Draft letter from Paul Magès to Mr. Grosseau regarding vehicle F (1967)

In this document

This handwritten draft, difficult to read in places, is a letter that Paul Magès is preparing for Mr. Grosseau, following a "conversation on Monday the 13th" p. 91. A marginal annotation explicitly indicates that it concerns a "question of veh. F → Grosseau" p. 91, and another note in red pencil dates the document as "probably early 67" p. 91.

The context of the request

Magès reports that "the Bosses have agreed to do everything necessary to bring out a quality car", while maintaining the scheduled release date p. 91. He considers this position "logical" on their part, but is worried about the delay implied by the new studies deemed essential — a delay which, according to him, "cannot be quantified today" p. 91.

The technical points raised

Two areas are identified as problematic: the modification of the front upper arm and of "the entire rear assembly", for which the study time could be estimated, and above all the stiffening of the front — cradle and body — which "worries Magès much more, given the results observed" p. 91.

He mentions that Mr. Hordet is having deformation measurements of the front prepared, and asks that Mr. Muratet use these tests to clearly identify the weak points; he also wishes for a manager at Mr. Fleury's to specify the parts of the underbody or body that should not be modified, while insisting that it is necessary to "stiffen at all costs" p. 91.

The final reservations

Magès fears that the current architecture makes these stiffenings difficult and will "further increase the weights" p. 92. He doubts that one can wait until the start of the school year, and wishes to find "an acceptable solution that does not disrupt the planned deadlines too much" p. 92. He concludes by asking that the "bosses" be informed that "today we know nothing about it", specifying that Mr. Louis, in charge of programs, should be able to warn them p. 92.

Context

The "vehicle F" mentioned here corresponds, in the internal vocabulary of Citroën at that time, to a development project that did not result under this designation in a commercialization identifiable directly under this name — the Magès archives commonly use code letters to designate projects under study. The general context of the late 1960s at Citroën is marked by the permanent search for structural lightening while guaranteeing the rigidity necessary for road holding, a central issue for vehicles equipped with the hydropneumatic suspension developed by Magès.

Archivist's perspective

This draft offers a rare glimpse into the internal tensions between management requirements (deadlines) and technical requirements (quality, rigidity) as experienced by Magès himself. The tone is that of an engineer anxious to alert his hierarchy without blocking the industrial calendar — a balancing act that seems characteristic of his role p. 91-92.

It would probably be useful to compare this document with other notes in the same folder dealing with structural or deadline problems, such as the Note by Paul Magès on the AP suspension (22 February 1963), to better situate Magès's working method in the face of the development constraints of the various Citroën projects.