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Citroën with a buoyant and booming present and a future full of promise, recently took time out to give us a snap over-the-shoulder glimpse into its distinguished and celebrated past. And it was one of the strangest days ever in motoring annals. In 25 years, I've never been at a motor occasion quite like this.

On Wednesday, November, 28th, 2001, precisely on the stroke of 11 a.m., Pierre Peugeot, who is chairman of PSA's supervisory board, and Claude Satinet, managing director of Automobiles Citroën, officially opened Le Conservatoire, a showcase of Citroën's heritage, in Aulnay-sous-Bois, north of Paris.

For fully two hours, three hundred passenger cars, vans, rally cars, a host of concepts and prototypes, a vast quantity of documentation and souvenirs linked to Citroën's venerated history, stretched out before our burgeoning eyes. A veritable feast of nostalgia!

On the stroke of one (timed with a bit of poetic licence) Le Conservatoire closed its doors. The biggest show in town was over. It wasn't exactly unexpected. The attendance, eighty motoring journalists from around the world, fifty home-grown hacks, and a handful of politicos, were told it would happen exactly as it did. Yet, it left a weird feeling. Like luckier onlookers might have felt watching the sealing of a pyramid.

Le Conservatoire, Citroën told us, is fundamentally different to a museum. It's not open to the public. And though you can almost get the whiff of the camphor mothballing this vast (and ever growing) collection, Le Conservatoire isn't exactly a time-capsule either. Citroën see it as a vast store, from which vehicles can be lent for displays at prestige locations and events throughout the world.

One of the most historic and prestigious of the locations earmarked to receive exhibits from Le Conservatoire (and showcase the products of today and tomorrow) is number 42, avenue des Champs-Elysees. Originally opened by the company in 1928 and currently occupied by Citroën Hippo, 42 is to be converted and fully renovated.

The vehicles housed in Le Conservatoire are, for the most part, definitive versions of the range models produced between 1919 and the present day. Type A, 2 CV, Traction Avant, DS, SM and many other models are present in a wide variety of versions. A second section is devoted to styling studies, models, unique concept cars and prototypes. Thirdly, Le Conservatoire houses the vehicles designed for racing, for major expeditions, for long-distance rallies and for all the other operations that have played a role in building the legend of Citroën. Vehicles in this category include the half-tracks used in the first crossing of the Sahara and in the Croisiere Jeune and the ZX Rallye Raids which won several world championship titles and came first in the Paris-Dakar five times.

The inauguration of Le Conservatoire comes at a particularly buoyant time for the Citroën brand. Otherwise, we might never have seen the opening (and closing) of this giant 6,500m2 undertaking.

In the last five years, Citroën vehicle sales grew by 52%. Citroën beat their own historic sales record in 2001 for the fifth year running. Record 2000 year increases of 13.2% were almost matched by the 12.8% increase achieved last year - at a time when the European car market was virtually stagnant.

Of more import in this part of the world, Citroën's share of the Irish combined car/van market grew from 3.1% to 3.5% in 2001, despite a drop of 25.6% on 2000 year registrations. Early 2002 figures are also impressive. Twenty-day figures for January show Citroën car sales rose by 3.2% - at a time when the market itself was down by 12.6%.