Real Road Test: 1951 Citroën Traction Avant - 11 Normale

A lengthy one this time as I dive into the history of the Citroën Traction Avant, launched in 1934 as one of the most advanced cars yet seen. It's a confusing range too, with arguably the first hatchback (Commerciale) an MPV (the nine-seater Familiale), a smaller Legere and (as here) the Normale.
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[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

My father told me he learned to drive on one of those. A Sport 11. He started out driving with his aunt as co-pilot, all the way from Trondheim to Oslo. He was just 12 or 13, but this was in the mid fifties. 500 km on very bad Norwegian roads, over the mountains. A lot of gravel and dust. He’s still driving. But a now Volvo S60R :-).

[@newtonwhatevs]

What a lovely comment.

[@ronaldbentley7180]

whenever I think of French cars, this is the first one that comes to mind, absolutely wonderful car

[@TonyJewell0]

I have always admired the Citroen traction cars. Such a lovely shape.

[@Ian-Steele]

Oh dear. Seeing this test makes me feel old. I was born in 1951 so I’m as old as this Citroen 😁

[@brettsalter3300]

So strange, I just watched 'Diva' last night, finally found it on catch-up tv after 30 years, and this model features in it as a 'character' practically. Interesting dialogue on how these were favoured by both the Police and gangsters at the time. A classic film featuring a truly beautiful and classic car. Thank you so much for uploading.

[@nakoma5]

Always remember the Traction Avant getaway car in the "Sound of Music" and would wonder how 9 people were able to fit. Deceptively spacious!

[@stuartross282]

Bench seating in three rows

[@michaeltutty1540]

In real life, the family simply rode across the border on their bicycles.

[@rayanderson921]

I've had the pleasure of being a passenger in one of these a few times. An ex colleague of mine had one as his Daily Driver!! Literally used it like everyone else was using their Focus'...... RIP Vic x

[@jerzywoking1699]

I used to regularly see one (in a light blue colour) going down the M11 between Loughton and the A406/A12 junctions. I presume that the owner used it as his commuter (last time I saw in was in early 2019 before I retired). Used to make me think the owner was a hero.

[@brianreardon159]

Should have worn a trilby for the Maigret look. Your Bush hat could have substituted. That would have been totally Hubnut. 😁

[@chrisrumble2665]

I have an uncle that had one of these back in the 60's here in Aus. Presumably a Sough built car as it was RHD. Two observations...Firstly I think the gearbox was so fragile because it was designed to fit inside the casing of the planned 2sp Auto. Secondly, Given you don't script your presentations you probably don't realise how impressive it is to reel off the very convoluted story of the birth and development of these cars for almost 20 minutes like that.

[@millomweb]

And to think he could probably do that with many a different car - and has done in previous videos.

[@melwebb8485]

Mr HubNuts product knowledge is second to none.Another excellent presentation Ian

[@alainpichon4395]

The first car to circum-navigate Australia was a Citroen, in 1923 if i recall correctly. So a long story, almost a century.

[@millomweb]

@@alainpichon4395 What ship was it on ? ;)

[@alainpichon4395]

@@millomweb Not far from the truth : see the picture on Classicrally com au and then first car around australia. A bit wet and a boat-like rear end of a car, isn't it ? In a 1922 Citroen 5CV and Mr Westwood was its driver.

[@jarthurs]

A fantastically stylish car, it always reminds me of a stretching cat. I'd love to see what you think of its Czech contemporary the Tatra T87, another automotive miracle from the 1930's.

[@jefferysmith3930]

With no script how can you remember all of those tasty historical facts? Well done!

[@Bicyclehub]

Excellent review. Your off the cuff knowledge is impressive. Terence Conrad of Habitat fame had one of these for years and loved it. He said it was like a modern (1980’s at the time) car to drive and the front bench seat was extremely comfortable, “like an over stuffed sofa”.

[@HubNut]

Thank you. There was a lot of research for this one!

[@RichieRouge206]

What an utterly beautiful and futuristic cars! Citroen were so ahead of it’s time, a prelude to the DS obviously. Fascinating video and lovely to finally see one of these in detail and see how characterful these are!

[@spikeyflo]

A really good review of a beautiful car that is obviously used regularly and not cosseted away. My uncle used to have a Commerciale in Melbourne Aus and he used to let me roam around in the back as a small boy.

