TRACTION 11BL

YEAR: 10/1949

COLOUR: Black 

                  
MODEL:In February 1937, the 11A series is replaced by the 11B (Berline normale) and 11BL (Berline légère). This latter is narrower by 12cm, 25cm shorter and 50 kgs lighter.
After the war, the range is limited to the 11 and the 15. The 11BL is the best seller, with 22,700 examples sold in 1949 compared to 14,000 Traction 11B models.
The total production numbers pf the Traction are 759,111, or only half the total of the DS.
The engine of the 11B and 11BL was identical: 4 cylinder in-line of 1911cc, 56Ch.
3 speed gearbox, no synchromesh on first gear.
Top speed: 120km/hr (105km/hr for the 11B).

HISTORY: Madame Secretant was the owner of a home linen shop in the centre of Oyonnax in the Ain region. Her shop was on the ground floor and she lived on the floor above. Forced to marry, she was divorced 6 months later, this was not common at the time.
She ordered this Traction from the Oyonnax dealership.
On her death at the end of the 1980’s, she left her house and all its contents, including the Traction, to her closest friend, Madame Fafiotte. The car will go out for maintenance and an annual oil change to the Vailloud garage, 2 kms from down-town.
My friend Christian from the Jura worked with Mr and Mrs Fafiotte for a long time. He had always seen this Traction stored in perfect conditions in the garage adjacent to the shop. In 2015, he arranged for me to meet with Mr Fafiotte who understood that the Traction would have an ideal destination at the museum.
The sale took place after the lock-down in June 2020. Then the traction took the direction of the south after 70 years of lock-down.