13 photos
Ruben Fidalgo
March 08, 2023
Today, Women’s Day, we remember the 5 CV that was born more than a century ago… In 1922 André Citroën realized that cars were not just for men and with that mold he began to design the one that little later he was nicknamed “lemon”… We tell you his story.
We will agree that at the beginning of the last century, society took women into account in very few areas. Unfortunately, the concept of equality was conspicuous by its absence. However, the founder of Citroën began to realize some 100 years ago now that designing cars solely for the taste of men was absurd. His wife had already suggested several times that he build model toy cars for boys and girls, who would one day end up buying their own vehicle. Thus germinated the seed of Citroen 5 CVpresented at the 1922 Paris Salon as a complete revolution for being the first mass-produced car in Europe and for focusing its promotion on the female audience, excluded by other manufacturers at that time.
Citroën 5 CV: for pioneers
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to begin with, all the advertising campaign for the new Citroën 5CV gave women more prominence even than the vehicle itself, but it is also that the small model was very well thought out so that they felt comfortable with their driving and encouraged to have their own car.
The Citroën 5 CV was presented with very happy colors. Almost all the first units had the body painted in a striking yellow color with the fenders painted in black. Its yellow color, its size and the shape of the rear (known as the “boat tail”, or stern, as it is reminiscent of the back of a boat, very typical of the time) made this car soon known as “Little Citron» («little lemon» in Spanish, also playing with the name of the brand) or «cul de poulet» (chicken ass, due to the shape of the rear part).
It was a very light car with a small 4 cylinder engine and only 5 tax horses (hence its trade name). Its maintenance was very simple, its lightness and its narrow tires made moving the steering wheel much smoother than normal for the time and it was not difficult to brake it without having to have athlete’s legs.
Despite its simplicity, the Citroën 5CV had some sophistications for the time, such as its electric starter (most cars were started with a crank, a dangerous maneuver that required force) or the electric headlights instead of the carbide ones, much more cumbersome to use and with less light.
It soon became a best seller among the female audience and this little car became a small social revolution at the time.
In addition to being easy to drive, it was very well thought out and a very practical stroller. Despite its very small dimensions (measuring only 3.1 m long and 1.5 m wide), it took great advantage of space and had several bodies with up to three seats and even a small delivery van.
Citroën 5CV: a lemon with a lot of charisma
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In barely four years (it was manufactured from 1922 to 1926), the small Citroën 5CV managed to sell no less than 83,000 units. Today they may seem very few to us when only in Madrid those figures are registered in a month, but we are talking about a century ago, when there were not that many cars, not even in all of Spain.
The Citroën 5CV was very well thought out in all aspects. Although the automobile industry was just beginning to crawl and it was an economical car, every detail was considered. For example, its rims were pressed sheet instead of spoked. This solution was quite new at the time and had some advantages. On the one hand, they were cheaper, but they also prevented things from getting caught in their spokes. If Isadora Duncan had gone in a Citroën 5CV instead of an Amilcar, she would not have hanged herself with her own foulard.
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