Citroën

France, 1919 to date

(1) SA André Citroën, Paris, 1919 – 1968

(2) Citroën A, Paris, 1968 to date

André Citroën, a former chief engineer of Mors, started his own gear-making firm in 1913, a fact commemorated by the ‘herring-bone bevel’ emblem used on all Citroën cars. He put his knowledge of American mass-production methods to good effect in 1919, when, in association with Jules Salomon (already responsible for Le Zèbre and later to be behind the Rosengart), he evolved two Citroën designs. The bigger of these, a sleeve-valve 4-litre, was taken over by Gabriel Voisin, but the 1.3-litre 4-cylinder Citroën Type-A was put into production in a factory previously used by Mors. This was a straightforward sv machine with disc wheels, cone clutch, fully electrical equipment, left hand drive and central change for the 3-speed gearbox. By the end of 1919 it was selling for 7950fr in France and £500 in England. 10.000 Citroën cars were made in 1921.    

The need for expansion was soon to lead to the acquisition of Clément-Bayard. At this time, Citroën was developing the half-track system evolved by M. Kégresse, former manager of Tsar Nicholas II’s garage. This was mainly applied to commercial and military vehicles, but the smaller Kégresse versions were adaptations of Citroën’s private-car chassis, and among their exploits was the first successful crossing of the Sahara by Citroën motor car in 1922 – 1923. The 1922 Citroën range included an improved Citroën Type-B of 1½-litres, and the 856cc Citroën 5CV with cloverleaf bodywork, detachable head, quarter-elliptic springing all round, a foot transmission brake and coil ignition. Though neither a brisk goer nor a brisk stopper, it was indestructible and remained in production until 1925, in which year Noel Westwood used on to drive all round Australia in a Citroën. 15.000 Citroëns had been sold by 1924, when 250 cars a day were being turned out and Opel were marketing what amounted to a copy of the Citroën 5CV under the name of Laubfrosch. 1925 saw the advent of cheap all-steel saloon bodies made under Budd patents; this angular tout acier model sold in England for £325, or only £100 more than the standard tourer. Though a modernized derivative of the Citroën 5CV was to reappear in 1929 as the Sima-Standard, Citroën themselves concentrated in 1926 on the Citroën 12hp type, now enlarged to over 1½-litres, and given a flat radiator, 4-wheel brakes, and semi-elliptic springs. Cars were lso being assembled outside France. The British factory at Slough was opened in 1926, and was followed by others in Italy and Germany. In 1934 Gräf u. Stift of Vienna also built cars under Citroën licence. Of these only Slough survived the 1930s, British built Citroëns continuing to appear until 1965. 

The Citroën company was now firmly established with Peugeot and Renault as one of France’s ‘big three’. In 1928 the saloons became more streamlined – they were also cheaper, the Citroën 12/24hp costing £220. Production in 1929 was 100.000 vehicles; new for that season was the 2.4-litre 6 cylinder Citroën C6, a conventional sv machine with 3-speed box, coil ignition, servo brakes and gravity feed. The 4-cylinder Citroën C4 cars were enlarged to 1.6 litres and had a similar specification. These two basic Citroën types were continued to 1932, when the company offered a new 1½-litre Citroën Ten among with the bigger Citroën Four and Citroën Six. These cars had low-pressure tyres, box-section frames, ‘Floating Power’ engine mountings under Chrysler licence and synchromesh gearboxes. The Citroën Ten cost £198 and the bigger cars were available in long-wheelbase form with seven-seater coachwork. Under the sponsorship of the Yacco Oil company the 10hp Citroën ‘Petite Rosalie’ successfully undertook a herculean programme of long-distance record work, in the course of which 187.500 miles were covered at 58mph and 128 International Class and 43 World Records were acquired. These Citroën models formed part of the range until 1936, acquiring four forward speeds in 1934, but they were overshadowed by yet another Citroën revolution, the first Citroën 7CV traction avant which appeared in that year. This had front-wheel drive, an ohv wet-liner engine, unitary construction of chassis and body, and all-round torsionbar independent suspension. The 3-speed synchromesh gearbox had dashboard change and production engines had a capacity of 1.6-litres. This design formed the backbone of Citroën’s range until 1955, and was not withdrawn until July 1957, by which time 708.339 4-cylinder Citroën traction-avant cars had been built and the car’s appeal was largely founded on its now ‘traditional’ styling.

