THE HISTORY OF CITROËN

André Citroën (1878-1935), son of a Dutch diamond dealer , was working in 1912 for the car producer Mors. In 1913 Citroën left Mors and started his own company. During the first years Citroën was producing gearboxes and munition for the french army. In 1918 he transformed his munition factory into a carproduction factory , (like Henry Ford did in the USA) The first Citroën was introduced on the 5th of July 1919. The type A was the first car with fully fitted electrical equipment that could resist all types of weather. In 1912 , 22.700 models were delivered , an absolute record in Europe for that time.

The 1st Citroen, Model A 1919

Andre Citroen at 40 years of age

The 1st Ciroen Traction Avant, Model 7, 1934

1 9 3 4 THE YEAR OF CITROËN

In 1933 Citroën met an engineer , called André Lefebvre. His revolutionary ideas about car technology made a great impact on André Citroën. The same year , the green light was given to a secret project : PROJECT 7.
In March 1933 , a team of engineers consisting of Lefebvre , Julien , Sainturat Franchiset and designer Flaminio Bertoni started to develop a revolutionary car. On the 15th of April 1934 the first Citroën Traction Avant 7 CV was introduced to the press. What a design !!!
The team created a new Citroën within 13 months . An incredible achievement ! The Traction Avant was far ahead it´s time. The self-contained bodywork , the modern design , the suspension and front-wheel drive were very unique for that time. The introduction of the Traction Avant was a success but Citroën needed a financial injection to overcome production failures. The company was under a lot of pressure and in 1935 Citroën was taken over by Michelin. In the same year Francois Lecot , (who successfully tested the Traction Avant in 1934) drove 200.000 km with an Traction Avant 11 CV over one year. A remarkable achievement that André Citroën unfortunately didn't witness, as he died in 1935.