[@eozcompany9856]

Oh yes, Hans Ledwinka, as I'm from the Czech Republic I take great pride in his work (even though he wasn't even Czech) some of which was later copied by Ferdinand Porsche (who funnily enough is technically Czech). Citroën Traction Avant was always an interesting car, so modern and yet so old-school. And the styling is just gorgeous!

[@Ragnar8504]

It's funny how some topics keep popping up over and over again once you stumble across them - a few weeks ago I got my hands on a well-worn copy of volume 3 of Hanzelka and Zikmund's marvellous adventures in Africa, travelling the entire continent in a Tatra 87 in 1947-1950! The Tatra 87 was designed by Ledwinka before the war, a delightfully odd luxury car with three headlights (one in the middle), powered by an air-cooled V8 in the rear. I'm most decidedly not a fan of either luxury cars or V8 engines but the Tatra 87 is definiitely something special!

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Eozcompany. Well nationality WAS Hans Ledwinka??

[@richardparkersmith4810]

A friend and I had Slough built Traction Avant in 1969/70 in New Zealand where they were quite popular as they were so good on the then unmade roads. We were in South Island and travelled widely and had various jobs. The only very minor problem we ever had was that we managed to boil it going up Mount Arthur Pass. We had no water but a bottle of lemonade was used to top it up. So no worries at all. Such an experience for an 18 year old to own and drive as far away from home and parents as is possible.

[@millomweb]

"I'd never describe this car as 'rapid'" Of course not, it'd have to be 'rapide'.

[@PurityVendetta]

😊

[@maurirossi]

My first car (1972) was a well preserved 1952 Traction Avant Legere. I use it regularly for 20 years. That car gave me extraordinaire memories. Very slow, clumsy because the gearbox, and i remember a constatnt issue because the traction axels uses very delicate wedges. If you abuse pulling out the clutch you'll break the wedge and the axel will rotate "crazy". The gearbox shell was in aluminium so it was super easy to destroy it. The "Marshall" headlighs vere just useless so driving at night was an adventure. Without doubt a car with lots of personality and catching eye design. You got the feeling of the car. Nice test drive. :)

[@MaverickAuto-Pete]

I knew a guy who rebuilt 3 of them, 2 of them were big 6s... I did help odd times with odd jobs mechanical and bodywork. It's a real pleasure to drive them. It makes you thankful for the equipment we have on modern cars.

[@nygelmiller5293]

This car is UNIQUE for the time! Not only quiet , but without the usual ever- present gear whine!

[@michaeltutty1540]

What a fantastic car indeed. I have only seen one in person. It was puttering along in modern traffic quite nicely indeed. It was a little tatty, but it was, after all, a 1938 example and unrestored. A true testament to the durability of the car. The entire drivetrain was original, as was the paint. Impressive for a car with some 200,000 miles on the clock. I was lucky enough to talk to the owner. The old girl still accumulates some 5 or 6 thousand trouble free miles each summer.

[@zaccat693]

Great review. My father owned a Slough Big 6 in Melbourne Australia and I learnt to drive in it back in the late 60s. He would assemble the engine on our kitchen floor.

[@Simple_mechanic_guy]

Hello from France Ian. What memories for me. I remember to have been astonished at the age or 8 or 9 by the confort (except noise) at the back or one of a old "6H", by comparaison of the "new" Renault 6TL of my father.

[@danielrussell446]

Love the traction avant one of the finest cars ever made

[@charliemanson4808]

Ohhh I love these cars, I remember someone on the street having one in the 70's and loved going out to the Solway firth for days out in it. There'd be 7-8 kids in the huge back crates with cushions on to sit on up gainst the front seats Peace Charlie 🇬🇧

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

The Citroën Traction Avant is a seriously cool car. Thanks Ian and Carly the camera lady for yet another excellent review.😊👍

[@davethornewell7417]

Love the rear seat, the arms on the ends make it look like someone chucked a sofa in the back

[@ianlewis]

Excellent video. Miss Hubnut's camera work is allowing your presentation (which was already very good) to go up to an even higher level. This felt like old school top gear, the Chris Goffey era. Marvellous stuff

[@peterriggall8409]

Yep, Top Top job on this one.

