Citroën was founded in the early twentieth century by André Citroën who had trained as an engineer in Paris at the Ecole Polytechnique. The marque thrived in the '20s and '30s producing cars like the 'Traction'. At the time, André Citroën made famous treks across some of the more formidable areas of the world in motor vehicles to promote his faith in the concept.

For years, Citroën remained ahead of most manufacturers in producing cars that were unique through their often very sophisticated engineering quirks. Much concentration was focused on braking and suspension on Citroëns and their low ride was emphasized by the partial covering of the rear wheels by the wings. Much as the BMW 'hockey stick' or the Rolls Royce grill, this styling feature has lived on in many of the contemporary models as reference to the heritage of the company.

The DS model was a good example of Citroën ingenuity . The DS 19 was revolutionary in the fact that when intoduced in 1955, hydraulics were responsible for brakes, steering and suspension. Pressurised by a pump, the suspension was 'pillowy', the steering accurate and the brakes easy and efficient. In the later versions came an additional feature. This was the second set of headlights. Running at the same time as the main lights, they were linked directly to the steering. This meant lights that would show you the way round bends.

Today, Citroën are responsible for quite an interesting range of concept vehicles but a surprisingly dull production line-up. Perhaps one reason for this is the fact that they operate different designers on the production models than on concept vehicles. However, if only some of the styling of a car like the C6 Lignage could rub off on the production models, it would be a good thing.