Citroën Traction 11 B - 1952
— Citroën's automotive icon —- Model An automotive icon and a universally known national emblem.
- Production Launched before the war, the production of the 11B was re-launched in 1847
- Positioning A large and comfortable car for the family.
- History A Citroën Traction Avant with an Italian destiny.
- Condition A car that benefited from an old quality restoration that will need to be resumed.
A true French icon, now part of the pantheon of cars that have marked the XXth century, the Traction Avant is without doubt one of the three best known Citroën cars in the world, along with the 2CV and DS.
An icon of French family car production
Launched in 1934, the “Traction Avant” as everyone quickly called it, as its front-wheel drive was a real rarity at the time, was a real commercial success for the “Quai de Javel” brand. Indeed, as soon as it was presented, Citroën already recorded 20,000 order forms.
The gamble was risky as the car was revolutionary in every way with its unitary construction of body and chassis together, all-independent suspension sprung by torsion bars, hydraulic brakes, synchromesh transmission, a 4-cylinder, overhead-valve, wet-liner engine and its style with its low and slender body lines, recognisable among all, and created by the designer Flaminio Bertoni.
The result was a really modern car for its time, praised for its exceptional stability, handling and comfort.
The 11B followed on from the earlier versions and was unveiled in 1937. Compared to the BL (L for lightness) that preceded it, the 11B was longer, wider and therefore more spacious, but also heavier. Its career was interrupted during WW2, but as was often the case at the time, it was re-launched just after the war, in March 1947.
In 1952, a new curved boot was introduced to compensate for the small trunk of the 11B, which was otherwise a large and comfortable car, especially in the rear. From then on, the car had an additional asset to seduce families who, until then, had been reduced to installing a roof rack. If the Traction’s lines lose in fluidity, they gain in interest for many potential buyers. The Traction Avant in our collection is equipped with it.
The Traction Avant was produced until 1957, an exceptional longevity for a model born before the war. It was then replaced by another automotive icon, the DS.
©Aguttes
The Traction 11B from the ANNA LISA collection
The Citroën Traction 11B from the ANNA LISA Art On Wheels collection is from the year 1952 with the rear boot visible.
The car also has an old Italian registration document dated from 1976 and a certificate of conformity issued by the Automobile Club de France on 20 September 1988.
As with a large majority of the cars in the collection, a full quality restoration was carried out in the early 1990s.
If the engine seems to be blocked at the moment, this car deserves to be brought out of its long slumber, there is no doubt that it would meet a well deserved success on our roads.
©Aguttes