Vehicle sold without registration paper
Chassis No.: 142 112

- Served during the war
- Very healthy and complete base
- Rare Limousine version

In the beginning, the 7 Traction Avant was probably positioned in the Citroën catalogue as an innovative but complementary series to the 8, 10 and 15 Rosalie ranges. Faced with the enthusiasm encountered and André Citroën's idea of focusing his production exclusively on the principle of front-wheel drive, the Design Office is in charge of designing, in record time, a complete range of high-volume models.
There had been the 7 Sport, powered by a 2-litre 11 hp engine, which kept the small volume body of the 7s, but with this engine it became possible to envisage cars that were longer in length and width while maintaining the general lines of the 7s. This styling exercise would give birth to a 6-seater sedan. The matter did not stop there, as Citroën wanted to open up this range to Family and Limousine models with long wheelbase, still in monohulls, which would initially cause some stiffness problems. These versions with stretched lines have three side windows, and despite their very low line they have unexpected reception capacities. The first model, the Limousine, is a 5 or 6-seater car with a spacious rear compartment, the second model is an 8 or 9-seater Family car equipped with folding seats between the two benches. Families and Limousines from before 1940 and even more so from the first vintages, have become very rare.
The Traction 11B limousine presented here left the bleach factory chains in 1939. Originally it will wear for a short period of time, the magnificent Irised Grey hue. The war broke out and, as we know, many cars were transformed into commercial vehicles so that they could continue to drive, and were quickly repainted in light grey. This distinguishes them from passenger cars. It was therefore the property of a craftsman to distribute the press, who could thus continue his activity during the occupation. At the end of the war, he still used his car in this way, before storing it in a carpentry shop, in the middle of the wood and boards before it was discovered by a great collector in Lyon a few years ago. The carpentry had not been in operation for a very long time, and a real sarcophagus of boards had been built around the Traction. It is by seeing the piece of a wing that the collector could recognize the shapes of a Limousine. After long hours of work to empty the carpentry shop whose building was sold, the 11 can finally wake up from a sleep of nearly 60 years to see the day again. The car is very healthy and complete, the engine dates from January 1939 and therefore the original one. This model represents an excellent project to restore an extremely rare 11 limousine with a unique history.

This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in La Ferté-Vidame, at the Citroën Centenary, France, on July the 21th, 2019.
The digital catalog will be available soon on our website
https://www.aguttes.com/en/sale/99015
Please contact us for any further details.
Phones numbers:
+33 760 781 018
+33 668 362 622
+33 147 459 301