Seattle Citroën
Photo Sleuths #7
UPDATED 3/2026
Have a vintage photo of a Citroën in the USA or Canada? Send it in and we will see what we can learn about it!
TROIS RIVIERES, QUEBEC, ~1969
I struggled with this one for years and just couldn’t figure it out. But recently someone posted a higher resolution version of the photo that helped me read the signage. It turns out that the hotel in the photo was called, Hôtel des Trois-Rivières, located near the waterfront on Boulevard Des Forges in Trois Rivieres, Quebec. The entire area has been massively redeveloped, making it impossible to see anything at all familiar in the current view.
Google street view
NOW
THEN
I see late 1960’s cars, and I discovered that Restaurant Richer (barely visible on the signage) opened in 1968 at 34 Rue Des Forges. This means that the photo is likely from the very late 1960’s. I am going to guess 1969.
RED ROCKS ROAD, COLORADO, EARLY 1960's
The only thing that is known about this photo is that it was from Ivan Frank's collection. Ivan was a Citroën dealer from the Denver area in the 1960's. My approach was to explore the roads in national parks near Denver using Google Street View. After an embarrassing number of hours, I finally found it: Red Rocks Park Road in Red Rocks Park in Colorado (exactly 3 miles [4.8 km] north of Morrisson, Colorado).
Ivan Frank
THEN
Google street view
NOW
The car is almost certainly Ivan’s ID19 #77 that he had prepared to be a rally car. Based on other photos of his car, it is a 1959-1961 ID19, using the first-generation nose and the unique rear reflectors on the rear fenders as clues. I have no idea when the photo was taken, but based on Ivan's career, it is probably from the early 1960's.
VANCOUVER BC, CANADA, EARLY 1970's
I had no initial clues that came with this photo. However, we can see an "Old Spaghetti Factory" sign painted on the wall of the building on the left. There is also a street address on the awning showing the number 53. It didn't take long to discover that this is the Old Spaghetti Factory at 53 Water Street in Vancouver BC.
DS19 or ID19 sitting on Water Street in Gastown, Vancouver BC.
Google street view , 2022
The center building in the modern photo was built after the vintage photo was taken, but you can see the cornice detail on the Spaghetti Factory building in both views (see arrows). The Spaghetti Factory apparently moved into this location in 1970, so the photo is likely from the early 1970's.
The DS has early hubcaps (that were used with the 400 mm wheels) and Lucas Twist-Off rear turn signal lenses, so it must be a North American model DS19 or ID19, most likely from 1963-1965.
PACOIMA CALIFORNIA, 1979
This photo was submitted by reader Peter Engle who noted it was a screen grab from the 1979 Muppet Movie. But where was the photo taken? The clue was the Vespa sign on the top of the building and the "Casey's Cycle Repair" sign. It did not take long to discover that the location was 10249 San Fernando Road in Pacoima, CA.
Google street view , 2025
The Mehari is a US model as can be seen from the unique front end with sealed beam headlights. It must be either a 1969 or 1970 since those were the only years that Mehari were sold in the USA. To get a better look at the Mehari, I cropped it and rotated it.
INVERTED MEHARI FROM THE 1979 MUPPET MOVIE