Citroen 15 SIX Traction Avant

The „TRACTION“ was presented at the 1934 Motor Show. At that time, there were three versions: the „7“, the „11“ and the „22“. The „7 cv“ was almost a test car. The „11cv“ was proposed in 2 versions: the light „11 légère“ and the normal „11“. The „22 CV“ had a short life, as the only show where it appeared was in 1934. It was André Lefébvre who took over the construction of the revolutionary car which was the „TRACTION“. From then on, the firm of CITROEN launched into the construction of a more powerful car and, in 1938, the six-cylinder „CITROEN 15 SIX“ made its appearance. The „15 SIX“ was a normal „11 CV“ with an extended bonnet, and it attained timed speeds of up to 130 kmh, with remarkable road handling, which is why it came to be nicknamed „ La Reine de la Route“ (Queen of the Road). In 1953, CITROEN proposed three new colors: pearl grey, smoky grey and midnight blue, but black always remained the favorite. Between 1946 and 1955, the „15“ was the official car of the French Government. In 1955, the Presidency of the Republic purchased three „15 SIX H“ platforms. One of them, with limousine coachwork by Fresnay, was for a long time the official car of President René Coty and of General de Gaulle. Production of the CITROEN 15 stopped in the middle of 1955, after seventeen years of success.