Classic French Car

France is well known for its elegance and exquisite taste when it comes to art. Therefore, this country is a welcoming home for all classic cars. But, when it comes to classic French cars Citroen is the first name that comes in mind. Other huge names are Peugeot, Delange or Panhard. One of the most spectacular cars built by Citroen is the Citroen Traction Avant. This car was released in 1934, being a front-wheel drive car. Actually, it was the first front-wheel drive car in the world that was mass-produced. Another great example is the Citroen 2CV, a car that was introduced in 1948, was produced for over 42 years and was actually affordable. The 42 years didn’t mean massive changes to its design though millions were produced.

Citroen continued the series of fabulous classic cars with the Citroen DS and the Citroen SM. The first model was introduced in 1955 and came with some important innovations: disk brakes, self-leveling suspension (that Citroen used for many years). Elegant like any other Citroen car, the DS model came in a few versions, including the estate and the convertible models. The Citroen SM was released in 1974. It had a lot of features inherited from the DS model, but it was much more powerful. That quality made this car the company’s most important sports cars during the 1970’s. Another impressive classic French car is the Delage. This is a classic car that was produced by a French car manufacturer between the two world wars. Nowadays, the car rings a bell only to specialist and enthusiasts, but in its time it was one of the most powerful and expensive cars on the market. Actually, in the 1920s the car won several major driving competitions like the British Grand Prix or the Indianapolis 500.

The two models Peugeot 404 and Peugeot 403 are other great examples of classic French cars. The first one of them was manufactured between 1960 and 1975 and it is well known especially in some African countries where they were popular because of their reliability. Outside the French territory, the production continued until the 1980s, because many taxi companies in Africa used the car. The Peugeot 403 is the predecessor of the Peugeot 404 and it was manufactured from 1955 to 1966. The car became famous, especially because Colombo drove the convertible model of the car in a very popular TV series. If we are talking about classic French cars we cannot forget about the Panhard. This little, adorable car was produced until the 1960’s by an important motor manufacturer. Later on the company was taken over by Citroen. Some other cars we should not forget about are the Citroen vans. On of these is the Citroen HY, a car loved by French tradesmen that used it for years in a row. Its smaller brother is the Citroen Acadiane, another “small transit van” that was very useful when it was released. Classic French cars are well-known in the world and have their place in the car history. Many French manufacturers have introduced a lot of innovations and some, such as Citroen, still continue their work being strong competitors on the market.