Many would-be restorers are adept at assembling all the parts needed to complete a restoration, but that by no means ensures the project will be completed. That’s the unfortunate story with this 1956 Citroen Traction Avant model 11N here on Craigslist in Downington, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The cool thing is that it was a diplomat’s car from Tunisia and still bears the local license plate. The owner wants $3,000. Thanks for the tip, Mitchell G.

The interior of the 1956 Citroen—seats, carpet, door panels, headliner—was completely redone, but the body is fairly rough, and the car isn’t running. A long-body 1957 version of the Traction Avant is included, with three rows of seats, as a fenders-missing, non-titled parts car. The third part of the deal is a completely rebuilt and nicely detailed late 11D motor and transmission.

“Both cars need to be towed,” it says. I guess so. So, what we’re looking at is a complete strip-down and repaint on the body, which seems to be suffering only from bad surface rust (though the undercarriage isn’t shown). It stays sunny in Tunisia. Then the rebuilt engine and tranny have to be shoehorned in, which shouldn’t be a hard job. Suspension and brakes will undoubtedly need work, too. Someone handy with a wrench can probably do all this, but will they want to?

The new brown interior is nice but I’m somewhat doubtful it’s as original. A buyer looking for show wins may have to replace it. Classic.com says a restored 1956 Traction Avant is only averaging $15,238, so a big investment here wouldn’t be economic.

But the Traction Avant is a truly groundbreaking car. I almost bought one once. I went to a garage in a ritzy part of Connecticut, where I had the choice of a right-hand-drive 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, a London taxi, or a Traction Avant. So, sue me, I bought the sexier Benz (for $3,500). But I should have bought the pretty tidy Citroen too.

The long, low Traction, with no running boards and an airy greenhouse, came out in 1934 and had a whole host of innovative features. It was front-wheel drive, and had a monocoque body when practically no one else did. You want more? It had four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering, too. The Citroen could reach 62 mph, and with a four-cylinder engine (there was also a six) was capable of 24 mpg.

The cars—staples of French cop movies—were built until 1957. Some 760,000 were built and sold all over the world, including Tunisia. But few Americans purchased one. That latter point makes the parts situation somewhat difficult but, hey, this one comes with a rebuilt powertrain and a parts car.

The $3,000 price seems reasonable, but this is a long-term project for someone competent who knows French cars. Oh, and yes i know there’s supposed to be an umlaut over the “e” in Citroen. Here you go: Citroën.