Did you know:
- Development of the van nicknamed "TUB" began in occupied France as early as 1942 in strict secrecy from the Nazis.
- The entire project was overseen by the famous French car designer André Lefèbvre, who also created the Citroën Traction.
- The first prototype had to be road tested, but due to a fuel shortage, everything had to be postponed.
- The vehicle was introduced to the public in 1947 at the Paris Motor Show.
- The vehicle had a self-supporting body, and Citroën increased its strength simply by stamping many profiles into thin steel sheets. Inspiration came from German Junkers aircraft.
- This resulted in a van with a unique appearance, featuring a boxy "snout," which many French people affectionately called Belmondo.
- Shortly after the war, there was a shortage of everything, so many parts came from older models like the Traction Avant and 2CV. Steering wheels for the first series were even produced back in 1920 and were simply pulled out from forgotten warehouses.
- Mass production began in 1948. Citroën had no money for advertising—nor was it needed. In 1948, several Type H vans participated in the Tour de France as support vehicles and immediately gained massive popularity.
- The van became so popular that a wide variety of versions were produced, including flatbed trucks, ambulances, fire, police, and postal vehicles, butcher and florist vans, double cabs, and even mobile bakeries
.
- With minimal changes, the van was produced until 1981.
- Over nearly 35 years, more than 500,000 units were made in various versions.
- Even today, the legendary van is so popular that you can buy a special kit of parts to convert a modern Citroën Jumper into a Type H, and demand is enormous.
Technical specifications:
- production years: 1948 - 1981 France
- dimensions: length 4.28 m, width 2.00 m, height 2.43 m
- weight: 1400 kg
- engine: 4-cylinder engine type 7814 with a displacement of 1911 cm³ and output of 37 kW
- fuel tank capacity: 60 l
- fuel consumption: 13 l/100 km
- maximum speed: 88 km/h
- acceleration 0 to 88 km/h in 48 s
- number of seats: 2
Magazine L’argus de l’automobile et des locomotions 1948:
"This car is so incredibly French! First, I was thrilled by the folding doors that looked as if they jumped open by themselves, and then that little step on the fenders... Front-wheel drive means the floor is so low that your face is almost level with the window when serving a customer."
