Could French cars ever establish themselves in the US market?

Good point. Citroen was seeing itself as a the vanguard of automotive technology, at any cost and independantly from benefits or sale levels. This partly explain why they went bankrupt in 1974 and saved by Peugeot (under heavy insistance by the French government)
The DS was the most advanced car of its time but a) it was underpowered and b) it was sold at a price too low for benefits to happen. Citroen was a on dangerous downward spiral.

However given that Citroen's DS and CX 4-cylinder (that finished production powering the CX until 1991) traces it roots to the pre-war Citroen Traction Avant engine that was to also form the basis of the infamous shelved V8 model, it could be the case that the answer for Citroen is a POD where the Traction Avant V8 manages to enter production and from the post-war evolves into a lower displacement sub 3.0-litre V8 (later V6) for the French domestic market, while export market versions feature a version of the V8 with a displacement of around 3822-4998cc (using the displacement of the DS/CX 4-cylinder engines as a rough guide).

That same engine could also form the basis of an in-house V6 (assuming the pre-war V8 manages to enter production) as well as a dieselized version of the V8 (or V6) if they were inclined and had the capital to do so, along with Citroen even having OTL plans to spawn a 1.6 4-cylinder in the Citroen F Project.
 
Last edited:
As far as I can determine, the Olds IP wasn't included, otherwise they would have used the superior Olds heads and beefier block: they didn't interchange. Also Repco in Oz couldn't haven't used the Olds as a base for their engine.

That might have been the case though Repco's use of the derived V8 in question was strictly for racing, also Rover had plans to further develop its all-alloy V8 into a 4000-4400cc+ unit with quad-cams and 32-valves for use in the P8 prior to the formation of BL.
 

Archibald

Banned
However given that Citroen's DS and CX 4-cylinder (that finished production powering the CX until 1991) traces it roots to the pre-war Citroen Traction Avant engine that was to also form the basis of the infamous shelved V8 model, it could be the case that the answer for Citroen is a POD where the Traction Avant V8 manages to enter production and from the post-war evolves into a lower displacement sub 3.0-litre V8 (later V6) for the French domestic market, while export market versions feature a version of the V8 with a displacement of around 3822-4998cc (using the displacement of the DS/CX 4-cylinder engines as a rough guide).

That same engine could also form the basis of an in-house V6 (assuming the pre-war V8 manages to enter production) as well as a dieselized version of the V8 (or V6) if they were inclined and had the capital to do so, along with Citroen even having OTL plans to spawn a 1.6 4-cylinder in the Citroen F Project.

Very interesting, in fact I didn't knew about the pre-WWII Citroen V8 Traction Avant and its connection to the CX. Sounds a good path toward a V8 / V6, although it might a little antiquated (a 50 years long career)
 
Very interesting, in fact I didn't knew about the pre-WWII Citroen V8 Traction Avant and its connection to the CX. Sounds a good path toward a V8 / V6, although it might a little antiquated (a 50 years long career)

Am specifically referring to Citroen's Inline-4 engines that while powering the Citroen DS and Citroen CX until 1991, share the same ancestry as the engine that powered the pre-war Traction Avant. The later DS 3.0-litre V8 project was derived from the DS Inline-4, which itself was essentially an updated Traction Avant engine.

It might be the case that the updated Inline-4 that powered the CX and spawned dieselized variants also has a similar potential to spawn updated V6 and V8 engines (including turbo and dieselized versions), that is assuming the money was available.

Where that leaves Maserati is another matter, it is possible the Maserati derived V6 and V8 engines are limited to just Maserati models with Citroen instead utilizing Maserati's know-how to update its own existing ATL V6 and V8 engines or the Maserati engines still manage to end up replacing the ATL Citroen DS V6 and V8 engines vaguely similar to OTL.
 
Last edited:

Delta Force

Banned
Renault pioneered turbo engines and pneumatic valve springs, so France was still a leader in combustion engine technology as recently as the 1980s. Could Citroen have turned to Renault for engines?
 
Renault pioneered turbo engines and pneumatic valve springs, so France was still a leader in combustion engine technology as recently as the 1980s. Could Citroen have turned to Renault for engines?

I'll give you the valve springs, but I think that Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Porsche might have to disagree with the other statement.

As I said in an earlier post. I think this is lunacy. A lot of this has to do with the mindset of two different cultures. This is a true story. I worked for AMC. When we were building Alliance's and Encore's one of the French engineers was really looking forward to the weekend. We asked what he had planned and he said he's was going to Disneyworld. When asked when his flight left he said he was driving. To Florida. From Wisconsin. For the weekend. He thought it was only about 500 miles. He really did not understand the distances involved. Oh he understood them intellectually. He just didn't understand them in his gut.
 
I'll give you the valve springs, but I think that Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Porsche might have to disagree with the other statement.

As I said in an earlier post. I think this is lunacy. A lot of this has to do with the mindset of two different cultures. This is a true story. I worked for AMC. When we were building Alliance's and Encore's one of the French engineers was really looking forward to the weekend. We asked what he had planned and he said he's was going to Disneyworld. When asked when his flight left he said he was driving. To Florida. From Wisconsin. For the weekend. He thought it was only about 500 miles. He really did not understand the distances involved. Oh he understood them intellectually. He just didn't understand them in his gut.

Had something similar, finally got a friend to understand a similar trip would be like him doing a Paris to Moscow weekend road trip.

Understood that real well.
 
Top