In a world where technology is taking over, everything is going digital these days. The most recent example of this is the online heritage museum that Citroen has just launched. Cleverly called “Citroen Origins,” the new website offers a unique take on looking back at historical models without ever leaving the comforts of your home. Currently, the online display only includes 49 of the brand's previous models, with cars like the Citroen DS and SM left out in the cold, but that’s okay because there are some pretty cool features outside of viewing static pictures of Citroen's past.

To start off, the website is interaction. Once you click on a model, you’re greeted with a zoomed in image of the exterior as well as some basic specs. You can do a full view of the exterior of the car, and if you scroll down, you can read more about it. On the right, there’s a toggle switch that allows you to switch over to an inside view. Once inside the model of your choice, you can drag the screen in any direction to get a full view of the interior – talk about a cool feature. On top of all of this, there are also other things you can play with. You can hit a button to hear the engine start and rev up, and some will even let you hear things like the blinkers functioning.

There’s also music playing in the background that is based on the model of your choice. Older models are backed by music of the era, while newer models get jazzier and more era-relevant music. There are at least two downsides to the site, however. First, all wording on the site is in French, and so far, there is no ability to translate. The second downfall is that there doesn’t appear to be a way to mute the music. For now, the list is somewhat limited, but it appears as if Citroen is planning to add additional models in the future. It’s set up with a slide bar that reads from 1919 all the way to 2016, so it’s safe to assume that Citroen will probably display its whole lineup eventually.

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Why it Matters

While it doesn’t exactly have the same flare as going to a full-fledged auto museum, it’s still a pretty cool thing check out. We all know how annoying it is to be blocked by the notorious red rope at museums, but in Citroens digital museum, there are no red ropes. You can hop on in, play with some of the car’s features and even fire up the engine. If you can look past the use of the French language and the music that can’t be muted, I highly suggest you take a tour of Citroen Origins for yourself. The pictures that you see above are a couple of screenshots of the 1989 Citroen XM that I was checking out just prior to writing this article. As you can see, the inside view is pretty cool.