Citroen Traction Avant, 1953

The Citroën Traction Avant was a very groundbreaking car, with four or six cylinder engines, produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1934 to 1957. Designed by André Lefèbvre and Flaminio Bertoni, approximately 760,000 units were produced. Although front-wheel drive, unibody construction and independent suspension were well established in the mass market a few years earlier, the Traction Avant was a pioneer. In addition, the car was also an early adopter of rack and pinion steering. Many of these "haute nouveauté" that were introduced were largely adopted by car manufacturers. Although the name of the car emphasized the power delivery of the front-wheel drive ("Traction Avant" literally means "traction at the front"), the car stood out at least as well with its much lower profile and stance - made possible by the absence of a separate chassis under the unitary body of the car, sharply distinguishing it visually from its contemporaries.