Australia’s National Internet Magazinee for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 1 démarreur

CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS’ CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Australia’s National Citroën Car Club s t s a i s u h t n E d n a s r e n Magazine w O n ë Internet o r t i C National r o f for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts Australia’s National Internet Magazine

CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS’ CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Australia’s National Citroën Car Club May 2021 Vol 2 No 1 Citroën CX: A Better DS? 2 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3

PPostalostal AddressAddress CCommitteeommittee SSupportupport CContentsontents CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS’ President ~ Ted Cross Web Site Manager ~ Bruce Stringer ED SED PAGE 4 CLUB of AUSTRALIA Inc. [03] 98I9 2208 [H] 04I2 342 706 [M] PREZ SEZ PAGE 5 The address of the Club and this [email protected] [email protected] magazine is: Secretary ~ Tim Cottrell Membership Secretary ~ A-TRACTIONS PAGE 6 PO Box 52, Balwyn, Victoria, 3I03. 04I6 009 297 [M] Ian Macdermott 04I9 362 375 [M] READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Club’s website is: [email protected] [email protected] BOOK REVIEW BX PAGE 11 Treasurer ~ Ian Macdermott Asset Custodians ~ Ted Cross www.citroenclassic.org.au THE OLDEST GSA? PAGE I4 Citroën Classic Owners’ Club of 04I9 362 375 [M] Max Lewis Australia Inc. is a member of the [email protected] AOMC Liaison Offi cers~ INSTANT CAR OF THE YEAR Association of Motoring Clubs. Activity Coordinator ~ Lee Dennes Max Lewis [03] 9372 092I [H] PAGE 27 The views expressed in this 0438 286 I8I [M] Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] YOU SED PAGE 35 publication are not necessarily [email protected] Club Permit & Safety Offi cers~ those of CCOCA or its Committee. Spare Parts Offi cer~ Lance Wearne Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] MISSED OPPORTUNITIES? Neither CCOCA nor its Committee 0424 054 724 [M] Philip Rogers [03] 5944 309I [H] PAGE 36 can accept any responsibility for [email protected] Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] NONCONFORITY? any mechanical advice printed in, or Publication Editor ~ Leigh Miles Librarian ~ Max Lewis IT’S DE RIGEUR PAGE 42 [03] 9888 7506 [H] [03] 9372 092I [H] adopted from this publication. SCULPTED IN STEEL PAGE 58 The Club cannot accept any [email protected] [email protected] responsibility for, or involvement in, Committee Persons ~ Club Shop ~ Vacant THE BEST, BETTERED PAGE 62 any business relationship that may Max Lewis [03] 9372 092I [H] [email protected] VALE ROBERT OPRON occur between an advertiser and a Russell Wade 040I 859 704 [M] ICCCR Representative ~ PAGE 72 member of the Club. Bruce Stringer 04I2 342 706 [M] Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] PHOTOTHÈQUE 1 & 2 PAGE 76 FOUR OF THE BEST PAGE 84 LLifeife MembersMembers MMembershipembership CCoverover ImageImage The committee awards life Annual Membership is $35 and The cover image is taken from I924 5CV FOR SALE PAGE 98 membership to Club members in printed editions of ‘Front Drive’ are The Citroën Magazine, Number CLASSIFIED ADS PAGE I0I recognition of their contribution posted to Australian addresses for an I7, published in November, I985 by to, and support of, the Club. Life additional $45 per year. Citroën Cars Ltd., Slough, UK. The memberships have been awarded to: photo was taken by Nigel Arter CContributorsontributors Sue Bryant 20I7 Contributors to this edition of Brian Wade 20I7 ‘démarreur’ include Nigel Arter, Rob Little 20I2 MMeetingseetings Tess Burfurd Daniel Denis, Richard Ted Cross 20I2 Club meetings are held on the fourth DDeadlineeadline Fewster, Ronan Glon, Malcolm Peter Boyle 2003 Wednesday of every month [except The deadline for the next edition of Greenway, Craig Keller, Max Lewis, Jack Weaver I99I December] at 7:30pm. The venue ‘Front Drive’ is Wednesday, I9 May, Julian Lombard, Julian Marsh, Frédéric Nance Clark I984 is the Frog Hollow Reserve Rooms, and for ’démarreur’ it is Monday, 2I Maury, Aarnout Pluijgers, LJK Setright, Fordham Ave., Camberwell. June and Graham Wilson

CCitroëningitroëning Club Permit applications the club including fi nancial Club permit renewals can be SPARE PARTS & TOOLS CLUB SHOP OTHER CLUBS to VicRoads must be validation. sent to PO Box 52 Balwyn, Contact Lance Wearne. Club Shop is presently Vic www.citcarclubvic.org.au accompanied by a RWC [pre New Permit holders must Victoria. 3I03 with a stamped Phone: 0424 054 724 [if not operating. For further NSWwww.citroencarclub.org.au I949 cars can be inspected supply the Club with return envelope or signed you do phone, please do information please contact QLD www.citroenclubqld.org by a Club Safety Offi cer], approved photos, club permit at club meetings/events if so at a reasonable hour] or the Club’s President. SA www.clubcitroensa.com ownership validation and number and expiry date. the appropriate offi cers are [email protected]. WA www.citroenwa.org.au VicRoads forms endorsed by present. au Tas www.citroentas.org 4 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5 EEdd SedSed PPrezrez SSezez the mooted six-cylinder engine then undertook the post Cit-In fi rst fl agged to the Com- was neither developed nor fi t- ur CCOCA AGM was run, which was also a time to mittee the idea of focussing ted. Indeed it was never fi t- conducted by Zoom with unwind after the hectic Cit-In thisI edition of our magazine on ted. Of course, neither was the proxyO voting. We had a quorum, activities. the CX well over a year ago. As much vaunted triple-rotary mo- and most of our existing com- It is now time for members to the owner of both a GS and CX, tor: that was a good thing, as it mittee members were re-elect- turn their attention towards our two designs created by the ge- happened. ed. We wish to welcome Marg June Long Weekend/OzTraction nius of Robert Opron I must ex- Ronan Gloan’s interesting ar- Towt to our 202I committee. event in the Bairnsdale area. press a personal view that the ticle, written on the occasion of Marg also worked on the recent June can be cold in Gippsland, CX is more beautiful of the two. the model’s 40th Anniversary, Cit-In joint committee and will but the welcome will be warm I know many will declaim that gives more insight on the car’s be a valuable addition to our and the run being organised by the SM has to be the zenith of development. group. Lee Dennes will be well worth his work, but my vote goes to The fi rst Australian review of After many years of faith- the effort. We personally hope the CX. the CX, based on the launch ful committee work, Kay and to see you there. Little was I to know last year undertaken north of the Arctic Robert Belcourt did not wish to Welcome to our newest that the death of Robert Opron Circle, appeared in ‘Wheels’ in continue their positions in 202I. members, Grahame Maddeford would cast a shadow over this May of I974 and this is accom- So, a special thank you to them and Glenys Watt from New edition. Various motoring jour- panied by a I977 review of the both for jobs well done. The po- South Wales, Bauke Meijer from nalists have written obituar- Prestige from the UK magazine, sition of Club Shop is now va- Tasmania. Peter Moore from ies for Opron, but I think that ‘What Car?’ cant. Western Australia, and not for- penned by Julian Marsh has to The car was given a make-over Max Lewis has fully taken over getting our good friends Ray and be the best. Julian has kindly giv- in I985 at the hands of Geoff the reins of the Library and it Julie Potts and Dave Rogers and en his approval for it to re-print- Matthews, who was Chief De- is being re-vamped. A couple Mary Noonan from Victoria. ed here in full. signer for Exteriors, under the of valuable library books have We have heard recently that But, the CX did have its short- watchful eye of Carl Olsen. In been previously borrowed but Robert Opron died on March comings, especially at its launch. common with the update of the not returned ~ we would like 29. He had a long and produc- But these should be laid at the GS which had been launched them back. If you have a CCO- tive life, and was responsible for feet of Opron. The fact that Cit- fi ve years previously the sleek CA library book in your pos- many fi ne Citroën designs, in- roën was so cash-strapped that stainless steel bumpers were re- session, please get in touch with CContinuedontinued oonn pagepage 6 placed by composite bumpers. Max about its timely return. [li- While welcomed at the time, [email protected]] many now feel both cars lost Helen and I have just returned some of Opron’s original design from the joint CCCV/CCOCA fi nesse in doing so. Bendigo Cit-In. This took a cou- ple of years of planning, and we But, LJK Setright who was not had to modify some parts due looking at the Series II car’s de- to prevailing Covid-Safety rules. sign æsthetics described it as ‘the Nevertheless, we all had a great best, bettered’. And who am I to time catching up with old friends argue? from other clubs and several in- You may remember some terstate CCOCA members who CContinuedontinued oonn pagepage 6 made their way to Victoria. We 6 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7 EEdd SSeded PPrezrez SSezez CContinuedontinued ffromrom ppageage 4 CContinuedontinued ffromrom ppageage 5 Peter Sandow’s ‘Poke Around says, with a toothbrush. He is conjecture by your Editor as cluding the acclaimed CX, GS the Factory’ and al Fresco planning a rebirth. to whether club member Dave and SM models of the seventies. Lunch • Peter’s beloved Traction Avant, Rogers’ GSA might be the oldest He also revised several other WHEN Saturday, 29 May ex Javel factory, I950-5I. surviving RHD example still on models and was an important TIME: From 1I:00am, • ‘Beachcomber’, Not Peter but the road. Join Graham H Wilson, servant of Citroën over many lunch from I:00pm a 2CV6 Special. Aarnout Pluijgers, Marc Stabel, years. WHERE: Workshop/Factory, • All hat, no cattle, DRB Cobra, Julian Marsh and me as we play Regards to all. 3 /4 Merino Street, Capel 302 Ford, 5-speed. sleuth and try to determine the Ted Cross Sound then lunch at I6 Arunta • The good night out, Mercedes truth of the matter. Crt., Rye Benz 450SLC, I978. Perth-based member Mark COST: Free Greenway shares his memories BOOKINGS: Essential by • June of an art deco display he visit- Monday, I5 February OzTraction 2021 ed in Houston in 20I6; remem- BRING: Everything for a WHEN Queen’s Birthday Long ber… when international travel BBQ/picnic Weekend, Friday, 1I to Monday, was permitted. While Citroën PROVIDED: BBQ facilities, I4 June was not represented in the dis- tea and coffee TThehe wwharfharf atat MetungMetung play, he fi rmly believes the Trac- RSVP: Essential by Monday, tion Avant was there in spirit. 2I May I hope you enjoy this month’s CONTACT: Peter Sandow motoring selection. 04I9 5I5 302 Leigh F Miles ~ Editor [email protected] As always, numbers are limited, so book early or you may have to join the waiting list. You will AA-Tractions-Tractions need to give Peter the names, BBairnsdale’sairnsdale’s hhistoricistoric RRailwayailway SStationtation Please note: For all events you will be required to provide names, email contact numbers and email addresses and phone numbers of attendees to the Event Contact as per Covid addresses of everyone in your Contact Tracing Regulations. Please check the Club’s website for the latest group when you book. information or contact the organiser prior to travelling to any listed event. Some of the gems to be seen include CONTACT: Lee Dennes, • An IDI9-P, I959-I960, ex Javel • May 04 3828 6I8I factory, France. Rumoured to Monthly Meeting: Special [email protected] have been imported to Aus- TThehe eentrancentrance ttoo tthehe GGippslandippsland LLakesakes General Meeting & Chat Keep the date free and keep tralia by the French Consulate WHEN Wednesday, 26 May an eye out for Lee Dennes’ in Canberra. TIME: 7:30pm • Another IDI9, also a single WHERE: Zoom virtual meeting Activities email and Tim Cot- light, West Heidelberg assem- at a computer near you. trell’s Zoom link on the evening. bled, cI962-66. Originally was COST: Free See page I4 for more details. an ‘Ivory’, but unfortunately BOOKINGS: Not required has been painted, as Peter 8 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9 AA-Tractions-Tractions WHERE: East Gippsland TThehe magnimagnifi centcent BBuchanuchan CCavesaves aarere aann RACV, along with the Vintage COST: $230pp eeasyasy drivedrive aawayway Drivers Club, will be organising BOOKINGS: Essential, by an event recreating the original Friday, 2I May I92I Alpine Trial. The RACV Al- CONTACT: Lee Dennes, pine Trial Centenary event will 0438 286I8I follow, as closely as practicable, [email protected] the route of the I92I RACV I,000 WHAT IS INCLUDED? Mile Reliability Trial You will be provided with A maximum of I00 vehicles • luncheon at a winery will be permitted to enter, with • three evening meals REFUNDS preference given to vehicles that • entry to a private garden, BBairnsdale’sairnsdale’s GGothicothic RRevivalevival CCourthouseourthouse All refunds will be at the discre- competed in the original events and to other vehicles manufac- • two-and-a-half-hour cruise on tion of the organisers. tured during the period of the the Gippsland Lakes and • Further details of the event trials: I92I-I926. • an individually packaged Con- will be available closer to the Entries will be accepted in 3 tinental Breakfast. date. Tiers. Preference for acceptance WHAT’S NOT Early Warning will be in the order of these All other costs, including accom- tiers. modation, will be at your own TIER 1: Vehicles that actually expense. • November RRACVACV contested any of the four RACV ACCOMMODATION AlpineAlpine TrialTrial events. Preferred accommodation will be CCentenaryentenary WHEN Saturday, 20 to Saturday, TIER 2: Vehicles of the same • Bairnsdale Interna- make and model as the original tional Motel, 355 Main 27 November FROM: RACV Nobel Park contestants of the trials. Street, Bairnsdale 8300 PPelicanselicans aarere rregularlyegularly ffoundound iinn tthehe aarearea TIER 3a: Other vehicles manu- www.bairnsdaleinternational. TO: RACV Goldfi elds Resort, Ballarat factured between I92I-I926. com.au TIER 3b: Vehicles up to I930. COST: Participants: $350pp The Motel has offered partici- CCOCA members will be in- BOOKINGS: Essential pants a Classic Queen Room for terested to know that in I92I CONTACT: Glenda Chivers, $I29 per night [excluding Break- four Citroëns participated. The 043I 709 248 fast]. drivers were H Curtis, WG Mention you are a member of racvalpinetrialcentenary@vdc. McDonald, Miss K Braithwaite TThehe amazinglyamazingly ppeacefuleaceful MMitchellitchell RRiveriver org.au the Citroën Classic Owners’ fl oowsws intointo thethe GippslandGippsland LakesLakes atat EagleEagle and William Dixon who was Club to obtain this discount. PPointoint In 202I RACV will celebrate the a late entry and did not fi nish. There are several other motels centenary of the RACV Alpine Curtis’ car is listed as 9.4Ihp, in the area if you wish to seek Trials, events that were sig- while the others are 8.59hp. It alternate accommodation. nifi cant milestones in Australian would be great to see a Citroën REGISTRATION & PAYMENT automotive history. To com- or two participate in the Cen- Go to https://citroenclassic.org. memorate those milestones, tenary Trial. au/wordpress/ and follow the prompts.. 1100 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1111 AA-Tractions-Tractions BBookook ReviewReview tions Manager Citroën UK] the Chit Chat Tuesday CCitroënitroën BBXX… essential soul of this wonderful WHEN: Ist Tuesday A newnew generationgeneration ofof CitroënCitroën new offering from Citroën. 4 May ‘The BX ~ the car that, togeth- 1 June his Citrovisie book arrived er with the GS/A, Xsara Picasso 6 July last week after a short and Saxo, most improved Cit- TIME: I0:00am waitT [it seemed like an eon but roën’s fortunes in the UK.’ WHERE: Laneway Espresso as it was so looked forward to, More BXs were sold in just Café, Dromana my impatience got the better that relatively small market [pro- COST: Cheap Eats of me] is presented by Thijs van ducing a right hand drive model BOOKING: Not required der Zanden with Julian Marsh must always have been a pain CONTACT: Warwick Spinaze responsible for this English edi- in Citroën’s derriere] than all of 04 070I 67I9. tion just as was Julian’s work on the preceding small models put Laneway Espresso Café ~ the GS/GSA book. together. next door to the Dromana The full title is Citroën BX… A The factory went on the pro- Hotel, I67 Nepean H’way, new generation of Citroën. duce more than 2.33million Dromana. Easy to fi nd, plenty And that sub title folks really units… no small beer here!! of parking, under-cover seat- describes this model in its true As with the other two Citrovi- ing if weather wet. This is a perspective. sie books that I have reviewed… low key ‘DIY’ event for like The book like that of the GS/ The GS/GSA and CX, this edition minded Citroën owners to GSA is in the landscape format is another great example of how meet and chat. and that pleases me very much. Thijs and his band of merry Cit- As well, it has its own fabric ronauts have put together such bookmark whereas the others detail with more photos that did not. you can shake a stick at, that it A small but nice touch. again resets the standard. The book is 3I2pages and has The BX was initially the sub- a hard cover in the modern ject of [or maybe ‘to’ is the more style… ie no dust jacket. apt phrase] the notable design- The book starts off with the ers Jean Giret, Regis Gromik and origins of the BX and what inter- Luc Louis . esting reading that makes as the These three auto design mus- author explores and relates the keteers were following in the goings on at Citroën when this footsteps of Robert Opron who car fi rst came up as hopefully a had been the No I pen and ink worthy successor to the GS. man. This section is as full of illus- A small interruption here and trations as you would want and one that had a huge bearing they are mostly in colour. on Citroën’s future was that at I would like to take from the the I973 fuel crisis our beloved Foreword written by Julian Ley- marque found itself in a fi nancial ton [retired Press & Public Rela- fi .x 1122 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1133 BBookook ReviewReview Citroën as you know was This was the genesis of the nonetheless scored extremely mass production came into play owned mostly by Michelin who era of the wedge and creases well with overall driveability and that design trends are fi ckle. with the cold wind of fi scal melt- and sharp this, that and the oth- its small engined models scored The BX and its kith and kin of down breathing down its neck, it er… altogether a new mould. an economy fi rst place in the the time were replaced with the got Peugeot to throw out a life The curves and soft forms of I983 Mobil Economy Run. new lot of shapes like the Xsara line. the GS/GSA for example went All boded well for the BX and and Xantia morphing into the C- An editorial aside: Others by the way. over its I2+ year production run Series. have suggested that it was the Citroën was losing its way in it was deemed a success and The British market provides French government who forced determining the shape of what helped Citroën’s fortunes on an example of how a successful Peugeot to ‘rescue’ Citroën you and I know as the BX. And the way. model came and went. Of the while putting Renault into a Full Gandini did some good work There were many, many deriv- 200,000 built for the UK, barely Nelson to take the marque’s and as a parry to the in house atives… too many to mention 200 exist today. truck arm. designer’s purple mutterings ex- here but perhaps one that stood Such is the way. This saved Citroën’s bacon; pressed the view that ‘I was not out was the I6-valve sport mod- OK folks, this book is now in but the price was rather steep… hired to make friends.’ el which was the epitome of a the library and is ready for you no more outlandish models with A perfunctory man who also boy racer’s rocket. to borrow. which to woo and bring won- expressed the view that ‘we Sadly it would seem the wedge Line up as this book on the derment to the otherwise bor- sent the design and then shape of the BX would be sup- absolutely delightful BX will be a ing automotive world of mass the invoice and that planted by the more rounded popular read. produced cars. was that.’ curvaceous bodywork of the Your humble scribe, Well indeed it next lot of Citroën models. It Max Lewis, was just that is the fate of car designs since Librarian. and the de- sign went ahead un- NNextext issueissue ofof ‘démarreur’...‘démarreur’... The der LLookingooking ForwardForward cold the 22021021 isis thethe 50th50th AnniversaryAnniversary ofof thethe AmiAmi 6:6: clammy di- BBertoni’sertoni’s lastlast completecomplete designdesign forfor Citroën.Citroën. ReadRead hand of rection tthehe storystory ofof thisthis almostalmost forgottenforgotten million-seller.million-seller. Peugeot of Trevor Fiore was now [an Englishman with an Ital- the infl uencer. ian heritage… a rare combo But nonetheless then as now] and fi nally mor- Citroën weaved its path phed into the shape we well amongst the minefi elds of perni- know. cious papa Peugeot!! Citroën introduced the car How’s that for alliteration? to the public in I982 with enor- Along came Italians Giorgetto mous pomp and pageantry and Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini away it went. ~ internationally acclaimed for Although it missed out on a IIff youyou wishwish toto makemake a contributioncontribution sendsend some exotic Italian autos. Car of the Year award, the BX iitt ttoo LeighLeigh MMilesiles aatt [email protected]@citroenclassic. oorg.aurg.au bbyy MMonday,onday, JJuneune 22I.I. GotGot a picturepicture tthathat meritsmerits ssharing?haring? SSendend iitt aass wwell.ell. 1144 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1155 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? my GS expert Rob Moss [from ollowing the article about the Chevronic Centre in the the joint CCCV/CCO- UK], Aarnout Pluijgers [a Dutch FCA run last December to cel- GS expert] and Graham H ebrate the 50th Anniversary of Wilson [who is in charge of the the launch of the GS published CCCUK’s GS/A Register. In addi- in the February/March edition of tion Graham is the owner of the ‘Front Drive’ [Volume 44, No 5] GS Pallas which featured in an your Editor got onto the path of article in ‘Classic & Sports Car’ attempting to determine wheth- magazine and was reprinted in er Dave Rogers’ GSA is indeed FForor thosethose whowho Volume 44 No 4 of ‘Front Drive’. the oldest RHD GSA still on the mmayay nneedeed rre-e- I have to say that the vast bulk road. I started hunting for more mminding,inding, hhereere of the information in the arti- information. I contacted Marc iiss a ppictureicture ooff cle which follows is the work of Stabèl [the author of the excel- DDaveave RRoger’soger’s Graham, with additional vital in- lent book about the GS/A, a copy GGSASA… tthehe carcar formation that fi lls many of the of which is in the Club’s library], tthathat startedstarted thisthis gaps in knowledge coming from Julian Marsh [of Citroënët fame], qquest.uest. Aarnout. My contribution, on re- 1166 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1177 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? fl ection, was more limited and car had been in Australia for ters. So, a VIN of the style shown I,I29cc Specials and by looking at largely involved asking Aarnout decades and he thought it had in the paragraph above would the rest of the data it seems that and Graham questions, the an- at least three different registra- show as: the following table can be devel- swers to which were not always tion plates from two different GXYL øø YL øøøø. oped. [Table I] apparent. So, over to Graham… jurisdictions ~ South Austral- or A problem car is an X3 with but before he starts, as this is ia and Victoria. Leigh has been GXYL øøøø YL øøøø. OK? full VIN: VF7 GXYL 000I GL largely Graham’s work, refer- able to trace the ownership of Where did the extra two digits 9849. If the GL is correct the ence to Graham is ‘I’ while refer- this car through its three pre- come from? Sometime around VIN should have been GXGL in ence to Leigh is ‘he’. Got it? vious owners, and of course its I98I there were moves to stand- the second block of characters if current owner. But, the fi rst of ardise VINs internationally. Two it was to match the YA, YR and he Earliest Surviving these could only advise that he extra digits were added in the YS codes. I think the ‘GL’ before GSA’ research leads on had bought the car from a now- middle and VF7 [representing the 4-digit number is an error ‘T‘toT a lot of ‘unknowns’. I feared defunct dealer in Adelaide, SA. Citroën] was added at the start. made many years ago. It would that this would be the case af- At the time he bought the car I told Leigh that I am no ex- be great to hear from the own- ter helping a UK CCC member there was no record of the car’s pert on chassis numbers and my er of another GSA X3 to deter- in 20I6 who was writing about previous UK registration. real concern as GS/A Registrar is mine which pattern is correct. late model UK GSAs which were Unravelling the VINs keeping track of the UK cars and And this is where Aarnout in Cornfl ower Blue paintwork, The best way to date a GSA to build up a bank of informa- came to our rescue. The Dutch, as on his car. is by the four-digit RP code but, tion on each car that I put in a it seems, have always had an es- The research started be- unfortunately, it has been paint- folder that supplements a large pecially soft spot for the GS/A cause Leigh wanted to date a ed over on this car. The real fun spreadsheet covering known [and as you may recall from an round dial GSA in Victoria, Aus- then started when Leigh men- GSAs, and of course GSs. I now earlier XM-focused Front Drive] tralia, that was imported at least tioned the VIN/chassis number: have folders for 285 GS/As that and he has been able to provide 30years ago. For those who are ‘My understanding was that the includes information from web- a far more comprehensive list of not aware, the fi rst batches of ‘age’ of the car could be deter- sites on vehicles listed for sale. the letter codes and their rela- GSAs for the UK [right hand I cannot keep track of who ismined older fromthan thethe oldesttwo separate Dutch tionship to the model types. [Ta- drive] had a modifi ed version of digit-parts of the number.’ He owns what though, as it has be- ble 2] the GS dashboard that has round continuedcar which by is saying that the come impossible with some cars But, then you need a further dials. The clock was moved from Australianbut that acar French ‘GXYL car 00 we YL know8I07 changing owners so often in the table to decipher which engine is a central position to the left of [although now wrecked], UK and not all owners are in the which. While Citroën may name where it replaced the voltmeter. GXYL 0I YL 5859, CCCUK. an engine GI0/61I the less techni- Extra warning lights were added There is one part of the VIN cal amongst us would prefer to where the clock had been. still.’ data which looks simple and Leigh said that he thought GXYL 00 YL 0654 was older that is the two letters before the TAABLEBLE II:: GGSASA MOODELDEL DEESIGNATIONSSIGNATIONS FFROMROM that these cars were only avail- This was information passed four numbers. As an example, I TTHEHE CCCCUKCCUK REEGISTERGISTER able for the I980 model year to Leigh by Dave Rogers and it will use the VIN for my own GSA one’s guess’ GGXYAXYA øøøøøøøø YYAA II,129,129CCCC GGSASA SPPECIALECIAL from September I979 to Au- came originally from Aarnout. Special I,I29cc that may be the GGXYLXYL øøøøøøøø YYLL SStandardtandard GGSASA HHatches,atches, gust I980 [confi rmed from Marc In the hope of bringing clarity, only UK specifi cation one in use. iincludingncluding X1 andand Stabèl’s book] but it was ‘any- Leigh suggested that where we Its full VIN is: mmaybeaybe X3 whether they actu- reference numbers that are re- VF7 GXYA 0002 YA 49I0. GGXYRXYR øøøøøøøø YYRR GGSASA C--maticmatic ally ran for the full model year. lated to a specifi cVIN type we The UK Register data indi- GGXYSXYS øøøøøøøø YYSS GGSASA EEstatesstates Leigh explained to me that the have substituted lower case let- cates that ‘YA’ codes are only for 1188 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1199 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? TAABLEBLE 22:: GGSS AANDND GGSASA MOODELDEL DEESIGNATIONSSIGNATIONS FRROMOM DUUTCHTCH REECORDSCORDS TAABLEBLE 33:: CIITROËNTROËN GGS/AS/A ENNGINESGINES GGSS GGSASA ENNGINEGINE CAAPACITYPACITY MOODELDEL DAATETE COOMPMP. POOWERWER RRPMPM TOORQUERQUE RRPMPM COOMMENTSMMENTS SEERIESRIES VEEHICLEHICLE TYYPEPE ENNGINEGINE TYYPEPE SEERIESRIES VEEHICLEHICLE TYYPEPE ENNGINEGINE TYYPEPE PLLATEATE [CCCC] RAATIOTIO [HHPP/DDININ] [[NNM] GII0/61I0/61I 11,015,015 GGSS II97I-9/7797I-9/77 9..00::II 5555..55 66,500,500 77II 33,500,500 C--maticmatic GGXX-GGAA BBerlineerline 6CCVV GII0/61I,0/61I, GII0/6I2,0/6I2, G11I/63II/63I GGXX-YYAA BBerlineerline 11I30I30 G11I/63II/63I GII0/6I20/6I2 II,0I5,0I5 GGSS II97I-9/7797I-9/77 9..00::II 5555..55 66,500,500 77II 33,500,500 GGXX-GGBB BBerlineerline 7CCVV GII2/61I,2/61I, GII2/6I22/6I2 GGXX-YYBB BBerlineerline II220220 [S/J] GII2/6I22/6I2 G11I/63II/63I II,I29,I29 GGSS 99/77-7/80/77-7/80 9..00::II 5566..55 55,750,750 7799 33,500,500 GGXX-GGCC BBreakreak II220220 GII2/61I,2/61I, GII2/6I22/6I2 GGSASA SSpecialpecial 77/80-7/8I/80-7/8I GGXX-GGDD SServiceervice VVanan II220220 GII2/61I,2/61I, GII2/6I22/6I2 GGSASA 77/8I-I985/8I-I985 GGXX-GGEE BBreakreak 6CCVV GII0/61I,0/61I, GII0/6I2,0/6I2, G11I/63II/63I GGXX-YYEE BBreakreak 1I301I30 G11I/63II/63I GII2/61I2/61I II,222,222 GGSS 99/74-7/79/74-7/79 8..22::II 6600 55,750,750 8877 33,250,250 GGXX-GGFF SServiceervice VVanan 6CCVV GII0/61I,0/61I, GII0/6I2,0/6I2, G11I/63II/63I GGXX-YYFF SServiceervice VVanan 11I30I30 G11I/63II/63I GII2/6I22/6I2 II,222,222 GGSS 99/74-7/79/74-7/79 8..22::II 6600 55,750,750 8877 33,250,250 CC-matic-matic GGXX-GGGG BBirotorirotor KKKMKM662424 GGXX-YYGG [A] GII2/6I92/6I9 II,222,222 GGSS XX22 II0/74-9/780/74-9/78 8..99::II 6655 55,750,750 99II 33,500,500 GGXX-GGHH X2 GII2/6I92/6I9 GII3/6253/625 II,299,299 GGSS XX33 99/78-7/79/78-7/79 8..77::II 6655 55,500,500 9966 33,500,500 GGSASA 77/79-7/8I/79-7/8I GGXX-GGJJ BBreakreak II300300 [CCHH] GII3/6253/625 GII3/6463/646 II,299,299 GGSASA [EECOCO] 77/8I-I985/8I-I985 8..77::II 6633..88 55,500,500 9944 33,500,500 GGXX-GGKK BBreakreak 6CCVV [A] GGXX-YYKK BBerlineerline 11I30I30 [A] GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 GII3/6553/655 II,299,299 GGSASA [EEII] 8..77::II 6633..88 55,500,500 9944 33,500,500 EElectroniclectronic GGXX-GGLL BBerlineerline II300300 GII3/6253/625 GGXX-YYLL BBerlineerline II300300 GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 IIgnitiongnition GGXX-YYMM SServiceervice VVanan II300300 GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 GGXX-GGNN BBerlineerline II30I30I X3 [I] GII3/6263/626 GGXX-YYNN BBerlineerline II30I30I [I] GII3/6353/635 In I982, 80,965 ‘Berline’/hatch- dence here. What I do not know GGXX-YYRR BBerlineerline C--maticmatic GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 backs were built. I have assumed is if the YR code for C-matics in- GGXX-YYSS BBreakreak I300I300 GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 a 5-day working week, across cludes estate C-matics or are GGXX-YYVV BBreakreak C--maticmatic GII3/625,3/625, GII3/646,3/646, GII3/6553/655 a 48-week working year that C-matic estates under the YS means about 330 hatchbacks code or, as there are no C-mat- GGXX-YYXX BBerlineerline II300300 [A] per day. [Note: The produc- ic estates on the GSA Register, GGXX-YYZZ [A] tion calculations in this and the do they have a totally different NNotes:otes: A = AAustria,ustria, CCHH = SSwitzerland,witzerland, I = IItaly,taly, J = JJapan,apan, S = SSweden.weden. next paragraph should be good code? WWee kknownow thatthat GGXX-GGGG aandnd GGXX-YYZZ eexist,xist, bbutut wwee kknownow nono moremore aboutabout thesethese models.models. enough to prove my points even From Leigh’s brochure col- know that it is the I,0I5cc mo- though there would be holidays, lection we know that the GSA Berline RP Numbers strikes [?] and possibly some Club Estate was available from tor. So, there’s another table. [Ta- As far as I can tell, the 4-digit weekend working]. For the eight launch [UK brochure] and it ap- ble 3 which has been extracted number sequence is separate for days gap in the example above, peared in the I98I Model year and updated from a listing of Cit- each of the letter codes such as you would expect the 7 July fi g- [Dutch brochure, August, I980]. roën’s air-cooled engines com- YR and YL, as explained next. The ure to be a VIN near 6I70 and But for the I984 model year the plied by J Cats and which can two cars below were built only not 93I6. Even if you took the C-matic box was dropped from be found at https://cats-citroen. eight days apart but the four dig- year’s production of all variants the gearboxes on offer. So, there com/citroen_atypes/enginegear- its numbers are not close. of GSA, you only get to a VIN may not have been many manu- box.html]. Having said, you will ending somewhere in the re- factured to begin with. MOODELDEL VVININ EXXTRACTTRACT RRPP NO BUUILDILD DAATETE note that neither GI3/626 nor gion of 7240 and not 93I6. The But, once again Aarnout’s in- GI3/635 [the I,30Icc motors for MManualanual HatchHatch 3355 YYLL 33529529 22059059 TTues,ues, 2299 JJune,une, ‘‘8282 YL and YR number sequences formation comes to our rescue. the Italian market] are in his list. CC-matic-matic HHatchatch 00II YYRR 993I63I6 22067067 WWed,ed, 7 JJuly,uly, ‘‘8282 are separate based on the evi- His table clearly shows that C- 2200 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2211 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? matic estates received their own day. This gives 22,800 estate cars VIN code and so would have to The respective RP numbers for unique letter identifi er:YV built between the dates; that is a generate a new two-digit code the two cars are 2I60 and 2067 Break RP Numbers number well beyond a four-dig- in front of the YS before 9999 ~ that makes sense. What does its at the end of the VIN code. was reached. With the limited trouble me is that there are VVININ EXXTRACTTRACT RRPP NO BUUILDILD DAATETE The last four digits are there- data on the GSA Register, I can- two LHD C-matics that are 0I 0055 YYSS 336I86I8 II925925 MMon,on, I5I5 February,February, ‘82‘82 fore separate for each two digit not work out what happened to YR 5704 and 0I YR 6247. Were 0088 YYSS 99546546 22485485 MMon,on, 2929 August,August, ‘83‘83 letter code such as 05 and 08 00YS, 0IYS, 03YS, 04YS and 06YS. so few C-matics built that most based on the evidence here. Were they for non-right hand came under the 0I YR code Next for analysis are YS estate Leigh looks like he was correct drive [ie LHD] cars? However, whether they were LHD or RRMPMP II2323Y aakaka 0I0I to think the 05 and 08 codes re- the C-matic data does not sup- RHD? cars to see if the last four dig- YYRR 99316316 belongsbelongs its are separate for the two-digit fl ected a date order and they port that view as shown below. Indeed, Aarnout’s data shows ttoo youryour Editor’sEditor’s seem to make sense for the few that the same two-letter was number codes before the YS: ffriendriend SShaunhaun C-matics Illuminate Matters LLeigheigh MMiles’iles’ GGSASA GSA estate cars on the Register: With few C-matics on the allocated to both left and right RP2485 minus RPI925 = 560 LLilley.illey. SShaun’shaun’s hhasas nnoo suchsuch 02 YS = I98I Register [and an even smaller hand drive cars; whether C-mat- is the number of days between eexamplexample benebenefi tsts aadornments,dornments, aal-l- 05 YS = I982 number with VIN/RP informa- ic or manual. those two dates that means ffromrom a sunroofsunroof tthoughhough itit doesdoes aandnd rearrear spoilerspoiler 07 YS = I983 tion], there is only the code 0I bbeneenefi t ffromrom aann Year Coding about 400 production days. In aandnd thatthat ratherrather 08 YS = I983-84 YR in I982-83. Leigh’s own GSA uupgradedpgraded iinteriornterior For the normal GSA hatch- I982/83 Citroën built an aver- oodddd handlehandle nearnear 09 YS = I984 C-matic is 0I YR 9340 and his is uusingsing tthehe uuphol-phol- backs with the YL letter code, age of I3,700 Estates per year, or tthehe bottombottom ofof Citroën has a four-digit num- even the same colour as 0I YR ssterytery ffromrom a GGSASA the date order for UK RHD cars an average of about 57 cars per tthehe hatch.hatch. ber sequence at the end of the 93I6 that is on the UK register. PPallasallas SSEE. appears to be: 2222 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2233 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? 00 YL = I980-8I further chart [Table 4] which • 7 were taxed for road use the for road use in the UK; four were I6 YL = I98I details not only the various ‘year last time I checked; on SORN; four were ‘unlicensed’ I7 YL = I98I codes’ that were applied to the • 6 were on SORN [Statutory and four were scrapped. That 20 YL = I98I-82 various body/engine types but Off Road Notifi cation in the also puts the number of early 2I YL = I98I-82 also the starting number for UK]; they exist and could be GSAs in the UK into perspective. 