The Traction Avant series of cars was one of the most revolutionary ever put into mass production. Among its avant garde features were:-

monocoque (ie chassis-less) construction
front wheel drive
torsion bar suspension
aerodynamic bodywork
The Traction was shown to an astonished public on 18 April 1934 and remained in production until 1957, at which point it was still in advance of most of its contemporaries in most areas apart from styling.

The development costs of the Traction bankrupted the company and it was taken over by its largest creditor, Michelin, who would remain in control until the mid seventies.
The Traction offered unparallelled levels of comfort, handling and roadholding compared with its contemporaries.
The first model launched was the 7A, quickly followed by the more powerful 7B and 7 Sport and then in 1935, it was followed by the 11CV and the 22 CV which unfortunately was never put into production.

In 1937, the range was augmented by the introduction of the 15 CV.
The war years saw a very limited production run of the 7 C Economique, 11 CV and 15 CV. Production re-commenced in 1947 with just three variants - the 11 CV Légère, 11 CV Normale and the 15 CV Six and these three models were to remain in production until 1956 when the 15 CV was dropped from production.

The 15 CV Six was equipped with hydropneumatic rear suspension in 1954 - a year before the launch of the even more remarkable DS.
A number of different body variants were supplied over the years, including Berline, Faux Cabriolet, Roadster, Conduite Interieure, Familiale, Coupé de Ville and Cabriolet.

The Traction Avant cars were also built in Slough in England both pre and post war as well as in Belgium.