[@bentullett6068]

Meanwhile Ian's gimbal is crying at home due to lack of use.

[@Jam3sA]

Hubnut's delivery at times can be very Goffey-esque!

[@dolomitefan]

For some reason I'd like to have one of these as a daily. I've never driven one but it just seems like a good idea.

[@fevriertheo1414]

It has amazing handling for a car that is 90 years old, surprisingly good even nowadays

[@captaccordion]

How nice it is to have you back in full road test mode Hubnut, and this one was particularly comprehensive and excellent. Indeed, I was about to ask you about crank starting, and then you got to it right at the end. You and I share approval of motors with decent torgue which don't need crazy revs to get anywhere. Wouldn't the world be a better place if manufacturers were required to give horsepower figures at, say 2800 rpm!

[@eekamoose]

The Traction Avant and the E-Type: the most beautiful cars ever built.

[@rafthejaf8789]

That's a strange statement! The DS maybe but the Traction? It is impressive and very advanced for it's time but beautiful? 🤔

[@MrAdopado]

@@rafthejaf8789 Yes, beautiful! DS is a great car ... also very innovative but not as beautiful as this.

[@eekamoose]

@@rafthejaf8789 Heh heh, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's the sweeping line of the wings and the bonnet that do it for me. An early 1950s Lagonda 2.6 litre looks equally classy from the front, in my view, but as soon as you see it from the side it looks far less elegant than the Traction.

[@johndilloway9762]

amazing how low the roof line is on these for the time, all other cars were much taller, looks like it had a roof chop even before they were invented, very good looking stylish innovative car for it's time. saw two on a day out parked at roadside, got a hoot and wave as I passed in my 2cv, wish I had stopped now and hadf a look.

[@markgilham2453]

I had a Normale 1953 and people used to shop and asked me if it had been 'chopped'.

[@redsorgum]

This is a beautiful car. It would be cool if cars with this style were remade today.

[@siraff4461]

I have no idea why it isn't. Electric cars could benefit from those looks and the space where the engine was would give it huge luggage capacity. This is far better looking than all the boring jelly mould stuff we get today.

[@siraff4461]

@@Bob-kt4yz The batteries could be flat and act as the floor as is common in ev's and the motor/s would be in each axle depending on which/both you wanted to power. I'm not suggesting its something that should be done to this car - just that it would look a lot better if they made bodies which look like this and drop them on the usual modern ev skateboard.

[@siraff4461]

@@Bob-kt4yz Well the body would have to be built to meet legislation so it would be a complete redesign. I'm also sure it wouldn't have a perfect cd or be as efficient but most cars spend most of their lives at relatively low speeds so that would only be a concern on longer runs - where ev's are already not great. I suppose you could give up the rear boot space for a small engine to deal with loonger trips and keep the battery weight/size down to go with it. I ask myself would I rather have an extra 5% range or a car which looks like this?

[@siraff4461]

@@Bob-kt4yz I don't mind modern stuff for convenience and its general ability to work more often than not. I do think there is a lot more which could be done with the style and layout of a lot of them though. I mean how many genuinely different shapes and styles are there out there? Most are just a case of choose a class (lets say medium family car) and then its which badge do you like on the front. They really are so close in all aspects its like someone copying Romeo and Juliet but changing the names to Cabinlets and Montainyou's. Lets take the Traction Avant for example. Would you like a Seat Alhambra, Ford Galaxy, VW Sharan or one of the other very similar people movers or something that looked like this with three rows, 9 seat potential and a boot to make the others look like they weren't trying? Now I come to think about it I doubt this would be any worse in a wind tunnel either given their general overheight space wasting. How about an Astra, Focus, Golf, etc etdc - you know the ones? This would not only seat an extra person and have a larger boot but looks miles better. I feel like designers have been very lazy over the last 20-odd years because its much easier to get a basic shape then graft on the company face/etc to suit than to actually design something different from the ground up. Its also much easier to get past the bean counters if they can say "this segment sells this many - we can probably get xx% of that so can make money. If there isn't a segment or if the vehicle is a large departure the money men get worried and don't want to know. While thats ok for stock prices its terrible for brand values and you end up with an endless stream of bland, built to a price junk. This is also why quality hasn't improved and in some cases has dropped quite significantly lately. Funnily enough some of the best selling cars of the last couple of decades have been retro styled ones - the Mini, Fiat 500 and so on are like money making machines for the brands - even though they aren't necessarily the best in segment cars on paper. I wish makers would take note.