A 3.8-litre fwd V8 was shown at the 1934 Paris Salon, but early the following year André Citroën found himself in serious financial difficulties and was forced to sell out to the Michelin interests. Meanwhile an alternative 1.9-litre engine had been applied to the Citroën traction avant and by mid-1935 three additional types were available: the Citroën 11 légère (Sports 12 or light 15) which shared a hull with the 7CV, and the Citroën 11 normale (Big 15), made in two wheelbase lengths, 10ft 1½in and 10ft 9in, the latter for seven-seaters. In 1936 Francois Lecot drove a Citroën 7CV 400.000 kilometers in 12 months. The 1937 fwd Citroëns had rack-and-pinion steering, rear-wheel drive cars were still made with the 11CV engine and (for a short while) the option of a diesel power unit. The 1939 range ws rounded out with a 2.9-litre 15CV 6-cylinder fwd car on regular lines, which sold in England for £328 and just before World War 2 downdraught carburetors were standardized. 1939 models of Georges Irat, Rosengart, and smaller Chenard-Walckers used 11CV mechanical components as a basis for their cars, to be followed in 1947 by D.B.

After the war the Citroën 7CV was dropped, but production of the other fwd models was resumed, cars for the French market being supplied only in matt black. In 1949, however, the fruits of ten years of experimentation were seen in another evolutionary Citroën, the Boulanger-designed Citroën 2CV. Like its bigger sisters, it had fwd and unitary construction, but it also had interlinked coil suspension, a 4-speed all-synchromesh and all-indirect gearbox with geared-up top and quick detachable bonnet, doors and front wings for easy maintenance. Power came from a 375cc 9bhp ohv flat-twin and the corrugated grey finish attracted unkind comparisons with garden sheds. Supply, however, never caught up with demand: Citroën production jumped from 48.177 in 1950 to 78.199 in 1951 as the Citroën 2CV got into its stride. 1955 cars had 425cc, 12bhp, and centrifugal clutches, and in 1958 came tous terrains model with twin engines and 4-wheel drive. The Slough factory offered the Bijou variants in 1960 with a fiberglass coupé body, but at £695 it was hardly competitive. By July, 1966, 2.574.642 2CVs had been sold.

The full-sized Citroën cars of 1953 came with built-out boots and heaters as standard equipment, and a year later the Citroën Six was available with self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension. This led to the Citroën DS19 introduced at the 1955 shows, on which the only old features were the fwd and the long-stroke 4-cylinder engine, now up-rated to 65bhp. The self-levelling suspension was joined by power assistance for the brakes (disc front and rum rear), steering and gear-change. There were 4 forward speeds, the roof section was of reinforced plastic, and the single-spoke steering wheel found on Humbers of half a century before was revived. It was expensive (£1726 in England) and complicated, and a year later a simplified Citroën ID19 version retained the advanced springing but eliminated the power assistance. It was £140 less than the DS in France and Citroën sales rose to 206.138 cars. 1954 had seen the first association between the company and Panhard, which was to lead to a full integration within the next decade, while Cooper in England used Citroën gearboxes on their racing cars from 1956 onward. A Citroën won the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally.

A development of the 2CV was the Citroën Ami-6 flat-twin of 1961, a curious-looking little 4-door saloon which took some time to find acceptance. In 1965 short-stroke engines were at long last adopted for the more expensive 4-cylinder cars, though it was not until 1967 that the basic 1934-1935 unit was dropped from the ID. The most expensive 1967 Citroën model was the 2.2-litre 108bhp Citroën DS21; it acquired a swiveling 4-headlamp installation in 1968 and could be had wih fuel injection in 1971. The Citroën Dyane of 1968 filled a gap in the range: it was a more refined 2CV available either with the latter’s uprated 435cc unit or with the 602cc Ami motor. An open jeep-type version, the Citroën Méhari, arrived a year later. But meanwhile during 1968 Citroën had acquired Italian affiliations, first entering into an agreement with Maserati and then negotiating (against General de Gaulle’s wishes) with Fiat. As a result the Italian giant acquired a 15 per cent stake in the Citroën company and their new French ally undertook the distribution of Autobianchi products in France. In 1969 there was an experimental batch of 500 M35 coupés using 49bhp Wankel engines in Ami-type structures, but a year later came the result of the Maserati alliance, in the shape of the Citroën SM sports coupé, powered by a 2.7-litre 4ohc V6 engine developing 170bhp. This, of course, drove the front wheels via a 5-speed all-synchromesh gearbox; other features were power steering and disc brakes, and a 6-headlamp layout. With a price of 51.800 francs and a top speed of 137mph it was the fastest and most expensive Citroën ever, and it helped boost the marque’s flagging reputation in rallies. Their only major performance (a near miss in the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon apart) had been a 1-2-3 victory in the 1969 Moroccan event, but the Citroën SM won again in Morocco in 1971.

