![This Citroën Traction Avant is a classic car that stands out from the crowd Classic & Sports Car – Citroën Traction Avant: Renard et Bec’s rare reinvention](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2024-03/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Citroe%CC%88n-Traction-Avant-Renard-et-Bec-05.png?itok=HwZW3Ik6)
The Traction Avant: dusky black saloons, right? Inspector Maigret, that sort of stuff.
Well, not really. Before WW2, the Citroën came in many bright hues, from an early triple-colour presentation to various metallic shades; post-war, late cars were available in a range of blues and greys.
And, as well as the four-doors, there was a roadster and a fixed-head coupé – at least pre-war.
![Inside the Citroën Traction Avant by Renard et Bec Classic & Sports Car – Citroën Traction Avant: Renard et Bec’s rare reinvention](/sites/default/files/2024-03/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Citroe%CC%88n-Traction-Avant-Renard-et-Bec-08.png)
This Citroën Traction Avant’s square instrument display was replaced by a round speedo in an embossed surround, with a matching rev counter and clock to the right
But yes, there is more than a touch of truth in the perceived image of France’s front-wheel-drive legend.
From 1948 to ’54, all cars were black and saloons of one size or another.
With most survivors being from this period, that is how people tend to see the Traction.
Put another way, in its later years there was a uniformity about the Citroën that went hand-in-glove with its ubiquity: look at any street scene of the time and black Traction Avant saloons are everywhere.
![Citroën’s four-cylinder engine powers this coachbuilt Traction Avant Classic & Sports Car – Citroën Traction Avant: Renard et Bec’s rare reinvention](/sites/default/files/2024-03/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Citroe%CC%88n-Traction-Avant-Renard-et-Bec-09.png)
Citroën’s standard 1911cc wet-liner ‘four’ remains in this Renard et Bec transformation