About Citroën Traction Avant 7 Saloon
With the Citroen Traction Avant, the French automaker broke all the rules from the technical books and thus produced the most advanced car of its era, and the model lasted for more than two decades on the market. It even survived WWII.
When Andre Lefebvre and Flamino Bertoni started the work on the car, they didn't even dream about how successful the TA would become. TA came from the Traction Avant, which meant front-wheel traction (or drive) in French. Because yes, the TA was a front-wheel driven vehicle built in a time when most of the cars were with rear-wheel drive systems. Moreover, the car was fitted with independent suspension in all corners and a unibody bodywork, giving up on the body-on-frame construction system.
The long hood engine compartment flanked by arched fenders that supported the headlights was usual for those times. But the car's low ground clearance was unusual, and that was made possible thanks to the lack of a ladder chassis. TA's tall greenhouse was a promise of enough headroom, and to ease the ingress and egress, the automaker hinged both doors on the B-pillars. In the back, the almost vertical rear windscreen and the sloped-down trunk lid looked stylish for those times.
Inside, Citroen installed two seats at the front and a bench in the rear. The only way to access the trunk was from the car's interior. On the dashboard, the automaker installed the instrument panel in front of the driver and, next to the steering wheel, it placed the gear-stick.
Despite the long hood, the automaker installed an inline-four there. But that extra space was needed for the gearbox, which was mounted between the engine and the radiator. The 7 designation came from the fiscal power, a system used by the French administration.