For 1971 another gap was bridged with an answer to Peugeot and Renault: the 1015cc Citroën GS. This had an air-cooled ohv light-alloy flat-4 engine, and all-disc brakes, those at the front being inboard. A station wagon followed in 1972, when fully automatic gearboxes and fuel injection were available on the big 4-cylinder saloons, and the twins continued in Citroën 2CV Dyane, Méhari and Ami forms. Even more powerful DS Citroëns were offered in 1973, outputs of the new 2.3-litre engines being 115bhp in carburetor form, or 130bhp with fuel injection: the latter was standardized on the SM. At the same time the Citroën GS was made available with automatic transmission, and the option of a 1200cc engine. The 2-cylinder Citroën cars were ssembled or manufacturerd in eight countries, and Citroën D-series models produced in South-Africa and Yugoslavia. In the latter country Citroën cars are marketed under the Tomos name.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Mathis

D, 1898 – 1903; 1910 – 1914

France, 1919 – 1935; 1945 – 1950

(1) E.E.C. Mathis, Strasbourg, 1898 – 1914

(2) SA Mathis, Strasbourg, 1919 – 1950

The Mathis car company, like Bugatti, changed its nationality with the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France in 1918. The early Mathis cars made in Strasbourg up to 1903 were experimental prototypes only, though they included a really big 150x160mm 4-cylinder Mathis car rated at 100hp and the first Mathis car product sold to the public were the Hermes machines designed by Ettore Bugatti in 1904 to 1905. Bugatti set up as an independent consulting engineer, and Mathis cars supplemented his business by selling De Dietrich, Panhard, and Rochet-Schneider, as well as acting as Central European respresentative for Fiat and Minerva.

It was not until 1910 that the true Mathis car went on sale, in the form of the Mathis 8/20ps, a straightforward 2-litre L-head Monobloc 4-cylinder Mathis car with 3-bearing crankshaft, 4-speed separate gearbox, and shaft drive. The larger 2.8-litre model of this period was made for Mathis by Stoewer of Stettin. The Mathis car firm’s pre-war reputation was founded largely on well made miniature 4-cylinder machines, notably the 1.100cc Mathis Babylette and the 1.3-litre Mathis Baby. The former had a vertical-gate gear change, all its brakes on the rear wheels, and, surprisingly, a differential. A bolster-tank sports two-seater Mathis car could be bought in England in 1914 for £195. Bigger Mathis cars had full-pressure lubrication, and came in 1½-litre, 1.8-litre (rated rather high in Britain at 16/20hp), and 2.6-litre sizes. There were also some 4.4-litre Mathis cars with Knight double-sleeve-valve engines.

Mathis’s interest in racing expressed itself in rather a peculiar way, since he tended to enter Mathis cars of unsuitable capacity for major races. Thus his 1.8-litre Coup de l’Auto Mathis car of 1912 was set to run with the big cars in the concurrent Grand Prix, and in 1921 he ran a 1½-litre ohv 4-cylinder Mathis car in the French GP, in a year when a 3-litre formula was in force.

After World War 1 the Mathis car emerged as a neat little sv monobloc 8/15hp 4-cylinder with aluminium pistons, fixed head, trough-and-dipper lubrication, thermos-syphon cooling, full electrics, magneto ignition, and 4-speed gearbox. Capacity of the Mathis car was 1.131cc, and in 1921 an anglicized version of the Mathis car was sold in London as the BAC, though later cars of this make had no French associations. The Mathis cars of the early 1920s, often with tiny engines (the Mathis T-type of 1923 had only 628cc), differential-less back axles, splash lubrications (and axle ratios of the order of 6:1, but always with 4 forward speeds) soon brought the Mathis car company into fourth position behind France’s big three – Citroën, Renault, and Peugeot – and production was running at 75 Mathis cars a day in 1927. The miniature 4-cylinder Mathis cars were credited with 63mpg, but in 1923 there was a new departure in the shape of a tiny 6-cylinder Mathis car. The 1.2-litre Mathis L-type with overhead camshafts and detachable head had some sporting pretensions, but more typical was the 1.140cc Mathis P-type tourer with a fixed-head sv power unit, 6:1 top gear, brakeless front axle, and differential-less back end. The wheel-base of the Mathis car was 9ft, and the 4-speed box had central change: both sizes had V-radiators.

