The Escudería
TEXT 100 YEARS OF CITROËN: CLASSIC AUTO MADRID
In 1919, the French engineer André Citroën founded the automobile brand Citroën in Paris. This visionary developed models that in one way or another have marked the history of the automobile: He was the first in Europe to launch chain work and who incorporated front-wheel drive into series production of vehicles. The innovative nature of its founder was also the cause of the tremendous economic imbalances suffered by the automobile brand in the first decades of its history.
At ClassicAuto Madrid, International Classic Vehicle Show, The first centenary of Citroën will be celebrated with the invaluable help of the Citroën Tracción Avant Fans Club of Madrid, who will coordinate an exhibition of historic vehicles of this firm, all of them representatives of the technological evolution that has marked the future of the double brand chevron.
Citröen and its two chevrons
Precisely, the logo of this company, so representative of it, carries a story in itself and is a faithful reflection of the transformed spirit of André Citroën, who in 1900 acquired a patent in Poland on the size of chevron-shaped gears that were used in the flour industry: The specific teeth of the chevron helical gears makes your operation smoother, quieter and more efficient. At the end of his engineering studies, he created a company specialized in the production of these gears. Industrial success was instantaneous and at the time of creating his car company this symbol was everything to the restless André.
It is necessary to point out that, in an immediately previous phase, and as a great industrialist that he was, André Citröen made his fortune with the production of war material destined for the trenches of World War I. It is not an isolated case among the fathers of the automotive industry and it served him to capitalize on the brand of cars that he would lead once the armed conflict ended. They were without a doubt other times ...
100 years manufacturing cars in series
The exhibition that we will see in Classic Auto It will start with the first vehicle manufactured by the brand in 1919. The Citroën 10 HP Type A was a model of modest price and economical maintenance. Some 24.000 units were manufactured until 1921. It reached 65 km / h. This was followed by a series of affordable models that laid the foundation for European series car manufacturing. In its day, 'La Escudería' made a nice report on a 5CV ...
In 1928 the C6 arrived, a four-door sedan-type model, “floating engine”, six cylinders and a top speed of 110 km / h. In the crazy years, Citroën also offered somewhat larger and more equipped cars. 30.000 units were manufactured. This model was used in the famous Yellow Crossing of Asia, which took place between April 1931 and March 1932.
In search of habitability: Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive would arrive in the first half of the 30s. Models 7, 11 and 15, which were manufactured between 1934 and 1957, they were the revolution and a historical milestone in the automotive world. Unfortunately, development costs and initial unreliability bankrupted the company and brought it under direct control of Michelin. The 57-year-old André Citröen's health condition rapidly deteriorated until he died of cancer in 1935.
Citroën 2CV, a work of art
In 1948 it appeared in the 2CV, undoubtedly the most popular model of the French company. It was developed by some of the best engineers of his time, such as André Lefebvre, from Voisin and with clear links to the avant-garde art of the 30s. Production lasted until 1990, no less. and more than five million units were manufactured, including passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
An innovative daring of the brand was the creation of the 2CV Sahara, a variant of the model of which about 700 units were built between 1958 and 1971. The Sahara had four-wheel drive (4 × 4) and was equipped with two engines, one at the front and one at the rear. It was originally designed for use in the North African colonies, and 85 units of this model were assembled at the brand's factory in Vigo and destined for the Civil Guard Traffic Group.
Goddesses, sometimes with Trident
Another flagship of the brand, the DS, also known as Tiburon, will be at ClassicAuto. Flaminio Bertoni signed the design of a car that had nothing to do with the automobiles of the time, because it was truly revolutionary. With its lines and hydraulic technology, it was a daring that triumphed in the market. It was manufactured between 1955 and 1975 and almost 1,5 million units were produced.
In 1970 came the majestic SM, strange and beautiful creation animated by a V6 Maserati engine. Citröen had bought the Italian brand in 1968, while Michelin sold 49% of the French house to Fiat. It is the time when another bizarre project was attempted: The development of a rotary engine. None of these eccentricities could prevent the circumstances - Oil Crisis - and the French government from propitiating the union of Peugeot and Citroën in the same automobile group that would finally bring stability to the two chevrons.
With the CX, a five-door, five-seater sedan, we'll end up in ClassicAuto a review of the history of Citroën. It started its production in 1974 and was maintained until 1991. It was the high-end model of the firm. About 1,2 million units were manufactured. Robert Opron signs the exterior design of this exceptional model and Michel Harmand does the same for the interior. A lot of talent gathered in a single model, of which we suggest this article in depth published in this digital magazine.
