The Citroën Traction Avant

A bit of an anamoly this one. Not a supercar. It is and it isn't a rarity. It isn't, as more than three quarters of a million were produced over more than 20 years, except for the five years of the Second World War, when the French manufacturing industrial complex was very much on hold. It is rare, though, as to see one, on British roads, doing the normal commuter run (possibly) is not a common sight.

I'm not a huge Citroën fan, but in their back catalogue are some fantastic vehicles. The H Van, for instance, is such an odd, unique, acute looking motor, that it does intrigue. Even now the company produces vehicles that push the stylistic boundaries, and I do hope their technical, revolutionary moments don't just exist in a bygone era. The 80's CX with the rotating drum speedo. In Estate form, this was one of the largest things to be made in France until the Clemenceau was built, and much used as a camera car, it was unrivalled due to the uncommon amount of R&D, money and effort that went into their suspension technology. The DS is oft-acknowledged as one of the last century's most iconic cars. The GS: 1971 European Car of the year. The SM was third. The only time that one manufacturer had occupied two of the top three slots.

Citroën are one of the few car companies to, in my eyes, actively and boldly style a futuristic car, aesthetically and mechanically. Pick up a copy of Autocar from the late 70's early 80's, or any book from the era, with conceptual models of what cars might be looking like in a few years from then. Then look at an XM. Who else does this? French obliqueness meets Gandini or Bertone visions. Not always successful, but bold.

Mechanically, one area that Citroën did not necessarily pioneer, but have since led, is in the sphere of front-wheel drive. The Citroën Traction Avant was beaten to the punch by Alvis' FWD, but who remembers that car? Independently sprung suspension arms, with the attachment to a monocoque chassis, at once moved the game on technically from leaf-sprung methods as well as simplifying the build model away from coachbuilding and all the inherent production issues with that. The car, and the level of engineering and attention to quality, ended up bankrupting Citroën. So much academic and financial resource had been used up in making this car as advanced as possible for it's day. It handled wonderfully due to the placement of the engine further back from the front axis than was the norm. Due to efforts to make it safe, it was one of the first to sit extensive crash test courses.

War, and the associated need for militaristic advancement to beat your opponent in conflict, has had enormous benefits for the human race from the beginning of time. Velcro is a classic example of this. Although developed a decade prior, when there was a need for astronauts to securely, but easily attach objects in zero gravity, Velcro was the perfect application. Now we live with it everyday, everywhere. The Space Race pushed this. And the Cold War jousting, after the Second World War (with German rocket scientists) instigated in turn the Space Race.

During the inter-war years, there developed a need to understand how mass production in times of conflict could be addressed. One aspect of this was the move from forge welding to the more advanced arc-welding process. Coalescence brought the ability to reliably and inexpensively weld metal objects that would be as solid as if it was a single block in the first place. The Citroën Traction Avant was one of, if not the first, to use this process, thereby helping pave the way for the automobile industry to move with the times.

A landmark car.

ps: Interesting aside. I was driving along and saw the same car again on the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel. In the pictures below, the building behind is called Balfron Tower. Built in the mid-60's, at 84 metres tall, it was a veritable skyscraper before the LDDC started to raise the bar. Those familar with the West London landscape will know of Trellick Tower. Much more famous, it shades the Notting Hill Carnival. These are sister towers, made famous by the fact that other than their Brutalist design, had Ernõ Goldfinger as their architect. If you recognise the name, it's because Ian Fleming in a moment of humour decided to name his key villain after him, prompting a bitter falling out between the pair. There you go: from Traction Avant to Aston Martin, another tenuous links! Keeps me entertained.....

This is a left-hand model, and therefore not a 'Slough' car. But you're looking at 0-60 in approx 26 seconds, 20mpg and a top speed of 70mph.