Nearly every list of the most important automotive designs must surely include André Citroën's beloved Model 11 Traction Avant, which loosely translates to "Front-wheel drive".

The Traction Avant was introduced in 1934, just one year before André Citroën's passing.

The Model 11 BL was the smaller four-door sedan, with its front doors rear-hinged, so they would open "Suicide-style"; the rear doors opening conventionally.

The Traction Avant was notable in that it placed its wheels at the extreme corners of the monocoque chassis, providing good stability and a comfortable ride.

Its 1.9-litre overhead-valve four-cylinder engine, three-speed gearbox (mounted ahead of the engine), and torsion-bar front suspension were affixed to a separate steel subframe.

Ubiquitous in Europe, and the favoured get-away car for countless French gangster movies of the period, latterly a six-cylinder model was developed.

The Model 11 BL remained in production for 23 years, and by the time it was supplante...