1930s French Drooping Beltlines
Once upon a time, say 50 or more years ago, the automobile industry was much less international than now. Car manufacturing countries often had tariffs to protect domestic firms and each country had its own currency and exchange rates relative to others. And there might have been cultural factors that led to cars having distinctive national visual tendencies. American cars looked American, English cars English, and so on. One distinctive design quirk for many French cars from 1934 to the early 1950s was beltines (that run along the lower edges of side windows) that drooped or fell off downwards towards cars' aft ends. Most French brands did not have this characteristic. But the country's "big three" car makers -- Citroën, Renault and Peugeot -- had models with just that touch. So many French cars' beltlines drooped. Most of the images below are factory sourced or are of cars for sale. Gallery 1934 Citroën 7 A A very early Citroën Traction Avant . This...