28 YL = I982 each year and in some cases easily on the road again or be Round Dial GSAs 35 YL = I983 and is most com- the fi nal number issued for each near wrecks; There is a very early round dial mon code on the register year. This information is largely • 7 were ‘Unlicensed’ ~ this GSA in the UK and I had no VIN 42 YL = I984-85 sourced from source ‘De Cit- means the Government’s for it until the present research Why are there gaps in the roën GS en GSA by Marc Stabèl DVLA knows about the car TThehe oovalval CitroënCitroën began. However, I have been number sequence? Were these & Martijn Kok. in theory but is should be on llogoogo thatthat book-book- looking at my photos of that eendsnds tthehe VVININ/ LHD cars? Were some numbers TTwowo UUKK GGSASAss.. Early GSAs SORN if it exists and it may car and found one of the whole reserved for cars produced at OOnn tthehe rrightight iiss Having looked at VIN codes, not exist at all; cchassishassis nnumber.umber. engine compartment taken I2 the Vigo plant in Spain? I only GGrahamraham WWilson’silson’s I turn to early GSAs and then • 7 have been scrapped ac- years ago on a small Panasonic ‘‘other’other’ ccar:ar: tthehe have VIN data for four LHD cars: round dial GSAs in particular. cording to information in the digital camera. Amazingly, after oonlynly UUKK--specspec GGSASA zooming in on my computer and two are C-matics as discussed There are 30 cars with V and W Register and are not shown SSpecialpecial sstilltill oonn increasing sharpness etc, I have a above, another is an X3 and registration letters on the GSA on the DVLA Government tthehe roadroad therethere reasonable photo of the VIN and one is a normal hatchback. The Register the earliest possible website; [GGXYAXYA 00002002 YYAA ~ it is GXYL 0000 YL 504I0. regular LHD hatchback is 26 YL letters for a GSA on its original • 2 are problems, eg one num- 449I0]9I0] andand onon TThehe VVININ pplatelate ooff That last digit is a real mys- 1I36 and was fi rst registered in tthehe leftleft isis tthehe number plate. They cover I Au- ber plate is now a Volvo. KKGVGV 4455V, sshowinghowing tery: why 5 numbers as on the France in December I98I and ccarar wwithith llowestowest gust, I979 to 3I July, I98I. Of the I have a VIN for 1I of the 30 qquiteuite cclearlylearly tthehe accompanying photo? Could that does not seem out of place kknownnown VVININ iinn tthehe 30 cars: above but do not ask about ‘‘bracket’bracket’ aatt vveryery what looks like an ‘0’ be a clos- in the YL list in blue as above. UUKK: GGXYLXYL 00000000 YYLL • I [one] is on a very early, non- RP numbers. Of that 30, I2 are eendnd ooff thethe VVININ. ing bracket? There is also some- Aarnout supplied us with a 5504I.04I. standard UK number plate ‘round dial’ and none were taxed EEasilyasily cconfused.onfused. thing before the initial G that could also be a bracket. Was it possible that Citroën were con- sidering a 5-digit code at the end of the VIN? I hope to ob- tain the RP number one day. I seem to remember a discussion with an earlier owner of the car who showed me the bodywork in the gutter area visible where the tailgate shuts down and it was not like that on other GSA hatchbacks and I did have my I98I GSA to compare with it. This early car is on SORN and could easily be on the road. Is this the earliest RHD GSA produced that is roadworthy or even the earli- 2244 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2255 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? est LHD or RHD GSA? very early car. He has pondered code system for both cars. Conclusions And that is pretty much where that it might be from the fi rst se- However, when I was go- The ‘oldest’ round dial GSAs Graham left it. ries of demo cars for the English ing through the GSA Register, using the data as at present But again, Aarnout came to dealers. I found a UK ‘V’ plate GSA that thought to be, with oldest fi rst our rescue! Here is what he Leigh said that there was a was fi rst registered on I Jan I980 are shown in Table 5: shared with us: Dutch car with VIN 0I YL 5859; and the VIN is 00 YL 6063. In- ‘What I haven’t told you [is] that that looks like it would be slightly formation from the owner said TAABLEBLE 55:: KNNOWNOWN LOOWW VVININ RHDRHD GSAGSAS it was ‘one of the original demo VIN are enclosed between later than the UK car because it VVININ 1SSTT REEGG CCOMMENTOMMENT the2 double chevrons. To be more batch with LH [left hand] door is 0I, not 00. The wrecked French DAATETE. precise it’s the original logo with mirror’. If this information is cor- 0000 YYLL 5504I04I 11I/3/80I/3/80 UUKK: EEasilyasily pputut bbackack oonn tthehe rroadoad car Leigh mentioned was 00 YL the oval around. That’s the 0 you rect [and I have no reason to 0000 YYLL 55866866 66/2/80/2/80 UUKK: SScrapped,crapped, 220I50I5 0654 and would have been be- see at the end.’ doubt that owner] it is still a car 0000 YYLL 55957957 22I/1/80I/1/80 UUKK: SScrapped,crapped, 22003003 fore the UK car assuming that that is later than 00 YL 504I. 0000 YYLL 66063063 11/1/80/1/80 UUKK: CCouldould bebe putput backback onon thethe roadroad So, Aarnout agrees this is a we are looking at the same VIN 0000 YYLL 66454454 II3/2/803/2/80 UUKK: SScrapped,crapped, 220I00I0 TAABLEBLE 44:: CIITROËNTROËN GGSS AANDND GGSASA CHHASSISASSIS NUUMBERSMBERS 0000 YYLL 77795795 55/1/80/1/80 UUKK: SSORNORN, 227,573miles7,573miles @ 220I20I2 0000 YYLL 88I07I07 N/A AAU:U: RRegisteredegistered & rroadworthyoadworthy YEEARAR GGX-GAX-GA GGX-GBX-GB GGX-GCX-GC GGX-GDX-GD GGX-GEX-GE GGX-GFX-GF GGX-GGX-GG GGX-GHX-GH GGX-GJX-GJ GGX-GKX-GK GGX-GLX-GL GGX-GNX-GN 0000 YYLL 99849849 11/3/80/3/80 UUKK: SScrapped,crapped, ddateate uunknownnknown II97I97I 0000GGAA00006006> 0099GGAA77318318 So, right now Dave Roger’s GSA is the ‘oldest’ RHD example II972972 I0GGAA0000I00I> 0000GGEE00002002> 0000GGFF00002002> 2255GGAA22II6II6 0033GGEE77293293 0000GGFF11868868 on the road… but who knows for how long that will be the II973973 2255GGAA660000I> 0000GGBB0000I00I> 0000GGCC0000I00I> 0000GGDD0000I00I> 0022GGEE00002002> 0000GGFF2250I50I> case? II974974 2288GGAA44501501> II44GGBBII00I00I> 0044GGCC6600I00I> 0000GGDD2250I50I> 0055GGEE4450I50I> 0000GGFF5550I50I> 00GGGG3300I00I> 0000GGGG33899899 II975975 3344GGAA0000I00I> 3322GGBB0000I00I> 1122GGCC0000I00I> 00IIGGDD0000I00I> 0099GGEE0000I00I> 00IIGGFFII00I00I> 0000GGGG3390I90I> 0000GGHH0000I00I> II976976 3399GGAA2200I00I> 3388GGBBII00I00I> II44GGCC2250I50I> ? 0000GGEE9900I00I> 00IIGGFF4450I50I> 00IIGGHH2250I50I> II977977 4466GGAA0000I00I> 4488GGBB0000I00I> 1188GGCC0000I00I> 0000GGDD5500I00I> II22GGEE0000I00I> 00IIGGFF5500I00I> 0044GGHH0000I00I> II978978 5500GGAA2200I00I> 5566GGBB5500I00I> 22IIGGCC2200I00I> II33GGEE3300I00I> 00IIGGFF7750I50I> 0066GGHH2200I00I> II979979 5566GGAA5500I00I> 6644GGBB3350I50I> 2244GGCC2250I50I> II55GGEE0000I00I> 0022GGFF0000I00I> 0000GGLL0000I00I> II980980 6622GGAA0000I00I> II66GGEE9900I00I> 0022GGFF3320I20I> 0000GGKK5530I30I> YEEARAR GGX-YAX-YA GGX-YBX-YB GGX-YEX-YE GGX-YFX-YF GGX-YGX-YG GGX-YKX-YK GGX-YLX-YL GGX-YMX-YM GGX-YNX-YN GGX-YRX-YR GGX-YSX-YS GGX-YVX-YV GGX-YXX-YX GGX-YZX-YZ II980980 0000YYLL0000I00I> 0000YYRR0000I00I> 0000YYSS0000I00I> 0000YYVV0000I00I> II98I98I 0000YYAA0000I00I> 0000YYEE0000I00I> 0000YYFF0000I00I> II22YYLL55000I000I> 0000YYRR6600I00I> 0022YYSS0000I00I> 0000YYVV2250I50I> II982982 0044YYAA0000I00I> 00IIYYEE4400I00I> 2200YYLL0000I00I> 0000YYMM00005005> 00IIYYRR0000I00I> 0033YYSS4400I00I> ? II983983 0066YYAA5500I00I> 0022YYEE0000I00I> 33IIYYLL0000I00I> 0000YYMM4400I00I> 00IIYYRR55I0II0I> 0055YYSS7750I50I> 0000YYVV6660I60I> II984984 3399YYLL0000I00I> 00IIYYMM0000I00I> 0088YYSS5500I00I> II985985 4422YYLL4400I00I> 00IIYYMM6600I00I> 0099YYSS7700I00I> II986986 4455YYLL8800I00I> 0022YYMM9900I00I> II00YYSS9900I00I> 2266 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2277 TThehe OldestOldest GGSASA? IInstantnstant CarCar ofof thethe YearYear Prepared by Graham H Wilson tremely well-kept secret that all [UK] with much help from Aar- f only Australian manufac- the ‘usually reliable informants’ nout Pluijgers [Netherlands] turers could come up with and ‘informed sources’ had it all and a little assistance from Leigh somethingI as fresh as the Cit- wrong. Miles [Australia]. roën CX. It would be an instant Of course, the new Citroën A Plea for Information Car of the Year. was clouded by Peugeot’s take- If you have a GS or GSA in Aus- Citroën have done it again over of Citroën. Now the ques- tralia please contact Leigh at edi- with the CX range ~ a new four- tion really is: will the CX be the [email protected] with door sedan which slots between last real Citroën? Peugeot, af- any information that might help. the GS and the D-Series. It’s a car ter all, is so conservative and so NB: Data on GSA produc- totally attuned to today’s motor- predictable that the two design tion numbers was sourced from ing needs and is already being philosophies must surely be on Marc Stabèl’s book with Julian acclaimed as the best two-litre a collision course. Which is a Marsh: ‘Citroën GS & GSA’ car in the world. After driving it pity, for the CX, even by Citroën A Final Find we can understand why. standards, is a great car ~ per- Regular readers of ‘démar- Nothing about Citroën engi- haps the best two-litre car ever. reur’ and ‘Front Drive’ will be neers is more predictable than And it’s the best by such a long very aware of our Vendée-based that they are unpredictable. The margin that it’s hard to visualise correspondent, Alan Brown. In- new CX 2000/2200 is a bolt- who will be able to equal it in deed, long-standing members out-of-the-blue, such an ex- the next fi ve years, let alone bet- of CCCUK may remember Alan for his regular contributions to ‘Citroënian’ in the I990s. A few weeks ago Alan hap- pened to send to me some pho- fi rst arrived, this is Alan’s own tos of a GSA Pallas that was at GSA Pallas. He bought it from his local mechanic’s workshop. its previous [original] owner, Here is what he wrote in his a gentleman called René [na- email that accompanied his pho- turellement] lived on Ile d’Yeu, tos:last week: timing belts, fl uids, new an island 35kms off the Vendée ‘Danielexhaust. [garagiste, Slumbering Bazoges]since I994. coast. This helps explain the low started84,000kms. preparing Original the GSA seats Pallas under mileage. Alan tells me it was fi rst covers. Snapped you a few pho- registered on October 24, I979. tos while it is still dusty. We shall GXYL 00 YL 2006. 2006! OMG! Given this car is only I,300 perhaps feature it, whimsically if numbers after what was the old- not factually, in the I984 story, as est GSA [remember the now- a 3 year old visitor…’ wrecked GXYL 00 YL 0654] could this be oldest GSA in ex- istence? No, I am not off on an- As it turns out, and I did not other chase, but someone might realise it when the pictures well take up the mission. 2288 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2299 IInstantnstant CarCar ofof thethe YearYear ter it. ers need from now until at least ally have in the Citroën range. fi rming its makers’ belief in the The reason for this heavy the mid ‘80s. It’s a smaller car than the DS, wheel-at-each corner concept. praise of the CX is simple Offi cially, theCX is an interme- but is almost as spacious inside; There was enormous pre-re- enough ~ it is more switched- diate model, fi tting in between it looks something like a GS, lease speculation about the CX’s on to the needs of the ‘70s than the GS and the DS. But as the though, with better proportions: engine. Educated guesses went any other car. Safety, economy, price is likely to be in the same 4,597mm long, I,359mm overall as far as a Maserati-based V6, styling, comfort, ergonomics and bracket as the DS, there does height and I,727mm wide. price are exactly in step with not seem to be much doubt as Wheelbase is substan- what most of the world’s driv- to the role the CX will eventu- tial, too, at 2,845mm con- 3300 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3311 IInstantnstant CarCar ofof thethe YearYear 2,I75cc unit developing 83.5kW and 2,473cc capacities. All-alloy at the same revs. I,995cc and 2,I65cc units fi tted In layout there is nothing new to Athena, Refl ex and 22-mod- about the engines. The valves els [22TRS etc] are not as un- are operated through cross- burstable but are long-lived if over pushrods from the block- serviced properly. Diesel en- mounted side camshaft. The gines are more problematic and cranks run on fi ve mains and the are best avoided.] cylinder strokes are common to Suspension is typically Citroën both units ~ 85.5mm. The 2000 Hydropneumatic with the usual has an 86mm bore, the 2200’s height adjustments. At the front being four millimetres larger. the whole lot is mounted on a Four-speed gearboxes are subframe which bolts to the standard on both models. But front of the perimeter chassis if you buy the CX 2000 there frame. Anti-dive geometry is in- is a higher-geared economy fi - cluded and in essence there is nal drive which gives 36.2kph not a great deal that could be per I,000rpm against the normal called truly new. It’s a trailing- 3I.0kph. It’s different again in the arm arrangement at the back, CX 2200 which is geared for ex- the arms themselves being light actly 32.2kph [20 mph] per I,000 alloy. rpm. Citroën say that it doesn’t Both the suspension and need a fi ve-speeder, but if the brakes are powered from the CX ever gets the DS 23 injec- central hydraulic accumula- tion engine… tor and, in the CX 2200, so is [Ed. While both ‘Wheels’ and the steering. Brakes are disc all ‘Road & Track’ were quite com- round, mounted outboard, with the Lancia Beta layout with plimentary about the quietness those at the front being venti- the gearbox at the left of the old DS lump in its CX ap- lated. hand end [looking forward plication it is generally agreed Rack-and-pinion steering is from inside the car] driving today that the lack of money in common with the 2000 and the front wheels through Citroën’s coffers at the time of the 2200. But where the 2000 unequal-length half-shafts the CX’s development meant has conventional manual steer- behind the crankcase. The that plans for either a six-cyl- ing with 4.5turns lock-to-Iock a GS engine with two cylinders engine is tilted forward at inder motor [either V or fl at] for a I0.9metre turning circle, added to make a fl at-six, and 30 degrees to guarantee a low or a rotary were but the thing the 2200 needs only 2.5turns. Its a third generation rotary. They bonnet line. of dreams… and dreams that power system is a direct devel- were all wrong, totally wrong. There are two versions of the would never be fulfi lled. Having opment of the Citroën SMs but Instead of anything new, the CX engine. The fi rst has a capacity said that these DS-derived pet- with slightly lower gearing. has the DS in-line, water-cooled of I,985cc and develops 76kW rol engines are very reliable and The perimeter frame is a mul- four under the bonnet, but at 5,500rpm. The more powerful capable of huge mileages. These tipurpose affair. It forms the ba- mounted transversely, rather like model, called the CX 2200, has a were I,985cc, 2,I75cc, 2,347cc sis of the side-impact protection 3322 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3333 IInstantnstant CarCar ofof thethe YearYear as well as being the box for the ton lets you check that the main close to being totally devoid of sporting once you become ac- fl exible mount that locates the warning system works. wind noise as well it does not customed to the ratio of input body. The seats are soft and com- matter. However despite all the against response. Citroën has Safety has played a very im- fortable with plenty of adjust- work to insulate the body from abandoned the brake-button in portant role in the development ment which, even at the ex- the rest of the works, road noise favour of a more conventional of the CX. It is one of the reasons tremities, does not hamper the was defi nitely creeping in, but pedal. The fully-powered brake why the engine is transversely rear-seat room. The front pas- not as badly as in the GS. system does, of course, make mounted. Perhaps even more senger feels naked at fi rst, for Performance felt moderate ~ the pedal feel hard, but the signifi cant is the fact that after the fascia runs at the same level it was the normal transmission ~ amount of retardation can be a 50kph diagonal impact barrier as the base of the windscreen. and this refl ects in the accelera- juggled very accurately. This and test, three of the CX’s doors will But it does mean that even a tall tion: 0-I00kph takes just on I3sec- the load-sensitive pressure limit- open normally. The European re- passenger can move his seat all onds, but the silence allowed the ing valve to the rear discs, makes quirement is for one! the way forward and have ample speed to build-up almost unno- stopping a fussless affair. When you get into the CX for leg and knee room. ticed so that the car was soon The clutch is smooth and pos- the fi rst time there is something First off we drove a 2000, Cit- whispering along at I25kph, ig- itive and the gear-change a little slightly unearthly about it. The roën’s Press people having ar- noring the very poor surface of rubbery but quite precise. door mouldings are pieces of ranged a swap-over point half- the dirt roads over which we had We made a serious effort to sculpture in their own right, but way through the 400km test been routed. However, as with drive the 2000 smoothly and they are also immensely practi- course, much of it on the far side the DS, sudden humps catch the steadily without putting a foot cal in the way the handles are of the Arctic Circle in northern suspension right out, so that for into the carburettor just for located and the armrests are Lapland. As with all Citroëns, a moment it feels solid. the sake of it. For one thing we formed. Of course, in true Cit- you are immediately impressed Roadholding was very good wanted to fi nd out what the fuel roën fashion the steering wheel by the softness of the ride and indeed and the handling decep- consumption was like. But at the has only one spoke, but there the feeling of security the vehi- tively neutral. In places where change-over point a lead-boot are no stalks protruding from cle imparts. you expect it to understeer from one of the boy-racer publi- the column. Instead, everything But we confess to being du- strongly, it doesn’t. The fact that cations was waiting to take over is located on a single module di- bious about the engine. Al- it wears I85-I4 tyres on the front the car. There goes the con- rectly in front. though it’s effi cient and reliable, and I75-I4s on the rear must sumption average, we thought, Apart from the centrally- the D-Series engine has always have quite a lot to do with this and washed our hands of know- mounted handbrake, gear-lever been lumpy and noisy. Part of neutrality of handling. On very ing how little fuel the 2000 and ventilation controls, every the problem is that the engine, loose surfaces, though, there is would use. So we hopped into minor control is within fi nger-tip because it is reversed with the never any doubt that the rear his just-vacated 2200 and decid- reach ~ without having to take gearbox out front, is just about wheels will hang out fi rst, and ed to pour on the coal, too, to your hands off the wheel! in the cabin with the occupants, that the way to get them back in establish a few points about di- Recessed into the module so noise and vibration suppres- is with opposite lock. rectional stability, the maximum are drum-behind-glass faces for sion is just about impossible. Although the 2000’s steering speed and the most comforta- speed and revs and apart from a With the running gear differ- sounds a bit slow at 4.5turns, it is ble cruising rate. ·clock there is only a fuel gauge ently located, it has been possi- quite responsive and the car gets The 2200 felt more gutsy from and a dial for battery condition. ble to kill off just about all engine itself back into line very smartly the outset and after some wind- A bank of warning lights above and transmission excited noise with no twitching. But with the ing-out showed a true I80kph, them notifi es you if something and feel. In fact, you are aware power steering and 2.5turns, which is just about what the major is going wrong. A test but- of the silence, for the CX is so the CX 2200 can be positively makers claim, [I74kph for the 3344 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3355 IInstantnstant CarCar ofof thethe YearYear YYouou SedSed 2000 and I67kph for the 2000 the 2200’s fi gures are hardly less were ideal and the spit-roast on with economy gearing]. impressive at 7.85, I0.I and I2.3. eter, Ted and everyone else Saturday night was ample. Sun- In its review ‘Road & Track’ In its review ‘Road & Track’ behind Cit-In 202I, day night’s meal was excellent ~ commented ‘there is a much commented that, ‘sharing an PWe arrived home from Cit-In good food and service and even greater difference in road per- economy 2000 and a 2200 with 202I yesterday afternoon after some wine at the table. Then formance between the economy another fast driver and swap- a much needed sleep in Yass on topped off with more food on 2000 and the normal 2000 than ping them about halfway be- Monday night. Was it the driv- Monday morning and, well, what between the latter and the 2200. tween the start and fi nish of ing or too much of a good time more could we want? Apart It is a question of gear ratios.’ the 425km run [including a large at Cit-In? All three of us, Debra, from a Jenny Craig membership? Directional stability at high percentage of winding second- Lucy Hill and I agree it was Cit- Well done to you all ~ en- speeds was sensationally good ary roads], we used more fuel In’s fault. joy a well earned rest and we despite strong crosswinds and with the economy model than Congratulations on a very well look forward to seeing you all in plenty of surface irregulari- with the 2200, surely because organised Cit-In. Probably the Cowra for 2022. ties. You can put some instabil- top gear was used compara- most relaxing and sociable we’ve In case you’re not aware, I cre- ity into the CX 2200 yourself if tively little with the former. No been too in years and perhaps ated a Facebook group on Sun- you don’t quickly learn that the doubt the results would be in- the best ever. But memories day evening while the dinner helm is for steering and not for verted on a long motorway run from Deb’s and my fi rst Cit-In in was underway to allow people use as some kind of grab handle. at I45kph, which is what most 2000 [Jindabyne] are faded now. to share photos etc from the Until you realise the only way to people consider the accepted The venues were great, there weekend. This is the link: come to grips with the steering limit of French turnpikes [legally was not too much to ‘do’ and https://www.facebook.com/ is not to grip it, you can end up restricted at I40kph].’ there was time to have a look CCraigraig aandnd DDebraebra groups/539003590404I23 around or even escape for an all Cheers, going down the road in a series But should we be surprised? KKellereller wwithith ttheirheir important ‘nanna nap’. Craig Keller of little swerves calculated to After all, CX is an engineering DDSS. While the observation run make your passengers tremble symbol for the aerodynamics was cunningly written it was a more than a little. . of a moving body, and this Cit- great drive through the coun- So it has to be the gentle roën has aerodynamics deserv- touch all the way. tryside and the picnic lunch stop ing more than just a symbol. That night, as we fi nished our a great social interlude. That the Australians will have to wait reindeer steak under the light ObsRun was the only ‘competi- until mid-I975 before they get of a clouded-over midnight tion’ we think that helped with the chance to see a CX. Our sun, Citroën’s engineering peo- the relaxed attitude for the ple came around with the fuel driving gloves are ready… weekend. We don’t need trivia This article fi rst appeared comps, motorkhanas and hu- consumption fi gures: the 2000 in ‘Wheels’ magazine in had returned 9.9IL/I00km over- man obstacle courses these the October I974 edition. days. Better to socialise and re- all and the thrashed 2200, I0.83L/ Unfortunately, neither the I00km. Given reasonably gentle author nor the photographer acquaint ourselves with our treatment, the 2000 would most is credited. Additional material common brethren. certainly have recorded better have been sourced from a Your organised catering was than 9.I and the 2200 very close review written by Paul Frère for spot on. We all appreciated to 9.4 Citroën say the 2000 ‘Road & Track’ magazine. Paul’s the ability to have social time will give 8.3L/I00km at a steady article is based on the same and decent fi nger food on Fri- 90kph, I0.5 at I20 and I2.3 at I40; Arctic Circle press launch. day night, the provided lunches 3366 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3377 MMissedissed Opportunities?Opportunities? Ronan Glon wrote this article it was still far from the fi nal de- Comotor, a joint-venture the for the website https://ranwhen- sign. When launched, the CX maker founded with NSU in the parked.net/ in 20I4 on the oc- featured a highly-aerodynamic late I960s. cession of the CX’s 40th birth- look that was penned by Robert Period reports indicate the day. This is the second article Opron, the same designer who range-topping CX was initial- that Ronan has given his permis- drew the GS sion for us to republish and we and the SM. are very grateful for his support. Notably, the CX was short- itroën is celebrating the er than the DS C40th anniversary of the CX. it was tasked

Designed to replace the iconic with replac- DS, the CX served as Citroën’s ing and it was fl agship from its launch in I974 equipped with until the arrival of the XM in I989. an innovative Citroën started seriously de- concave rear veloping a successor to the DS window that in the late I960s. In I972, the eliminated the need for a wiper. ly set to feature a triple-rotor company built a sleek prototype From the earliest days of the I.5-litre Wankel rated at 1I9kW, called Project L [pictured below] project, Citroën designed the while lesser models should have that accurately previewed the CX to use Wankel rotary en- been powered by a small twin- CX’s overall silhouette, though gines developed and built by rotor 900cc engine tuned to 3388 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3399 MMissedissed Opportunities?Opportunities? a four-cylinder. cancelled all Wankel-powered available later in the production Unfortunately for Citroën, in- variants of the CX with mere run. Following the path blazed by troducing a large sedan pow- months to go before the car the DS, all CXs were equipped ered by a Wankel engine be- was scheduled to debut. Engi- with a hydraulic suspension set- came almost literally impossible neers panicked and experiment- up that provided a level of com- for a number of reasons. First off, ed with a variety of solutions in- fort and stability that was sec- rotary engines used more fuel cluding fi tting theCX with the ond to none. than traditional piston engines SM’s potent Maserati-designed The CX won the prestigious and the oil crisis that hit in I973 V6 engine. Surprisingly, the six- European Car of the Year award sent petrol prices sky-rocketing. cylinder could apparently be in I975, beating the fi rst-genera- Second, rotary engines faced a shoe-horned transversely into tion Volkswagen Golf by a long number of important mechani- the CX’s engine bay but the pro- shot and the Audi 50. The Wan- cal issues that sometimes led to ject was ditched because it was kel issues had not impeded the too tight of a fi t. CX’s success but the entire Co- generate 82kW. Citroën also Executives brought up the motor fi asco played a sizable planned on selling the CX with idea of making the engine bay role in pushing Citroën towards several carburetted four-cylinder larger but the idea was also its second bankruptcy. The fi rm mill sourced from the DS and ruled out because it was far too was later taken over by Peugeot, at least one diesel, but, clearly, late in the car’s development to making the CX the last sedan make structural modifi cations. designed entirely by Citroën. the bulk of the high-end mod- Delaying the CX was not an op- The very last Citroën designed els should have been Wankel- tion because the DS was getting in-house was the Axel hatch- powered. close to its 20th birthday and back, which was largely devel- This is a very important part the company was in dire fi nan- oped in the early I970s but kept of the CX’s development story: cial straits. on the backburner until it was Wankel engines are highly com- When all was said and done, launched, seemingly as an after- pact so the engine bay was de- the CX lineup was introduced thought, in the mid-I980s. signed to fi t nothing larger than to the press and the public in CX sales exceeded expec- August of I974 with two mod- tations in I975, and the lineup premature engine failure, a ten- els: The CX 2000 and the CX grew with the addition of the dency that was fl awlessly dem- 2200. The 2000 had a 76kW CX Super, the CX Pallas, the onstrated by the NSU Ro80. Fi- 2.0-litre four, while the 2200 was long-wheelbase CX 2400 Pres- nally, a lot of buyers were simply equipped with a 2.2-litre rated tige and the diesel-powered hesitant to become early adop- at 83.5kW. Both engines were 2200D, the latter being Citroën’s ters of what was a relatively un- carried over from the DS with fi rst post-war diesel-burning car. known technology. only minor modifi cations. A long-wheelbase station wag- Citroën tested the market in In early CXs, power was sent on with a raised roof was intro- I973 with the GS Birotor, a to- to the front wheels via a four- duced the following year to re- tal fl op that was pulled from the speed manual transmission, place the DS wagon. market after less than I,000 ex- though a fi ve-speed unit, a semi- Citroën made several me- amples were built. automatic C-Matic and an au- chanical and aesthetic updates Citroën backpedaled and tomatic gearbox were all made to the CX over the course of its 4400 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4411 MMissedissed Opportunities?Opportunities? long production run. A facelifted on [which was re-christened The CX in China [with their amazingly lack-lustre model [sometimes called Mark CX Evasion] was built in Aul- We were surprised to fi nd a Santana Ed.] , but Citroën was 2 or Series II] launched in I985 nay-Sous-Bois, on the outskirts stunning blue CX Athena dis- given permission to build small brought modifi cations such as of Paris. All told, Citroën built played on the Citroën stand at cars locally and it started pro- plastic bumpers on both ends, I,04I,560 CX sedans and I28,I85 the 20I4 Beijing Motor Show in ducing a four-door version of a more modern-looking radia- station wagons over a I7-year order to commemorate the car’s tor grille, an all-new interior, new the ZX hatchback locally in I992. period. Happy 40th, Citroën CX! 40th anniversary. Few people Going back to the Beijing alloy wheel designs and plastic seemed to notice it, and we’re show, if Citroën shipped a CX all hubcaps. guessing the ones who did won- Facelift cars benefi ted from a dered ‘what the hell is wrong the way from Paris to Beijing to TThehe RenaultRenault Peugeot-sourced 2.0-litre four- with the suspension?’ Folks were celebrate its 40th birthday we cylinder engine that was also 2200TTSS [[top]top] imagine there are great things aandnd PeugeotPeugeot more interested in the DS 21 found under the bonnet of the that was displayed on the DS in store for this October’s Paris Renault 20 TS and select ver- 550505 [centre][centre] stand [DS-badged Citroëns Motor Show. sions of the Peugeot 505. bbothoth deployeddeployed tthehe ‘Douverin’‘Douverin’ were sold in standalone show- Ronan reports that very few To boost sales, Citroën ex- rooms in China even then] but panded the CX lineup down- 22-litre-litre motormotor of the CXs shipped to China are llongong beforebefore itit we couldn’t get anywhere near still around today. wards with the addition of the it because it was surrounded by Leader model [a trim level also wwasas eventuallyeventually © This article by Ronan Glon has iPhone-wielding show-goers. available on the BX and the Visa] iinstallednstalled tthehe CCXX. been re-published with the author’s The CX has an interesting and upwards with performance- BBottomottom andand fac-fac- permission. It may not be reproduced connection to China: In I984, focused GTi-badged variants ca- iingng ssomeome iimagesmages elsewhere without the author’s Citroën sent 2,500 CXs to Chi- pable of comfortably keeping up ffromrom hhttps://ttps:// express permission. The photographs rranwhenparked.anwhenparked. na in hopes of being awarded a with Mercedes and BMWs on are courtesy of Citroën’s archives nnet/et/ sshowinghowing contract to provide the coun- the German Autobahn. department except for the Project tthehe CCXX AAthenathena try with a large car. The contract I50,000 CXs were built in L Beijing Motor Show photos which oonn displaydisplay atat was awarded to Volkswagen were taken by Ronan Glon. I978, the model’s best year. The tthehe 20I420I4 BeijingBeijing millionth example rolled off the MMotorotor Show.Show. assembly line on October 30th, I987, but the end was near as Citroën was busily developing the XM. Interestingly, a handful of CXs were fi tted with a primitive version of the XM’s electronic Hydractive suspension and put in the hands of carefully-select- ed customers in order to gath- er data on how well the sys- tem worked and what kinks still needed to be ironed out. CX production ended in I99I when the last station wag- 4422 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4433 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur before the Lord, and the Refl ex I800 [I967], more explicitly for sequence of anthology! of great-uncle Henri. The Gam- Gamma, which was designed by In I980, your writer, as a ma was invisible! The production Pininfarina. Achild, discovered in the cinema fi gures confi rm it: I,I69,695CX [Ed. While this claim is often the spectacular chase between and just I5,I97 Gamma sedans, made in regard to both the CX a Lancia Gamma sedan and a which is just I.3% of Citroën’s and the GS it has always been Citroën CX. Directed by Jacques number! fervently denied by Robert Deray, the fi lm was called ‘Three The French and the Italian Opron. Ed.] Men to Kill’ [Trois hommes à were cousins, however. They However, the early transalpine abattre]. The blue Gamma was were developed at the time divorce, linked to the fear of the driven by Alain Delon beat- of the Fiat-Citroën association, French authorities that Citroën ing, at the top of his career, the when Fiat had bought Lancia at would be reduced to the rank brown CX 2400 driven by ‘the the end of I969. Rationalisation of subcontractor, had signifi cant bad guys’… However, in the au- dictated that certain structur- consequences. tomotive landscape of the time, al elements would be common [Ed. Other sources are more the two models did not occu- and the Gamma would have a strident on this, suggesting py the same place. We crossed hydraulic rear suspension. A CX that ‘This Franco-Italian hybrid paths with the CX everywhere mule also rolled with a Lancia however was allegedly shelved and I remember the blue 2400 ‘fl at fl our’. The style was inspired owing to objections of French of cousin Pierre, a big wheeler by Pininfarina’s prototype BMC President, Charles de Gaulle, IInn thethe mid-1970s,mid-1970s, twotwo brandsbrands withwith thethe samesame passionpassion forfor technicaltechnical iinnovationnnovation offeredoffered theirtheir interpretationinterpretation ofof thethe largelarge sedan.sedan. TheThe CCitroënitroën CCXX andand thethe LanciaLancia GammaGamma diddid notnot havehave thethe samesame success,success, ffarar fromfrom it,it, theythey neverthelessnevertheless hadhad a lotlot inin commoncommon withwith theirtheir bigbig 44-cylinder-cylinder eenginesngines aandnd theirtheir ‘two‘two box’box’ bodywork…bodywork… 4444 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4455 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur who reportedly opposed the their respective careers were [Ed. The car’s looks were univer- ered, for budgetary reasons, by use of French technology in an the opposite. sally criticised ~ comparisons to the motor from the DS that the Italian car. It should not be for- Introduced in March I976, the the Citroën CX, Rover SD1 and latter had borrowed… from gotten that this came at a time Gamma sedan was powered by even the Renault 30 were usu- the Traction! Several innova- when serious national rivalries a brand new engine. Very dif- ally to the Italian car’s detriment. tive powertrains had however continued to fester despite the ferent from that of the Flavia, (Automotive History: Italian been envisaged, including rota- post-war era of collaboration; this horizontally-opposed 4cyl- Deadly Sins Part 3 ~ The Many ry pistons. The cast-iron block de Gaulle having also vetoed inder, all aluminium SOHC mo- Sins of Lancia, by Tatra87)] push-rod engine was however Britain’s entry to the EEC in I96I’. tor of 2.5litres generated I40hp In spring I980 the Gamma Se- improved and mounted trans- (Gamma: Signs and Portents ~ [I05kW] allowed it to reach ries II was launched, with fuel in- versally. For the rest, progress Part Three, by Eóin Doyle. 20I5)] I95kph. The specifi cation includ- jection [for the 2.5litre] and im- was essential: modern body- Exit the shared hydropneu- ed a fi ve-speed transmission, proved presentation [grille, new work signed Robert Opron, matic suspension and common four-wheel independent suspen- rims…] which remained in pro- EEfffi ccientient a andnd futuristic interior [with the fa- structural elements! The two TThehe handlinghandling ooff sion and four-disc braking. At duction until I984. hholdingolding uupp wwell,ell, mous ‘lunule’], sophisticated models however remained very tthehe CitroënCitroën CCXX, the end of I976, a 2litre version Unveiled the summer of I974, tthehe llargearge IItaliantalian soundproofi ng, suspension and close: two-box bodywork with- wwhateverhatever thethe [I20hp, 89.5kW] was launched, the Citroën CX was available ssedanedan wwasas notnot engine arranged as units, opti- out a tailgate, a very respectable wweathereather condi-condi- but this was reserved for the in many versions [estate, long aashamedshamed ttoo ffaceace mal passive safety… Launched Cx [!] of 0.37, front-wheel drive, ttions,ions, iiss ssuchuch Italian market. Unfortunately, the wheel-based limousine, diesel, EEuropeanuropean ccom-om- as 2000 and 2200 [I02/76 and large displacement 4-cylinder tthathat itit bbecomesecomes engine, in either capacity, was turbo petrol and diesel…]. The ppetition,etition, bbutut tthehe 1I2hp/83.5kW], the CX received engines, sophisticated technolo- iindecentndecent fforor tthehe unreliable and the style contro- range is too long to list here. Al- CCXX wwasas aheadahead ofof a 2400 engine [1I5hp/86kW] gy and meticulous comfort. But ccompetition!ompetition! versial, which limited sales. though innovative, it was pow- iit…t… in July I975. In May I977 the 4466 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4477 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur

