Citroën C4 and C6

A little history

Its initial Type A model quickly made Citroën the largest of all French automobile constructors. Coming out of nowhere, the Javel company beat rivals such as Renault, Peugeot or Mathis thanks to methods learnt across the Atlantic, at Budd’s for the body construction, and at Ford’s for the cars as a whole.

The Type A was succeeded by the Type B in May 1921. The original B2 mutated in steps into the B14, which enjoyed brakes on all four wheels and – a rare luxury at the time, all the more on a popular car – they even were power-assisted on the very last B14s. By October 1928, when the B14’s successor was unveiled during the Paris motor show, Citroën was still much ahead of the competition.

In fact, two models were introduced by Citroën, the C4 and the C6.

The C4 was the direct replacement for the B14. It took over its 1.6-litre four engine, albeit in upgraded form. Many other mechanical parts were improved. On the outside, the C4 was six centimetres lower than its predecessor, while its bonnet was higher – though this forced to adopt smaller windows, the visual effect was that the C4 looked much lower than it actually was. The steel disk wheels of the B14, obsolete by that time, were replaced by new all-metal ones of a modern design. Overall, the C4 looked pretty much as its style had been penned in Detroit but, actually, an increasing number of European cars then took their inspiration from American products.

The C6 was an upmarket version of the C4, with which emboldened Citroën expected to fight yet more closely the slightly more middle-class Renaults. In pure Javel style the C6’s design had been highly rationalized: it was basically a C4 with a longer bonnet in order to accommodate a larger 2.4-litre inline six, that was in fact nothing more than the C4’s block with two cylinders added. Most of the difference was made in small cosmetic details: a fancy two-tone paint, a chromed grille, chromed hubcaps, and most optional equipments of the C4 made standard. Starting in 1931, “Floating Power” engines, using rubber mounts to minimize vibrations and built under a Chrysler licence, greatly improved the comfort of the C6.

Another Citroën trait was the constant improvements from which its production benefited. In four years of production, the C4 and C6 went through four different production models, no less. This was certainly efficient to maintain the technical edge the company enjoyed over its rivals, but probably hazardous from an economic point of view. Anyway, this strategy’s most immediate effect was that both cars enjoyed strong sales, being produced in more than 180,000 copies until 1932. Nevertheless, the C6’s sales were below expectations, though it was involved in various publicity stunts that were highly advertised. Again more inspired by the American example than a genuine visionary, André Citroën missed no opportunity to make his company the talk of the moment. That was the time his name illuminated Paris every night, after he had rented the Eiffel Tower and used tens of thousands of electric bulbs to write a huge “CITROËN” sign over the soaring monument. Regarding the C6, he had one offered to the pope, fitted with a coupe de ville body and a rather baroque seat in the rear compartment; another one, nicknamed “Rosalie”, engaged in successful record-breaking runs at Montlhéry; and finally a new scientific mission, following the 1924-25 “Croisière Noire”, was organized with half-tracked C4s and C6s between Lebanon and China as the “Croisière Jaune”.

The C4 and C6 were replaced by the 8CV to 15CV models, designated as a whole as the “Rosalie”, a name paying homage to the successful record car.

About the models

Model: Citroën C4
Year: 1929
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.19 of its Passion Citroën press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

UH’s Citroën C4 is nicely done and benefits from many separate parts, but unfortunately has been fitted with wheels that are much too small in diameter, compromising the overall silhouette of the car. Also note the mistake made regarding the date on the plate number (the model’s stand correctly mentions 1929). My rating is 10/20.







Model: Citroën C4 F
Year: 1930
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, “Âge d'Or” series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2003, in Brive, France

Solido’s C4 is much better proportioned, and though a little more detailing would have helped, this “Fauchon” van is quite pleasant. The rear door can be opened, though it’s unfortunately made of black plastic. On my model, the golden decals have poorly resisted to the damages of passing time. My verdict: that’s a well deserved 12/20. By the way, Fauchon is a famous gourmet grocery and fine caterer from Paris.







Model: Citroën C4 F
Year: 1930
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Hachette as no.6 of its Sapeurs Pompiers de France press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2008, in Brive, France

Here is now for JDMike’s son Ken. Using the same base as the previous model, Solido also proposes this C4-based fire truck. Many parts look too much as plastic to my taste, while the windshield is made of a single piece of clear material, without any paint to represent its frame. I’ll limit my rating to 10/20 this time.

Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6

A little history

We recently saw how deep Peugeot’s roots extend. Those of de Dietrich go even further back in time, as its industrial activities started as early as… 1684!

By the late 19th century, de Dietrich operated two plants in Alsace and Lorraine, the two regions annexed by Germany from France after the 1870-71 war. It was then known as a locomotive manufacturer, but gave a try at automobile construction under the guidance of one of its directors, the young and enthusiastic Adrien de Turckheim. Though known characters worked for de Dietrich, as Amédée Bollée who designed the company’s first vehicle, or a young Italian named Ettore Bugatti, its models were usually far from conventional, always being extremely modern, even ahead of their time from a technical point of view. Among the features introduced on the company’s cars, we find a windshield on their very first car (1896), front independent suspension (1899), a six-wheel limousine (1905 – okay, so this one didn’t caught on, except in the Thunderbirds TV series), V12 engines (1919) and power-assisted brakes on all four wheels (1924).

