1939 Citroën Traction Avant Is Stunning WW2 Period Piece
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The Citroën Traction Avant, introduced in 1934, was a groundbreaking car. It featured front-wheel drive, unit-body construction, an independent front suspension, and no running boards. The Traction Avant was a sensation when it arrived. Only two American contemporaries—the Chrysler Airstream and the Cord 810—were as advanced.
Traction Avant translates to “front traction,” one of the car's chief innovations.
The Traction Avant recently offered on eBay in Santa Cruz, Calif., has a $27,000 Buy-It-Now price. The curvaceous four-door sedan is a very early 1939 11BL Perfo model. That model name reflects an upgrade to its intake system, in the shape of a new down-draft carburetor that boosted performance. As a result, power increased from 46 horsepower to 56 hp, lifting its top speed above 70 miles per hour.
This example still has its original Pilot wheels and a rare bazooka-shaped air cleaner not seen on many Traction Avants. See it in the photo below.
The seller says:
The car retains beautiful proportions as originally intended by the designers, André Lefèbvre and Flaminio Bertoni.
It’s a low-mileage 1939 car with only 33,000 miles on the odometer.
From Paris to Fort Lee
The car for sale is old enough to have been used by the French Resistance, which favored Traction Avants for their speed and agility. But it had a more sedate life.
According to a letter from a family member, Dr. Louis Thomas was the original owner. He bought it at the Citroën factory in 1939 but then put it away on blocks when the war came. After the war, the family imported it to the US, where Marthe M.S. Thomas, Dr. Thomas’s daughter, used it until 1954 before consigning it to a garage in Fort Lee, N.J.
Citroën enthusiast Michael Leibovici bought the car in 1977. The Traction Avant passed through three other owners before the current vendor acquired it in 2011—still in New Jersey—and took it to Toronto, Canada. He said:
The car was in rough shape when I bought it. I was able to drive it onto the trailer, but it needed restoration. For the next year, I worked on it very intensely, and as a result, it won a 2012 Golden Sphere Award for Outstanding Citroënthusiasm and Restoration from the Citroën Autoclub Canada.
The restoration still looks fresh.
The Traction Avant model was continuously improved over its long history stretching to 1957 when the DS model debuted. The car got a rear-accessible trunk and rack-and-pinion steering in 1936, a six-cylinder model in 1938, and several variations, including a cabriolet, a two-door coupe with a rumble seat, a commercial version with a two-part hatch door, and the Familiale with seating for nine.
Used in WW2 Vampire Movie
The Traction Avant was repainted three times, once in the 1970s by Leibovici and twice in 2012 and 2017. The color is a very subtle dark green and black combination. Postwar examples tend to be black only.
The current owner reupholstered the Citroën, retaining the original horsehair stuffing. He also rebuilt the transmission, added a new fuel tank, rear wiring harness, brake cylinders, and alternator.
The engine sports a rare and restored Solex FATIP 35 carburetor with that special bazooka-type air intake.
The car comes with three English-language books about the model, spare parts and maintenance books, and a repair manual.
If more enhancements are desired, eBay has various parts for this car - opens in new window or tab., including a complete gearbox. There are also usually a couple of dozen classic Citroën cars for sale. The Traction Avant, especially one in tip-top shape, is rarely among them.
It’s less likely to find one with such a well-documented history. Perhaps that’s why this 1939 is in demand as a movie car.
The owner said this Citroën was used as a film prop in a recent “teenage World War II vampire movie.” And according to the Internet Movie Cars Database - opens in new window or tab., the Traction Avant model has been in more than 1,300 films and television shows.
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This article is meant to provide general guidance only. Automotive maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation may depend on vehicle-specifics such as make and model. Always consult your owner's manual, repair guide for specific information for your particular vehicle and consider a licensed auto-care professional's help as well, particularly for advance repairs.