GTi sports version appeared WWithith iitsts uultra-ltra- from being a common sight… Oh, sure, she is not ugly and has TThehe ffuturisticuturistic which is annoying! The seat itself with specifi c trim and features aassistedssisted bbrak-rak- familiarity may have bred con- a balanced line but without the ccockpitockpit sstyletyle is comfortable, it is adjustable for [rims, fog lights…], equipped iingng aandnd DDiraviiravi tempt. As soon as we manage formal perfection of her rival. [[steeringsteering wwheel,heel, height and their support is satis- with a 2.4litre injected engine ssteering,teering, tthehe CCXX to forget its ‘over-seen’ charac- The Lancia shield on the radia- ggearear lleverever factory in shape. The pedal loca- [I28hp/95.5kW], mated to a fi ve- rrequiresequires ffamiliari-amiliari- ter and its image of being the tor grille and the head lights, un- kknob…]nob…] makesmakes tion is classic and the gear lever speed gearbox. This fl agship ver- ssationation time.time. NNoteote car for a CEO, we perceive its der glass covers do not give the yyouou smile.smile. TThehe does not require any particular sion was available until the mod- tthehe rarerare JaegerJaeger sculptural dimension, in the true car’s front the desired expres- pplasticslastics a llittleittle familiarisation. el’s demise [May I989], renamed ddashboardashboard here.here. sense of the term. It is no co- sion. It is however seen more lless.ess. In the CX, the driver’s seat 25 GTi in I983 [2.5litre, I38hp/ incidence that Robert Opron is to its advantage from the three- was locked in the high position, I03kW] then receiving plastic a great lover of art. Everything quarter rear angle and makes which forced me to drive with bumpers, and other updates in here is fi nely chiselled, the head- gains in the presentation of vari- my legs too close to the steering a mild make-over in I985 [Series lights stretched, the recess in the ous details The striations of the wheel [which is not adjustable]. II]. bonnet which surmounts them quarter panel, slats at the base We sink into the seats, which is At decision time, which of and recalls the profi le of the of the rear glazing, the alloy rims too much for some! But their these two unconventional se- front wing, the overhangs which and use of chrome are very ‘to- level of support is good. On the dans would win your support go up towards their two ends day’. other hand, the pedals require today? and happily integrate the bump- Driving Position real adaptation time with the LLifeife onon BoardBoard ers, the large curved windscreen We are well seated in the brake positioned low. Rearward Appearance or the original concave rear win- Gamma and the height adjust- visibility is better on the CX but Whether we like CX or not, dow. Let us also mention the ment of the steering wheel al- driving space is more confi ned. we have to recognise its deep two lateral vanishing lines, the lows us not to adopt a great Rear Seats stylistic coherence and a singu- rear wheel ‘spats’ and the large driving position. However, in the We’re dealing with two long- lar personality. In some ways the glazed areas. high position, the wheel’s rim distance tourers in which travel- CX suffers [in France at least] The Gamma is less inspiring. obscures the fuel and oil gauges, ling in the back seats are not a 4488 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4499 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur punishment. In tion has been both cases, the replaced by well-designed more sporty bench seat Jaeger acces- head restraints sories. The and a central highly sculp- armrest. That tured door lin- in the CX is ers with the wider. door opening [I was unable ‘triggers’ are to fi nd a meas- also a typical urement for Citroën curi- the width of osity. Next to the rear seat it, the Gamma of the Gamma. appears very The CX’s is conformist, I,372mm and with its angu- its external TThehe comfortcomfort of-of- strumentation including the ta- In both cases, the quality of the TThehe rrearear ppassen-assen- lar dashboard width is slightly [3mm!] more fferedered byby thethe CCXX chometer, oil pressure gauge, materials is less exciting. Plastics ggersers wwillill bbee ffreeree and its classic inner doors. There than the Gamma.] iinn tthehe rrearear sseats,eats, water thermometer and even [air vents in particular] are not ttoo traveltravel vveryery are certain baroque elements, Leg room is suffi cient in both wwithith thethe feetfeet an oil level gauge on the Lancia. very fl attering, but are durable ccomfortablyomfortably iinn a such as the steering wheel or but it is more generous in the tthathat sinksink intointo Both are upholstered in leather, given their state of conserva- ttypicallyypically IItaliantalian the clock enthroned alone in its Gamma. tthehe ccarpet,arpet, mmakesakes although again this was an op- tion. The leather upholstery is aatmosphere.tmosphere. own niche, which can make you iitt a ccarar fforor tthehe tion on both cars. More recently, more pleasing to the eye and smile… Boot Space ppresident…resident… In both cases, the boot looks the CX also has the option of an also robust. The presentation is Life on Board like a real cargo hold [500litres electric sunroof and automatic very different. The CX plays the Lancia: 7/I0 on the Gamma against 507 on temperature control of the cab- originality card with its famous Citroën: 8.5/I0 the CX], while the loading sill is in. She is even fi tted with side dashboard ‘lunule’ which com- PPerformanceerformance placed low; even lower on the sun visors and reading lamps for bines instrumentation and con- the rear seats and a rear win- trols at your fi ngertips. However, Engine CX. The shapes are practical, es- Deriving from two very differ- dow blind. here, the drum instrumenta- pecially on the CX. But only the ent design worlds, the two 4cyl- Gamma is fi tted with a fully up- inder motors [in line or fl at, with holstered boot. But the CX has cast iron or light alloy block, with the advantage of having its spare an overhead camshaft per bank tyre under the bonnet. of cylinders or with lateral cam- Equipment & Finish shaft] have a history which is just Our two examples are very as different. The launch of each, well equipped with front and in its original form dating from rear electric windows [although I976 or… I934! Their displace- those in rear were optional ment is however similar [2,484cc on the Gamma], complete in- for the Gamma, 2,500cc for the 5500 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5511 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur TEECHNICALCHNICAL CHHARACTERISTICSARACTERISTICS LUUDOVICDOVIC AUUDONNETDONNET CIITROËNTROËN CCX25X25 GTGTI, II984984 LAANCIANCIA GAAMMAMMA 22500,500, I978I978 ‘‘ItIt iiss ttimeime ttoo ggiveive wwayay ttoo tthehe eextremelyxtremely rrareare GGammaamma ssedan!’edan!’ MMotorotor 44-cylinder-cylinder in-linein-line ttransverseransverse mmounted,ounted, aalu-lu- 44-cylinder-cylinder hhorizontallyorizontally oopposedpposed longitudinallongitudinal OOurur GGammaamma ssedanedan wwasas bboughtought bbyy LLudovicudovic ffromrom RRelaiselais ddee ll’Auto’Auto mminiuminium ccylinderylinder hhead,ead, 22valvesvalves pperer ccylin-ylin- mmounted,ounted, 22valvesvalves ppercylinderercylinder iinn a V, ssin-in- AAncienne,ncienne, iinn LLimoges.imoges. HHee aalmostlmost iimmediatelymmediately ddroverove iitt ttoo PPrague!rague! dderer iinn a V, ssingleingle llateralateral ccamshaftamshaft [[chain],chain], gglele overhaedoverhaed canshaftcanshaft pperer rrowow ofof cylinderscylinders LLudovicudovic ssays:ays: ‘‘WeWe hhaveave aalwayslways ttriedried ttoo hhave,ave, iinn aadditionddition ttoo tthehe 55-bearing-bearing crankcrank [[belt],belt], 33-bearing-bearing ccrankrank ggreatreat cclassics,lassics, ccarsars tthathat aarere aatypical,typical, iinterestingnteresting bbyy ttheirheir ccondi-ondi- DDisplacementisplacement 22,500cc,,500cc, 9933×992mm2mm 22,484cc,,484cc, II0202×776mm6mm ttion,ion, ttheirheir hhistoryistory oorr ttheirheir rrarity.arity. TThehe GGammaamma mmeetseets tthesehese tthreehree PPowerower & TorqueTorque II38hp/I03k38hp/I03kW @ 55,000rpm,000rpm II40hp/I05k40hp/I05kW @ 55,400rpm,400rpm ccriteria!riteria! DDespiteespite iitsts ddamnableamnable rreputationeputation [[thethe ttimingiming bbeltelt jjumps],umps], 221In1InM @ 44,000rpm,000rpm 2208n08nM @ 33,000rpm,000rpm iitt rremainsemains rreallyeally iinteresting.nteresting. LLanciaancia jjustust mmissedissed tthehe mmark…ark… CCompressionompression RRatioatio 8..7575::11 99:I:I ’ LLudovicudovic iiss hhoweverowever wwonon oover:ver: ‘‘ApartApart ffromrom tthehe eexteriorxterior sstyle,tyle, PPowerower SupplySupply BBoschosch LLEE--JetronicJetronic injectioninjection WWebereber 3388 SSDLDDLD//I50I50 double-barreldouble-barrel wwhichhich iiss qquiteuite mmatureature bbutut ffullull ooff ddetails,etails, tthehe iinteriornterior iiss wworthorth a rreverseeverse ccarburettor.arburettor. llook.ook. TheThe conditioncondition ofof thethe leatherleather andand carpetscarpets conconfi rrmsms L Lancia’sancia’s TTransmissionransmission FFrontront wheelwheel drive,drive, FFrontront wheelwheel drive,drive, ssavoir-faire.avoir-faire. TThehe bbigig ‘‘boxer’boxer’ iiss qquiteuite vvoluntary,oluntary, ppowerower aandnd ttorqueorque 55-speed-speed gearbox,gearbox, 4..2I2I aaxlexle 55-speed-speed gearbox,gearbox, 3..77 aaxlexle aarere ttherehere iinn mmoreore tthanhan ssufuffi ccientient qquantityuantity fforor ccurrenturrent ttrafraffi c.c. SSteeringteering RRackack andand pinionpinion withwith servo-assistanceservo-assistance RRackack andand pinion,pinion, ooptionalptional powerpower assistanceassistance CCarvingarving ooutut a rrouteoute whilewhile onon board,board, seatedseated well,well, inin a bbrightright BBrakesrakes FFront:ront: VentilatedVentilated discs,discs, FFront:ront: VentilatedVentilated discs,discs, iinterior,nterior, wwithith ffullull iinstrumentationnstrumentation aandnd ppreciserecise ssteering,teering, iiss a rrealeal RRear:ear: DDiscs,iscs, ppoweredowered RRear:ear: DDiscs,iscs, aassistedssisted ppleasure.leasure. IItt isis vveryery mmodernodern aandnd eeasyasy ttoo ttakeake aalong.long. IIt’st’s timetime ttoo rreassesseassess tthehe eex-x- EEquipmentquipment HHydraulicydraulic eequipmentquipment hhighigh ppressureressure ppumpump ttremelyremely rrareare GGammaamma ssedan!edan! fforor braking,braking, ppowerower steeringsteering andand hydropneu-hydropneu- mmaticatic ssuspensionuspension CX] and, more surprisingly,i i l theirh i bbut theh levell l off travell ini theh le-l SSuspensionuspension 4 wheelwheel independentindependent suspension.suspension. 4 wheelwheel independentindependent suspension.suspension. performance is almost identi- ver is quite large and, above all, FFrontront withwith transversetransverse leverslevers FFrontront withwith elasticelastic legs,legs, ttransverseransverse llevers,evers, cal with I40hp/I04kW [DIN] at it is fi rm… or even hard, which aandnd anti-diveanti-dive ddevice;evice; ttriang.riang. aandnd sstabilisertabiliser bbar;ar; 5,400rpm for the Lancia against limits its pleasure. This phenom- RRearear withwith longitudinallongitudinal levers.levers. FFront/rearront/rear RRearear withwith elasticelastic llegs,egs, lleversevers ttransv.ransv. ssingle,ingle, I38hp/I03kW at 5,000rpm for enon is aggravated by the an- hhydropneumaticydropneumatic ssystemystem wwithith aautomaticutomatic aarmrm ttransv.ransv. aadjustabledjustable aauxiliaryuxiliary aandnd llon-on- the Citroën. And torque which gular and not very ergonomic llevelevel aadjustmentdjustment aandnd llevellingevelling ccorrector,orrector, ggitudinalitudinal bbars.ars. FFront/rear:ront/rear: ccoiloil sspringsprings aandnd is 208nM at 3,000rpm against shape of the pommel, probably sstabilizertabilizer bbarar ttelescopicelescopic sshockhock aabsorbersbsorbers 21InM at 4,000rpm. dictated by stylistic considera- SStructure/Bodyworktructure/Bodywork SSelf-supportingelf-supporting steelsteel hullhull withwith auxiliaryauxiliary SSelf-supportingelf-supporting ssteelteel hhullull wwithith aauxiliaryuxiliary The two engines show both tions. cchassis,hassis, 44-door-door sedan,sedan, 5 seatsseats cchassis,hassis, 44-door-door sedan,sedan, 5 seatsseats appreciable fl exibility and vigour In contrast, the CX’s gearbox TTyresyres II5050 TTRR 339090 aluminiumaluminium rrimsims aandnd MMichelinichelin SSteelteel rrimsims 6 J, II85/7085/70 HHRR II44 tyrestyres [BBFF as soon as they are whipped a control, whose staging and syn- TTRXRX II90/6590/65 HHRR 339090 tyrestyres [5.5[5.5J aaluminiumluminium GGoodrichoodrich GG-Grip-Grip oonn testedtested model]model] little. Helping by injection feed- chronization are satisfactory, of- rrims,ims, II8585 HHRR II44 tyrestyres onon modelmodel tested]tested] ing, the in line motor seems a fers the consistency of a marsh- DDimensionsimensions [[m]m] L×W×H: 4..6666×I..7777×I..3636 L×W×H: 4..5858×I..7373××II..4I4I little more fl exible. Conversely, mallow. Too soft or too hard WWheelbaseheelbase 2..8585 2..6767 the Italian “boxer” emits, in our [we are talking about mechan- TTrackrack [[f/r]f/r] I..525525//II..3737 I..4545//II..4444 opinion, a more pleasant sound; ics…], should we really have to WWeighteight II.370kg.370kg II,320kg,320kg a kind of buzzing, which howev- choose? BBootoot CapacityCapacity 550707L 550000L er is less musical than contem- Both are equipped with a PPerformanceerformance MMaxax Speed:Speed: 220Ikph0Ikph MMaxax Speed:Speed: II95kph95kph porary Alfa machines. 5speed gearbox refl ecting both 0 toto I00kph:I00kph: 9..22ssecec 0 toto I00kph:I00kph: I0I0..00ssecec Gearbox car’s motorway cruiser potential. SStandingtanding SStarttart II,000m:,000m: 33II..IIssecec SStandingtanding SStarttart II,000m:,000m: 33II..22ssecec The Lancia’s gearbox is well Having said that the CX’s box staged and well synchronized pulls longer [37.I against 33.3kph 5522 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5533 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur at I,000rpm in 5th gear]. tered, which comes quickly, we Numbers can negotiate the corners at a VIICTORCTOR HIIDALGODALGO According to manufacturers’ good speed and without fear, ‘‘WeWe aarere llearningearning ttoo rrediscoverediscover tthehe CCXX wwithith a nnewew eye’.eye’. data, the CX takes the advan- while appreciating that it ex- TThehe CCXX iiss aann ooldld aacquaintancecquaintance fforor VVictorictor HHidalgo;idalgo; hhee sstartedtarted tage slightly higher top speed hibits little roll. The fl at motor, ddrivingriving tthehe mmodelodel iinn II980!980! VVictorictor uunderstandsnderstands tthehe mmodel.odel. ‘‘CxCx [20Ikph against I95kph] and fast- which lowers the centre of grav- sstandstands forfor aerodynamicaerodynamic ccoefoeffi ccient.ient. TThishis iiss tthehe fi rstrst carcar ddesignedesigned er acceleration [0 to I00kph in ity, is undoubtedly good… iinn a wwindind ttunnelunnel aandnd tthathat iiss tthehe fi rstrst thingthing tthathat ccomesomes ttoo 9.2sec against I0sec.]. On the The CX was nicknamed ‘the mmind.ind. RRobertobert OOpronpron wwasas wellwell awareaware ofof thethe issuesissues ofof aerody-aerody- other hand, the respective times suction cup’ in its day. We un- nnamicamic eefffi ciency.ciency. AAtt tthehe ssameame ttime,ime, iinn llineine wwithith FFlaminiolaminio BBertoni,ertoni, for a standing start kilometre are derstand why! Reassuring; she hhee cconceivedonceived tthehe aautomobileutomobile aass a ssculpture’.culpture’. BButut tthehe CCXX iiss nnotot almost identical [3I.2sec for the stubbornly hangs on to the jjustust a piecepiece ooff rrollingolling aartrt aandnd VVictorictor rrecallsecalls tthathat ‘‘stylistsstylists aandnd Lancia and 3I.Isec for the Cit- road. And if the weather is good, eengineersngineers wworkedorked handhand inin hand’.hand’. IInn fact,fact, ssafetyafety iiss ooptimal.ptimal. ‘‘InIn roën]. those who know her well know II980,980, sheshe waswas lala reinereine dede lala route!route! AtAt thethe time,time, nnoo carcar wwasas asas ssafe,afe, eespeciallyspecially wwithith tthehe DDiravi.iravi. IItsts sstabilitytability aatt hhighigh sspeedpeed wwas,as, During our tests, the CX ac- that her skills are maintained in the rain. aandnd remainsremains rremarkable.emarkable. IItt wwasas aalsolso aaheadhead iinn ttermserms ooff ppassiveassive tually gave the impression of ssafetyafety wwithith iitsts rreinforcedeinforced ccentralentral ccell’.ell’. OOwnerwner ooff tthehe iiconicconic 2255 having a little more vigorous ac- Braking GGTTii,, VVictorictor aappreciatesppreciates tthehe ccar’sar’s ‘‘masterfulmasterful ccomfort’omfort’ aass wwellell aass iitsts celeration, even if the Gamma We adapt quickly to the brak- ing of the Lancia. The assistance pperformanceerformance aandnd cconcludes:oncludes: ‘‘TheThe CCXX hhasas bbeeneen sseeneen ttoooo much.much. WWee sshouldhould llearnearn ttoo suffered then from being load- rrediscoverediscover iitt wwithith a nnewew eeye,ye, iindependentndependent ooff iitsts ssocialocial ssymbolism’.ymbolism’. ed with the photographer’s ultra is satisfactory: the pedal is nei- ther too hard nor too soft, mak- heavy equipment… to the brakes of this car. My fi rst to really go all out! Once it has TThehe CCXX wwasas soso ing it possible to moderate Performance braking manoeuvre was carried been mastered, it seems that we ppopularopular thatthat youyou braking levels correctly. They are Lancia: 7/I0 effi cient and ensure you brake out with an excessively muscu- cannot do without it. Citroën: 7/I0 nnoo longerlonger knowknow RRareare inin oourur lati-lati- hhowow toto appreci-appreci- well in line. lar effort, under the reproving ttudes,udes, tthehe LLanciaancia Steering CComportmentomportment aatete thethe accuracyaccuracy While just as effective, the eye of my distinguished passen- GGamma,amma, a ddis-is- At Citroën, we want to dis- Handling aandnd subtletysubtlety ofof braking of the CX is much more ger; the owner. If the ‘mushroom’ ccreetreet bbourgeoisourgeois tinguish ourselves from the vul- Hailed in the press at the time iitsts llines.ines. GGreatreat confusing. Citroën being ‘terra pedal of the DS has disappeared ssedan,edan, ddeserveseserves gum pecus and the servo-assist- the handling of the Gamma is aartrt byby RobertRobert incognita’ for me, I admit to hav- Citroën’s braking assistance still ttoo bebe rediscov-rediscov- ed steering, the famous Diravi, very safe. Once the car is mas- OOpron.pron. ing looked forward with anxiety obviously requires a real fi nesse eered.red. is one of these house specifi cs. 5544 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5555 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur Between the variable assistance sical, aimless thugs harass and switch, this was not fi tted to any [the assistance weights-up with assault women, steal, murder, Series I cars, to my knowledge.] speed and from a certain steer- and alternately charm, fi ght, or The Gamma’s coil springs are ing angle] and the automatic re- sprint their way out of trouble. much more traditional, although turn of the steering wheel to the They take whatever the bour- elaborate, and they provide it centre, there is no doubt that geois characters value: whether with good levels of comfort. there is again a certain assimila- it’s cars, peace of mind, or Comportment tion required. However, the de- daughters. Marie-Ange, a jaded, Lancia: 8.5/I0 vice seemed less disconcerting passive hairdresser, joins them as Citroën: 9.5/I0 to me than braking. lover, cook, and mother confes- MMaintenanceaintenance The power steering of the sor. She’s on her own search for Spare Parts Gamma is much more classic seemingly unattainable sexual For the CX, routine mainte- except for one detail: in order pleasure.] nance parts [pads, starter, wa- not to blow up the left timing Nor does it fear bad roads ter pump…] are no problem. belt [which activates the power with its adjustable ride height. On the other hand, it is much steering pump], you should not [automatically, now]. more diffi cult to fi nd specifi c turn it all the way. When ma- [Ed. I am unsure why the writer parts. You have to hunt around, noeuvring, it’s rather annoying, suggests that the ride height especially on the internet, to fi nd even scary! adjustment is now ‘automatic’. body parts [front or rear wings, Suspension/Comfort None of the French/English rear light clusters…] or accesso- With its hydropneumatic sus- translation tools give a different ries [switches…]. While cylinder pension, which makes it possible larities of the road. meaning to the original French head gaskets are available, en- to have ‘oil cushions’ under the [automatiquement, désormais]. [Ed. ‘Les Valseuses’ (‘Going gines, gearboxes, brake callipers, posterior, to quote ‘Les Valseus- While in Series II cars the height camshafts are diffi cult to fi nd. es’, the comfort of the CX is im- Places’) is a French fi lm dating adjustment lever was replaced Good news, however, the hy- perial and it erases the irregu- from I974 in which two whim- by an electrically powered draulic suspension circuit is eas- 5566 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5577 NNonconformity?onconformity? It’sIt’s dede rigeurrigeur ily rebuilt [there are specialists] oil drop holes on the camshafts for the Lancia Gamma sedan being more recent, but the two and the spheres are available. were in the wrong place, causing and from €3,500 to €4,500 for cars remain convincing. The Gamma sedan having them to wear out prematurely. the Citroën CX GTi. Of course, The CX is the simplest choice been produced in far smaller On