Antique French Flair

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It may look old in 2024 but the Citroen Traction Avant was ahead of its time when launched in 1934. It was lower and lighter than nearly everything else in the showrooms, and was front wheel drive. It was in production for 23 years and sold over 700,000 units and set the innovative tone for the French maker that has endured until this day. This 1946 example was sold new in NZ and is being sold at Turners Christchurch. Read on...

Citroen started in 1919 but it was the Traction Avant of 1934 that turned Citroen into a car maker known for innovation. The 2CV, DS, CX and many more were born from the engineering approach taken with the Traction Avant. So what set it apart from the competition? Firstly it’s front wheel drive, which was not new but hadn’t been used in a mass production car until the Citroen. Secondly, it had what is now commonly known as a unibody construction, which is the dominant construction method used today but was another first for the mass produced Citroen. The effect and advantages of this construction are significant. Most cars to this point were a heavy chassis with a body built on top. This made cars sit up high and weigh a lot. The unibody approach means the body is the main structure and allows for a lower and lighter car which means better performance and lower fuel consumption. And then, to top things off, the Citroen had four wheel, independent suspension and rack and pinion steering, both revolutionary in mass production at the time.

So it would be fair to say that the Citroen Traction Avant was a very important car, not just for Citroen, but for the whole automotive industry.

This particular car is officially known as the Light 15 (there was also a Big 15), which were the names given to the British built cars and something to do with the tax rules of the time. So it was designed and manufactured in France, built in Slough, England, and sold new in NZ in 1946. That’s 78 years ago. Look at it, it’s amazing. These days we’re impressed if a car lasts 78 months. And this amazing piece of usable automotive history could be yours.

This Citroen is being auctioned at Turners Christchurch on the 2^nd December with the very realistic estimate of $17,000 - $19,000. More details here.