The Traction Avant was built in France, elgium and the UK from 1934 until 1957 (with aninterruption during WW2). It was full of innovation for the time, ncluding the first mass produced front wheel drive, he first unibody car, he first car withindependent suspensions, tc... a total of 760,000 were made, lthough very few survived.In the US, here are only a handful of these cars, nd almost none fullyrestored.
This car was originally purchased from the estate of the original owner in 2012. It had been sitting in a garage in the California desert since 1976. The body was in great shape, ith no rust, ut the engine was seized and all non metal parts were destroyed.
The car was originally bought by the previous owner in France, n 1956, riven for 3 months in Europe thenshipped to Los Angeles. It was used mostly on a Navy Base by his wife for all of its life, ntil the engine died in 1976 and they could not find parts... These days, t is a whole lot easier to find parts in Europe through the internet.
This car was completely disassembled, own to the last nut and bolt, t was sand blasted and the body was completely restored in California. The engine and absolutely all parts were completely stripped and rebuilt to original specs. As much as possible, he original fasteners were restored, hreads cleaned and re-used in their original place. All rubber, eather boots, eals and gaskets are new. The wire harness is completely new and so are all the lights and turn signals. The car sports its original black license plates from California and it is currently registered in California. The car has been in New Hampshire with me since June of this year and it is stored in a climatecontrolled facility.This car runs like a charm, tarts right up and idles very well. There is the usual oil drip at the crank shaft seal system, s it uses a counter thread system to throw the oil back when the engine runs. when the engine stops, bit of oil may escape through acapillary process. It is normal and amounts to about 2 to 3 dime size drips every time the engine stops. (see pic of the seal in question)
Total invested in the restoration is well over $60,000 not counting the thousands of hours of labor I put in, leaning and restoring all the original parts, uts and bolts.
The only "upgrades" or non-original parts are: A new Diaphragm Clutch to replace the original pressure plates and a modern set of Homokinetic sealed drive shafts to replace the original cardans.
The interior is completely new, ith original trim and colors. The seats were stuffed with the original horse hair stuffing and the carpet is entirely new, n the right color and shape.The windshield and rear window are new (the originals were too scratched) but the side windows are original. (original windows were saved and available)
I used Dynomat on the entire interior of the car, o replace the original tar and fiber insulation material. It brings additional sound and temperature insulation which is welcomed in this vintage car.
See more information on the car's website at: https://1954citroenta.wordpress.com (click on menu for more info)
The car was presented in July 2014 at the Misselwood Concours D'Elegance and won second place in it's category at the Boston Cup Concours D'Elegance in Aug 2014.
I am looking to sell this car in order to launch another restoration project on another Citroen but this is not a fire sell, o no need to call me to make low-ball offers.
Feel free to call me with any questions / observations. 1-603-828-1812
This car is being sold AS-IS with no warranty either expressed or implied. Do not call to discuss the reserve price, intend to let the auction run its course and will contact the bidders with the 3 highest offers at the end of the auction if the reserve price is not met.
The California title is clear. Car and title will be allowed to ship once all funds are received. I will NOT arrange shipping overseas.** Note that mileage listed is 2000 miles and represents the amount of miles since the restoration. The actual mileage on the counter is 00,100 KM (the counter has gone around once, nd has 5 digits)