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Citroen Traction Avant
Citroen was famous for its quest for innovative and avant-garde designs, making it one of the quintessential French automotive symbols. The first car ever to materialize the Citroen way of thinking was the Traction Avant. It was a mid-size family sedan they introduced in 1934. In the 1930s, Citroen was one of the biggest car factories in Europe.
However, the company wanted more than market success. They wanted to revolutionize the concept of family transportation and the construction of the automobile in general. Also, they wanted to offer much more than their competitors. So, in 1934 they introduced the Citroen 11 CV Traction Avant, one of the most advanced production cars in pre-war Europe.
The Traction Avant had the new and unusual front-wheel drive; hence, the name. Also, it had unibody construction at a time when all cars had a heavy ladder-type chassis. They added an independent suspension on both axles, which was an extremely advanced design move for the times. Suddenly, all the other cars on the market looked outdated compared to the Traction Avant.
Fortunately, the market responded quite well, so the Traction Avant was also a sales hit. In fact, it stayed in production until 1955. The majority of their cars were four-door sedans, but Citroen produced some cool looking coupes and convertibles, as well.