[@siraff4461]

@@Bob-kt4yz I don't really mind modern stuff - it just generally seems very bland and generic. Good at what it does but there's not much there to get interested about. My daily drive is one of the most boring cars on sale but its a tool for a job and does that job very well. I find it very useful but I have no real interest in it at all. Even as modern as my M135i used to be, it was interesting to a point but going back further my R5GTT was quite special and even some run of the mill stuff from back then had its features which stood out. Things like the Cosworth whale tail or the Xantia's suspension made them stand out as different and/or interesting. Now its all spec sheets and who has the largest wheels rather than anything which genuinely stands out. Its got to the point where if you see a colour not on the greyscale it stands out. As designs go a Suzuki Jimny is probably one of the most original of the last few years and even that is a blatant rip off of a G wagon. Most things you could swap the badges/lights and very few people would notice.

[@nigelweaving9045]

Beautiful cars. I had the immense pleasure of driving a Legere cabriolet and also a Normale cabriolet. So cool.

[@jfv65]

I actually have driven a TA Sport once. The owner of the Taxi company i worked for was a Citroen fan. He also owned an even older Rosalie and a CX limousine and some other classic cars. I sometimes got to chauffeur those whenever they were hired for weddings. I wasn't very charmed by the Rosalie and TA (because hard to drive smoothly) but i loved the CX limo. I do however understand the historic significance of the TA.

[@alunhoskins4513]

What a beautiful car and I think the best review I’ve seen of one of these. A real pleasure to watch.

[@patrickfaleur6346]

My French grandfather bought one of these new in 1953. In 1955 it took my grandparents, parents, auntie and me on holiday to Annecy from Normandy, I wrote an account for school which i still have. My uncle let me “drive” it when I was 15! My favourite car in the world, I would love to drive or ride in one now.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Has to be the ultimate Hubnut car

[@eekamoose]

Quelle classe... Lovely-looking car. I always dreamed of owning this exact model or a Six, but seeing as how that will probably never happen your great road test was a very comforting substitute. You didn't describe the smell of these things, which is a wondeful combination of 75 year-old velour, leather, rust, oil, humidity and bakelite. Mmmm... With your encyclopaedic knowledge this was one of the best half hours I've ever spent in front of a computer. Brilliant.

[@Stephenb033]

What a thing. Imagine using that as a daily!

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

Those are such beautiful cars. I love the advanced engineering and style of them. That shift lever for the trans is pretty cool also. I could not believe how much room they have in the back as well. Nice job on the video.👍👍👍

[@theothertonydutch]

Even Lambik owned a Traction Avant once! They were still kind of everywhere in the early 90's in the Netherlands, or maybe that's just me seeing the same one or two over and over as I don't live in the biggest place in the world! XD

[@2dirkjan]

I live in Belgium and I'm born in 1980. I only remember the Citroën DS, but not the traction avant. The where rare here and you don't see them a lot. I only see them at car meetings.

[@volvo480]

As a kid in those days, I only knew the Traction Avant from an interview in a car magazine, where the journalist was told to drive carefully as you had to pump the brake 3 times before it actually started to brake. The oldest Citroën I saw was right in front of me (my dad's DS) and of course loads of 2CV in various state of disrepair. Later I saw them in car shows or at marriage ceremonies, but never in the wild.

[@ZIGZAG12345]

@@volvo480 "Pump the brake three times before it actually started to brake" Yeah the Xantia I had could be a bit like that too if I had to drive it away before everything had pressurised! 😉

[@Brera011]

Born in 1954, I remember these cars very well. They were all over the streets in Holland in the late fifties early sixties when these cars were cheap in the second hand circuit. My favourit uncle, who owned a café/restaurant owned a 15CV, I believe that was the 6 cylinder, which he used for weddings and so for many years.

[@adampoll4977]

Such a goddamn beautiful car, yet so advanced under that classic exterior. You gotta admit tho, from the front those wipers look like the cutest eye-brows :)

[@promerops]

A friend had a ninety fifty something TA, fitted with an ID 19 engine and gearbox. A very satisfying car, which he used as his daily driver for several years.

