This is the first title in our new Limited Edition "Premier" series. The Citroen Traction Avant was very much ahead of its time when the first examples were shown at the 1934 Paris Salon. With the Traction Avant, Citroen broke with traditon for it had unitary construction, front-wheel-drive, independent front suspension and an advanced OHV wetliner engine. Twenty-three years later, when the last examples left the production line in Paris, most of its pioneering advances had been widely adopted by other manufacturers. Not only was the Citroen technically advanced, it also looked quite different from most of its contemporaries, yet it was still a family saloon and affordable by the man on the street.
Citroen's Traction Avant was the world's most advanced family car at its launch in 1934, and in the course of its 23-year life it became a national emblem for the French. Not only did it popularize front-wheel drive and chassis-less monocoque construction, but it also combined for the first time on one car such modern features as an overhead-valve engine, all-round torsion-bar suspension, hydraulic brakes and rack-and-pinion steering. At the same time it can lay claim to being one of the most beautiful motor cars ever produced, its graceful lines being the work of talented artist and sculptor Flaminio Bertoni. Lavishly illustrated and clearly presented, this book is the indispensable companion for all fans of this most legendary of motor cars.
In this new view of the Citroen story, automotive/aviation writer and design specialist Lance Cole investigates not just the details of the cars of Citroen, but the aeronautical and cultural origins that lay behind Citroen's form and function. The book digs deep into the ethos of Automobiles Citroen to create a narrative on one of the greatest car manufacturers in history. Using interviews, translations, archive documents and specially-commissioned photographs, the Citroen journey is cast in a fresh perspective. It explains in detail the influences upon Citroen design: Voisin, Lefebrve, Bertoni, Boulanger, Mages, Opron and recent Citroen designers such as Coco, Blakeslee and Soubirou. As well as all the men of the great period of 1920s-1970s expansion, it also cites less well-known names of Citroen's French engineering, design, and influence such as Cayla, Gerin, Giret, Harmand, Dargent and others, to give a full picture of Citroen heritage.The book provides in-depth analysis of all major Citroen models with an engineering and design focus and profiles key individuals and cars up to the present day and Citroen's 'DS'-branded resurgence. It features many newly commissioned photographs, rare archive drawings and interviews with Citroen owners.Researched amongst leading Citroen experts and restorers, Lance Cole provides a fresh perspective on the Citroen car manufacturer, its design language and the legacy of its extraordinary engineering which will be of great interest to all Citroen and motoring enthusiasts. Superbly illustrated with 329 colour photographs, many newly commissioned along with rare archive drawings.
