100 years Citroën. The company car history. Part 2 (slot)

This year exists Citroën 100 year. The French car manufacturer has been making a name for itself for a century thanks to the production of non-conventional passenger cars. The French also made a name for themselves in the commercial vehicle sector. Some time ago we shared the pre-war commercial vehicle history with you. Today you read part 2, and that is about the era in which Citroën made life more enjoyable for the entrepreneur with illustrious company cars such as the H-series and the order ducks.

Introduced in 1947 Citroën the Type H. It had learned in a positive way from the TUB, which from a constructive point of view could be considered revolutionary. The Type H- with its corrugated iron bodywork, and all the technology before, found its design origins after the Second World War. Because engine, drive and gearbox were all placed at the front of the Type H, it was possible to Citroën vary endlessly for purposes of use and extend the self-supporting body to your heart's content. The construction of the body actually led back to the starting points of the Traction Avant, and made many applications possible.

Type H conversion often outsourced

That was remarkable Citroën usually did not adjust the conversion themselves. Bodybuilders such as Gruau and Heuliez took the Citroën orderer for specific purposes to your heart's content. The Dutch bodybuilder Akkermans also made a name for himself by building various ambulance versions, and providing the rear axle with hydropneumatics, an idea that descended in a straight line from the construction that could also be applied to later Traction Avants. The Type H was given different names. Depending on the load capacity, the H models were called HX, HY, HW and HZ, while the H 1200 was also not an unknown name in Type H circles.

Successor

The Type H was built no less than 35 year, and it was available with gasoline and (Indenor) diesel engines. Although he went out of production in 1982, he was already succeeded in 1974 by the C32 / C35, a much more efficiently designed but extremely practical and (again) versatile (and available in many variants) commercial vehicle, which at Chausson and from 1987 to 1991 was built at FIAT (together with family member FIAT 242). Back to the Type H, which lost little of its origin in 35 years. Today it is still a popular classic company car.

Type N (Belphégor)

This applies to a lesser extent to Type N, which was built from 1965 to 1972 and could also be used for various purposes. Various body houses varied on the theme (Currus, for example, manufactured a bus), which also offered space for multiple sizes and load capacities. The small truck was available with gasoline and (large) six-cylinder diesel engines, which were also purchased from MAN and Perkins for certain models. The N designed by Flaminio Bertoni and Robert Opron is relatively unknown today, but made its name through its versatility and special innovations, such as the DS braking system and the windows in the cabin (above the headlights) that made maneuvering easier. At the production stop in 1972 the counter stopped working on copies produced around 10.000.

Order it

Launched in 1951 Citroën the AU. It was the start of a long period in the field of van construction based on the 2CV. The AU devised for the small traders was equipped with an 375 cc engine, later the AU was joined by the AZU which received an engine with 425 cc and 12 PK. The AU disappeared from the price lists in 1955, the AZU remained and was joined by the AK in the sixties, with a load capacity of 350 kilos and the AMI 6 engine with 602cc. Lifestyle designs such as the MIXTE and the AZUL were also devised based on the order ducks.

Adjustments in the seventies

In the seventies (when the ridges also disappear more and more into the background), the AK400 (AKS) replaces the AK (the 350) version. The AZU remains, and is officially called 250. Remarkably, the 250 available in the early 1970s is available with an 6V (and 425 cc engine) and an 12V (435 cc engine from 2 CV 4) electrical system, and that the extra side windows disappear from the standard equipment across the board. In 1977 they return, the AKS (AK400) has already received a strongly modified power source, partly to combat noise pollution.

Arrival of the Acadiane

The remaining order ducks will be replaced at the end of 1977 by the Acadiane, which builds on the AK400 and offers more comfort. It is equipped with an 602 cc engine that delivers 31 PK and effortlessly fulfills its role in the smaller van segment, which at Citroën Incidentally, it has also been completed for years with order variants from the AMI, the GS (both based on the Breaks) and (to a limited extent) the Méhari. The Visa offers the basis for the then introduced C15 in the mid-1980s, which gradually put an end to the 2-cylinder commercial vehicle sage at Citroën. He fulfilled the role with verve and was produced more than a million times, more than twice as much as the much loved Type H, The company car history was traded in for more pragmatics.

On to today with a strong history

It produced co-productions such as the C25, the Berlingo, the Jumpy and the Jumper, which were less eye-catching but played an important role in the total range of Citroën. Today's traders can reach Citroën for the most current versions of the Berlingo, the Jumpy and the Jumper. Although they will never match the historical status of models such as the TUB, the Type H, the 2CV orderers and the Acadiane.