Citroën Picture Gallery

These pictures show a total of five consecutive Citroëns my father used to drive in the forties and fifties.

I hope you will enjoy looking at the pictures and read the separate stories about some of the very special cars among them.

The pictures were taken during my parents' honeymoon in France in June of 1949. The person next to the car is my mother.

Please note the typical 1947 features such as the black head light rims and the yellow BM wheels.

Extras on this car were the arm indicators on the cowl below the wind shield and two electric demisters on the wind shield.

The license number is according to the old provincial system, where each of the (then) 11 provinces in the Netherlands used one letter starting with "A" for Groningen, "B" for Friesland, etcetera, followed by a number. "H" stood for Zuid-Holland. In the provinces Noord- and Zuid-Holland with a greater number of registered cars, the additional letters X and Z were used.
Starting 1951, this registration system was replaced by the current one where one central body issues licenses for cars throughout the nation.

The second car was a grey 1951 TA 15-Six D Berline built in France.

Delivered on 31st May 1952. Price: NLG 10.200,- License number: NK-65-??.

Both pictures in the left hand frames (captured 8 mm movie images) show my sister at age 2½ and myself just 4 years old in front of our house in Oegstgeest, Netherlands, early April 1954. The right hand frames show my mother during a holiday in Spain in September 1953, while she is pregnant of my younger brother. The lower right hand picture was taken during the same photo session as both other ones, in April 1954.

Typical 1950-'51 features on the 15-Six were the double-hight straight bumpers and the additional air vents on either side of the radiator grill.

Extras on this car were a white Quillery steering wheel and a radio. A remarkable device can be seen on top of the radiator, which was supposed to prevent insects from hitting the wind screen (?!)

In the summer of 1954 the Six Berline was succeeded by a black Belgian built TA 15-Six Limousine.

Serial number 640.50.016. Engine number PS09601. Production date: 2 July 1954. Delivery date: 9 August 1954. Price: NLG 11.255,- License number: RD-92-66

It is now known that this was one out of a series of 22 cars built by the Foreest Citroën factory. Only 6 of them were exported to the Netherlands.

The colour pictures were taken in Spain in October of 1955. The B&W pictures were kindly made available to me by the second owner of the car.

Delivery date: 24 December 1956. Price: NLG 11.500,-. License number: SG-31-04

Late 1956, after the Suez crisis and the sharp rise in oil prices, it was decided to replace the fuel guzzling Traction Avant with a yellow/black DS19.

The first picture, taken in March of 1957, shows my younger sister and brother and myself next to the yellow DS19. The upholstery was a bright blue. The car had a black steel roof and painted B- and C- roof supports rather than stainless steel ones.

On the second (B&W) picture, taken in 1958, a Coenen sun roof and a radio had been added to the car.

Each of these pictures is protected by copyright and shall not be copied unless with the express prior consent of the author.