Citroën Type H

Though by the Fifties Citroën had given up the first rank among French vehicles manufacturers in favour of Renault, there’s rarely a French movie from that era in which you don’t spot either a 2CV, a Traction Avant or a Type H van in the background – all Citroën products. Today we’ll discuss about the latter.

A little history

We have seen how Renault hid the studies of its 4CV from the Germans during World War Two; Citroën did the same and discreetly developed both the 2CV and the Type H. Though the little passenger car existed as pre-series models even before the conflict, the Type H was studied from 1942 on. Design was supervised by engineer Pierre Franchiset, which followed CEO Pierre Boulanger’s instructions: a simple vehicle, cheap to build and to operate, that would use as many existing components as could be. The resulting van looked as a wheeled box made of corrugated metal, a choice made because of the possibility it offered of building a rigid monocoque body out of thin sheets of metal. The Type H carried over all of the TUB’s characteristics: front wheel drive, cab-over design, independent suspension, unibody construction, lateral sliding door for loading and unloading, etc.

When first unveiled at the Paris motor show in October 1947, the Type H was using the 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine from the Traction Avant 11CV, and was rated at 1.200 kilograms of cargo. The very first Citroën vans had to wait until June 1948 to be available to the public. Most of these brand-new Type Hs were painted grey, and this colour would remain, by far, the most common throughout the vehicle’s lifetime.

The Type H remained basically unchanged for thirty-four years. Various wheelbases, an elevated-top van, diesel-powered variants became available, but the basic H, later called HY, was virtually identical until December 1981, when the very last one left the factory. Almost half a million had been built, quite a feat for a commercial vehicle.

About the models

Model: Citroën H
Year: c.1957
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.46 of its Police et Gendarmerie press series
Acquired: brand new, in July 2006, in Brive, France





Model: Citroën H
Year: 1958
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.37 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France







Model: Citroën H
Year: c.1958
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.2 of its Nos Chères Camionnettes d'Antan press series
Acquired: second hand with stand and box, in October 2007, through mail from a fellow collector from Rouziers de Touraine, France





Model: Citroën H
Year: c.1958
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.5 of its Michelin press series
Acquired: brand new, in November 2007, in Souillac, France





Model: Citroën H
Year: c.1958
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.21 of its Les petits utilitaires des années 50-60 series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in October 2007, in Brive, France







Model: Citroën HY
Year: 1964
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.2 of its Véhicules postaux d'hier et d'aujourd'hui press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France





Model: Citroën HY
Year: c.1964
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as a gift to subscribers of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2004, through subscription in France





Model: Citroën HY
Year: c.1964
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.1 of its Police et Gendarmerie press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2004, in Brive, France