Carnival of the chevrons
On 19-21 July, Citroën – and scores of car clubs – staged a huge celebration for the marque’s 100th birthday
MORE THAN 50,000 Citroënistes from around the globe travelled to the small French town of La Ferté-Vidame to celebrate the marque’s 100th anniversary, in what the company called ‘The Gathering of a Century’. Approximately 4200 classic Citroëns made the pilgrimage to the grounds of the ruined château, home to the company’s top-secret test facility used during the development of the Citroën 2CV.
Every era of Citroën’s past was well represented, although DS and Traction models – neatly arranged to mimic the twinhelical-gear logo – dominated. 2CV numbers were also healthy along with strong attendance from ‘Big Citroën’ communities, including what must be the largest single gathering of SM, CX, XM and C6 ever seen.
Xavier Crespin, managing director of L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, had a hand in the event from the beginning: ‘We dreamt about it three years ago, and the fact that it is in reality now makes me feel a bit funny. Citroën has this incredible passion through clubs, and they decided three years ago that they would get together and celebrate 100 years their way. So we decided we had to be involved and do something special.’
Citroën brought a number of interesting cars from its collection, including three surviving pre-war TPV prototypes, precursors of the 2CV. Crespin explained: ‘Homologation for the TPV came through on the day they declared war. They had 250 cars made, then destroyed them so they wouldn’t be given to the Germans. They saved five, of which four remain. Three are here today, exactly as they were discovered. They were hidden under the roof of a building right here until 1994.’
Other treasures brought out of hibernation included the one-off Chapron DS limousine built for President Charles de Gaulle and the ill-fated rotary-engined helicopter. The latest Ami One and 19–19 numbered among the concept cars, while rally cars ranged from Safari-spec SMs, a CX and a ZX Rally Raid car to Sebastien Loeb’s WRC-dominating machines.
Crespin concluded: ‘In total we have 4200 cars registered for the three days. Probably 30% are foreign, mostly from Europe. I have a lot of respect for how much a brand can survive. Marking 100 years of Citroën here is very special.’
Citroën has celebrated its anniversary throughout the year, with this gathering a high point. It followed a display of some of the company’s greatest moments in the centre of Paris. That the company nowadays wholeheartedly embraces, celebrates and respects its heritage bodes well for marque enthusiasts.