4 cylinder
1,911 cc
42 hp
105 km/h
162.200 €
The German vehicle industry was hardly competitive after the First World War and during the hardships that followed. The government tried to reduce the import of foreign products by imposing customs duties. The German market seemed promising, so American, French and Italian manufacturers tried to circumvent the customs duties by setting up German assembly plants. After the German Reich joined the League of Nations and the British occupiers withdrew from the Rhineland on January 31, 1926, Citroën began building an automobile factory in Cologne-Poll on the same day. The spacious factory facilities had previously belonged to the “Rheinwerk”, the Vereinigte Westdeutsche Waggonfabrik AG. The direct rail connection provided an ideal logistical connection to Paris. The company premises in Cologne-Poll extended over 64,500 square meters – it was expanded into the most modern car factory in Germany. Production of complete vehicles began as early as February 15, 1927. Together with 350 dealerships, Citroën became the largest import manufacturer in Germany. With sales and production companies in Belgium, Denmark, England, Holland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Spain, Citroën became the largest car manufacturer in Europe. In order to comply with German law, from 1928 onwards the Cologne cars consisted of 75% domestically manufactured parts. From 1933 onwards even the engines were manufactured at Siemens in Berlin and the cars then consisted of 95% German parts. Nevertheless, the authorities continued to harass the company. When Citroën itself ran into financial difficulties in France, production in Cologne was stopped in December 1935. Up to this point, 18,710 vehicles had been manufactured in Cologne. German Citroën dealers simply called the cars from Cologne-Poll “the Pollers”. The Pollers were sought after due to their improvements in detail and their quality of workmanship. The Traction Avant models introduced in 1934 were also produced in Cologne and sold under the names 7 Front, 11 Front and 15 Front. 1,823 Citroën Fronts were built before the factory closed. As far as we know, five of these still exist; two of them were found in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. We were able to sell one of these five vehicles a few years ago; it has been in our service ever since. After production in Cologne ended, however, there were still a few German customers who bought the sensational Citroën Front. These cars were brought from Paris to Cologne-Poll and brought up to the standard of the time, provided with operating instructions and service booklets from the former Cologne factory, homologated as models 7 Front, 11 Front and 15 Front respectively and put into circulation. Finding such cars today is an absolute rarity.
The Traction Cabriolet on offer is in all probability such a rarity. Although the history cannot be fully verified due to the war, there are nevertheless indications that point to this. Several parts belonging to the vehicle from German production were found near the site where it was found. The Cabriolet itself had and still has interior door handles and window cranks from the Cologne production. The vehicle is known to two well-known Citroën historians who have written several books about the brand. One of these two gentlemen was, until his retirement, press spokesman for Citroën in Germany.
The current owner found this roadster-cabriolet in June 1992 under a pile of bulky waste in the east of Berlin, which was in the GDR until October 3, 1990. The Traction enthusiast had received a tip from a friend and, after a long search, he finally found the completely desolate, actually scrap-worthy, car. Literally at the last moment, because machines and containers for scrap and bulky waste disposal were already in use. In a lightning operation, the car and numerous pre-war parts were saved from destruction. Before the restoration began, the new owner first carried out thorough research. After all, the car was to be rebuilt as true to the original as possible. The Tractionist received important help from the two Citroën historians mentioned above, whom he met in this context. Valuable help was provided by numerous owners of Traction Cabriolets at home and abroad. The car was probably used on the Eastern Front during the war and somehow survived the Wehrmacht’s retreat into German territory. After the war, the car was registered in the Soviet occupation zone (first letters of the license plate ST for Soviet Zone Thuringia). The back of this license plate, which was valid until the founding of the GDR, is still there. Fortunately, the newly founded GDR had no interest in the old car. This meant that the roadster was not “purchased” by the state. An official letter to this effect was “worth its weight in gold” in the GDR. This was a prerequisite for using or selling a vehicle privately. A purchase refusal in this regard probably saved the car’s life. One such letter, unfortunately for another Traction, is in the owner’s collection. The car was then used privately in the GDR until 1969 and was ultimately abandoned after deregistration. A Citroën fan in the GDR then took the completely worn-out car to his field in East Berlin. There he had collected all the Tractions he could find in the East. The gentleman was probably relatively well-known in East Berlin as a source of spare parts. Among all the Tractions parked there was also a convertible limousine made in Cologne, a “Poller”. This car was also saved from being scrapped by the Tractionist. It is still in his collection in its original condition.