the fi rst models, the timing specimens in exceptional con- because it is easier to fi nd and, numbers than the CX and be- belt on the left side tended to dition can greatly exceed these despite everything, to maintain. ing less popular, parts jump, causing irreversible values. Finally, note that CXs are The Gamma is aimed at lovers are much more diffi - damage. However, recalls highly sought after on the Ger- of white elephants, sensitive to cult to fi nd. It is not use- by the manufacturer were man and Dutch markets. its great rarity and its original less, if you are fortunate carried out and a tension- Maintenance mechanics. It’s up to you. to have enough space, to er roller was fi tted. Well Lancia: 5.5/I0 Our sincere thanks to Victor have a spare wreck [se- maintained and without Citroën: 7/I0 Hidalgo and Philippe Coudray dan or coupe, mechanics defect, the engine can eas- for their availability and their pa- and some of the interior ily reach I20,000km. CConclusiononclusion In the I970s-80s, the Lancia tience, as well as to Ludovic Au- accessories being com- Oil changes take place donnet, of the Relais de l’Auto mon] for parts. Howev- at the same intervals as Gamma sedan and the Citroën CX, in GTi version in particu- Ancienne [http: //www.lerelais- er, consumables [exhaust, on the CX. On the other deIautoancienne.cmm/], Eric pads…] do not present a prob- hand, the drive belts need to lar, offered a serious alternative Duval, president of CX Club de lem. Front discs are rarer, while be changed every 30,000km or to the classic long-haul tourers France [www.cxclubdefrance. front wheel bearings cost a for- three years. The gearbox is in- across the Rhine [they were all com], Jean-Charles Voisin, vice- tune [compatible items exists]. destructible. In common with three-box bodywork and rear When surfi ng the internet and so many Italian cars, the Gam- wheel drive] with their off-beat president of Lancia Club France calling on specialists, you need a ma can encounter small electri- two-box bodies, their undeni- [http://www.lanciaclubfrance.co/ good deal of patience to fi nd a cal problems [ventilation-heating able road qualities, their great calendar / index.html], Stéphane lot of the items you need. But, it controls…]. comfort and their extensive Louazé, president of the Lancia will often pay off. Finally, both cars are prone equipment tally. Classic Club [http://www.lan- to corrosion, even though the Admittedly, they were not en- cia-classic-club.com/news/news. Frequency and Difficulty php], the University of Poitiers of Interventions treatment of the body of titled to the nobility of a 6cyl- The engine of the CX the Citroën CX was im- inder engine and their fi nish [http: // www.univ-poitiers.fr/], is particularly robust [be- proved in I98I and then remained less than perfect. Nev- Louis Drenenu [Gamma refer- ing chain rather than belt- again in I983. On the CX, ertheless, they did not have to ent from LCF], Piero Stroppa, driven]. Well maintained, rust can strike at the level be ashamed, on the contrary, of Ernanuele Sanfront, André Le it can exceed 300,000km. of the front bumper rack- their technology and were safe Roux [http://leroux.andre.free. The oil must be changed ets, the windscreen base, in all respects while offering per- fr/], Laurent Bunnik [http: /dau- every 7,500km or every the front door pillar and formance in the good average of rent.bunnik.archives-catalogues- year. The 5-speed gearbox rear the quarter pillar. On their category. automobiles.fr/] and Marcel is solid, unlike the previous the Gamma, look for it at Note that the Gamma was Leau for their help. 4-speed gearbox, which the top of the front wings the last Lancia equipped with a This article originally appeared in was prone to premature wear and the windscreen surround. specifi c engine, while theCX is AutoRetro magazine. It was written often considered to be the last by Julien Lombard and the photos and tear on synchros. Costs were taken by Daniel Denis. It was The Gamma engine has expe- Our two models display a rea- ‘real’ Citroën. The GTi of our translated by the Editor, who accepts rienced reliability issues. It tend- sonable price: around €3,000 to match benefi ts [in terms of per- all responsibilty for any errors that ed to overheat. Sometimes the €3,500 in very good condition formance and equipment] by may have occurred. 5588 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5599 SSculptedculpted iinn SSteelteel Perth-based member Malcolm taken him to the Johnson Space Tatra T97]. Makes present [in Greenway starts his article by Centre in Houston [‘Houston addition to those already men- telling us he has been travelling we have a problem’]. So this tioned] were Bugatti, Cord [two again. Well, given the issues of time he had to look around for of], Henderson [motorcycle], COVID it is instantly clear that holiday entertainment. Houston Ford, Packhard, Voisin, Chrysler the travels he describes are not is not particularly a tourist city. [two of], Delahaye [two of], recent. He was surprised when The ‘downtown’ is a bit of a soul- Stout [weird], Hispana-Suiza, Tal- he realised that this Art Deco less concrete jungle and there bot-Lago, Indian [motorcycle]. enhanced trip to Texas was back are four and fi ve lane freeways WHAT! No Traction Avant?!!! in 20I6. Over to Malcolm… running all over the place. Of Well clearly this selection fa- course it is the USA hub of the voured the exclusive, the exot- alcolm has been trav- Oil and Gas industry ~ which is ic and the ultra-luxurious ~ no elling again ~ not for suffering from the drop in the oil place for a world beating pro- workM this time. He’s been away price much like Perth is suffering duction car that would sell more in the USA on holiday visiting his after the iron ore boom. than ¾ of a million over 23 son Graeme, daughter-in-law As luck would have it Mal- years. However there was a Cit- Melissa and family ~ and getting colm found an exhibition on at roën connection which hopeful- acquainted with his now three- the ‘Fine Arts Museum, Hou- ly will redeem me in submitting month old granddaughter, Ava. ston’. Titled ‘Sculpted in Steel’ it this to the club magazine ~ but He had a couple of weeks in was an exhibition of ‘Art Deco I’ll get to that. Texas ~ a week holidaying with Automobiles and Motorcycles First of all, one thing I learnt the family at Lake Travis just out- I929 ~ I940.’ Just a marvellous LLeft:eft: tthehe II930930 which I didn’t appreciate be- side of Austin [State Capital of show of I4 cars and three mo- HHendersonenderson KKJJ fore was that the very term ‘Art Texas] and catching up with an torcycles. The countries of ori- SStreamlinetreamline mmo-o- Deco’ came from the name of old colleague at the University gin were mainly the USA and ttorcycle.orcycle. BBelow:elow: an exhibition in Paris in I925 of Texas at Austin ~ and then a France but also Germany [I934 tthehe II935935 ChryslerChrysler ‘EXPOSITION INTERNATION- week at his son’s home in Pearl- BMW R7 concept motorcycle] IImperialmperial MModelodel ALE des ARTS DECORATIFS and, Houston. Previous visits had and Czechoslovakia [the I938 C--22 AirAirfl ooww ET INDUSTRIELS MODERNES’. 6600 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6611 SSculptedculpted iinn SSteelteel Art Deco was the machine-in- as effi cient aerodynamics and spired decorative style in the the autos selected for this exhibi- period between the two world tion demonstrated that wonder- wars that was applied by archi- fully. So too was the Art Deco tects, interior decorators, indus- attention to detail in such items trial designers, fashion designers, as door handles, items of trim, set designers and graphic artists. and interior fi nishes. I took some Avant, the TUB front wheel drive TThreehree ooff thethe fi vvee wheelbase; The centre of gravity Art Deco design adopted the 64 photos on my iPhone so here utility that was succeeded by sstampstamps iissuedssued should be as low as possible; The ‘streamline’ shape as symbolic of are just a couple to illustrate this the H and HY vans, the 2CV and bbyy tthehe FFrenchrench aerodynamic centre of pressure a forward movement depicting fi ne show: the I930 Henderson the DS ~ was fi rst employed by ppostalostal authoritiesauthorities should be behind the centre of industrial progress and econom- KJ Streamline motorcycle; the Voisin and was responsible there ttoo publicisepublicise tthehe gravity; The brakes on the front ic revival much needed to pro- I935 Chrysler Imperial Model in his fi rst I6 years for designing II925925 ExpositionExposition wheels should be more powerful pel the world out of the depres- C-2 Airfl ow; the I938 Talbot-La- and indeed racing competition IInternationalenternationale than those at the rear. Other de- sion and economic stagnation go T-I50-C SS Teardrop; and the and record-breaking Voisin auto- ddeses ArtsArts Decora-Decora- sign criteria were ‘centre-point’ in the years following the Wall I934 Voisin Type C27 Aerosport. mobiles. Gabriel Voisin was Lefe- ttifsifs MModernes.odernes. steering, low vehicle weight, and Street Crash. Art Deco style in- Okay so did you spot the bvre’s mentor and he regarded an effi cient aerodynamic profi le fl uenced everything from sleek Citroën connection? Yes ~ of Lefebrve as his ‘spiritual son’. Be- with small frontal area. shapes for railway trains, luxu- course it’s the Voisin. The badge tween them they had no primary Well say no more; Lefebvre ry ocean liners, residential and on the radiator cap reads ‘Avions interest in engine performance, brought out all of those criteria commercial buildings, bridges, Voisin’ ~ the name of the com- acceleration and speed but were in the Citroëns we love so much furniture, electrical appliances, pany that manufactured it. Gabri- rather pre-occupied with safety ~ so I feel the Traction Avant was countless decorative elements, el Voisin was an illustrious French and reliability. Their ‘golden rules’ there in spirit ~ a I934 Art Deco signage and clothing ~ and of aviation pioneer and car manu- of safety and stability were: The design that captured modernity, course automobiles and motor- facturer. And the connection is mass of the engine and gearbox fl air, and fast stable design setting cycles all across the price range. that Andre Lefebvre ~ Citroën’s should be within the wheelbase; the standard in automobile de- Streamlining in car design was Chief Engineer that designed The car’s centre of gravity should sign for many years to come. equated with modernity as well [with his team] the Traction be ahead of the middle of the Malcolm Greenway

TThehe II934934 VoisonVoison TypeType C2277 Aerosport.Aerosport. ItsIts stylingstyling isis sslidingliding rroofoof whichwhich hhasas iitsts oownwn motormotor thatthat worksworks TThehe II938938 Talbot-LagoTalbot-Lago T--I50-I50-C SSSS TTeardrop.eardrop. FamedFamed sshapehape aandnd bbuiltuilt ttwelvewelve ooff tthesehese ‘‘NewNew YYork-style’ork-style’ tthehe wworkork ofof thethe car’scar’s fi rrstst oowner,wner, AAndrendre ChristmasChristmas ooffff thethe mainmain eengine’sngine’s vvacuum.acuum. IItt ooperatesperates wwithith a PParisianarisian ccoachbuildersoachbuilders FFigoniigoni ccoupes,oupes, ooff wwhichhich tthishis iiss tthehe fi rrst.st. IItsts fi rrstst o ownerwner wwhoho collaboratedcollaborated withwith Voisin.Voisin. sswitchwitch oonn thethe dashboarddashboard andand closescloses directlydirectly oontonto & FFalaschialaschi ppatentedatented wwasas FreddieFreddie McEvoy,McEvoy, aann AAustralianustralian mmemberember ooff tthehe OOnene hhighlightighlight iiss tthehe tthehe toptop ofof thethe windscreen.windscreen. tthehe ccar’sar’s ddistinctiveistinctive II936936 BritishBritish OlympicOlympic bbobsledobsled tteam.eam. aaerodynamicerodynamic 6622 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6633 TThehe BestBest BetteredBettered CCXX2255 GGTTi TurboTurbo eye over the CX’s altered im- struction. Accordingly, it does advanced expression of aerody- Readers will know how much age while Stuart Bladon, who not go as other cars go, but be- namic concepts. Those in turn your Editor enjoys, nay revels, was Deputy Editor of ‘Autocar’ haves in a quite exceptional way might be thought subservient to for 26years investigated the im- its self-levelling suspension but in the writings of LJK Setright. for which the thinking Citroën ~ As part of the publicity for the provements in the company of driver is profoundly grateful. that could have been inspired by the owner of a Series I CX and Any other kind of driver might the desire for uncorrupted sus- launch of the Series II CX in the Setright. feel himself at a loss, especially pension geometry, the need for UK in late I985 Citroën UK com- Setright celebrated the restyle which is magnifi ed by the desire missioned three articles from if he be the irrationally respon- of a superstar by investigating to embody front-wheel drive. well-known, well-respected spe- sive type, given to throwing fi ts the dynamics of the CX. of all the limbs Wherever cialists in their fi elds. and hoping to you start, the Nigel Chapman, Head of the s cars go, the CX is sort out the answer is al- Department of Trans- most egregious in its consequenc- ways the same port Design at the A design and con- es before it is in the end: Royal College too late. The this is a car in of Art cast CX does not which every his reward such major feature people, for it is, by the most does not in- remorselessly troduce con- logical analysis, sequences: it found to be does what it is perfectly com- instructed to plementary to do, no more all other ma- ~ and no less. jor features. It is the think- That is why, ing driver’s car, as cars go, the having been CX is eventu- created more ally found to rationally than be a most re- any current freshing syn- car from any thesis ~ and other source. why, once a It thus defi es thinking driver all attempts to isolate any par- fi nds the CX, he seldom reverts ticular feature as being responsi- to any other. ble for its character. One cannot Hydraulic Power dismiss it as being an extreme However, logic should be our expression of front wheel-drive servant, not our master. If we can concepts, for it is equally argu- fi nd no logical point at which to able that it has front-wheel drive begin an examination of this fas- merely as a consequence of its cinating machine, we are free to 6644 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6655 TThehe BestBest BetteredBettered pick an arbitrary one. As at buf- er of CX brakes. a slippery surface], doing so ten ly streamlined car. You do not, I fets, I choose to start in the mid- Available in the better ver- times a second. Other cars with trust, need to be told in this day dle and work outwards, begin- sions of the car is an anti-panic ABS systems develop sickening and age how desirable it is that a ning with a little engine-driven braking system which, as in air- heaves at the pedal when the car body be shaped for minimal pump which crams an hydraulic craft blessed with comparable system is interfering with the aerodynamic drag; but not eve- fl uid into a circuit maintained by hydraulics, monitors the rate at driver’s excesses, and then they rybody knows that the classical a reservoir at very high pressure. which each wheel is slowed and sometimes give up in disgust. streamlined low-drag shape is Here is a source of what all men modulates the hydraulic pres- In the CX, there is none of directionally unstable when sub- seek: power. sure if there is any tendency this disgusting behaviour: when jected to a cross-wind. It can be used to do almost of one to lock [as it might on the excess effort has to be in- The faster it goes, the worse all the many jobs around a car tercepted, the driver is told [so it gets, trying ultimately to turn ~ those bodged by antiquated as to warn him about the road in mid-air like an arrow shot tail- ironmongery in some cars, and surface] by a steady I0Hz buzz fi rst. The cure is to erect large those left to the driver’s own in the sole of his foot, as though areas of bodywork at the tail, so muscles in some others. Citroën he were triggering a remote ma- that side-wind pressure is always do not yet employ this power chine-gun. centred behind the centre of to shut the windows, sweep the Always Well Behaved gravity; but these erections spoil windscreen [though that big sin- Even without this new refi ne- the streamlining [and the view gle wiper on the CX is one of ment, there is no car less like- from the cabin]. The CX has no the two best I know], nor even ly to get itself sideways at high need of them: its weight is well to actuate the clutch; but it does speeds, either through injudi- forward, to ensure good traction most of the things that matter. cious cornering or ill-modulated from the driven front wheels, so For a start ~ or rather, for a braking. Even so, it can still be it can afford a classically shaped stop, since that takes priority low-drag body. But that is not all acted upon laterally by the wind should a circuit fault develop there is to it: the body is shaped ~ ~ and that is not a comfortable the high-pressure hydraulics op- situation in any conventional- so that its drag remains low even erate the brakes. There is thus in a crosswind, and that is some- no need for the brake pedal to JEEANAN--PPAAULUL GOOUDEUDE & GRRACEACE JOONESNES tthing very rare indeed among move [indeed, there would be TThehe aadvertdvert wwhichhich ccausedaused a ssensationensation iinn FFrancerance mmakingaking a FFrenchrench mmodern low-drag cars. no need even for a pedal, but mminister’sinister’s hhairair sstandtand oonn eendnd ~ tthehe 2220kph20kph turboturbo publicitypublicity If the wind can move a car to pacify the frightened novice ccampaign.ampaign. TThehe mmessageessage rreachedeached a ffarar llargerarger ppublicublic tthanhan eenvis-nvis- ssideways, it can also move it up accustomed only to lesser ma- aaged.ged. TThehe RRSCGSCG aagencygency ccommissionedommissioned JJean-Paulean-Paul GGoudeoude ttoo ddesignesign tthe down. The CX is designed chines], since it merely controls a pposteroster ofof thethe CCXX GGTTi TTurbourbo forfor thethe ParisParis MotorMotor Show.Show. HeHe tooktook tto suffer minimal lift or down- a valve, responding accurately GGracerace JJonesones aass hishis mmodelodel aandnd pphotographedhotographed herher withwith a ‘CCXX’ hhair-air- fforce as it passes through the air: and sensitively to the pressure sstyle,tyle, ddiscreetlyiscreetly ooutlinedutlined wwithith a llaseraser bbeam.eam. AAss a rresultesult ooff rrecentecent aapart from anything else, such exerted by the driver’s foot. If llawsaws passedpassed inin France,France, cconstructorsonstructors ccouldould nnoo longerlonger basebase theirtheir fforces induce extra drag. More the pedal has virtually no move- ccampaignsampaigns oonn tthehe pperformanceerformance fi guresgures ofof cars.cars. TThehe MMinisterinister ooff iimportantly, they play havoc ment, it is always in the same TTransportransport consideredconsidered thatthat thethe neatly-printedneatly-printed ‘‘220220 Km/h’Km/h’ fi ggureure wwith roadholding and steering place, and that foot can always ccontravenedontravened tthosehose llawsaws andand alertedalerted thethe press.press. HHee ccouldn’touldn’t hhaveave sstability, by altering the distribu- rely on fi nding it, no matter how ddoneone betterbetter ~ iitt wwasas allall ooverver tthehe ppapersapers aandnd tthehe CCXX TTurbourbo gotgot ttion of weight on the wheels so great the hurry. And if the ur- tthehe kkindind ooff launchinglaunching tthathat ppublicistsublicists aandnd ttheirheir cclientslients uusuallysually oonlynly tthat the car rises or sinks on its gency is extreme, so is the pow- ddreamream aabout.bout. ssprings at one end or the other.

