L'Auto-Journal

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The Citroën C4 Picasso on the cover of L'Auto-Journal

L'Auto-Journal is a bimonthly magazine created in 1950 by Robert Hersant and editor-in-chief Gilles Guérithault, devoted to automobiles.

L'Auto-Journal became famous in 1955 by unveiling the aspect of the Citroën DS. It is in fact the first automobile magazine to propose automobile scoops. Sketches of the future cars were drawn by car specialist and historian René Bellu.

L'Auto-Journal was also the first magazine to introduce real test drives of cars in France. At a time when the handling qualities of cars in post-war France were poor at best, it was a welcome innovation. The most famous test driver of the golden years of L'Auto-Journal was André Costa.

Citroën reacted very strongly to some of L'Auto-Journal's scoops, accusing them of industrial spying. The police even raided the offices of the magazine. The relationship with Citroën has remained sour for a long time.

Now computer generated images and photoshops have replaced Bellu's drawings, but the automobile scoops are still the specialty of L'Auto-Journal, especially regarding future French cars.