75 Years Of Citroen In The UK Citroen From A To X

Some car manufacturers build perfectly respectable automobiles. Others build cars that inspire fierce loyalty. Then there is Citroën—a company that has spent well over a century cheerfully ignoring convention, repeatedly asking, "But what if we did it this way instead?" The result has been a glorious procession of cars that have astonished engineers, baffled mechanics, delighted owners and occasionally left everyone else wondering whether the French know something the rest of us don’t.

75 Years of Citroën in the UK – Citroën from A to X is John Reynolds’ affectionate celebration of three-quarters of a century of one of motoring’s most distinctive marques on British roads. From the earliest imported models through the revolutionary Traction Avant, the iconic 2CV, the impossibly elegant DS, the wonderfully eccentric SM and beyond, the book charts Citroën’s unique journey in a country where driving on the opposite side of the road was only one of several challenges awaiting these uncompromisingly original machines.

This is far more than a simple catalogue of models. Reynolds explores the people, dealerships, importers, engineers and enthusiasts who helped establish Citroën’s reputation in Britain, revealing how a company famous for innovation gradually earned an intensely loyal following. Along the way we encounter a succession of remarkable engineering ideas: front-wheel drive before it became fashionable, self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension that seemed suspiciously close to magic, swivelling headlights, futuristic styling and dashboards that occasionally looked as though they had been borrowed from tomorrow by mistake.

Of course, owning a Citroën has always been something of a declaration of independence. While neighbours were content with sensible family saloons that behaved exactly as expected, Citroën owners preferred cars that rose majestically from the ground when started, glided over potholes as though they had diplomatic immunity and possessed enough hydraulic pipework to keep a small plumbing merchant in business. They inspired bewilderment in equal measure from admirers and local garage mechanics, the latter often responding to unfamiliar components with a thoughtful scratching of the head and the immortal phrase, "Well... that’s different."

One of the great pleasures of this book is that it captures the optimism behind these extraordinary machines. Citroën never seemed interested in building merely another car. Each new model represented an attempt to rethink how motoring should work, whether through engineering, comfort, styling or practicality. Sometimes the ideas transformed the industry. Occasionally they merely terrified accountants. Either way, they ensured that Citroën was never, ever boring.

Packed with photographs, period illustrations, advertisements and fascinating historical detail, 75 Years of Citroën in the UK is a rewarding read for enthusiasts of French motoring, automotive history or ingenious engineering in general. It reminds us that while many manufacturers spent decades refining familiar ideas, Citroën preferred to invent entirely new ones—and then wondered why everyone else hadn’t thought of them first.

Condition: Very Good. A clean, well-looked-after copy that has clearly survived the years rather more gracefully than some elderly hydraulic suspension systems. Bright, tidy and entirely ready for its next custodian, it remains in excellent reading condition. Unlike a neglected classic Citroën, it requires no specialist fluid, no mysterious green spheres and absolutely no explanation to puzzled neighbours before it can be fully appreciated.

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