The Classic Citroens, 1935-1975

When the final list for the Car of the Century competition was announced in November 1999, only one company had three finalists: Automobiles Citroen. All three models--the Traction Avant, the 2CV and the DS 19--were developed during the era when the company was owned by the Societe Michelin (Michelin Tire Company). All three were created by the engineer Andre Lefebvre and the stylist Flaminio Bertoni. This industry recognition highlighted the unique Citroen-Michelin affiliation, demonstrating anew how this relationship made the automaker the benchmark for progressive design and creative engineering within both the international automotive community and the general motoring public.

This work provides the first in-depth examination of the Citroen-Michelin era, focusing on the interrelationship between these firms in the development of the revolutionary Michelin X radial tire and its impact on Citroen's avant-garde automobiles. From its origins in 1919 under the watchful eye of Andre Citroen, a history of the automaker's early years is provided. Next, the author takes a detailed look at the cars of the golden age of Citroen: the Traction Avant, the 2CV, the DS/ID, the Ami-6 and Ami-8, the GS/GSA, the CX, and the Citroen-Maserati SM. The innovations, the unique designs, and the new standards of technical excellence that these cars offered are all fully covered, heavily illustrated with rare photographs of the classic automobiles.