There are not many cars ever made that you can truly call world‑changing. The Citroën Traction Avant, introduced in 1934, was certainly one of them.
It was not only the first mass‑produced unibody car ever built, but it also featured front‑wheel drive, rack‑and‑pinion steering, a roomy interior, and newly invented Michelin radial tires (Michelin being the owner of Citroën at the time). This car was genuinely light‑years ahead of anything being built in America or Europe. And just look at it—an undeniably beautiful, somewhat Art Deco design, sloping gracefully with flowing lines that still stop traffic today.
These were also remarkably tough and dependable cars. Most were built with the four‑cylinder engine at a ratio of 26 to 1 compared to the more powerful six‑cylinder models. This example is one of those rare six‑cylinder cars—and from the very last year of production. A truly rare find.
This one spent its entire life in salt‑free Oregon and came to me in beautiful, original condition. The interior was also amazingly original, but it looked a bit too much like the inside of an old coffin, so it had to go. We gutted the interior, including removing the seven mouse skeletons found in the rear seat springs. Yes, springs. The interior of this car was constructed much like a vintage couch: wooden framework, interconnected coil springs, horsehair padding, burlap covering, and wool upholstery.
Fortunately, I have Pedro—a truly old‑school upholstery artist—who selected a beautiful period‑correct Bordeaux wool fabric and paired it with gray textured vinyl to create a sumptuous interior. He then installed a hand‑fabricated wool headliner and door surrounds, but only after we painted the inside of the roof and fully insulated it with 3M Thinsulate. The finished interior is genuinely stunning.
I drive my cars, so with that in mind, we installed a modern electronic distributor, an alternator, electric power steering, and rebuilt the transmission, which had been popping out of second gear. Now we have a car that is not only beautiful, but—with the six‑cylinder engine—drives amazingly well and can be used almost anywhere at normal road speeds.
This is a very rare car, and rarer still in this condition.
