Sheet 11 bis: current clutch/accelerator control solution (11 March 1933)

In this document

This handwritten sheet, numbered "11 bis" and dated "11-3-33" p. 32, describes sequentially the "Current solution" of a control system combining clutch and accelerator, probably for a gearbox.

Described sequences

The text details several phases of operation, organised into steps a), b), c):

• At start-up: shifting into "1st", with a "simultaneous action of the clutch and accelerat[ion]" p. 32.
• Shifting into 1st: mentions shifting into "2nd" and a "release of accelerat[or]", with the mention of a "necessity for a certain absence of synchronis[ed] play" between engine and transmission p. 32.
• Shifting into gear: very abbreviated line, barely legible.
• Idle: "accelerator release" p. 32.
• Stop: "release" followed by a "movement of the foot by pedal", with an explicit warning about a "risk of incorrect operation" p. 32.

Reported difficulties

A separate section, divided by a horizontal line, concerns "downshifting", deemed a source of difficulties for "the beginner" p. 32, without the precise cause being legible.

Finally, a note attached to the right compares a "2-foot — 3-pedal" configuration, pointing out a "risk of error between accelerator and brake" in the event of unassured reflexes p. 32.

Context

In the early 1930s, automotive engineers sought to simplify driving, particularly the coordination between clutch, accelerator and brake — a classic challenge of manual gearboxes of the time, before the generalisation of semi-automatic solutions.

In March 1933, Paul Magès, who joined Citroën in August 1925 at 17 and a half (autobiographical notes), was then 25 years old and had been working for several years as a self-taught person within the company; it was only from 1939-1940, with the braking limiter of the TUB van, that he would enter the design office which would lead him towards the hydropneumatic suspension, the first plans of which date from February 1944 (Hydropneumatic suspension plans). This sheet is therefore part of a much earlier phase of his career, devoted to transmission and driving comfort issues.

Archivist's perspective

This "11 bis" sheet seems to be a synthetic work note, seeking to formalise step-by-step a driving manoeuvre deemed delicate — particularly for inexperienced drivers p. 32.

The final comparison between a "2-foot" and "3-pedal" configuration suggests a broader reflection on the ergonomics of controls, a theme that finds an echo in other documents in the same file, such as the Handwritten folder "1933": list of studies, which mentions in particular work on speeds and the synchroniser.

The very abbreviated and sometimes illegible nature of the text suggests a personal progress note rather than a document intended for distribution.