6666 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6677 TThehe BestBest BetteredBettered Should this happen momentarily lower fi gures only apply in ide- was not created just to cheat tyres are kept on the road but to a CX, no great harm is done, al conditions. As soon as a car the wind. By keeping the car at a by how well they are kept point- because the suspension [as we is loaded so as to ride higher constant level regardless of the ing in the right direction. CX sus- shall see] has geometry which is on its quaint old cartsprings, its load it carries, it enables the sus- pension has little in common not corrupted by such motions; drag can increase sharply. In the pension to maintain a constant with other makes: it suffers none and it can only happen momen- windtunnel where the CX fi g- comfortable spring frequen- of the gyroscopic precessions tarily, because the self levelling ures were measured, another cy, neither too soggy when ful- and allows none of the varia- suspension keeps the car’s ride TThishis II987987 CCXX car was tested which proved ly laden nor too bouncy when tions in camber, castor, kingpin height substantially constant at TTurbourbo IIII wwasas when unladen to match its mak- running light. This is best done inclination and steer angle which both ends. It does this regardless aauctioneductioned bbyy er’s claim for drag coeffi cient by using bubbles of trapped ni- corrupt the geometry of wheel of the load being carried in the AAguttesguttes atat theirtheir of 0.35, a shade lower than the trogen as springs, so that is what motions [and disturb the func- car, as well as of loads applied CCitroenitroen CentenaryCentenary 0.36 of the CX Turbo. Laden as Citroën do: the gas spring offers tional responses of the tyres] in externally. aauctionuction aatt LLaa with four passengers, the poor progressively more resistance to almost all other cars. Thus the airfl ow is always con- FFerté-Vidame.erté-Vidame. IItt tip-tilted thing produced a read- heavy loads than to light ones, Turning the steering wheel sistent, something that cannot wwasas estimatedestimated ttoo ing of 0.43! There are cars with suffers no internal friction, and does not jack up or lower the be said of any other car. In the ssellell fforor betweenbetween even lower coeffi cients, today; takes up very little space. Linked nose of the CX, as it does in dozen years since the CX was €€88 andand €I5,000.€I5,000. there are none, I think, so well- to the wheels by high-pressure most front-wheel-drive cars; all formed, other manufacturers hhttps://www.ttps://www. behaved in all circumstances of hydraulic fl uid [which is incom- it does is to steer the wheels as have brought out new cars with cclassicdriver.com/lassicdriver.com/ load, speed and wind direction pressible] acting as an adjustable the driver commands, no more lower drag coeffi cients than this een/car/citroen/n/car/citroen/ as the CX. length pushrod, and incidentally and no less. Drive a CX really Citroën can boast ~ but those ccx/1987/683047x/1987/683047 The self-levelling suspension as a longlife aeration-free damp- fast through a bumpy bend: the er, the four nitrogen bubbles are gas springs absorb the bumps, what gives this care the world’s the wheels follow the contours, most impressive combination of TThehe Aguttes’Aguttes’ nothing else intrudes. There is ride and roadholding. ccarar sshowedhowed no wheel-fi ght, nothing to feel: Handling is another matter, II69,000km69,000km onon the car simply goes around the determined not by how well the tthehe oodometer.dometer. bend, really fast. And the next one, even if it is in the oppo- site direction. Logical Arrangements Why do people ask for steering which allows them to feel what they may do, when they can have steering which does as they direct? The CX 6688 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6699 TThehe BestBest BetteredBettered wheels point where the driver makes parking something to be wants them to point, and nei- done smartly with a glow of ther a puncture nor a kerbstone satisfaction, rather than slowly is allowed to interfere. The driv- with a sweat from exertion. At er has no need of feel, only of motorway speeds the steer- self-centering, and that is how ing is still precise and prompt, Citroën arrange matters. The but is hydraulically weighted [a powered hydraulics do most of shade too much for my light- the work, so there is no need for fi ngered taste] so that you do the steering to be low-geared not sneeze yourself into another and twirly, even though so much lane. Between those extremes of the car’s weight is carried [for WWhilehile bblacklack the steering weight is propor- traction and directional stabil- lleathereather aappearsppears tional to car speed [not to en- ttoo havehave bbeeneen a ity ~ remember?] on the front gine speed, as so many others il- wheels. ppopularopular optionoption onon logically do it], and at all speeds CCXX TTurbourbo cars,cars, yyouou Most manoeuvres can be eeditorditor pprefersrefers tthehe the car keeps its course with an performed without moving the sstandardtandard chevron-chevron- impeccable calm beyond emula- hands on the wheelrim, without ppattenedattened vvelourelour tion by others. Indeed this steer- crossing the arms, and without wwhichhich wwasas stand-stand- ing encourages calmness in the disconcerting effort. At park- aard.rd. hhttps://www.ttps://www. driver, which cannot be a bad ing speeds, one fi nger can give ccitroenorigins.fr/itroenorigins.fr/ thing: anyone who blames the you full lock with an alacrity that een/cars/cxn/cars/cx system in fact betrays himself. 7700 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7711 TThehe BestBest BetteredBettered The extraordinary positiv- Citroën approached the matter those I took some acceleration settings ~ but for that matter I ity of the CX [it deserves to logically: high performance on fi gures too: either by luck or by think that all versions should be be called logical positivity, but the road is not achieved merely good judgement I managed the as fast as the Turbo, and all other philosophers might object to by high power output at the top sprint from 0 to 96kph in 7.5sec- cars should be redesigned to be their jargon being disturbed] of the engine’s speed range, nor onds [Citroën claims 7.6], and 0 as rational as the CX. extends even to braking. Most even by a high torque peak at to I60kph in just I9seconds. As it WWhilehile tthehe TTurbourbo That, alas, is as clearly beyond cars will do a dreadful nose-dive some lesser rate of revolutions. happens I consider 0-96 times as iiss cclearlylearly tthehe hope as the CX GTi Turbo ex- if braked hard, with unpleasant What truly matters is best ex- immaterial, representing a kind mmodelodel mmost-ost- ceeds normal expectations. consequences to the springing pressed mathematically, as the of driving which is inappropriate pphotgraphedhotgraphed forfor Even Citroën do not appreciate and steering; those that do not area under the curve of surplus for the public highway; but for tthehe iinternetnternet yyourour its true worth. On the evidence often employ an anti-dive effect tractive effort: in practical terms really fast practical roadwork, ac- EEditorditor iiss sstrange-trange- of its price and their strange no- which opposes the natural ac- this means the torque curve and celeration from 95 to I45 or I60 llyy ddrawnrawn toto thisthis tion that its market rivals are the tion of the suspension and thus gear ratios are made mutually is all-important, and in this vital ttanan iinteriornterior oonn a quickest current Rover, Renault CCXX2255 TTRIRI. produces other consequenc- complementary. range 25, Vol- es equally unpleasant. It being What Citroën have done is to the Tur- vo and quite unimaginable that Citroën contrive a high boost pressure, bo has Saab, would let anything interfere with and thence enormous torque, very Citroën their suspension, the CX [aided slap in the middle of the engine’s few, and under- by an uncommonly long wheel- operating speed range, and then almost value base which also enhances ride progressively to reduce the all very their comfort and steering response] boost pressure as the engine extrav- car. The exploits an inertial anti-dive speed approaches its limit. Nev- agant, oth- system whereby the car’s own er mind the niceties of the valv- peers. ers are weight keeps it level, leaving the ing which achieve this; the result Nor dearer springing to deal normally with is that the engine pulls astonish- do by any- any bumps encountered while ingly hard whenever you want it many thing braking. to. cling from 7 It cannot work quite so well Few cars so fast demand so to the to over in the opposite mode: look in little gear-changing; few cars so road 40%, the mirror and you may detect fl exible offer such astonishing and but I do a slight pitching of the car dur- performance; and all those few adhere to the driver’s instruc- not see them as peers: to rival ing hard acceleration. Not that in both categories cost at least tions as well as this prime CX. In the CX, a car must have com- the majority of CX models ac- twice as much as the Citroën. a very tight corner or rounda- parable refi nement of concept. celerate all that hard ~ but for Thoughts on Figures bout it can be a bit disappoint- Lotus Excel, Audi 200 Quatro, those who appreciate that facil- Perhaps a few fi gures might not ing when it understeers under Bentley Turbo R? Prices from ity, the CX25 GTi Turbo accel- come amiss. So far I have driven full power; in all other circum- 24 to 5I3% higher? Citroën like erates very hard indeed. Not three GTi Turbo specimens: one stances, it ranks as one of the many potential customers, don’t merely because it has been tur- was a bit off-colour and would very best. know what they are missing. bocharged, mark you, but be- not exceed 206kph, but the oth- Personally I think that all CX This article by LJK Setright cause of the way it has been tur- er two were both still accelerat- versions should be well shod fi rst appeared in ‘The Citroën bocharged. ing when I had to ease the ac- and stabilised as the wide-tyred Magazine’, published by Citroën As by now you must expect, celerator at a true 2I7. In one of Turbo with its stiffer anti-roll Cars Ltd in November I985. 7722 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7733 VValeale RobertRobert OpronOpron Abidjan. Simca but his job disappeared in Opron’s portfolio of drawings. RRobertobert OpronOpron In I952 he enrolled in the I96I, and he received a two-year Opron said that Bertoni ‘… [[2222 FebruaryFebruary 19321932 ~ École des Beaux-Arts in Amiens; salary redundancy payout, but threw them on the fl oor, prod- 2299 MarchMarch 2021]2021] transferring to the École nation- with a non-competition clause ded them with his cane and ale supérieure des Beaux-Arts that prevented him from imme- said that he did not think very lthough he had been in in Paris in I953 where he stud- diately moving to another au- much of them.’ Opron collect- poor health for quite ied architecture under Auguste tomaker. Opron went to Arthur ed his drawings and told Ber- some time, the cause of death A Perret along with painting, and Martin, a company that pro- toni he found his behaviour was has been attributed to COVID-I9. sculpture. duced household and domestic unacceptable, to which Bertoni He created or redesigned, At age 2I he married Genev- and home appliances, where he replied ‘I do fi nd you interest- among others, the bodywork of iève Mercier. In the early I950s became Director of Style. ing though!’ Opron left, vowing the Citroën DS, Citroën Ami 6 break, Citroën Ami 8, Citroën he took up fl ying. In I962 Robert Opron re- to never work for such a man. GS, Citroën SM, Citroën CX, Cit- Opron began his professional sponded to an ad in le Monde Three weeks later, he received a roën Axel and later at Renault career as a machine designer for stating that an ‘important indus- letter offering him a job… he was responsible for the de- the Compagnie Nationale des trial group’ was looking for an Opron was directed to come sign teams for the Renault Fue- Sucreries in Ham in the Somme experienced designer. He re- up with a replacement for the go, Renault 9, Renault 1I, Renault and in I954 he was hired by air- ceived a letter in which he was 2CV ~ the never-launched G- 25 and for the Alfa Romeo SZ craft manufacturer Société Na- directed to report to Citroën Mini; he worked with Bertoni on [ES30]. tionale de Constructions Aé- where he met with Flaminio the Belphégor range of trucks; Opron was born in Amiens in ronautices du Nord where he Bertoni, Citroën’s chief designer redesigned the DS nose and Picardy, France. His father was specialised in cockpit design, and who had been responsible for submitted proposals for a new in the military and the family worked on the Nord Noratlas both the 2CV and DS. rear end; modernised the Ami 6 lived in locations in French Co- aircraft. When Opron arrived at the [turning it into the Ami 8]; was lonial Africa like Algeria, Mali and In I958 he began working at meeting, Bertoni asked to see responsible for the GS and SM; 7744 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7755 VValeale RobertRobert OpronOpron and designed the CX and the where he designed for Alfa inverted in the CX] was another tions of descendants. Axel. Romeo. one of his style signatures. Julian Marsh and Citroënët In I964, following the death of In the early I990s, he worked Robert Opron created de- would like to extend sincere Bertoni, he become Responsa- as an independent consultant in signs that typify Citroën’s ‘glory condolences to the Opron fam- ble de Style for the brand until automotive design and styling, years’ of the I960s and I970s. ily on the occasion of their loss. its takeover in I974 by Peugeot. notably for Ligier. He was responsible for: © This article fi rst appeared on the Robert Opron realised that He fi nally retired in 200I. • the post I964 restyling of the Citroënët website and was written housing the headlights under a He established a house style 2CV by Julian Marsh. It is reprinted with the author’s permission and may not smooth surface improved aero- that built on Bertoni’s work and • the post I964 restyling of the be reprinted elsewhere without his dynamics no end. In addition, he created a range of quite dissimi- D-Series permission. developed the system of direc- lar cars that could not be any- • the Ami 6 Break tional headlights connected to thing other than Citroëns. • the Dyane TThehe ppicturesictures bbelowelow wwereere takentaken onon thethe the steering that allowed the His styling motifs included • the Ami 8 ooccasionccasion ooff tthehe llaunchaunch ooff thethe FrenchFrench driver ‘to see round bends’. He designs that featured a large, • the Wankel-engined M35 eeditiondition ooff tthehe CCitrovisieitrovisie bbookook aaboutbout thethe CCXX bbyy MMichaelichael BBuurma.uurma. FFarar llefteft [[ll ttoo rr]] combined these two ideas into steeply raked windscreen, trun- • the SM CCitrovisieitrovisie ppublisherublisher TThijshijs vvanan dderer ZZanden,anden, the ‘second version’ [or third cated tail, semi-concealed rear • the GS FFerdierdi EErnestrnest [[whowho translatedtranslated thethe CCXX bbookook nose] of the DS in I967. wheels and an unusually large • the Wankel-engined Birotor iintonto FFrench],rench], RRobertobert OOpronpron aandnd MMichaelichael Robert Opron left Citroën in front overhang, all of which em- • the CX BBuurma,uurma, tthehe aauthor.uthor. PPictureicture iiss © TThijshijs I974 and moved to arch-com- phasised the front wheels and • the Axel vvanan dderer ZZanden/Citrovisieanden/Citrovisie RRight:ight: RRobertobert petitor Renault where he then thereby the fact that the cars • the Belphégor trucks OOpronpron hholdingolding a hubcaphubcap ffromrom tthehe ooldestldest headed up the Renault style of- were front wheel drive. A large He is survived by his wife, ssurvivingurviving CCXX. TThishis aandnd tthehe ccentreentre ppictureicture fi ce. In I986, he moved to Fiat curved rear window [admittedly Geneviève, and three genera- aarere aandnd aarere © MMichaelichael BBuurmauurma 7766 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7777 PPhotothèquehotothèque 1 jects. He is an audio-visual jour- rederic Maury prefers to nalist, interviews show business be called a man of images stars and also writes articles on ratherF than a photographer. He fi lms which are being made. In doesn’t like to be thought of as a I976 he published ‘Cine-maga- creator, but an arbitrator, an ac- zine’. He had a particular liking tive one, prepared to wait great for lavish productions and spec- lengths of time to choose the tacular stage effects and was, at right moment to capture all the the time, drawn to the world elements necessary to create a of advertising. He thus became weird or harmonious combina- a photographer and began to tion which he always achieves vary the background of his land- most spectacularly. scape photos ~ from plain post- Frederic Maury varies his sub- cards to more daring ones such 7788 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7799 PPhotothèquehotothèque 1 as the one shown here, which juxtaposes a CX in a halo of misty light, with the Mont St- Michel clearly shown in the background. This opened the door for him to David Ham- ilton’s publisher. Gallimard commissioned him to do a series of crime book covers which gave him experience in stagecraft [he was some- times helped by the stunt- man, Remy Julienne] His in- terest in mechanics led him to industrial photography, and he has often taken pictures of helicopters and planes. One of the techniques he often uses is to match varied sub- jects together, as seen here in this series of photographs. Two means of transport are placed side by side or on top of each other ~ one seem- ing to come out of the other. The combination of different scales causes some strange optical illusions such as the plane taking off from the roof of a CX or the helicop- ter landing on the rear-win- dow. Frederic Maury works on standard-size format as a rule for optimum clearness of detail. He only uses a Mami- ya 645 4.5×6cm with Ekta- chrome 64 ASA fi lm. This article, and the associated images, are taken from ‘Le Double Chevron’, the magazine of Automobiles Citroën. The issue [No 77] was published in Autumn, I984. 