Car sketch with markers demo by Sangwon Seok NURBS modeling a Maybach wheel Frank Stephenson: the car designer who turned a sailfish into a supercar by Dalmeet Singh Chawla Designed and engineered by Flaminio Bertoni and André Lefèbvre the Traction Avant was launched in 1934 and represented a ground-breaking development in automotive history Citroën is celebrating this anniversary with a series of events a car that would go on to make motoring history with a series of revolutionary innovations The so-called Traction Avant provided the basis for a wide family of models that remained in production until 1957 The most prominent feature was the front-wheel-drive (or Traction Avant in French) which set new standards for handling and road holding characteristics Another major innovation was the all steel monocoque body which united into a single unit the frame and body panels a solution that would become the industry standard over the years combined with a low center of gravity and honed aerodynamics made the Traction Avant stand out as a vehicle truly ahead of its times The most important men behind the Traction Avant were engineer André Lefèbvre who proposed and developed the front-drive layout; designer Flaminio Bertoni who in the next years would design iconic cars such as the 2CV and the DS; and Edward G founder of the Philadelphia-based Budd Company which developed the unibody construction technology The Traction Avant was also the first car design to be created by sculpting rather than based on traditional drawings: it is said that the final design was based on a 1:5 clay scale model sculpted by Bertoni in just one night To pay homage to this milestone in automotive history Citroën has now announced the series of celebrating events the Paris based Retromobile show in February featured two Traction Avant 11 Familiale models which were exhibited by La Traction Universelle club which has more than 1,400 members worldwide a unique Traction Avant is being displayed in the My Citroën Adventure exhibition at the C_42 showcase on the Champs-Elysées in Paris The 1955 Traction Avant Sans Frontières 11BL belongs to the Traction Sans Frontières association which travels the world taking part in vintage vehicle rallies and events The 1955 Traction Avant Sans Frontières 11BL can also be seen at; You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a member? Register now it’s a 1930s sedan – though a pretty sleek one We respect your email privacy