Documents that survived until 1992 are still available. It is not known who bought the car new in 1938. All research, even at Citroën itself, could not shed light on this early part of the history. There are some clues on the vehicle itself that only cars that went through homologation in Cologne-Poll between the end of production in Cologne in 1935 and the start of the war in 1939 have. Whoever buys this incredible piece of automotive history today can go in search of further fragments of history.
The gentleman who found and bought the car in 1992 then meticulously rebuilt it as close to the original as possible. Almost every component was researched. Small remnants of the original paint in the color “Rouge Excelsior” were found on the body, a noble dark red that changes slightly to brownish or black-violet depending on the light. Even the smallest scraps of the original blue interior could be separated and analyzed somewhere. The color combination today therefore largely corresponds to the original color combination of the factory delivery in 1938. Technically, the car has been restored as faithfully as possible. The engine block is an original pre-war revision block from before March 1939. For operational safety reasons, the engine is currently fitted with a Performance cylinder head from March ’39, which is not visible from the outside. The models that were sold in France at the time were called “Citroën 11 BL Roadster-Cabriolet”, while the cars that went through the German homologation in Cologne-Poll were called “Citroën 7 Front 1.9 Liter Roadster-Cabriolet”. This, or the fact that numerous owners in the GDR preferred to state “1,628 cc” for registration purposes, instead of “1,911 cc”, could explain why the 11 engine has an engine sticker for a 7 engine. In official letters from the GDR, owners were asked to provide information on whether their car had a 7 or 11 engine. In other words, whether 1.6 or 1.9 liter displacement was to be taxed and insured. Since the car is called 7 Front, the owners probably simply claimed that the car had a 7 engine. A corresponding sticker was then immediately attached. Corresponding official letters are in the owner’s collection. The first registration was estimated to be on October 1, 1938, with the help of documents and technical details. This means that the car should still have a horizontal carburetor. Since these carburettors were somewhat problematic, Citroën installed downdraft carburettors from November 1938. A conversion kit was offered for cars that were on the road before this. Such a conversion kit was found on site and the roadster was equipped with it. Be that as it may, the car is now in a condition that it was probably last in at the outbreak of war, when it was recruited by the Wehrmacht. With this 84-year-old Citroën 7 Front Roadster-Cabriolet you are buying a good portion of vehicle and German-German-French history. The car, well known in the “scene”, has been shown at several trade fairs and events in recent years. Among other things, twice at the trade fair in Friedrichshafen, several times at the Citroën Classic in Meran, the Traction meeting in Coevorden/NL and the classic car fair in Tulln near Vienna on the occasion of the “100 Years of Citroën” exhibition there. A multi-page report appeared in the Dutch trade magazine “Citroexpert” No. 138. It highlighted the discovery and restoration. There is an international group of Traction Roadster and Coupé owners and experts on Facebook. They report enthusiastically about the vehicle.
We have examined all cars thoroughly and from this examination we always create three different offers. Our Économie offer for €159,500 refers to the vehicle that has been inspected and is roadworthy without a new general inspection. The standard offer for €162,000 includes a fresh inspection with oil change, as well as a new general inspection and an H-report. The Suprême offer for €174,500 also includes the installation of freshly restored Robergel wire spoke wheels, a professional polish followed by a ceramic seal and a fresh cavity preservation. We can send you a detailed list of the three offers by email.
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