French cars are known for their delicate, yet quirky style, especially Citroens, so we’d imagine this Traction Avant model comes as a shock to the marque’s aficionados.
So, forget what you’ve learned about Gallic motoring culture and take a look at this British-modified French Hot Rod.
Citroen’s classic model pioneered front-wheel drive on the European mass car market. It was very advanced for its time, as it had a lighter, and more resistant “unibody” structure and independent sprung wishbone suspension at the front – this was happening in 1934.
Curiously, although the Traction Avant was also built in England in left-hand-drive configurations, this one is a standard variant, modified in the U.K. to look like a hot-rod racer by a “keen marque enthusiast”, as described by LAP63 (the site responsible for the sale) between 1980 and 2007. It’s true what day say, a project car can never be completed, however, this Citroen looks perfect the way it sits right now.
The man responsible for the build took inspiration from the association between Yacco and Citroen, and it was manufactured using Alouette II helicopter components. The tailor made fuel tank and the compact seats were taken from the rotorcraft, while the plethora of details demonstrate the owner’s attention and time put into the project.
The automobile is in good working order and, if you don’t mind the hard-looking seats, it’s even dirt track-ready. It's 27,279 miles (43,902km) on the clock (unverified), and it can be yours for £25,000 ($36,228). And don’t worry, Citroen build around 760,000 Traction Avant units, so there’s plenty more normally restored ones where this one came from.