Like many European carmakers focusing on affordable vehicles, Citroën didn't offer a V8 engine. The French experimented with V8s in the 1960s, but it mostly stuck to four- and six-cylinder mills.

With front-wheel drive and unibody construction, the Citroën Traction Avant helped set the template for modern cars. A 1949-built example of the groundbreaking French sedan was featured on a recent ...