The TRACTION! Appreciation Thread

Gerry,
My father had a pre-war traction with wires and also a fabric sectioned roof. It was handed on to my grandfather. I found it in later years rusting away in a paddock in Eltham. The wire wheels were handed on to Andrew Rankine.
Leon
 
leon sims said:
Gerry,
My father had a pre-war traction with wires and also a fabric sectioned roof. It was handed on to my grandfather. I found it in later years rusting away in a paddock in Eltham. The wire wheels were handed on to Andrew Rankine.
Leon
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Was it a mid/dark blue colour? If so I have the bonnet from that car!
 
Too far back to remember but if not black then you could be right about dark blue. Did you locate it in Eltham?
 
I keep agonising on whether or not to fit this bonnet to the 11Bl. I have re-chromed the handles and centre strip, purchased new bonnet door handles, and fabricated a replacement rear left bonnet door. The old one was rusted through. It needs a new bracket for the bonnet stay that I obtained from Andrew Begelhole to be welded into place. Then it will be ready to go!
On the subject of pre-war Citroens, our first Traction was a 1938 11CL2 from Slough. Dad purchased the car in 1954 from Shields Motors in Spring Street. The car was the personal vehicle of Mr. Lyle Nagle, one of the Directors at that time. We ran that car until the clutch cable broke in the middle of a down shift to second and the shock opened up the gearbox casing and bell housing. It was finally cut up in 1964 despite many protests from myself and now lies entombed under the Eastern Freeway. I still have the instrument gauges, cylinder head and the carby/ manifold assembly.
 
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The large boot cars had that treatment across the top of the dash that included the instrument cluster in the window frame. It was painted "Gris Clair" and the steering wheel matches this. Earlier steering wheels were black. Note that the seat material is a mix of vinyl and striped cloth, and that the striping is different from the 1950 and 51 cars. I think that they were trying to make the interior a bit more durable. There is even what looks like a vinyl panel on the firewall bulge.
 
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I wonder if this is a factory job .... spectacular. A traction panel van.

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Nice.

Can't see hinges or a door crack line. Big door on the other side?

How would you load and unload? Agree, though, it's lovely.
 
38627203675_edcf833001_b.jpg16016491411_ee486fbcf6_b.jpg28957706751_3aeb6e9039_b.jpg24655182467_f3e5292de6_b.jpg28899521912_b04ef4d99d_b.jpg6242076d55c4515a3b4c98e99e22c364.jpgOne large rear door. In some examples a hinged arrangement and on others a roller type shutter. You can just see the rain gutter on the top of the rear panel to channel water away from the opening. I suspect that this car may be the roller shutter arrangement. I cannot see any protruding door handle or hinges for the swinging door variant.
They were converted from sedans in Denmark!
 
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Oradour-sur-Glane, France's Chilling World War II Ghost Village

Trading Estate said:
I don't think this is a traction, looks earlier (C type?). The valance under the grill/ guards is too deep, doors are squarer etc
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I stand corrected.

For the history buffs there is a place in France that was decimated by the German army when they murdered the occupants of the town and torched what was left. Charles de Gaulle preserved the ruins and rebuilt the town close-by.

The Nazis' SS obliterated Oradour-sur-Glane, which still stands in ruins as a memorial
 
gerrypro said:
View attachment 107960View attachment 107957View attachment 107961View attachment 107958View attachment 107959View attachment 107956One large rear door. In some examples a hinged arrangement and on others a roller type shutter. You can just see the rain gutter on the top of the rear panel to channel water away from the opening. I suspect that this car may be the roller shutter arrangement. I cannot see any protruding door handle or hinges for the swinging door variant.
They were converted from sedans in Denmark!
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Thanks Gerry. I knew of these cars (not the Denmark connection) and had seen only one photograph. I guess your last photo shows why I couldn't make out the rear door on the photo of the blue one. World's first hatchback....

The particular shade of blue and the cream wheels work together really well.

Cheers
 
The Ballarat Club has many runs - - - vintage, '60's runs and so-on. Today, in the Big 15 we visited 7 sheds so in the cool weather we had a lot of fun. About 50 cars on the run.

John
 

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Last weekend the Arizona Citroen Enthusiasts managed a get-together in a local park. We had three Tractions and five 2CV. Mine is the one in the middle with the bonnet open. (The park is across the street, out of the photograph).




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