Could be the makings of a cool French “hot rod”?? Down the street from where I reside in Lewes,Delaware(home to Rehoboth Beach) is a shop that works on and sells “just about anything”. I was p***ing close by and spotted this particular car. After taking some pics(to show to HAMB members),I looked in the front seat and there is a gasket set that reads——53 Citroen which I know is a French made car. It’s bigger than an early Anglia or Prefect but smaller than a 34 Ford 4 dr sedan.To make things even more interesting,it has suicide frt doors and is also frt wheel drive. Paint looks original and no rust seen on a pretty clean body(dent wise). These people sell a large amount of vehicles on bring a trailer.com.
Traction Avant, I photoshopped one of these into a 3W coupe once, looked good but I don't think I have the picture anymore. They look a lot like a sectioned 33/34 Ford to me. I definitely could see potential in a hot rodded one of these if someone could really nail the lines and proportions.
In the ‘70s my girlfriend’s brother in law bought one of those sight unseen from a dealer in France and had it shipped to the Port of LA. He was going to pick it up and drive it to Evergreen, Colorado where they lived. Apparently, they drained more than the gas before shipping it. He got on the 110 freeway and it overheated and seized. My GF volunteered me to fix it. The car was clean as a whistle. Surprisingly, I found a place in Hollywood that had all of the parts. He paid. I rebuilt it in my little garage and found it to be a remarkably stout and rebuildable engine. I cleaned and painted and made it look like new. It was quiet and powerful for a four banger. I drove it back to Colorado with my buddy following in my ‘56 Chevy sedan delivery. It was very pleasant to drive and I even slept in the back seat in a Denny’s parking lot along the way. In the late evening, we had some adventures when some local ladies who were having a slow night, offered to keep us company. Umm. When we arrived in Evergreen he had been laid off from his job and had no money. He gave me a pair of Russian binoculars…. We drove home. My GF was pissed, her sister was embarr***ed, but they never did reimburse me. But overall, I liked working on and driving the Citroen and Mark and I took the scenic route home and enjoyed the road trip. Good times…. Post script: A year later they had heavy snow in Evergreen and the little garage collapsed onto the Citroen. He had it repaired and kept it for years.
The Jalopy Journal