[@bombakdik]

That is some wonderful motoring. My father and grandfather (also named André) both restored entirely a 1932 Renault Monaquatre that served as a taxi in Paris. It is not the regular version with the square rear end, but with the wedgy S-shaped end when seen from profile. When picked up in France, it was being used as a shelter for chickens and ducks and pigs on a field from a farm. Has also the same wipers and I think that is one of the best designs. As rain falls with gravity, it makes a lot more of sense to have the wipers hinged at the top of the windscreen. It is still here in the garage and is roadworthy. Bulletproof engine that is sidevalve of course. The only thing that would have been even nicer, would be a Monasix. Guess what, indeed with a Six cylinder inline engine. My father and mom used it as their wedding car in 1987 and was restored with that event in mind. Both interior and exterior. EDIT: it has also the Jaeger speedometer with exactly the same scale layout! And yes, the rewindable clock works ;) It would be nice to compare one with the 4 cylinder in terms of finishing trims and all sorts. You very nicely honored André Citroën! You forgot to mention something very particular for a monocoque car. The fact that there is a sticker on the windscreen saying voiture antiparasitée which ensures and states that the car can be used as a Faraday cage and thus is grounded. Being raised bilingually both French and Dutch helps a lot héhé ;) There is a nugget for you! Cheers!

[@edwinblank58]

Innovation at its best. I love the 15 six with a very smooth engine. It was a brilliant design in 1934.

[@saab900classic6]

More dashboard , switch and control style and beauty there than many a modern car ,with their flappy paddles, voice control and infotainment cobblers. Reminds me of some Morgans from the front. Stunning car Ian.

[@AMCCUBMAN]

Used to borrow my GFs mums TA in the mid 80s - just the thing for the 19 year old about town 😄. The gear rods used to tangle and GF was quite adapt at jumping out at the traffic lights and giving the rods a wiggle to free them. Went on work part time at a classic Citroën specialist working on and driving TAs, DSs and IDs those were the days happy memories.

[@alansmith1770]

Lovely old car. Nice to see older vehicles still out & about

[@grumpytorque8905]

Had one as my wedding car….far more class than a Rolls Royce in my opinion

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@glennpowell3444 I knew somebody who had a cream Traction, it was not an original colour as far as I know but many of these cars would be restored in white or cream for the purpose of being wedding cars, also by amateurs who used that as a method of financing their hobby.

[@marklang3770]

Me too, in 1998. Remember the driver fighting with the gears but it absolutely launched up the big hill in Dunfermline. God have I been married that long

[@stephenjcuk7562]

Launched in 1932! Think about that. That's 89 years ago, the test car was 70 years old yet could join a dual carriage way with ease in 2021. Incredible.

[@hugobloemers4425]

A truly enjoyable video that brings up fond memories of a special car. These where very tough cars, used also by French criminals in the 30's and 40's just like the Jaguar MK2 later on in the UK. In Holland up to the early 80"s they would be quite a common appearance on the road and after that they seamlessly became classic cars. I remember the wipers where a weak spot and with the manual over ride you could mess up the mechanism quite easily so luckily it all went well during this presentation. And then straight after this car came the DS, talking about a leap... Twice over you could say because the traction was a leap by it self.

[@michaeltreadwell777]

What a great video - thank you so much. We had a 1936 Citroen 12 - bigger than a Rosalie. EWL 730, and I still have a Hub Cap and the 'Floating Power Citroen' badge from the back of it. It had clockwork windscreen wipers too ! Sadly the 'Ten Year Test' put paid to the car. What fun we had in it though :-)

[@joopjansen9102]

I came over to Wales in de mid 90s in a 50s Commerciale, owned by a mate of mine. I think it had an 1800 engine. We came over (him, his "Dr Mécanicien" pal and me) through Dover. As they were rather nervous to drive on the left, I was enjoying the privilege of being the designated driver. We drove to North Wales (Llanrwst) and stayed on a camping site there. We toured around Snowdonia and Anglesey for a few days. Main thing that I remember is I had to make sure I was in first gear before coming to a halt, especially when going uphill, as the first gear had no syncromesh. I'm not sure if the other gears had it; once it was rolling it was a total dream to drive and to shift gears. Like you said: take the time and be gentle. Three speed gearbox, though I seem to remember it was set different to this layout. Thank you for this trip down memory lane!

