1955 Traction 11B "Barn Find" Project
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Anonymous
Last June my neighbour asked me if I could help him move his old car from his cousin’s barn as his cousin was selling the house and he needed to be rid of this car that had beefed parked there in 1972. I took a ride to have a look. He had seen me working on my little AZU so thought I could do anything 😀
All up on blocks, he did have the wheels but no nuts. I didn’t know anything about Tractions and this was enormous compared to what I was used to.
Inside was clean but smelly – some nice after market tartan door cards proudly installed in 1969 by my neighbour. This car was the village transport for the youngsters to go to parties and the ski slopes. It had a tough life for 4 years after my neighbour, André had passed his driving test in it.
Body work was not too bad under the cover. Rust under the Robri on all 4 wings and a few dents, plus the bumpers bent in.
No carte gris though and the existing owner, his father, had died a few years ago.
I left it a few months and then bought the wheel nuts for him and waited until I bought my little car trailer which I used for my 2CV AZU – the Traction I had no idea about and it was a little larger than I was used to but I would help him out of course. 😕 I would bring it back to his farm after 42 years sitting in the next village. It has been in the area all its life being purchased by the owner of the local Slipper Factory (gone now for years). My neighbour’s father bought it in 1967 and was soon to pass it on to André and the rest of the young folk of the village – hard to think of these guys tearing it up in their youth, specially as many of them have died since we have lived here in Luscan, for the past 10 years.
So with help from my wife and son we head down tot he barn with the van and trailer and start to drag the car out into the world again. All the wheels turned although were a little flat which made it a bit tougher.
Being on a steep slope with minimum turning space was also a challenge, but we managed to get it up on the road.On the trailer (just) safe and sound and on the road for the 2.5 Km to our village (thank goodness)
When we returned to the village, my Son, who speaks perfect French, went to my neighbours to see where he wanted it put. He has a farm but is retired now so has plenty of old cow sheds etc. André came out to the road to see it and was so happy.
He said that we could have it or if I could, take it to the scrapyard. I was a little shocked 😯
I asked if I had understood and he said, yes, please take it, no money, it is yours.
So I was now to be the proud owner of my first Traction so the work was to begin. 😀
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