Rare Original Traction Avant 15-6 Cabriolet to be Auctioned
On October 5, 2024 at the Autoworld auction in Brussels, the Aguttes auction house will be trying to find a new home for one of the most legendary of all Tractions — a 1946 15-6 Cabriolet — Châssis n° 1846075.
It is not the Mme Michelin Traction 15-6 Cabriolet but it was originally owned by the Michelin family. It’s history according to the Auguttes’ listing fascinating:
The genesis of the Traction 15 Six Cabriolet is one of the great mysteries of French motoring, and has been the subject of a great deal of ink over the years… Noted Citroën historian Olivier de Serres acknowledges that only three 15 Cabriolet models have survived out of a handful produced.
Citroën’s line-up logic from the beginning of the Traction meant that a Cabriolet would be added to the catalogue after the announcement of the Saloon and 6-seater versions of their 4-cylinder models. When the 6-cylinder 15-6 model Saloon was introduced it was affectionately referred to as “Queen of the Road” thanks to the performance offered by the new 2.8 litre in-line 6-cylinder engine and its exceptional road-holding qualities. André Louis, who was in charge of Citroën’s special orders at the time, testifies that three 6-cylinder cabriolet prototypes were assembled by the research department in 1939 for testing on the Montlhéry circuit. According to the same source, a total of 7 bodies were produced at the instigation of the Michelin family, 3 of which were actually delivered just before the war: one for Madame Michelin (shown at the 90th Anniversary Celebration of the Traction Avant this year at Circuit de Charade, Puy de Dome, France), one for the Countess de Portes (lost), and a third for the French ambassador to the United States (also missing). Technical problems arose during the assembly of these cars, and it was decided to shelve the project, especially as France entered the war… According to André Louis, the 4 remaining ‘’ferrées‘’ bodies were stored in the basement of the Quai de Javel factory in Paris, awaiting better days…
This car is one of the 4 remaining ‘’ferrées‘’ bodies, found during the Liberation of France in in 1945. It was assembled and registered by the Service des Mines in 1946, as can be seen from its identification plate, which can still be seen on the body. The authenticity of the body has been certified by the brand’s historians, and it is likely that it was assembled on the 18th of May 1939, as indicated by a stamp on the windscreen frame. This date is important as it can be reconciled with the delivery date of Madame Michelin’s Cabriolet, the 20th of May 1939.
While its early life is not known, it can be traced back to 1964 when it arrived at the home of Raoul Wander, head of Ovaltine, the famous chocolatier who claimed to have bought the car from a member of the Michelin family. At that time the car already bore the registration number 8400 KD 75 dated around August 1960, which it would keep until 2015. It remained in his garage for two years, before Denys Joannon bought it in February 1966: the car was then fitted with a 15 Six D engine from the 1950s, and painted in the same shade of red as today.
At that time, traces of grey were visible underneath the red paintwork, a detail of great value for the authentication of this car, since it corroborates the testimonies of relatives of the Michelin family, who attest having used a grey 15-6 Cabriolet in the 1950s. A recent testimony from a member of the Michelin family further confirms this information, adding that the car was very quickly repainted red and sold, to be replaced by a Lancia Flaminia.
Denys Joannon, a famous Citroën dealer and collector of the marque (he owned one of the five SM Chapron Mylord, DS Cabriolet, etc.), used the 15-6 Cabriolet regularly for almost 50 years before selling it in 2015 at a previous public auction. After an intense bidding battle, the car changed hands for more than €600,000, becoming the most expensive Citroën road car in the world!
The current owner, a keen collector and connoisseur of French cars, took possession of his dream Traction Cabriolet in what he considered to be an inadequate state of repair: he carried out almost €70,000 worth of work between 2016 and 2018 that included; restoration of the engine and running gear, complete overhaul of the upholstery and soft top, and a full paint job.
In 2024, just before the sale, a major overhaul was carried out (at a cost of nearly €10,000) at the garage Tilly & Fils (experts in the model) with the sole aim of offering the next owner a car in concours body and perfect mechanical condition.
With nearly €80,000 in invoices since 2015, it is estimated to sell for between 300 000 – 500 000 €.
Watch the video with Olivier de Serres here:
For more information about the auction and other cars listed for sale there, visit: https://www.aguttes.com/catalogue/153687?offset=0&
Update — Oct 6, 2024: The Traction did not sell at the auction. Presumably it did not meet the reserve of €300,000.
It should be stated that the Conservatoire Citroen never officially homologated this vehicle – in their official Traction factory register where all cars were noted down during their production, this vehicle chassis number is noted, but with a different pen, with a different handletter writing style compared to the rest of all records around the TA, and also not in the sequence of all vehicles being built – it could be easily interpreted as “somebody had noted it down at a later stage”……………………………. Also it is not stated at all that this car is really what it pretends to be – at least not officially by the manufacturer. I would be rather careful to confirm that this vehicle is authentic.