1952 Citroen Traction Avant 11BL Mechanical Review

Le beaux vieux bagnoles de Citroen. During the 1940's my mother owned a 1938 Citroen soft top coupe, British built and quite rare. It was a cream one with a red leather, ( or leatherette), interior. Some years later when living in France, I bought a Traction Avant for what would be the price of a tank full of gas for my modern car today It was black with a gray cloth interior, low miles and only in need of a set of new tires. My pal Roget also owned one but it was a 1937 model sedan that had led a hard life. Commandeered by the Nazis, it spent most of the war ferrying Luftwaffe pilots between bases but in 1944, became the property of the French Resistance. After hostilities ended, my friend's father bought it, complete with bad paint and the Cross of Lorraine painted on each front door. Another coat of bad paint was applied with a brush and this scruffy old car would continue to serve well enough. I wonder what happened to both cars: I would very much like to own one today.

Lovely video and true representation of the Traction

S = "Strangleur" (The choke knob) I always liked that.

With a dash like that, and an older style of steering wheel, the car is surely older than 1952? Internally the wipers are at the top of the roof, and along with the malle plat boot they all point to an early model so, and again, not 1952. That said the engine is not an early engine. Presumably the car has been converted to 12V and that will be a 12v alternator?

Listed on Trade Classics as 42k miles yet odometer shows 50.7k kms something wrong.

Une belle voiture,avec un sacre' moteur.

Does anyone know the Head Torque on these engines please ?

Pourquoi avoir monté un alternateur à la place de la dynamo ainsi qu'un démarreur en poussoir ? La conductrice, en outre, ne sait pas passer les vitesses convenablement...