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André Citroën

The Most Famous Citroën…Ever!

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Traction Forward!

By Philippe H. Defechereux
From the VeloceToday Archives, June, 2017

The year 1934 was to be André Citroën’s finest yet, the highest summit in a vast range of accomplishments already marked by several impressive peaks in his two preceding decades. And the year 1934 did start well for great French industrialist. After turning 56 on February 5, in mid-April he witnessed his life’s two grandest industrial creations come to life together, for they were entwined from conception: His new and thoroughly revolutionary Traction-Avant sedan began to come out fully formed and by the hundreds daily. This from his just-completed car production plant in Paris by the Seine, then by far the biggest, most modern and integrated mass-production automobile facility in Europe. [Read more…] about The Most Famous Citroën…Ever!

100 Years for Citroën at Retro

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Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

“Every automotive enthusiast the world over ought to go down on their knees at least once a year, preferably February 2, to give thanks for the birth of Andre Citroën…Citroën shows flashes of engineering genius so pure that you stop short and wonder why on earth car designers persist in doing things any other way.” – David Owen

This year Retromobile celebrated the centenary of the Automobiles Citroën. In this short space I can only highlight some of the history of the company and its products, but fortunately there is an enormous amount of material printed and on the web that you can find. [Read more…] about 100 Years for Citroën at Retro

Chapron Citroëns at Retro

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Captions and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

While Jonathan Sharp went after the Italians at Retro, Brandes Elitch did a Citroën biopic history, and Hugues Vanhoolandt told everyone he had dibs on covering the fantastic collection of Chapron DS models, the likes of which we have never seen before. Smart Guy. As part of the commemorations of the centenary of Citroën there were more than fifteen Chapron bodied Citroëns, all part of the same collection. Chapron exercised his talent mainly on the DS and each variation was present. Below, not only will you find out what wrath caused the damage to the lead photo, but Hugues did not forget some of the other outstanding vendors. [Read more…] about Chapron Citroëns at Retro

The First Modern Mass-Produced Automobile

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Photo by Jonathan Sharp

The Remarkable Story and Saga of André Citroën and his
Breakthrough Traction-Avant

By Philippe H. Defechereux © 2017

Traction-Avant-Guarde!

Following our introductory piece about André Citroën and the first two years of his remarkable Traction-Avant (1934-1935), now is the perfect time to examine and wonder at the car’s thoroughly revolutionary character. In this article, we’ll list all the existing or innovative technologies Citroën and his team brilliantly and harmoniously brought together in order to create what can only be called “the first modern mass-produced automobile.”

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The Saga of the Revolutionary Citroën T/A

By

Traction Forward!

By Philippe H. Defechereux

The year 1934 was to be André Citroën’s finest yet, the highest summit in a vast range of accomplishments already marked by several impressive peaks in his two preceding decades. And the year 1934 did start well for great French industrialist. After turning 56 on February 5, in mid-April he witnessed his life’s two grandest industrial creations come to life together, for they were entwined from conception: His new and thoroughly revolutionary Traction-Avant sedan began to come out fully formed and by the hundreds daily. This from his just-completed car production plant in Paris by the Seine, then by far the biggest, most modern and integrated mass-production automobile facility in Europe.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
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