Citroen Type 7

As French as Gitanes, it rewrote the rules of automotive design. Andrew Roberts salutes the peerless Traction Avant

Readers who watch archive television may have encountered the the 1960-1963 TV Maigret, in which even the briefest excerpt of a black Citroen 15/6 purring along the Champs-Elysées makes an indelible impression. Forty-three years after the last episode, the Traction Avant is a Gallic icon.

Back in 1931 there were persistent rumours that Citroen had financially overstretched itself and that André Citroen himself was very strongly rumoured to be heavily indebted to the company over his gambling.

Fortunately there were rumours concerning a new seven-horsepower Citroen, a model that would combine a revolutionary chassis-less "uni-body" with equally ground-breaking front-wheel drive, independent front suspension and a 100kph (62mph) top speed. When the Citroen Type 7 Traction Avant finally debuted on 3 March 1934, the reality was beyond anything that motoring pundits could have envisaged.

Le Patron had decreed that his latest model would be utterly new – a car that would combine a top speed of 100kph and a fuel consumption of 10 litres per 100km (24mpg) with uni-body construction and front-wheel drive. At a time when Renault and Peugeot boasted Le System Panhard combined with live axles and cart springs, this was breathtakingly ambitious.

To realise his plans, Citroen had engaged André Lefèbvre as the engineer for the project, with Flaminio Bertoni having responsibility for the design of the car. The first prototypes were prepared and ready for testing by 1932 but, for André Citroen, there was always further scope for refinement. His ideal was a flawless automatic transmission, but the complicated Sensaud de Lavaud system he used proved to be far too weak under major stress. Such teething problems were far from uncommon but time and resources were both in short supply for Citroen, especially as sales of the older models were now rapidly declining. By the beginning of 1934 the company was short of 150 million francs.

On 18 April, Citroen unveiled the Type 7 "Traction Avant". It was a radical departure from any previous Citroen, from its uni-body construction and the front wheel drive to the torsion bar suspension and hydraulic brakes, but more radical-seeming was its coachwork. In comparison with other European family cars, the TA was not merely low-slung, it even lacked running boards.

It drove even better than it looked, but Citroen's financial woes meant that the TA had prematurely entered production and many customers experienced faults. These varied from torsion bars making unexpected appearances in the floor, engines moving so much that the radiator dented the bonnet, and bodywork so badly produced that the doors would fly open at speed. Worse still was the automatic transmission. One example of it fell to pieces in front of would-be investors.

A new, manual, three-speed gearbox was designed within three weeks, and Citroen persisted with publicity events designed to display the 7CV's strengths, such as a 5,000-mile tour of France and Belgium in an amazing 77 hours.

But, by the end of 1934, despite the fact that more than 20,000 TAs had already been sold, Citroen was declared bankrupt. Michelin, the chief creditor, was asked to manage the firm, as French law demanded that André Citroen retire. By now he was already very ill and he died on 3 July, 1935, aged only 57.

The injection of Michelin funds finally allowed the TA to realise its full potential.

By the standards of the day its roadholding was simply outstanding. For those who were suspicious of the alleged weakness of monocoque construction, Citroen devised a crash test: a new Traction Avant was simply driven off a cliff.

The power from the original 1.3-litre engine was far from sufficient, though, and Citroen launched the 1.5-litre "7B" later that year. For the 1934 Paris Motor Show it unveiled the larger 1,911cc Onze Normale, which was also sold as the awesome nine-seater Familiale, a pioneer people-carrier that came with the slight disadvantage of a 50ft turning circle but with an inherent appeal to French taxi-drivers. Also present in Paris that October was the fabulous 3.8-litre 22CV – but Michelin wanted to focus its efforts on smaller models.

When Citroen commenced right-hand-drive Traction Avants it was hugely exciting to Slough, where they were assembled. Keen to pander to the English middle-class motorist, Citroen fitted their British models with leather trim, an incongruous looking wooden dashboard, a chrome grille, a Lucas 12V electrical system and the option of a sliding roof.

In 1938 Citroen increased the capacity of the 1,911cc engine to 2,867cc and added an extra pair of cylinders to produce the Citroen 15/6.

The BBC Television series Maigret used two very late 15CVs, one of which was bought by the leading man, Rupert Davies, and is still owned by his family to this day.

During the Second World War, the TAs found favour with both Gestapo and Maquis due to their agility. In 1946, production restarted slowly. The range now consisted of the 11CV Légère, the 11CV Normale and the 15/6, all available in any colour you like so long as it was black. The 15/6 became especially associated with the French Government. Less reputable fans of the big Traction were the notorious gang des tractions avant, jewel thieves who, in 1949, exploited the speed and road-holding of the 15/6 to outrun les flics. At this time French police forces did not use Citroens.

For 1952 the range was mildly facelifted with the "big boot" and flashing indicators. For 1954 the 15/6 was also available with hydraulic rear suspension.

The last British-built model left Slough in 1955 and the last TA left France in 1957.