New Auto Salesroom Built in Tiers Displays 300 Cars (Sep, 1930)
Filed under: Automotive — @ 11:44 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1930
| Buy on Ebay
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1930
| Buy on Ebay
New Auto Salesroom Built in Tiers Displays 300 Cars
THE latest innovation in the automobile-selling business comes from Paris, where a distinctly unique salesroom has been built that enables the salesman to display from one point all the automobiles that he has for sale. The entire salesroom is built in five tiers, as shown in the photo at the right, in the. form of balconies, on which about 300 cars can be exhibited. The tiers are built of reinforced concrete with metal skeletons, and the entire showroom is decorated in cream with black pillars supporting the balconies. The whole structure gives an impression of lightness and immense height.
I wonder if this still exists.
Comment by nlpnt — July 16, 2008 @ 6:21 am
That is an impressive and expensive dealership. I wonder if it was built by an auto dealer or a car company?
Comment by Myles — July 16, 2008 @ 7:34 am
Yes, it still exists, and is maintained by Citröen itself. It is now known as “The C42″, and was the original dealership created in 1927. The address is Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 42 (thus C=Citröen, 42=number of the building). You can check out the official website here: http://www.c42.fr/index_en.php
The original building was demolished and rebuilt. It was opened to the public in September 2007. Good timing, Charlie!
Comment by docca — July 16, 2008 @ 9:30 am
…and I keep putting the dots on the wrong letter over and over
It’s Citroën, not Citröen.
Comment by docca — July 16, 2008 @ 9:41 am
Is Parrs next to Paris?
Comment by Al Bear — July 16, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Al: Whoops. Fixed.
Comment by Charlie — July 16, 2008 @ 11:36 am
I thought this was a Frank Lloyd Wright parking garage.
Citroën is known as the French Ford? Known as that by who? Citroën was just a tiny bit more innovative.
Comment by Torgo — July 16, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
I was just reading Alfred Sloan’s “My Life With General Motors”; at around the same time it bought Opel and Vauxhall, GM considered purchasing Citroen; the French govt. nixed the deal at a fairly late stage. Imagine- no Traction Avant, no 2CV, no DS, just 3/4-scale Chevy clones at least through the 70s…
Comment by nlpnt — July 17, 2008 @ 5:11 am
I had a GS when I was in the USAF stationed in Italy back around ‘83. It was a pretty cool car. 1 liter engine and adjustable hydropneumatic suspension. Raised all the way up, it had as much ground clearance as a jeep. Lowered, it only had a couple of inches of clearance.. for cruising on the autostrada.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_GS
Comment by sporkinum — July 17, 2008 @ 10:38 am
a couple cool photos of this gem.
http://theartofmemory.blogspot.....paris.html
Comment by MJA — July 21, 2008 @ 2:31 am