Classic Citroens flag off for Thailand 2010 Citroen rally
For the past few days, regular users of Jalan Sultan Ismail would probably have noticed a number of classic cars from yesteryear parked alongside the foyer of Concorde Hotel. Those cars are classic Citroen models and they are set to embark on a 100,000km journey from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok (ok, there’ll be a lot of detours) over a four-week period in what is dubbed The Thailand 2010 Citroen rally.
The participants, owners of some 20 classic Citroen cars which include the likes of the Citroen Traction Avant and 2 CV, flew in from Paris by air on 19 July, with their cars having already arrived here by sea. These guys presumably went sightseeing though there was a hi-tea session with the media at Concorde yesterday evening.
Today, the group will flag-off to Cameron Highlands where they will remain until Saturday, 24 July, before moving on to Penang. On Monday, 26 July, the group will then enter Thailand and head to Trang.
Their ultimate stop will be Bangkok on Wednesday, 11 August, but along the way, they will pass by Ao Nang, Chumphon, Hua Hin, Nakhon Chaisi, Nakhon Sawan, Phitsanulok, Sukhotai, Lampang, Chiang Rai, and Ayutthaya. At Bangkok, the cars will take a well-deserved break and will board the ship that takes them back to Europe, while their owners remain a bit longer before flying back home on Saturday, 14 August.
Organizing the event is a French non-profit association known as Tractions Sans Frontieres (translated: Tractions without borders). The group has already organized such rallies to Morocco, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, France, Belgium, and Canada. In their visits to Morocco, the group even brought along donations of various materials for the benefit of the local populace.
As its name suggest, the group consists primarily of Citroen Traction Avant owners. The Traction Avant also forms the primary composition for this rally, though they are also joined by a 2 CV and a 1971 DS.
Produced from 1934 to 1957, the Citroen Traction Avant was a car ahead of its time. Way before anyone else, this car had already featured the use of monocoque chassis, front-wheel drive, and independent front suspension, at a time when every car on the road was rear-wheel driven and had a body-on-frame design.
Citroen spent a lot of money developing the Traction Avant – to the point of almost emptying its coffers. That a few of these cars are still running in mint condition after racking thousands upon thousands of miles is a testament of the engineering quality that lies under its sheet metal.
