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All steel body
All steel body
In the Europe of the early 1920s, most car bodies were built of wood covered with steel or, more rarely, aluminium sheet.
All-metal bodies had been built in a few dozen examples, but they were no more than one-off experiments, since volume production was not yet sufficiently developed.
But André Citroën quickly recognised the potential of the all-steel body. Wooden bodies were exposed to the same fatigue as the chassis and generally wore out more quickly. But steel bodies were more robust, more spacious and easier to maintain while equally attractive in appearance. Moreover, they were less prone to deformation and fire, more shock-resistant and hence safer for passengers. Also, visibility was enhanced by the slender pillars, and repairs were simplified by the removable trim.
This technique was applied for the first time in Europe in 1924, on the Citroën B10.