20 groundbreaking cars from Citroën’s first 100 years

Key cars from the French marque’s first century

Happy 100th birthday, Citroën! 

The French marque was officially born exactly 100 years ago, with the presentation of the Type A in Paris on 4 June 1919.

Over the years it has produced some of the most innovative cars ever, consistently thinking outside the three-box saloon format and pushing the boundaries of design and technology.

Here, in no particular order, are 20 of its most important and memorable models.

1. Citroën DS (1955-’75)

The E-type of family cars and still the machine by which all other Citroëns are judged, the DS wowed with hydropneumatic suspension, powered-disc brakes, semi-auto gearbox and striking aerospace-derived styling.

Just imagine shopping for an executive car in 1955: being faintly impressed by BMC’s new Austin Westminster, then wandering over to the Citroën garage and wondering if you hadn’t tripped into some time-travel portal on the way.

A truly remarkable car, and one which has repeatedly been voted among the most beautiful and influential automobiles of all time.

2. Citroën Traction Avant (1934-’57)

More radical than a grumpy Parisian student, the Traction Avant was light years ahead of rivals when it appeared in 1934 thanks to its front-wheel drive layout, hydraulic brakes and independent suspension.

But the biggest step forward was the switch to unitary, rather than body-on-frame, construction, which lopped inches off the height and kilos from the kerb weight.

3. Citroën SM (1970-’75)

Citroën’s 1968 purchase of Maserati resulted in a two-way flow of technology. Maserati benefitted from Citroen’s hydraulics expertise and Citroën gained access to the relatively powerful V6 it needed for its space-age SM grand tourer.

And it wasn’t only the styling that made it feel space age. It took decades for the SM’s swivelling headlights, rain-sensitive wipers and optional carbon wheels to make it onto other firm’s cars.

4. Citroën 2CV (1948-’90)

Like Germany’s Beetle, the 2CV was designed in the 1930s but had to wait until WW2 was over to achieve its aim of mobilising the masses. By the time production finished in 1990 almost 4m had been built.

Early prototypes with their starting handles, single headlight and corrugated bodywork look like something knocked together in five minutes on Scrapheap Challenge, but the sophistication under the skin included independent suspension and Michelin’s new radial tyre.

5. Citroën Dyane (1967-’83)

Launched in ’67 as an upmarket (and potential successor to the) 2CV, the Dyane featured headlamps faired into the wings and a large hatchback rear.

It briefly outsold the original and spawned the Acadiane van. But the 2CV fought back and outlived its posher brother by five years.

6. Citroën CX (1974-’89)

The CX was created by SM designer Robert Opron, borrowed much of the GT’s tech, and was justly rewarded with a European Car of the Year gong as a result.

If the fuselage-shaped body appeared exotic next to conventional rivals such as the Ford Granada, the interior was every bit as idiosyncratic, and offered seating for up to seven in the longer-wheelbase Familiale estate version.

7. Citroën Mehari (1968-’88)

Citroën’s answer to the Mini Moke fused the 2CV’s 602cc flat twin and running gear with a coloured ABS plastic body and weighed the same as a Lotus Seven.

A hit with French farmers and alcohol-fuelled holidaymakers in the Med, it even spawned a four-wheel drive variant and enjoyed a 20-year production run before getting the chop in 1988.

8. Citroën XM (1989-2000)

The CX’s successor was yet another European Car of the Year winner for Citroën, but owners of early cars fought a losing battle with electrical problems that affected the sophisticated computer-controlled hydraulic suspension.

Critics praised Bertone’s sharp lines and the soft ride, but big mainstream execs were on the way out in favour of BMW and Benz rivals, so sales were slow.

9. Citroën GS (1970-’86)

The wind-cheating teardrop GS borrowed Citroën’s big-car tech, including their hydropneumatic suspension, and was (under-) powered by a range of flat-four air-cooled engines.

Car of the Year in ’71, its few failings included the lack of hatchback rear until the ’79 facelift, and the thirsty, expensive Birotor version that was such a disaster Citroën tried to buy every car back.

