Citroen

André Citroen established his eponymous company in 1919, beginning with Europe’s first mass-produced car (with techniques learned from Ford), the Type A. Prolific production, however, would be matched by profligacy when it came to spending, and the company’s largest creditor – tyre maker Michelin – took over when Citroen was forced into bankruptcy in 1934. A disastrous purchase of Maserati in 1968 also forced a bailout from the French government, and the end of Citroen’s independence came when Peugeot began a takeover in 1974 – to form PSA Peugeot Citroen. Citroen’s history, though, deserves to be remembered more for its innovation in marketing and engineering. Two models epitomised the latter: 1948’s wonderfully simplistic 2CV and 1955’s DS19 with its hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension and fully hydraulic steering encased in a futuristic, streamlined body. Those famous DS letters were re-introduced in 2009 to represent a range of more upmarket cars to complement Citroen’s mainstream models. The DS3 hatchback was one of three Citroens that took Sebastian Loeb to a record run of world rallying titles between 2004 and 2012.