Celebrating Citroën collectable models

My love affair with Citroëns goes back a very long way, as my little collection of 1/18 models here demonstrates. I’ve even got a 2CV chassis and drivetrain stashed down the side of my garage for a future full-sized project, but that’s not for these pages.

From the absolute genius of the 15CV “Traction Avant”, introduced in 1934, to the brute power of the electric E-Tense concept unveiled at the 2016 Salon de Genève and most things in between, there is something that really pushes my buttons about these French fancies. But the two designs that have always held a special place in my automotive heart are the DS and its sporty evolution, the mighty Maserati-powered SM. 

There are many I would like to add to this little lot but my space is limited so the XM, CX, 2CV, H-Van etc., will have to exist in just 1/43 scale for the time being.

The Maisto 15CV is of mid-nineties vintage but the other three here are much more recent and all three are by Norev, although the 1968 DS 21 Chapron Palm Beach is a collaboration with Tacot for its Metal 18 range and comes complete with working lights! Depress the front suspension by pushing down on the front bonnet and those stylish lenses burst into life, as do the tail lights. The beautiful Golden Leaf SM is a current release and the futuristic E-Tense concept is a dealer model from a couple of years ago. Overstocks recently found their way onto the retail market and that’s where I found mine at a bargain price. Technically, this incredible looking car isn’t a Citroën as the DS brand became a separate entity in 2014. But to me, the family bond is strong enough to justify its inclusion here.

I’ve recently built a little garage to display them all on so if I do manage to squeeze in an XM (Solido made a rather splendid version at this scale) something will need to be housed through the doors in the yard access. So I do have room then…