[@garygriffiths2911]

I've always loved these beautiful old things - and thanks to the ever knowledgeable Hubnut now know a lot more about them than I did a hour ago. Every time I see a Traction Avant the first thing that comes to mind is how they were supposedly the vehicle of choice of the wartime Gestapo in occupied France. One suspects that were you to find yourself apprehended by that sinister organisation that fact you were being driven away in such a stylish motor would have been a somewhat minor consolation!

[@ianjoyce5120]

Once again a smashing and, might I say, informative video. Your excitement almost overtook the presentation but stayed nicely inline with HubNut guidlines. Professional camera person makes all the difference. Keep it up.

[@drd6416]

What an absolute gem Ian! I'm never a fan of French motors of late, quirky citroens excepted. But this, is just gorgeous, and has that art deco vibe about it. Lovely.

[@waynetetley584]

Beautiful Traction

[@daveb1433]

What a beautiful car. As a child I remember seeing a few of them in Dublin. I was mesmerised by their looks. They are majestic and how about that rear seat!!!

[@keithbagshaw3146]

Loved the nostalgia. Some cars just ooze style!

[@bcfairlie1]

These are remarkable cars. Way ahead of the pack at the time. I think they are more important than the DS, which were hopelessly complicated yet still using this engine.

[@Ragnar8504]

Technically, probably yes. Design-wise the DS was lightyears ahead of its time, it must have felt like something from outer space. To this day it looks like something from a 1950s sci-fi film!

[@RWBHere]

This is one I've been waiting for. Thanks to the owner, and thank-you, Ian. 🙂👍

[@lyndsaygow3538]

That’s a wonderful vehicle you presented to us today! Thanks very much hubnut!

[@jash1281]

André Citroën was an adventurer both his yellow and black cruises were kind of crazy

[@kellybrickey4300]

I've always loved these. Definitely a bucket list item to drive one. They are just not seen in the U.S.

[@yves5435]

Really good to see one on the road and not in someone's garage. I find it a pitty with sometimes classic cars, they motorized a generation however now you really only see them used during the summer or in some fancy collection! I'm really happy to see your videos Ian and that your using your cars, its inspired me and others to use cars for what they were intended for regardless of age. Keep it up, I really enjoy your reviews and updates about the fleet. One day I'd love to own a traction, I'll get university out of the way first though :)

[@alecfromminnenowhere2089]

I have one that's been in a barn since 1966. My Father did something to it, then took it apart and left it. I have all the parts though. The hood and front fenders along with many of the parts are in the loft that has been very airy and are in excellent shape. The engine is in a cradle in a nice dry garage.

[@joopjansen9102]

Came back here, as I needed some 'feel good car'. It certainly did the trick - thank you! 🥰

[@darwinskeeper421]

The Traction Avant is one of those cars I've dreamed of owning. Not really possible as I live in the middle of the USA and mechanically inept. Probably just as well as I'm tall, and if I could tell anything from seeing you behind the wheel, the Traction is a bit short of leg room. Mind you, with the Normale one has enough space to modify the seat mounting and move it back a lot. I've heard that the gearbox issues are related to the transmission case being prone to flex, getting the ring and pinion out of alignment, then the teeth get ripped out of the ring and pinion. The most intriguing solution I've heard is replacing the Traction Avant's engine & gearbox with one from either a DS19 or an ID19 (1911 cc model)). Not only does it give the car a stronger 4 speed gearbox, but the engine is also a little more powerful. Thanks for bringing this great car to your loyal viewers.

[@markonmotoring]

So pleased to see this car on the channel. Pre war designs are not really my thing with the exception of this car. A few years ago prices were much lower than I expected compared with other similar cars. I would consider owning one of these if I had the space. I didn't know there were so many different body styles.

[@lucianene7741]

Totally classic. If somehow they decide to produce this again in limited numbers I'm sure they'll find plenty of buyers.

[@shanehnorman]

What a treat. The Onze Legere has always been one of the cars I have in my daydreamed rival to Jay Leno's garage. As the video neared the end, I was becoming disappointed not to have heard the lorry-like slow tickover, but then the 'bonus clip' let me savour it, albeit, too briefly. Pure Maigret.