10. Citroën Xsara WRC (2001-’06)

The road-going Xsara was distinctly underwhelming, but the competition version was unmissable in the rally world, winning three WRC drivers’ championships and three manufacturers' titles between 2003 and 2006.

Citroën switched to the C4 WRC for 2007 and repeated the trick, this time also bagging a fourth drivers’ championship for good measure.

11. Citroën LN (1976-’86)

The LN was groundbreaking for Citroën – but in the worst way possible. The first fruit of life under new owner (and former rival) Peugeot, it was essentially a shortened Peugeot 104 with a double chevron on its nose.

It did at least have Citroën’s air-cooled twin behind it and it wasn’t a terrible car, but it heralded a new era of largely less idiosyncratic Citroëns.

12. Citroën 10HP Type A (1919-’22)

This is where it all began.

Inspired by Henry Ford’s Model T, the Type A was France’s first mass-produced car and the first outing for the iconic double-chevron badge, which is inspired by the innovative double-helical gears Andre Citroën had popularised before the war.

13. Citroën BX (1982-’94)

Designed by Countach-creator Marcello Gandini (anyone remember the TV ad where he strolled past a Lambo to take his BX 16v to work?), the BX’s shape evolved from a project Volvo deemed too sexy for production.

It replaced the GS and was innovative for its extensive use of plastic body panels and performance models its GS predecessor didn’t offer.

There was even a Group B rally version, but it was so rubbish Citroën failed to sell even half the 200 homologated road cars.

14. Citroën Xantia (1992-2002)

The BX’s replacement made solid inroads into the UK’s family car market – and might have had even more success if Ford hadn’t pulled the brilliant Mondeo out of the bag a year after the Citroën’s launch.

The Xantia’s Hydractive suspension was certainly more sophisticated than the Ford’s, and the posh Activa version’s fully active suspension almost completely eliminated body roll during cornering.

15. Citroën ZX Rally Raid (1990-’97)

The BX 4TC’s abysmal showing in Group B must have driven Citroën to pull out all the stops for its next big rallying foray, because the ZX cleaned up in long-distance off-road competition throughout the 1990s.

The four-wheel drive weapon – which, predictably, had little in common with the front-wheel drive road car – took five world championships and four Dakar wins in seven seasons of rallying.

16. Citroën H van (1947-’81)

Before it became punishable by death not to convert any still-drivable H van into a hipster catering truck, these big, simple corrugated boxes were proper workhorses – and strong enough to carry one.

The combination of front-wheel drive, unitary construction and a high roof allowed a usefully flat floor and massive load space. Almost half a million units were sold.

17. Citroën Visa (1978-’88)

The Ami’s replacement was dumpy, rather than ugly, and possessed one of the strangest dashboards ever made – at least until Citroën responded to customer requests for an interior that didn’t look like a Mensa puzzle and toned it down.

Like the LN it was based on the Peugeot 104 platform. Basic cars got a 652cc twin, while the ’85-88 GTi pinched the hot Pug 205’s fuel-injected 1.6.

18. Citroën M35 (1969-’71)

More rolling test programme than production car, the M35 fastback was based on Ami mechanicals with a couple of key exceptions: it featured hydropneumatic suspension and a rotary engine.

Citroën built 267 and gave them to customers to trial over 19k miles. Many were crushed when returned to the firm, meaning few survive.

19. Citroën C6 (2005-’12)

Five years after the underperforming XM had shuffled off, glutton for punishment Citroën was back to take another beating in the executive car sector. It soon wished it hadn’t.

The C6 was striking to look at but it failed to strike hard into the German-dominated company car market, suffered toilet roll-like depreciation and sales were miniscule.

20. Citroën Ami 6 (1961-’69)

Despite having a face only a mother could love and a back end nobody could, the 2CV-derived Ami was a huge hit in its home country.

The later Ami 8 swapped the 6’s angular, Anglia-esque reverse-slope rear window for a prettier fastback.