The Citron H Van, Type H, H-Type or HY was a light truck (or delivery van) produced by the French car maker Citron between 1947 and 1981. It was developed as a simple front wheel driven van after World War II. A total of 473,289 were produced in 34 years in factories in France and Belgium. Most of them were sold in France, Belgium and The Netherlands. These vans can still be found in use today in some rural areas in France due to its indestructible character. The engine, gear box and many smaller parts are well known from other Citron models: Engine and gearbox are nearly the same as in the Traction Avant and later the DS, only mounted with the engine to front. Head lights and speedometer were identical to the 2CV for a long time.The distinctive corrugated or 'rippled' swaged body work was inspired by German aircraft of the 1930s, the ribs added strength without adding weight, and needed only simple, low cost press tools. Perfect for a cash strapped post-war Citroen. The flat body panels were braced on their reverse side by 'top hat' box sections, at right angles to the ribs. A similar idea is still used in multilayer cardboard.Though its elements are standard practice today, found on any UPS delivery truck, the cubist Type H was proof that Citron's engineers had not expended all of their creative energy on the Traction Avant and the 2CV. The Type H was one of the first forward-control commercial vehicles, and the first to combine front-wheel drive, torsion-bar independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. Over a production lifespan of 33 years, nearly half a million were built, becoming a national institution in France and a common sight on roads across Europe. Few though were ever brought here to the United States. Of the hand full that were imported, this is one of them. Brought to the United States in Febuary of 1974, the van was converted to run solely on propane fuel. Because of this, it was not subject to Federal emission control regulations. That was the only way that this vehicle was able to be licensed and insured here in the U.S. This conversion was done here in St. Louis Missouri by Willi Splisgardt Automotive at a cost of $1,097.11. We have receipts of this work as well as a stack of letters between the previous owner's attorneys and the EPA trying to get the truck EPA certified and releasing if from its Duty Bond. Along with that, there are receipts for work done as well as owner's manuals, diagrams, sales brochures for the van and even the original Motor Vehicle Order that showed that the van was originally purchased for $11,000 from Germany and then shipped over to the United States for $550. Outside, the van looks great and only shows some minor imperfections. The most major being the dent on the lower passenger side sliding door and behind it. This doesn't effect the operation of the door. The driver's side of the van consists of a storage area for the spare tire as well as an area that conceals the two propane tanks that the motor runs off of. The body is very solid with no rot to be found. There is some minor surface rust as you can see in the photos but no holes to the body. This is the original paint on the van which looks very good. Inside, this thing is bigger then some apartments I've been in. I'm 6'2" and can stand straight up in the back. Put a table in the center and turn it into a camper, make it a cool ice cream truck or simply use it for hauling things around. With 74" of headroom, a width of almost 6' between the walls and over 4' of width between the wheels, this van has a ton of room for whatever you want to throw in it. Up front, the vinyl seats both look great and show no rips or tears. The steering wheel is solid as well as the original rubber floor mats. The motor is a great running little four cylinder that is propane powered. It can be converted back to gasoline if you wish, but the tank will have to be cleaned out before any fuel is added. The truck runs fine now with plenty of power from the propane. This is connected to the three speed manual transmission which shifts with no problems. The van does run and drive but there is going to have to be some brake work done. The front brakes are hanging up a bit but the emergency brake works with no problems. The underside is very solid with no holes or rot that we have found. This is a 25,445 original kilometer (15,810 miles) van that has had only one owner here in the United States since 1973 when it was imported. It comes with TONS of paperwork and receipts for the entire conversion and all correspondences between the owner, lawyers and EPA. With so many of these being converted to campers and whatever else the owners could imagine, it is rare to find one in this original, low mileage condition. The car is being sold on the original 1974 Missouri title.