Citroën Heritage | Conservatoire & Archives | Citroën Ireland

Heritage

We preserve our heritage at the Conservatoire in Aulnay-sous-Bois, outside Paris. You'll find more than 400 beautifully preserved vehicles from throughout the years, a diverse array of artefacts and archives packed with historic information.

Conservatoire

The world's biggest Citroën collection

The Citroën Conservatoire heritage centre is a real treasure trove of all things relating to our prestigious brand. It houses the world's largest collection of Citroën vehicles, with more than 400 on show - and most are in perfect condition.

Our extraordinary fleet is neatly lined up under the metal beams of the main building by decade (from 1919 to the 2000s) and by theme:

sport
adventure
LCVs
unusual vehicles
concept cars and prototypes

Pre-war vehicles

The pre-war vehicles were part of the birth of the Citroën brand. The Conservatoire has many pre-war vehicles, from the Type A to the Traction Avant, via the B10, C4, C6 or Rosalie. Step back in time and discover the technologies and innovations that have always kept us one step ahead.

Post-war vehicles

The Conservatoire not only has the first models produced by André Citroën, it also houses lots of post-war vehicles. And some have earned a place in our collective memory: the quirky 2CV, the beautiful DS, the luxurious SM coupé, and rare versions of more recent vehicles.
Rediscover the models and innovative technologies that gave the Citroën brand international appeal.

Commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicles are also centre stage, and the Conservatoire houses several unique models. The collection includes the last example of the renowned Type H van, with its ribbed bodywork, built at the Aulnay-sous-Bois plant in 1981, marking the end of a career that began in 1947.

Sport and adventure

Citroën Conservatoire - Sport & Adventure

Sport and adventure are written into Citroën’s DNA, with the Croisière Jaune and Croisière Noire expeditions, the rally-raids, the World Rally Championship and – more recently – the brand's involvement in the World Touring Car Championship.

At the Conservatoire, you can step on board a C4 half-track, travel back in time with the 2CV Cross or start up a ZX from the 1992 Moscow-Beijing rally raid.

Unusual vehicles

The Citroën Conservatoire is also home to some especially unusual vehicles, either because of their history or their characteristics.

Here's a taster of what you could discover. Did you know that Citroën gave the chevron stamp to tyre wheels with the Type J? That in the 1970s the brand developed a two-seater helicopter? And do you know the story behind the special version of the DS with a built-in safe?

Packed archives

Almost one and a half kilometres devoted to our archives

The Citroën Conservatoire doesn't simply collect and restore vehicles. It also houses another treasure trove: our archives.

Step into an area usually closed to the public and browse this exceptional collection:

vehicle registers
sketches and plans from our design offices
posters and brochures
newsletters and magazines
press kits
technical documents
style drawings

Contact details

You can now visit the Citroën Conservatoire. Please email your request to: martine.darblade@citroen.com

Address:
Citroën Conservatoire
Case Courrier AN 081
Bd André Citroën
BP 13
93601 Aulnay-sous-Bois CEDEX
France

Contact:
Telephone: (33) 1 56 50 80 22
Email: conservatoire@citroen.com

Download the Conservatoire catalogue

Fascinating document files

Coffret Légende sets

Identification service

Placing an order

Fascinating document files

The document files hold authentic archive material that retraces the rich history of the Citroën brand.

From sales brochures to press articles and users' manuals, find the full range of archive documents in these exceptional collections.

Collection

Some document files are dedicated to legendary models like the Type A 10 HP and the Ami 6. Others are based on major topics related to the Citroën brand, such as the Croisière expeditions and the Javel plant.

You can buy copies of the files from €30 including VAT. At the moment, we have 21 titles, and we're working on extending these.

COFFRET LÉGENDE SETS

The Coffret Légende sets are created for owners of vintage Citroën vehicles built in France between 1919 and 1990. They hold verified, authentic information on your vehicle.

What's in the Coffret Légende sets?

We developed the prestigious Coffret Légende sets for collectors. They include:

an historic date certificate based on the identification of the vehicle serial number
a scanned copy of the vehicle approval certificate
a Citroën collector's diploma
a fact sheet on the version of the model
a CD of photos
a book about the Citroën Conservatoire
an optional DVD on our brand's history

You can buy your own Coffret Légende set from €100 including VAT (€115 with the DVD) plus €5 postage.

Identification service

Vehicle approval certificate

This certificate is an official copy of the data found in the vehicle's description. It's used to correct any mistakes on the car registration certificate, like vehicle type, fuel or weight.

This is a purely administrative document that doesn't involve searching for the
vehicle serial number.

Identification certificate

This certificate lets you get a normal car registration certificate that you can use to export or import Citroën vehicles dating back to before 1990 and built in France.

This document involves searching for the serial number and will contain information on the car's origins and the date it was built.

Date certificate

With this document you can get a vintage car registration certificate for cars over 30 years old. To find this information, we search through the registers to establish production and marketing dates.

This certificate is a great source of historical information on your vehicle. It's useful for verifying the data needed for identification, like the number of the chassis, engine or body shell, or the number of seats.

To send you your official manufacturer's certificate and a copy of the vehicle approval certificate, we'll need:

a completed order form (see Conservatoire Catalogue Above)
a copy of the car registration certificate and/or document of sale
a copy of the certificate of roadworthiness if necessary
photos of the vehicle and chassis number plate, as well as any numbers on the car (body shell, bodywork, engine etc)
payment per vehicle to be made by cheque or bank transfer to Automobiles Citroën