British registration papers
Current status: Switzerland – not registered

Engine number: FB 01638
Gearbox number: BZ 5140 – Part number: 5005 20 F02.

Certainly one of the rarest and oldest Tractions
First-rate restoration
Perfect working order

Before he set out to conquer the world, André Citroën opened subsidiaries in several European countries, of which Britain was one of the first in 1925. A factory began operating in Slough, to the west of London, and production thrived, as the English considered it rather exotic to drive a Citroën, as well as appreciating the quality of its cars.
At the start of the 1930s, however, the country was experiencing a serious economic crisis, as was indeed the case throughout Europe. The government therefore introduced a series of protectionist measures which required cars from continental Europe to include a specified percentage of parts made by local subcontractors. The starter, dynamo, all the engine fittings, the electrical system and headlamps, the bumpers, fuel tank and instruments came from English suppliers. Finally, to cater to local tastes, the seats were upholstered in leather. The assembly of the Traction Avant models in Slough followed a rigorous process: the parts supplied from Paris were assembled in situ and were treated with particular care. A high-quality cellulose paint was applied, with a wide range of colours specifically created to suit English tastes.
According to the British fiscal horsepower ratings, a 1303cc 7 corresponded to 12HP, so the first English Traction Avants were named the ‘Twelve’ or even ‘Super Modern Twelve’ in commercial parlance. The English welcomed the little French car enthusiastically, a road tester from The Autocar running the headline “ A car you cannot overturn!”.
Before series production began, Citroën’s workshops in Hammersmith prepared six cars sent over from Paris by hand and converted them to right-hand drive for approval purposes. This Twelve is the last survivor of these prototypes, an exceptional car which underwent a rigorous restoration by John Gillard which took 17 years, due to the difficulty of finding the specific parts and technical documentation required. It comes from the English collection of one of the leading connoisseurs of the Traction Avant in the United Kingdom, Bryn Hughes.
Repainted in its original grey with black wings, this Twelve corresponds so closely to its original specification as to attain perfection. The Lucas headlamps and 12-volt electrics are there, together with the Smiths instruments and Ripault electrical circuit. The specific items of trim such as the straight bumpers are still fitted to the car. Its fully restored mechanical components (the 1303cc engine matches the original but is not the block fitted when the car was new, as the first engine froze), gearbox and brakes all work perfectly, while the steering box has also been restored (by Geoff Harris), making for a very pleasant drive.
As well as this pleasure, the car’s new owner will experience the pride of driving a particularly exclusive Citroën. The opportunity to acquire the rarest and oldest English-built Traction Avant is within your grasp and will surely not be repeated anytime soon.

This car will be sold during an auction sale organized by AGUTTES Auction House.
It will take place in Paris, at the Espace Champerret, France, on March the 17th, 2019.
The digital catalog is available on our website
https://www.aguttes.com/html/infos.jsp?id=96052&&setLng=en
Please contact us for any further details.
Phones numbers:
+ 33 616 914 228
+33 147 459 301