Max's Cars

both Citroens

Max's first car (in which he delivered the gold to his uncle, the fence) was a white '52 Ford (French) Vedette, the one he had stashed in the garage of his second apartment. At the end of the flick, he shows up at the restaurant with his American girlfriend in a white '51 Chrysler Imperial. His buddy Riton drives a '53 Simca Aronde. The other respondee was misinformed, like Rick coming to Casablanca for the waters. Max, Marco and Pierrot WERE driving a Citroen Traction Avant 11CV or 15CV (black) when they came to swap the gold for Riton aka Porcupine Head. Angelo's henchmen subsequently bombed this car with grenades. Shortly thereafter Max got busy with the submachine gun.

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The first one is a French Ford Vedette. Couldn't make out the second, but suspect it was another French Ford. The black car that first gets blown up is, of course, a Citroen Quinze - commonly known as a 'traction' because of its front wheel drive ('traction avant') . The open car in the shoot-out is a Peugeot Decapotable. Seeing these old cars makes me remember what a shock the Citroen DS19 was when it came out the year after, in 1955 - it made them all look pre-war! Which, of course, the Citroen Quinze was.

Next time I watch it (I'm a serial French movie fan!) I'll check them out more carefully and let you know.

I was working in France in 1952/55 at the time all these great seminal films noirs were coming out. V. happy memories, lots of great friends who never laughed at my French and helped me become fluent.

There are Citroens in the film, but none belong to Max.

The white car with the loot in the trunk is an early 50s Ford Vedette, made in France for that market. Max clearly states that this car belongs to him.

The white (or other light-colored?) car near the beginning of the film is a 1953 or 1954 Simca Aronde. It most likely belongs to Max, with his right-hand-man Riton acting as his driver, but it may be Riton's car.

The white convertible near the end of the movie is a 1951 Chrysler Imperial, which might belong to Max. However, since his elegant girlfriend Betty is driving, I had the impression that it may have been a gift to her from Max; it seems to serve as another fashion accessory for her. This model was impressive enough in the U.S., but would have been conspicuously extravagant and very expensive in France at that time.

Max's two white cars are NOT Citroens. The one in which he stores the grisbi in the garage is a Ford Vedette. The one in which he pulls up in the street at the end of the film is a Chrysler Imperial. Near the beginning of the film, when Max and Riton drive with their girlfriends to the Majestic, the car is a Simca Aronde. All of this information is available at the IMCDB.