Interestingly enough Mathis favoured 4 cylinders, overhead camshafts, and 8-plug heads for the Mathis car entries in the Touring Car GP, and were rewarded with class wins in 1923 and 1924, though their advanced 1925 machines with crab tracks, underslung frames, and aerodynamic bodywork were less successful. The 6-cylinder touring Mathis cars had front-wheel brakes by 1924, and were continued until 1926, but 1925 brought a bigger family saloon Mathis car to compete with Citroën, the 1.6-litre Mathis GM-type 4-cylinder with pressure lubrication, front-wheel brakes, and differential, sold at £295 in England. There was also a short-lived 1.7-litre ohc straight-9 with coil ignition: the output of 35bhp perhaps explains why nothing more was heard of this Mathis car.

By 1927 Mathis were back to one-model policy with their 1.2-litre 4-cylinder Mathis MY at £255 for a fabric saloon. Its specification was entirely conventional with side valves, detachable head, 2-bearing crankshaft, magneto ignition, 6-volt electrics, and 4-speed gearbox was in this Mathis car. A 1.8-litre Emysix followed in 1928 with coil ignition, hypoid final drive, and two separate detachable heads for its monobloc engine: sold under the slogan ‘Ware The Enemy – Weight’, it justified this by turning the scales of this Mathis car at only 2.184lb, and formed the basis for all Strasbourg’s subsequent series-production sixes and eights Mathis cars.

Up to 1935 dull, solid sv family saloons were the staple of the SA Mathis. 4-speed Warner silent-3rd gearboxes appeared on the Emysix in 1929, and in 1930 there were bigger sixes of 2.4 litres and 4.1 litres in the Mathis cars, also with hypoid axles. William C. Durant laid plans to build 4-cylinder Mathis cars in his factories in 1930 under the name Matam (Mathis-America), but the Depression frustrated these. A very short-stroke (70x80mm) 1.2-litre Mathis car, the Mathis PY type with spiral bevel final drive, appeared in 1931, when a 3-litre Mathis car could be bought with hydraulic brakes in England for £476. Two bigger eights of 4.6- and 5.4-litres were made in very small numbers. Mathis car engines were used in one model of the all-independently-sprung Harris-Léon Laisne, and both hydraulics and free wheels were standard on the big Mathis cars in 1932. This year a wide range of Mathis cars embraced everything from the 904cc Mathis TY 4-cylinder up to the 3-litre Mathis FOH type straight-8.

Mathis cars, however, were slipping and an attempt was made to restore sales of Mathis cars with the 1.4-litre Mathis Emyquatre of 1933, which had a box-section frame, independent front suspension, synchromesh and free wheel, and a modern-style 4-door saloon body with no running-boards. 6-cylinder Mathis cars acquired transverse independent front suspension at the same time. In 1934 a further attempt was made to bolster up the Mathis car company by an agreement with Ford whereby the Mathis car factories would be used to manufacture Ford V8s for the French market. Unfortunately Henry Ford and Emile Mathis saw this differently, and what in fact happened was that Matfords rapidly ousted Mathis cars from the production lines, thus fathering a line which survived until 1961, first under Ford and latterly under Simca control. Mathis cars for 1935 had all-round independent suspension, but these Mathis car were the last of their line to be sold to the public.

Emile Mathis once again took possession of his Mathis car factory in 1945, and essayed a comeback with a weird little front-wheel-drive 3-wheeler Mathis car cloaked in egg-shaped coupé body work to the designs of Jean Andreau. The front wheels were independently sprung, and the 700cc flat-twin power unit was water-cooled with one radiator to each cylinder: all-up weight of the Mathis car was a modest 840lb. It soon became apparent that the Government was not going to authorize production of this Mathis car, but Mathis tried again in 1948 with an advanced 2.8-litre front-wheel-drive flat-6. Its output was 80bhp, the gearbox had overdrive on all three ratios, there was independent suspension all round on the Mathis car, and the futuristic saloon body featured a panoramic windscreen. The Mathis car reappeared at the 1949 Salon, but like La Licorne, Delauney-Belleville and Bugatti, the Mathis car firm never managed to get any post-war design into series production. In 1954, the Strasbourg plant was sold to Cirtoën, and another major, if uninspired, French marque vanished into limbo.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com