Last Saturday June 18 the roar of high powered motor bikes, so frequently heard at weekends on Strand Quay was replaced by the gentle purr of elderly engines as members of the Traction Owners Club brought their immaculate Citroen cars on to the Quayside as part of the 4oth anniversary celebrations of the Club. Why the strange name? Citroen was one of the first manufacturers to produce front wheel drive cars in any quantity (1934) and the French term for this is ‘traction avant’, usually abbreviated to just ‘traction’.
Rye was a stop on a tour through Kent (and our little bit of Sussex) which ended the following day at Hole Park, in Rolvenden. In addition to those cars from the UK, members came from France, Holland, Belgium and Norway, many with cars that had their own interesting history.
There was the car that, having been hidden in a barn in France during the 2nd World War, was discovered by some German soldiers who wanted to take it shortly after D-Day. Fortunately the owner, having said yes, take it (not too much choice, really!) quickly removed the wheels (the soldiers had only seen the top of the car above some hay bales) so that when they came to collect it, the owner pretended the wheels had been stolen by other soldiers and it so could not, after all, be moved.
Another pair of Citroens, immaculately presented, turned out not to have been made in France at all but in Slough. Apparently it is possible to tell the British-made cars by their walnut dashboards and leather seats against the more utilitarian dashboards and metal-framed seats (think Citroen 2cv) of the French-made ones.
A fascinating and all to brief look at motoring history.
Photos: John MInter