De Dietrich was one of the most active companies in motor sports at the glorious times of the city-to-city races, with de Turckheim himself often seen behind the wheel. This provided good publicity for the company and boosted its sales, a welcomed thing as its cars were rather expensive. Actually, de Dietrich, which started fitting a large Lorraine cross onto its cars’ radiators in 1905 and soon afterwards changed its name to Lorraine-Dietrich, tried to position itself among the elite of automobile manufacturers – in this respect, its takeover of Isotta-Fraschini in 1907, though brief, remains significant.

After World War Two, Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France. Technical leadership at Lorraine-Dietrich was taken over by Marius Barbarou, which had already made himself quite a reputation while working as an engineer at Delaunay-Belleville. Soon Barbarou designed a new range of cars, including a 1922 B3-6 model powered by an advanced 3.5-litre hemi six, fitted with aluminium pistons and overhead valves. So, forty years before Mopar, Delaunay-Belleville had its own brilliant hemi engine.

Such a nicely-powered vehicle as the B3-6 couldn’t miss the very first Le Mans 24 hours, organised in 1923. Three cars were entered, one of them finishing a promising 8th. This was enough to justify the creation of a dedicated racing version of the B3-6, the 15 Sport. In 1924, three cars were again entered at Le Mans, finishing this time as high as 2-3 behind the winning Bentley. Success would finally come in 1925 (1-3), immediately followed by triumph (1-2-3 in 1926). Having nothing more to prove, Lorraine-Dietrich retired from Le Mans, though a few privately-entered B3-6s returned to the Sarthe a few years later, one of them finishing a good 4th in 1931 (helped by high attrition rate, to be frank), and the very last one racing there as late as 1935, no less than thirteen years after the introduction of the model! By this time, Lorraine-Dietrich itself was gone as an automobile manufacturer: as tens of other companies in the luxury field, it was hit hard by the aftermath of the world crisis and gave up automobile production in 1934. With a war looming, building aircraft engines and armoured vehicles seemed a more profitable business. Interestingly, the company is still active today: after reverting to the railway equipment business and changing back its name to de Dietrich, it has now entered its fourth century in the industry!

About the model

Model: Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 (15 Sport)
Year: 1926
Event: 1926 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Robert Bloch and André Rossignol (overall winner)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.70 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

Ixo proposes a nice reproduction of the 1926 Le Mans winner – though not the only one on the market, it is affordable, unlike its competitors. The Altaya version didn’t suffer too much from the necessary cuts in production costs, even its wire wheels remaining quite acceptable. I’d give a 13/20 rating to this model.

Fiat 520 and 521

A little history

Fiat has always been particularly renowned for its popular cars but, throughout its history, has also built automobiles for the more affluent. Indeed, for most of its existence Fiat has occupied the whole Italian market, except for the rather exclusive models sold by Lancia or Alfa Romeo.

During the Twenties, its middle range was held by its 507 model, a large four which had evolved from the earlier 505. By 1927, the 507 was due for retirement, and left its place to a new 520. Quite a conventional car, the 520 received nonetheless a six-cylinder engine until then reserved to the upper range 512 model. It also distinguished itself by the switch of the driver’s position from the right to the left of the car – though driving was on the right of Italian roads, cars as Alfa Romeo wouldn’t have their steering wheel mounted on this side until the early Fifties.

The 520’s six was a new 2.2-litre sidevalve block. Though roughly of the same displacement as the 507’s, it marked a sharp progress in performances, its output jumping from 35 to 46 bhp. Mechanical brakes were fitted to all four wheels – with the exception of the cheapest ones, no car could be offered anymore with brakes to only two wheels, as they still were a few years before. Rigid axles suspended by leaf springs were mounted both front and rear. Gearbox was an ordinary four-speed, non-synchromesh unit. Well, to cut this description short, as I said above there was absolutely nothing revolutionary about the car.

Mostly produced as a saloon or, to a lesser extend, as a phaeton, the 520 sold well – it was indeed a good car which furthermore had no competitors on its home market. Designed as a family car, it also entered the taxi market in 1928, one year after its introduction, when a 520T version succeeded the car-for-hire version of the 501. The 520T received a smaller 1.9-litre engine that was specific to it; with only 35 bhp to set in motion this heavy landaulet, performances were mediocre but obviously its major priority was economy.

As early as 1928, a development of the 520 appeared as the 521, though the older model would be produced for one more year as a passenger car and until 1930 as a taxi.

The 521 existed in two guises: the 521C (for “Corto”), which was basically a 520 fitted with a larger 2.5-litre six good for 50 bhp, or the standard 521, which added a chassis extended by 24 centimetres. The stretched wheelbase allowed building bodies that were better balanced visually – the 520’s towering look was now out-of-fashion, as the trend had switched to American-styled automobiles that appeared longer and lower. Most mechanical elements were carried over from the 520.

