46 TradeUniqueCars.com.auCITROEN 100 YEARS
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
F
ounded in 1919 by French industrialist
André-Gustave Citroën (1878–1935), the car maker
gained a reputation for innovative technology and
automotive quirkiness over the past 100 years.
Building armaments for France during W W1
Citroen went back to what he was doing before the
outbreak of war, car manufacturing with the Mors
company. Armed with a new factory, he went it alone and in
May 1919 his first car, the Type A emerged from the factory,
just six months after the end of the war. The same year saw
Citroen negotiate with General Motors for the sale of his
company but GM declined citing that it would overstretch
capital and management.
Between 1921 and 1937 Citroen produced half-track
vehicles with the U.S military buying over 41,000 between
1940 and 1944. The Germans also used the Citroen half
tracks after seizing them and covering them in armour
following their occupation of France in 1940.
A 1923 Citroen 5CV Type C was driven around Australia in
1925 travelling 48,000 kms in the hands of evangalist Nevill
Westwood from Perth. That car, now restored lives in the
National Museum in Canberra.
Innovation was synonymous with Citroen and the Traction
Avant was the world’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive
car, the first to employ independent suspension and one
of the first to feature a unitary type body, with no separate
chassis supporting the mechanical components.
Two of its most recognisable models are the Deux Chevaux
(2CV ) of the 1940s and the DS introduced in 1954.
DesignedtogiveruralFrench people a motorised
alternative to the horse, the cheap to buy and run 12hp
2CV debuted at the Paris Auto show in 1948. Its soft
interconnected suspension provided a gentle ride and a
rolling body through turns. The 2CV remained in production
until 1990 with in excess of 8.8 million sold.
In 1954 Citroen launched its space age and aerodynamic
DS Goddess that featured the world-first self-levelling
hydropneumatic suspension. Capable of comfortably
cruising at 160km/h all-day, the DS was fitted with disc
brakes in 1955, the first mass-produced car to do so. In 1967
the DS introduced swivelling headlights that allowed for
greater visibility when cornering.
Citroen also has a rich motorsport heritage with countless
World Rally Championships to its name along with a World
Touring Car Championship crown.
Australian Citroen enthusiasts will get a chance to join in
on the celebrations with an extensive display to celebrate
the marque’s centenary at this year’s Motorclassica at
Melbourne’s Exhibition Buildings in October.
A carefully selected centenary display of 17 iconic Citroens
from that first Type A two-door cabriolet of 1920s through to
the Maserati-engined SM will be on display.
The highlight will be the 1923 5CV that circumnavigated
mainland Australia that is being borrowed from the National
Museum for one of its rare off-site appearances.
A century later and the quirkiness continues with the
Citroen C4 Cactus and its odd looking sideprotection
‘airbump’ panels that resemble a mattress.HAPPY CENTENARY CITROEN