessors and contemporaries - with equal or even more interior space. Thanks to the low center of gravity and front-wheel drive, the Traction Avant has superb road-holding.

In April 1934, production started - at the beginning with 1303 cubic cm and 32 hp (good enough for 95 km/h) but lots of small problems. In the same year, much better versions with 1529 cubic cm and 1911 cubic cm (7S for Sport - top speed 110 km/h) were presented. The car was then called the "11CV" and made the name "Traction Avant" known world-wide. With only small changes it stayed in production until 1957.

The following body styles were offered by the Citroen factory:

Shorter wheel base called the "Legere": Berline, Cabriolet, and Faux-Cabriolet (Coupe)
12cm wider and medium (20 cm longer) wheelbase, called "Large": Berline, Cabriolet, and Faux-Cabriolet
Same size but even longer (a further 20cm) wheelbase: the Familiale and Conduite Interieure.

In 1934, about twelve of the famous 8-cylinder prototypes with front-wheel drive were built - the "22CV". Three of them were presented to the public on the occasion of the Paris Auto Show. They never saw series production and none of them are known to exist today.

During the same car show, Citroen showed a publicity film in which you can see a new Traction Avant being pushed over the edge of a 8 m high cliff. It lands on its nose, is thrown back, lands on its nose again, and sits on its four wheels after rolling. Only one window is broken, all doors open and close. The car drives off by its own means!

By this time all weaknesses in the 4-cylinder model were eliminated, but for AndreCitroen it was too late. By 21 December 1934, the company went into bankruptcy. AndreCitroen died as a poor broken man on 3 July 1935.

Under Michelin the company developed further. At the beginning of 1939, the 11CV Commerciale on the long wheelbase was presented. More importantly, the Traction Avant 15/Six was introduced with a top speed of 130 km/h and its legendary driving abilities. Its 2867 cubic cm 6-cylinder with 77 hp gave the "Reine de la Route" (Queen of the Road) abilities that are still quite modern today. As the underworld also liked this special fast car, it was soon known as the "gangster limousine". The police with the 4-cylinder models had great difficulties following their "enemies".

During WWII the production practically stopped. The available cars were used by the German occupying forces and by the French Resistance. After the war the pre-war models were produced again, but only a limited range was offered. The cars were still liked by business people, doctors, and rich farmers. In the years following WWII, most of the Tractions were delivered in black and that's how most people remember them. Unfortunately the Cabriolets and Coupes were not built any more after the war. Only some coach builders are producing small series or single items of the open cars. In Switzerland these are famous companies like "Langenthal", "Worblaufen" and "Beutler".

During the Paris Car Show of 1948 the 2CV was introduced. Smiled at by all, this comfortable small car of 375 cubic cm started a long life around the world.

In 1955, we start to see the end of the Traction Avant. "La Deesse" , "The Goddess", was presented and the automobile world was once more astonished by Citroen. "This is not the car of tomorrow, it's the car of today. It's just that all the other cars are from yesterday..." was one of the publicity slogans. Indeed, it was and continues to be an unusual streamlined car - with front-wheel drive, height adjustable hydraulic suspension, power steering, semi-automatic gear box, one spoke safety steering wheel, and much more.

Nevertheless it took up to 25 July 1957 until the last of the famous Tractions, an 11CV Familiale, rolled off the production line