In 1931, the 521 was replaced by the new 522, which received its predecessor’s six-cylinder engine but introduced such technical refinements as hydraulic brakes and synchronised third and fourth gears.

About 40,000 Fiat 520/521s were built in Italy, shared equally between both models. In addition, about 13,000 more 521s were produced in Germany starting in 1930, becoming the first Fiat model constructed in the Heilbronn factory that had been bought the year before from local automobile and motorcycle manufacturer NSU.

About the model

Model: Fiat 521
Year: c.1928
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Solido, “Âge d'Or” series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2007, in Brive, France

Among the wide range of classic cars offered in scale by Solido, this Fiat is hardly the most popular, and I actually ignored it even existed until I spotted it on the shelf of a hypermarket. This very existence seems to contradict the reason so often heard that this or that model cannot be reproduced in die-cast because its profitability is doomed by too small a projected market: who’s really looking for a model of such a forgotten car?

This said, Solido’s model is rather simple, even to the company’s standards. Though I’m not one of these collectors who check the exact length of their models and compare it against the dimensions of the real car (respect of overall proportions, a word I often use, is for me much more important), I somewhat doubt about this model’s size – I’ll have to look for it in order to measure it, then I’ll update this post in that matter. In the meantime, my rating is 10/20.

Citroën Type A

A little history

Among all French automobile manufacturers, and particularly when compared with Peugeot and Renault which were both building vehicles by the turn of the twentieth century, Citroën is a relative newcomer. Born into a family of diamond brokers of Dutch ancestry, André Citroën made a fortune overnight by mass-producing cheap double-chevron gears, thanks to methods inspired by Ford. The year was 1913, and twelve months later almost the whole of Europe would be engulfed in a bloody conflict. Citroën’s factory, as many others, was requested to deliver artillery ammunition. The industrialist applied the same methods to its new production than he had done previously, and soon became one of the most efficient supporters of the war effort.

Army contracts kept Citroën’s Parisian plant, located on the Quai de Javel along the Seine river, quite busy. Nevertheless the man knew that the conflict wouldn’t last forever. Providing his country would win, how could he employ his factory, which had grown considerably since 1914? As soon as 1917, André Citroën didn’t have much doubt: automobiles were the answer. Once again, they would be mass-produced using Ford’s methods, in order to be within the reach of many rather than to be an expensive toy for the better class.

While his workers were making shells, one of his top engineers, the noted specialist of popular cars Jules Salomon, designed the first Citroën car. In November 1918, the war was over. As soon as May 1919, the first Type As rolled out the assembly line at Javel.

The Type A, sometimes called “10CV” from its classification under the French fiscal system of the time, was a modern yet unremarkable little car. Its power came from a small inline four displacing 1.3 litre. With 18 hp, it could reach 65 kph, enough then as long as the road was flat. A variety of bodies could be fitted. But the main feature of the Citroën was intangible: the new car offered superior quality, albeit for a low price that only the shaky and cramped cyclecars could match.

Success was instant, as with any other endeavour into which Citroën had ventured up to then. Soon a hundred Type As were built every single day at Javel and the company, shortly after its sudden intrusion onto the automobile stage, was already the industry’s leader in the country, and one of the major players on the continent, where everyone soon switched to the rational methods of production Citroën had imported from America.

The Type A was built until July 1921, when the Javel factory was converted for the production of a new model, bigger and better yet cheaper than ever, the B2 which inaugurated the Type B series.

About the model

Model: Citroën Type A
Year: 1919
Maker: Universal Hobbies
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.21 of its Passion Citroën press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

Die-casts of pre-1930 cars are rather uncommon. There are many contributing factors: smaller potential market, endless variety of models (automobiles were then offered by more brands, in many different body styles, and were updated almost every year), more separate parts to assemble in order to produce these scale models. Therefore it seems fair to cheer at Universal Hobbies’ efforts. Atlas’ Passion Citroën press series could have been filled mostly by post-war models, but instead U.H. followed a rougher path, reproducing virtually all models from the Twenties in at least one body style. Furthermore, these models are excellent, being both perfectly modelled and well assembled. I’ll give a 14/20 to this die-cast.

Renault Vivasix

A little history

Immediately recognizable as a Renault from its typical bonnet, the Vivasix represented one of the best automobiles French motorists who belonged to the upper middle class could purchase by the late Twenties. A relatively large automobile powered by a 3.2-litre straight six able to carry the hefty car at 130 kph, the Vivasix was built between 1926 and 1930, until totally superseded by the Vivastella, launched in 1929.

(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)

About the model

Model: Renault Vivasix PG2
Year: 1928
Maker: Norev
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: M6 as no.37 of its Renault Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in June 2006, in Souillac, France

A nice model, built with exceptional care considering it’s “only” a press release. A special mention should go to the tiny “VIVASIX” badge fitted to the front bumper and the four separate door handles. I don’t know what the agreement between the two companies exactly is, but this die-cast, branded as a Norev in “press” version, is also sold by Universal Hobbies (which provided part of the Renault Collection series with Norev) under the ref. 5059, albeit in a not-as-pleasing blue and black colour combination. My rating is 14/20.