[@jean-pierredeclemy7032]

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, I had one just like that in the eighties. '51 Onze bé normale :)

[@gaufrid1956]

This car is so famous that it actually appears in video games such as War Thunder and World of Tanks when the game is set in France! An amazing car, especially in the hatchback version!

[@ginggur17]

I never realised they were as old as the 30’s. 👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@trailingarm63]

Due to National Service my dad was a mechanic in the British Army in Kenya in the 1950s (Mau Mau emergency!). He was based on a field station out in the bush, but once a month he had to drive into Nairobi, collect the District Commissioner's car and take it back to his workshop for servicing. It was a Traction Avant and dad said his abiding memory was the size and strength of the drive shafts in the front. He said it handled the bush roads very well and was far more comfortable than the British Army Land Rovers he was used to. Your story about how the car virtually bankrupted the company and had to be compromised reminded me very much of the DeLorean. Had that company had the money and time to develop a potent, turbo-charged engine it could have been a global triumph. History's successes and failures are based on such fine margins.

[@denniskersten4377]

very nice, interesting test! i had a 53 traction familiale myself. a word to the wipers: you can run the wipermotor on 12 volt without burning it or switch to a 12v paris-rhone-wipermotor , they made them in the same size only 12 volt for various commercial vehicles as the H van for example-

[@goral705]

One of the all-time coolest car.

[@dminalba]

The Traction Avant Citroen 15 was used heavily in Hergé’s 1954-1956 Tintin album “The Calculus Affair”. 2 spies from the fictional country of Borduria drove one in Switzerland.

[@dannywalsh840]

Always overlooked citron’s, thought they were all hideous! but beginning to appreciate them more thanks to your videos!

[@stevehallam0850]

Great review of a true classic, well done Ian! Keep them coming.

[@grayfool]

Oh yes!. Fantastic to finally see a good review of one of these. I've always found the Avant a fascinating car which kind of started the run of amazing Citroens. Thanks so much Ian. Great stuff. Made my week.

[@plym1969]

Another absolute gem from Hubnut. Marvellous!

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I remember lots of these in New Zealand in everyday use until the early 80s even one of my classmates was taken to school in one. Almost every other 40s and 50s car had died by that stage yet the Traction Avants kept on going.

[@andrewduffield2322]

I like that all hubnut videos are filmed rain or shine. So classically British, unlike the Avant!

[@niklaswejedal463]

Now, that was a very enjoyable video! May there be more classic Citroëns coming!

[@andrewpreston4127]

Lovely. Thank you very much. Absolutely amazed at the amount of room in the back.

[@nigel9843]

What a lovely review and excellent camera work by Miss Hubnut.

[@andrewgurney6019]

Magnificent car, still stunning today, great review and thanks for sharing!

[@geofham8332]

Hi Ian and Ms Hubnut, the best video you have made I can hear the enthusiasm in your narrative. Many thanks to you both.

[@Captain_Scarlet_SIG]

A very nice tour Ian, they are stunning cars to look at and so advanced for there day it’s great to see it being used with ware & tear and not mothballed in someone’s collection.

[@philipbyron9627]

Very informative well produced and filmed production. Many thanks.

[@automotivemischief.1978]

An all time favorite car of mine, one that made me fall in love with cars an absolutely beautiful car thanks for taking us along.

[@ZIGZAG12345]

This one was epic! Great job! The rear of that car looked like a really spacious but cosy and comfy place to be, I actually quite liked the "avoidant" aspect of the back seat being where there is no side window, but with the option to look out if you want just being a nice curt and dignified lean forward away!

[@AndreiTupolev]

The heater arrangement sounds a magnificent bodge. "Can you put the heater on, darling?" "Oh all right dear, let me just pull over, take all the stuff out of the boot so I can get the heater hose out, and open the bonnet so I can fix it on."

[@HubNut]

Worth remembering that many cars simply didn't have a heater at all...

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Mrs. Hubnut really adds value. Very good camera handling!

[@dazio7035]

Excellent Ian, very informative........... Full speed ahead. Brilliant!!!

[@alanjackson4646]

What a beautiful looking vehicle. Great comprehensive review.