Today, front wheel drive and 'frame-less' monocoque bodies are the norm when it comes to automobiles. However, in the 1930s, this was something of a ground breaking design. Citroen of France was one of the major producers of cars such as this and offered these 'traction avant' or 'traction' (basically 'front wheel drive') cars, which were quite popular. The 11 CV was produced starting in 1934 and there were 7 CV and 15 CV cars as well. These designations were based on the taxable horsepower of the automobile (something that still continues in some parts of the US if you look at your car's registration).

The 11 CV was powered by an in-line four cylinder engine of 1900cc that was installed longitudinally. With no need for a drive shaft, the car could be lower to the ground, which improved cornering performance and cut on wind drag. Adding a torsion bar suspension provided a smooth and comfortable ride.

The Traction was a very popular vehicle thanks to the additional speed and fuel efficiency over other cars of the time. Naturally, the military saw that these would be good to have as staff cars so the French Army bought a number of them. With the fall of France, it was normal that these would be used by the Germans as well and saw service on all fronts. Even with the end of the war, the CV 11 was kept in production until 1957. It was one of the finalists in the Car of the Century judging of 1999 (which chose the Ford Model T as the winner).

Citroen also built the car as a two seat hard top or convertible. These cars had a rumble seat for additional passengers. They were built until 1939 and not produced during or after the war, making them fairly rare.

I bought this many years ago when I saw it in what was then a local hobby shop (now since closed). It was in mint condition and still in the original cellophane. When I opened it for this preview the built in seals on the end flaps were broken away.

Molded in several shades of plastic along with a rather extensive chrome sprue, this is not a curbside and has a full engine. The kit has at least 75 parts and comes with rubber tires. The kit's engine takes up the first two construction steps before things move along to the interior. Kits of this vintage rarely have one piece bodies with a separate hood as those in the US are used to finding. Instead all the body panels are separate and have to be joined to the floor pan as construction moves along.

The rumble seat hatch is hinged so it can be opened or closed as one withes. The kit has separate suspension and exhaust pieces. When one reaches step 13 of 14, it is time to decide on whether to do the hardtop or convertible. Each has a different windscreen with the hardtop's being more curved.

Instructions are standard Matchbox of the time with well drawn construction steps and all the painting information at the end of the instructions. I always found this method to be interesting to say the least and I don't think anyone else did this. Matchbox recommends a dark green for the hardtop and a light grey for the convertible. A google turned up a variety of paint colors and schemes. Decals are provided for the license plates.

I have always thought that the Avant Traction cars from Citroen were nice looking and this one adds to that, with the convertible being particularly pleasing to the eye. I'm not sure how easy this one is to find as though Revell released this with paints and glue in 1998, I've seen the Matchbox release on e-paid for $55.