Sidelined: Citroën non-starter

Front-wheel-drive layout was revolutionary in 1934; Delaney’s proposed race version would have been a two-seater Traction Avant

A piece of untold motor racing history concerning Tom Delaney, who began racing a supercharged Lea-Francis at Brooklands in 1931 and still does aged over 90, vide his spirited drive at the recent VSCC Silverstone.

What is not well known is that after Citroën introduced its sensational front-wheel-drive car in 1934, Tom intended to run one at Brooklands in ’35, expecting it to be competitive against the RWD entries. However, Citroën objected, so this interesting entry never ran. The Citroën was to have been run in two-seater form. A disappointment for Tom, but it did not erase his enthusiasm for FWD Citroens, including the six-cylinders.