75 years Citroen 7CV

Citroen Traction Avant: Low-life avant garde

It was often about being different from the others at Citroen. The Traction Avant was a real revolution in automotive architecture and even today the car has lost nothing of its fascination. (Sebastian Viehmann, Florian Maier , 04.01.2012)

Tech pioneer

Hydraulic brakes, monocoque construction, independent front-wheel suspension and… above all… front-wheel-drive. The list of superlatives was indeed long when the car badged as the ‘Citroen 7CV’ first made its appearance on the roads of France seventy-five years ago. It must also count as one of the most beautiful models that the car maker every built. From 1934 until 1956 the ‘Traction Avant’ (French for front-wheel-drive) was built and its look hardly changed at all over the years. The biggest difference was the enlarged boot which characterized the later models, making them instantly recognizable. The earliest Traction Avants had a much smaller compartment for luggage with the spare wheel housing on the hatch.

The top models had six-cylinder engines under the long bonnet capable of taking the car to a maximum speed of 130 kilometres an hour… an impressive achievement in those days.

For a start the car was offered with power outputs from 32 to 46 horsepower and there were several carosserie versions from estate to roadster. The top models had six-cylinder engines under the long bonnet capable of taking the car to a maximum speed of 130 kilometres an hour… an impressive achievement in those days. The Citroen quickly acquired the nickname ‘Reine de la Route’ (Queen of the Road) and became the preferred automobile of senior government officials.

In 1935 the racing driver François Lecot showed exactly what the chic French auto was capable of. At the wheel of a ‘Traction Avant 11 AL’ he notched up 400 thousand kilometres by commuting between Paris and Monte Carlo.

Low-life allure

In 1935 the racing driver François Lecot showed exactly what the chic French auto was capable of. At the wheel of a ‘Traction Avant 11 AL’ he notched up 400 thousand kilometres by commuting between Paris and Monte Carlo. Because he enjoyed the chance to spend a couple of hours in his own bed en route he made regular stops in the city of Lyon. All this driving with hardly anything more than minor problems was proof of the Citroen’s reliability and Lecot’s exploit contributed greatly to the car’s reputation.

When the Second World War ended it was the French underworld which discovered the car as being ideal for their nefarious purposes, often using a Traction Avant… almost always with its discreet black finish… as their high-speed getaway car. And so it was that the Traction Avant made its appearance in countless French ‘policier’ thrillers and the myth of the low-life limo was born.

How it came to be that the Traction Avant acquired its louche, low-life connotation is a strange story… and one that has nothing to do with the fact that a ‘Traction Avant 11 Légère’ was driven by the villain in the James Bond movie ‘From Russia with Love’. During the Second World War the chic Citroen was used frequently both by the German occupiers and by the French resistance, appreciated for its speed and excellent road holding. When the hostilities ended it was the French underworld which discovered the car as being ideal for their nefarious purposes, often using a Traction Avant… almost always with its discreet black finish… as their high-speed getaway car. And so it was that the Traction Avant made its appearance in countless French ‘policier’ thrillers and the myth of the low-life limo was born.

It must be stressed that the Traction Avant owned by the Canadian collector of Citroen models, John McCulloch, has no criminal past and must be viewed as simply a veteran bread-and-butter automobile.

The baker's car

It must be stressed that the Traction Avant owned by the Canadian collector of Citroen models, John McCulloch, has no criminal past and must be viewed as simply a veteran bread-and-butter automobile. A certain emphasis on the ‘bread’ would be apposite… bakers are part of the car’s fascinating back-story. “In the 1950s a baker in Valence bought the car new. Later the Traction Avant found its way to Florida where the new owner was also a baker. And the third owner was a baker, too, in the Canadian city of Toronto”, McCulloch explains, sketching the unusual points of his car’s biography. Now the car can be seen as having earned its retirement. McCulloch, a secondary school teacher until his own retirement, looks after the French auto with the hand of an expert and when the weather is fine takes it out for a drive. 35 thousand kilometres are noted on the odometer but it is still entirely suited for everyday driving. The seats have been re-upholstered and the electrical system brought up to date but otherwise the auto is in mint condition. This holds true even for the faded paint-work in the almost unrecognizable ‘Bleu Minuit’ shade. “In the car sat directly in the blazing sun for years and this is the result”, McCulloch reports. But it is also this special patina which gives the veteran car even more charm.

35 thousand kilometres are noted on the odometer but it is almost completely in original condition.

Nimble in old age

When the rear-hinged suicide doors of the Traction Avant are opened and the driver slides onto the nicely cushioned seat he finds himself surrounded by timeless elegance. The ivory-coloured steering wheel is enormous and there are a variety of tiny but refined knobs and levers on the dash. The gear shifter juts out from the instrument panel, ‘L’ shaped and like a pistol grip. The four-cylinder engine starts with no problem and soon John McCulloch is cruising happily on the roads around the Canadian city of . “As long as you’re not going too fast the car is simply fantastic to drive”, says the Citroen collector.

The ivory-coloured steering wheel is enormous and there are a variety of tiny but refined knobs and levers on the dash.

Those in Germany wanting to get up close and personal with the French sedan with that gangster touch can find several models on show at the Auto & Technology Museum in Sinsheim… a town not far from the city of Heidelberg… until the end of 2012. The collection ranges from an early 'Traction Avant 7A' built in 1934 to one of the last models of the range, the ‘15 six’.

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

The list of superlatives was indeed long when the car badged as the ‘Citroen 7CV’ first made its appearance on the roads of seventy-five years ago. It must also count as one of the most beautiful that the car maker every built. From 1934 until 1956 the ‘Traction Avant’ (French for front-wheel-drive) was built and its look hardly changed at all over the years. Picture 1 of 10