CITROEN

CITROEN / PARIS / FRANCE ( 1919 - today )

André CITROEN started his own car production in 1919, before he was chief engineer of MORS / FRANCE and he had is own manufacture of gearwheels. That is why you see on the emblems  two pattern of those gearwheels, called double chevron.

 But the first CITROEN emblem I couldn´t identify was the following round emblem with red enamel and the letters of Citroen, but no gearwheel sign.  

A collector friend of mine owns the identical emblem and swears that he dismantled it himself from a Citroen radiator. According to him, it is indeed an automobile emblem, but I´m still looking for an objective proof.

Now I got the proof, thanks to reader Nico Michon.

Citroen letters in a gothic style, no double chevron !

Size	5.1 cm
Year	1919
Estimate

 

From 1926 to 1966 CITROEN assembled cars in Slough / UK , West of London. The cars had right hand drive and a 12 volt Lucas electric system instead of the french original with 6 volts.

It is particularly interesting that the 1938 Citroen had a red, round emblem on its grille as a visible indication that it was built in England.

1938 english brochure

 

 

with a little imagination, you can read “CITROEN” on the red emblem in the illustration.

 

another brochure showing the round emblem  ( collection Nico Michon )

Now it is time to show the generally known Citroen emblem, which was shown on the vehicles in different versions and on the advertisments  from 1919 to 1933:

 

 

 

to avoid reflections the emblem was in the freezer before making this photo

Size	5.5 cm x 6.2 cm
Year	1919 - 1933
Estimate

                     No need to buy a reproduction. There are enough originals on the market.

left: original                   right: reproduction

 

 

1925 advertisement. I added the emblem for my exposition.

 

 

 

This emblem is made the other way round. The chevrons are enameled, i.e. embossed , while they are raised on the normal emblem and chromed. So you need two different patterns for production.

 

Size	5.5 cm x 6.2 cm
Year	c. 1930
Estimate

 

 

 

 

 

André CITROEN invented the engine with " Floating Power" (moteur flottant) and  proudly showed this innovation on the radiator emblem in 1933:

Size	5.5 cm
Year	1933
Estimate

 

 

1933 advertisement with Moteur flottant emblem

 

 

There was also a German version made in Cologne where you can read:  Schwebender Motor = floating power

 

 

Special emblem for the 1933 CITROEN made in Cologne/ Germany

 

Size	5.5 cm
Year	1933
Estimate

 

 

 Here the British version:

 

Special 1933 emblem for the CITROEN made in Slough / UK

 

Size	5.5 cm
Year	1933
Estimate

 

 

 

 

 Giant spare wheel emblem :

 

 

Size	11.8 cm ( emblem only)
Year	1933
Estimate

 

 

To show the differences in size, I have placed the normal front emblem on the spare wheel emblem:

 

 

 

 The customer could also fit a hub cap with a MICHELIN motif instead of the Citroen emblem:

 

Hard to find MICHELIN spare wheel cover

 

 

1933 advertisement showing the round "moteur flottant" emblem

 

 

 

As shown CITROEN also produced cars in GERMANY, AUSTRIA, GREAT BRITAN and  ITALY.
The Italian made automobiles had their own emblem. Before it was decided which emblem should adorn the vehicles built in Italy, the Bregonzio  company from Milan produced prototypes.

Here I present you one of these prototypes:

 

this prototype emblem never found its way onto the final car

 

Size	5.5 cm x 6.2 cm
Year
Estimate

 The emblems shown below were installed instead:

 

CITROEN MILANO emblem

Size	6.2 cm x 4.5 cm
Year	1926
Estimate

Here is the second emblem,  a most sought - after CITROEN emblem. It is from a C6 of 1930.

CITROEN radiator emblem

Size	6.6 cm x 4.9 cm
Year	1930
Estimate

Here you see the C6 of the pope Pius XI. The car is in the Museum de Chariot of Rome. The odometer of this car is showing 156 kilometers only. Thank you Giuseppe for the information and  this picture.

 

CITROEN radiator with motometer and emblem

 

 

 

Italian made CITROEN for sale; seen in Padova in 2020

 

 

 

close up of the above shown CITROEN

 

 

 

 The type C6 also had an enameled script:

 

 

 

 

 Another  script with enameled letters:

 

 

 

 

 

As in Italy and the UK,  CITROEN also had a factory in Köln / Germany ( still in existence today )

and here is the German CITROEN radiator emblem. As in Italy the town is marked: KÖLN. 

To my knowledge this is a one year only emblem, so a very rare item.

 

 

 

 

Size	6.2 cm x 4.7 cm
Year	1927
Estimate

 

 

 

 

wonderful 1927 advertisement with cathedral of Köln in the background and the special CITROEN KÖLN emblem

 

1928 advertisement: no more "KÖLN" on the emblem

 

 

 The next CITROEN generation was also built in Köln. Again there was a special emblem where you can read : Schwebender Motor CITROEN KÖLN  on it :

 

 

special emblem for the German Citroen Type Rosalie made in Köln from 1933 to 1934

 

 

Size	5.4  cm
Year	1933 - 1934
Estimate

 

 

 

 

 

Motormeter emblem for prewar CITROEN as you have seen on the CITROEN papamobile

 

 

 

Very nice prewar emblem. But I don´t know when and where it was used. Do you?

 

 

 

here another version ( collection M. Shears )

 

 

 

 

My last acquisition. But I have no idea when and where it was used. Do you ?

 

 

 

After WWII, the Citroen emblem became very boring. Usually only two separate double chevrons were applied to the front  or radiator:

 

 

Here  a interesting CITROEN type HY model with the typical boring emblem, which only consists of two double chevrons.

 

 Even the most expensive version of the Citroen 2CV (Sahara type with two engines) only had two separate double chevrons:

 

 

One of the few exceptions was the emblem of the CITROEN Birotor vehicle. The vehicle and the emblem are extremely rare:

 

 

 And here is another exception. Some vans and camping vehicles had a rectangular, enameled emblem:

 

 

 

 In my opinion, in the next photo we see  a desperate attempt by Citroen to modernize the historic emblem:

 

CITROEN seen in Paris in 2023

 

 

For more  emblems see older posts or  top right of this page (list of car makers) !

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