The oldest and most glamorous member of the team is Célestine.

Célestine started life in 1953 on the Quai de Javel, Paris. The first 50 years of her life are a bit of a mystery, but at the turn of the century she was found languishing in the Charente and bought back to sparkling life. She was completely rebuilt by a specialist garage over the course of 2 years, and is now in a "better than new" condition.

Technically, she is a 1953 Citroën Traction Avant 11B. The Traction Avant (front wheel drive) Citroëns were designed by André Lefèbvre and Flamino Bertoni in 1933 and although the exterior appearance hardly changed over the next 24 years there were many technical improvements made. The first of the mass produced front wheel drive monocoque cars it can be said to be a blueprint for most modern European cars.

The Traction Avant was such a successful design the cars were built in the UK (as the Light 15 and Big 15), Belgium and Germany. Being front wheel drive they were able to be built a lot lower than contemporary cars which made getting in and out of the car easier, and a lot lighter because it had no chassis. This resulted in a remarkably comfortable, and surprisingly fast and economical (for the times) car.

Even by modern standards the Traction Avant is still a comfortable car. The seats are large and well padded, and you will be amazed by the amount of legroom in the back.

You may also be surprised by how much attention the car attracts from other people: it would appear that every French person had an uncle who owned one, and it is not uncommon for other motorists to wave or flash their headlights. When it is parked a Traction Avant is the centre of attention, and people are always happy to see such an iconic car in good condition and being used - often wandering up to have a chat.

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Loire Valley Time Travel
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