8800 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 8811 PPhotothèquehotothèque 2 WWhenhen youryour EditorEditor startedstarted planningplanning thisthis editionedition ofof ‘démarreur’‘démarreur’ DDad’sad’s CCXX [[fondlyfondly knownknown asas ‘the‘the RRon’]on’] waswas thethe onlyonly oneone ofof hishis carscars hhee ccontactedontacted a numbernumber ofof thethe Club’sClub’s CCXX oownerswners iinn tthehe hopehope tthathat hehe ownedowned fromfrom newnew andand waswas byby farfar hishis greatestgreatest carcar love.love. HeHe tthathat theythey maymay havehave feltfelt comfortablecomfortable makingmaking a contributioncontribution toto thethe ggotot itit inin 19851985 [the[the yearyear I waswas born]born] asas hishis fi rrstst wworkork ccarar ~ wwhichhich mmagazine.agazine. I ccertainlyertainly bbelieveelieve tthathat a mmember’sember’s rreflefl e cectionstions o non t hthee wwasas eevidentlyvidently hhisis oonlynly wworkork ccarar aass hhee nneverever wantedwanted toto upgradeupgrade it.it. ccar[s]ar[s] theythey ownown hashas farfar moremore resonanceresonance forfor membersmembers thanthan anan oldold AAss a ffamilyamily wwee hhaveave ssoo mmanyany mmemoriesemories ooff ‘‘thethe RRon’;on’; aallll ffourour ddaugh-augh- rroadoad ttestest oorr a rrecentecent cclassiclassic ccarar mmagazineagazine rrevieweview ~ bbothoth ooff wwhichhich ttersers learntlearnt toto drivedrive inin itit [with[with manymany tearstears overover thethe lacklack ofof powerpower aappearppear inin tthishis eedition.dition. ssteeringteering andand confusingconfusing speedo],speedo], thethe entertainingentertaining timestimes thethe hornhorn WWhilehile TeresaTeresa BurfurdBurfurd doesdoes notnot seesee herselfherself asas a writerwriter sheshe diddid shareshare wwouldould runrun outout ofof air,air, failedfailed andand embarrassingembarrassing ‘quick‘quick escapes’escapes’ waitingwaiting ssomeome mmemoriesemories ooff ttravellingravelling iinn hherer llateate ffather’sather’s CCXX. fforor thethe hydraulicshydraulics toto riserise andand DadDad breakingbreaking downdown inin thethe BurnleyBurnley BBut,ut, TessTess letlet slipslip thatthat iinn aadditionddition ttoo thethe excellentexcellent photosphotos ofof Geoff’sGeoff’s TTunnel.unnel. DadDad lovedloved thethe CCXX [a[a sentimentsentiment I don’tdon’t thinkthink isis sharedshared byby SSMM, wwhichhich hehe hadhad previouslypreviously suppliedsupplied forfor ‘Front‘Front Drive’,Drive’, GeoffGeoff hadhad ootherther CCitroënitroën llovers]overs] andand startedstarted hishis interestinterest inin allall thingsthings Citroën.Citroën. aalsolso commissionedcommissioned photographyphotography ofof thethe otherother carscars inin hishis fl eeet.et. TTessess BBurfurdurfurd TTessess aandnd I aarere vveryery pleasedpleased toto shareshare somesome ofof thesethese withwith you.you. 8822 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 8833 8844 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 8855 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest of the Pallas, and has an impres- sive extra 24cm in the wheel- base. It is beautifully appointed throughout. Everything about the Pres- tige is different. In addition to its original styling, inside and out, it has very direct power steering, a clutch pedal-less gear change, non-cancelling indicators, revolv- ing drum instruments, fi nger-tip controls, adjustable ride height, hydropneumatic independent suspension ~ the list is endless. Driving the Citroën is like learn- ing to drive all over again. The only item the car inher- its [unfortunately] is a 85.8kW, 2,347cc version of the old four- cylinder engine. It is reasonable as far as it goes, but is in no way a match for the multi-cylinder opposition. The Citroën’s retail price, including C-matic gearbox and air conditioning, is £7,400, marginally the most expensive in the group. Mercedes Benz’s WI23 mod- els have been on sale for around six months now. There is noth- Mercedes Benz have introduced ing extravagant or extroverted HOOWW TTHEYHEY STTANDAND VEEHICLEHICLE PPricerice FFueluel Econo-Econo- IIns.ns. NNo.o. ofof OOtherther he after-effects of the I973 an improved model and only about these cars. The 250 tested mmy/Gradey/Grade GGrouproup DDealersealers MModelsodels Yom Kippur war are cer- Jaguar rely on the model that here is typical of the type. It is tainly over as far as the world’s has been bringing them sales conservatively styled, markedly  T CIITROËN TROËN ££7,4007,400 220/40/4 7 222020 3 saloonssaloons CCXX PRRESTIGEESTIGE 3 estatesestates car makers are concerned. success for many years. Wealth- austere in comparison with its JAAGUARGUAR XXJ3.4J3.4 ££7,2257,225 222/42/4 6 330000 2 saloonssaloons Three of the four cars in this ier car buyers appear to have rivals. But it is beautifully con- 3 coupéscoupés group test have made their pub- dismissed ecology and austerity ceived, developed and con- MEERCEDES RCEDES ££7,3507,350 220/40/4 7 8866 6 saloonssaloons lic debuts since that time, and all fears as fads. structed. BEENZNZ 225050 appear to be selling well in an We started the group with A three-pointed star on a car’s PEEUGEOT UGEOT ££7,128*7,128* 222/42/4 7 118080 NNoneone area of strong competition. the Citroën CX Prestige which bonnet means it is smooth and 6604SL04SL * CCarar ttestedested hhadad ooptionalptional autoauto gearbox,gearbox, airair con,con, sunsun roof.roof. Citroën and Peugeot have went on sale earlier this year. It is easy to drive, and has just about joined this luxury market, an even more luxurious version the best primary and secondary 8866 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 8877 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest model of under-statement, and or tinted glass options. is a fairly obvious ape of the lux- The twin overhead camshaft ury cars of Germany. six-cylinder engine produces the The only similarities between most power in the group, I20.I the Peugeot and Citroën are kW. It is available with an over- that they are French, and now, drive manual gearbox or [in our closely linked in business terms. case] an automatic; there is no Otherwise, the 604 is a stark difference in price. contrast, conventional and angu- Performance lar. It has a I0I.5kW engine which All four are smooth, silent and drives the rear wheels; it is the reasonably good performers. joint Peugeot-Renault-Volvo all- The various types of automat- alloy V6 that speculators suggest ic gearbox mean there is some will eventually go into the CX. penalty on outright acceleration, The basic 604 is a competi- though ‘top’ gear over-taking tive £6,202. But the model test- times are much improved. ed was equipped with automat- The Peugeot is marginally best ic transmission, an electrically to 96kph, taking I2.5secs. The operated sun roof and air con- engine spins freely and quietly, ditioning, which takes the price the General Motors automatic to £7,I29. It makes it a very well gearbox allowing all the engine’s equipped machine that can still resources to be used before match its rivals on price. changing up. The car’s progress We were originally going to is deceptively fast, though there include the Rover 3500 in this CCitroën’sitroën’s uultimateltimate lluxuryuxury fforor tthehe cchauf-hauf- are distinct wind and road nois- CClassiclassic JJaguaraguar iinteriornterior [[top];top]; ffrontront sseatseats group ~ but it is too cheap! ffeureur [[top];top]; yyardsards ooff llegeg rroomoom fforor thethe VVIPIP es. aarere bbroadroad andand rearrear comfortcomfort isis excellentexcellent Even with extras like automat- [[below].below]. Although it produces most [[below].below]. ic, electrically operated window power, the Jaguar’s engine has safety features of any car in the Iifts, alloy wheels, etc, one would a reluctance to spin so freely. from one car to the other in this world. In short, it is idiot-proof. be hard pressed to spend more Its time to 96kph is a reason- test we must revise that opinion. The 250’s power unit is a than £6,000. As an aside to this able I3.2secs. What is most im- The Jaguar is still the quietest car 96.2kW six-cylinder overhead test, it is a very worthy alterna- pressive, though, is the silence in for the money on the market. camshaft engine, and is mounted tive. which it is achieved. It powers The Jaguar’s gearchange is in conjunction with a four-speed In the end we chose a Jag- forward with an almost inaudi- good, though not as smooth as automatic gearbox. This, and the uar XJ3.4 at £7,225. The Series ble hum, leaving passengers im- the Mercedes Benz’s. That is un- power steering, is standard, and 2 was introduced in September mune from the straining engine, cannily smooth, and one has to the 250 retails at £7,350. I973 [a month before the Yom wind and road noises. concentrate hard to detect any A year earlier, in November Kippur war] and the 3.4-litre ver- When we fi rst tested the of the three changes. I975, Peugeot had joined the sion came I8 months later. It has Peugeot 604 [February I976] The 250’s time to 96kph is a Mercedes Benz / BMW / Jaguar the same long wheelbase chassis we wrote that its quietness and little disappointing [I4.6secs] and club with their all-new 604SL. as the 4.2 and 5.3, but has cloth smooth ride were the equal of may not have been representa- The Pininfarina-styled car is a seat trim and no air conditioning the Jaguar XJ’s. Having stepped tive because of the car’s new- 8888 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 8899 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest bowling along a motorway as tial is deceptive, yet it must be quickly as the law will allow, the as good as any in its class. The passenger in the back making rack and pinion power steering notes for an important business is extremely light at all speeds, meeting. But the other three are giving a suggestion of slack in also good long distance cars ~ it. On the contrary, however, it and combine brisker accelera- is precise, and the general mo- tion into the bargain. mentum of the car when going The C-matic gearchange ~ a quickly round corners seems three-speed affair that is used to eliminate the effect of small like a normal gearchange but au- wheel movements. Driving posi- tomatically engages the clutch tion is good, thanks partly to the when it is moved ~ requires in-out adjustable steering wheel. long and deliberate movements. Road holding qualities are high Citroën are fi rmly wedded to indeed ~ it too has all-round in- the system, just as they are to dependent suspension ~ and it many of their other ideas, but irons out road irregularities with we are unconvinced that it has ease. Body roll is moderate. But any advantages over a normal what really belies the impression automatic. of speed is the car’s quietness, Among other things, it means no wind, road noises, hardly a it cannot be ‘kicked down’ to murmur from the engine and an overtake, from 50 to 80kph for occasional hiss from the power instance. It has a torque con- steering. MMercedesercedes BBenzenz hhasas a ggoodood ddrivingriving pposi-osi- verter, and does the test in Driving the Citroën is not for AAngledngled wwheelheel spoilsspoils PeugeotPeugeot [top].[top]. FFrontront .0 ttionion [[top],top], bbutut sseatseats aarere ttoooo hhardard forfor I0 secs. By contrast its oppo- newcomers. The futuristic styl- sseatseats llackack ssupport,upport, rrearear iiss ccomfortableomfortable ssomeome [[below].below]. sition here select lower gears ing, including all instruments and [[below].below]. when subjected to harsh accel- controls in a pod on the facia, ness. There is a little wind roar eration. Their times are better: immediately suggest a new kind ~ and the initial habit is to drive and a purposeful growl from the 4.9secs for the Jaguar, 6.4secs for of driving experience. So too do in zig-zags along the road. engine, which add to an impres- the Peugeot and 6.7secs for the the ride height control, fi nger- As speed increases the pow- sion of sparkling performance. Mercedes Benz. tip controls, single spoke steer- er assistance fades, providing the By contrast the Citroën is a All have very powerful dual ing wheel and clutch pedal-less driver with a more solid feel. slow coach. Its time of 96kph circuit disc brakes all round. The gearchange. But the one item But the steering maintains its is I5.5secs, achieved by almost Citroën’s are power operated, that sets the seal on it is the straight ahead preference at all abusing the engine. In fairness, and the others have regular type steering. times, which means the Citroën however, the unit remains quite of vacuum servo assistance. All The VariPower steering is very drives like a slot racing car. It is well muted, though there are stop well, but they have differing highly geared [2½ turns lock most noticeable on fast, sweep- distinct wind noises. There are characteristics. The Citroën ped- to lock] and fi nger light at low ing curves, where its directional no road noises. al is touch- sensitive and needs a speeds. It also has very strong stability is uncanny. The CX’s forte is not brisk gentle touch self-centring action ~ it will It takes many, many miles to town driving. It is at its best The Jaguar’s cornering poten- straighten itself when stationary become acclimatised to the 9900 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9911 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest 1 11]] VVaripoweraripower steeringsteering andand hydro-pneu-hydro-pneu- 11]] TTransverseransverse ffour-cylinderour-cylinder CCitroënitroën eenginengine 1 mmaticatic ssuspensionuspension ggiveive CCitroenitroen ssuperbuperb iiss nnowow showingshowing seriousserious signssigns ofof ageage inin sstabilitytability aandnd rride.ide. tthehe CCXX. 22]] EExcessivelyxcessively llightight ppowerower ssteeringteering sspoilspoils 22]] CClassiclassic ssix-cylinderix-cylinder DDOHCOHC JJaguaraguar en-en- tthehe ootherwisetherwise excellentexcellent Jaguar.Jaguar. ggineine iiss ppowerfulowerful aandnd uunobtrusivenobtrusive ddespiteespite 33]] TThehe MMercedesercedes BBenzenz hhasas tthehe bbestest ssteer-teer- iitsts vvintage.intage. iingng aandnd tthehe mmostost rresponsiveesponsive hhandling.andling. 33]] GGoodood accessibilityaccessibility aandnd llowow sservic-ervic- 44]] TThoughhough itit maymay sseemeem ssedateedate aandnd ddig-ig- iingng rrequirementsequirements ddistinguishistinguish tthehe ssmallestmallest nniifi eed,d, tthehe PPeugeoteugeot iiss iinn ffactact tthehe ffastestastest MMercedesercedes ssix.ix. 2 ooff thethe four.four. 44]] TThehe PPeugeoteugeot V6 isis ssmoothmooth andand pow-pow- 2 eerful,rful, bbutut aancillaryncillary eequipmentquipment iimpedesmpedes plete rejection. aaccessibility.ccessibility. All have good straight line stability, as befi ts cars designed As the side elevation draw- as long distance motorway ex- ings show, the CX is even more presses. Our vote for the best generous than the Jaguar, which must go to the Citroën, though. can better the Peugeot and put the Mercedes Benz to shame. 3 Accommodation 3 Although it has the shortest Shoulder width in the Peugeot passenger cell, the Mercedes is the best of the group, though Benz is as much a fi ve seater as none of them is cramped in this the others. The rear seat is less respect. shaped for two, it has plenty of All cater well for oddments headroom, but it cannot match stowage. The Citroën’s big fa- the rear seat knee room of the cia box is supplemented by a others. Indeed, it is little better in facia hole on the offside, door 4 this respect than a Ford Cortina pockets all round and front seat 4 which is less than half the price. back pockets. The Mercedes The Peugeot’s rear knee and Benz has a facia box, seat back head space are good, while the nets and a single front door Jaguar and Citroën, being more pocket. The Peugeot has a fa- low slung, require much greater cia box and door pockets at space for rear seat passengers the front, while the Jaguar has to stretch their legs. They cer- front door pockets, a transmis- system. A trip round the block tainly get it. sion cubby hole and a small fa- er; it has mat covering. The 250 in a dealer’s demonstrator will The Jaguar, with ten extra cen- cia box, compete with clever and 604 boots are very large not suffi ce. But once the driver timetres of wheelbase over the pop up mirror. and deep, but have high sills has grown, accustomed to the original models, is superb, but The Citroën boot is carpet- that hinder loading. The 604’s steering, he will appreciate the the Citroën is truly limousine ed, large, squarish and has a wheel is stowed upright in a thought and development that style. It even has carpeted foot low load height. The Jaguar has wing, the XJ and 250 spares are has gone into it. It will mean ei- rests, and has the bonus of no a fairly low load height, but is below the boot fl oors and the ther an order for one, or com- transmission tunnel. shallower and a good deal long- CX spare is under the bonnet. 9922 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9933 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest CIITROËNTROËN CCXX JAAGUARGUAR MEERCEDESRCEDES BEENZNZ PEEUGEOTUGEOT PRRESTIGEESTIGE XXJ3J3..44 225050 6604SL04SL PEERFORMANCERFORMANCE MMaximumaximum sspeedpeed [[kph]kph] II7777 II8585 II7777 II8080 MMaxax inin 3rd3rd [kph][kph] - - II4545 - CIITROËNTROËN CCXX PRRESTIGEESTIGE JAAGUARGUAR XXJ3J3..44 MEERCEDESRCEDES BEENZNZ 225050 PEEUGEOTUGEOT 6604SL04SL MMaxax inin 2nd2nd [kph][kph] II2626 II3030 8899 II3030 DIIMENSIONSMENSIONS MMaxax inin IstIst [kph][kph] 7722 7799 4455 8855 A/D: HHeadroomeadroom [F/R] 994/93cm4/93cm 994/89cm4/89cm 99I/88cmI/88cm 994/85cm4/85cm AAccelerationcceleration B/E: LLegroomegroom [F/R] 776-97/I04-I27cm6-97/I04-I27cm 998-II3/4I-55cm8-II3/4I-55cm 889-I09/66-86cm9-I09/66-86cm NNAA//74-94cm74-94cm 00-48kph-48kph [secs][secs] 5..44 5..II 4..88 5..II C: SSteeringteering rreacheach 220-36cm0-36cm 44I-55cmI-55cm 443-63cm3-63cm 229-47cm9-47cm 00-64kph-64kph [secs][secs] 7..88 7..22 6..77 6..55 IInteriornterior widthwidth II38cm38cm II40cm40cm II42cm42cm II52cm52cm 00-96kph-96kph [secs][secs] II55..55 II33..22 II44..66 II22..55 L x W x H 4..9I9I×I..7373×I..4949m 4..9595×I..7777×I..3737m 4..9I9I×I..7373×I..3636m 4..7I7I×I..7777×I..4242m 00-1I3kph-1I3kph [secs][secs] 2200..33 II77..33 II88..33 II55..77 WWheelbaseheelbase 3..0909m 2..8787m 3..0909m 2..8080m SStandingtanding 4400m00m [secs][secs] 2200..22 II99..22 II99..88 II88..88 TTrackrack [F/R] I..4747//II..3636m I..4747//II..4949m I..5I5I//II..4242m I..4949//II..4343m TTerminalerminal sspeedpeed [[kph]kph] III4I4 II2222 III9I9 II2222 WWeight/Toweight/Tow Weight/Weight/ II,422/899/,422/899/ II,7I2/I,026/,7I2/I,026/ II,362/904/,362/904/ II,4I2/848/,4I2/848/ TTopop geargear PPayloadayload 449Ikg9Ikg 44I5kgI5kg 552Ikg2Ikg 5505kg05kg 448-80kph8-80kph [secs][secs] II00..00 4..99 6..77 6..44 664-96kph4-96kph [secs][secs] 11II..88 5..88 8..00 7..33 SSpeedopeedo eerrorrror @ 996kph6kph 22%% fastfast 33%% fastfast NNoneone 4..55% ffastast SPPECIFICATIONSECIFICATIONS CCapacityapacity [[cc]cc] 22,347,347 33,442,442 22,525,525 22,664,664 CCylindersylinders 4 6 6 V6 BBoreore×sstroketroke [mm][mm] 9944×8866 8833×II0606 8866×7722 8888×7733 Using the Citroën’s ride height generally on the small side ~ in- VValvealve ggearear OOHVHV DDOHCOHC SSOHCOHC SSOHCOHC control takes the physical effort suffi cient height and length to MMainain bbearingsearings 5 7 4 4 out of changing a fl at tyre. them. The back seat is rather fl at PPower/rpmower/rpm [[kkW] 886/5,7506/5,750 II20/5,00020/5,000 996/5,5006/5,500 II0I/5,7500I/5,750 Comfort and lacks grab handles. TTorque/rpmorque/rpm [Nmm]] II83/2,80083/2,800 2255/3,50055/3,500 II96/3,50096/3,500 2207/3,50007/3,500 At £7,000, the owner expects, Seats on the 604 are similarly SSteeringteering RRack/pinionack/pinion RRack/pinionack/pinion RRecec bballall RRack/pinionack/pinion and gets, a high degree of com- trimmed, but are larger and soft- TTurnsurns locklock toto locklock 2..55 3..22 3..00 3..55 fort. The most opulent are the er. The squab tilts as it is pushed TTurningurning ccircleircle [[m]m] NNAA 11II..66 11II..33 II00..77 Jaguar and Citroën, in rather dif- back. Those in the German car BBrakesrakes P/D/D S/D/D S/D/D S/D/D ferent ways. The Jaguar’s tradi- are stark by contrast. They are SSuspensionuspension [F/R] IIHHpp//IIHHp IIWWiC/IIWWiC IIWWiC/IISTSTrC IIMMcP/IICSTCSTr tional wooden facia and tasteful hard, well-shaped and trimmed CX an even better ride. It is su- and also glides along very eas- interior treatment are a sharp in vinyl with cloth inserts. They persmooth as if fl oating on air, ily. The absence of almost all contrast to the space-age style are generally comfortable, ~ Citroën. though one tester has an his- which to a certain extent it is. outside noises adds to the im- The Prestige seats are torically unsympathetic view of There are distinct wind noises pression of travelling in a sound trimmed in cloth, and are large, Mercedes Benz seats; they al- and often harsh engine notes. booth. soft and comfortable. The Jag- ways give him backache. The Jaguar is really the Cit- Suspension echoes and wind uar’s are also trimmed in cloth; If anything, the longer Pres- roën’s only rival here in ride noise apart, the Peugeot ap- they are fi rmer, well padded, but tige wheelbase has given the qualities. It is soft, well damped proaches the Jaguar and Citroën 9944 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9955 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest CIITROËNTROËN CCXX JAAGUARGUAR MEERCEDESRCEDES BEENZNZ PEEUGEOTUGEOT 1 11]] CCXX bbootoot hashas a lowlow sillsill andand sensiblysensibly PRRESTIGEESTIGE XXJ3J3..44 225050 6604SL04SL sshaped.haped. COOSTSSTS 22]] JJaguaraguar bootboot isis longlong andand widewide butbut FFueluel economyeconomy [L//I00km]I00km] II88..88--I4I4..II II77..77--I2I2..88 II66..66--I4I4..II II66..66--I2I2..88 sshallow.hallow. FFueluel capacitycapacity [L]]/grade/grade 668/48/4 99I/4I/4 665/45/4 7700//44 33]] HHighigh ssillill mmarsars MMercedesercedes bboot;oot; nnoteote tthehe wwarningarning triangle.triangle. MMajorajor serviceservice [[km/hrs]km/hrs] II0,000/30,000/3..8585 II0,000/40,000/4..88 II6,000/46,000/4..22 II0,000/20,000/2..7575 44]] PPeugeoteugeot bootboot isis largelarge butbut sillsill isis ttoooo PPartsarts ccost/ost/fi tttingting h hoursours hhigh.igh. FFrontront wingwing ££35.34/8.435.34/8.4 ££89.00/-89.00/- ££55.52/-55.52/- ££39.41/2.7539.41/2.75 FFrontront bumperbumper ££60.22/I.860.22/I.8 ££48.50/0.448.50/0.4 ££70.58/-70.58/- ££69.44/0.7569.44/0.75 standards. It is good by any lev- HHeadlampeadlamp uunitnit ££50.70/I.350.70/I.3 ££2.97[?]/0.32.97[?]/0.3 ££67.30/0.467.30/0.4 ££I8.03/0.75I8.03/0.75 els, but this is still a battle of the FFrontront brakebrake padspads ££I5.65/I.3I5.65/I.3 ££I6.24/0.7I6.24/0.7 ££1I.0I/0.61I.0I/0.6 ££I9.I5/I.0I9.I5/I.0 2 ride comfort giants. WWindscreenindscreen ££82.08/2.582.08/2.5 ££44.00/2.544.00/2.5 ££94.59/-94.59/- ££89.25/2.089.25/2.0 Mercedes Benz obviously have EExhaustxhaust ssystemystem ££85.57/2.485.57/2.4 ££I98.70/I.8I98.70/I.8 ££92.56/3.092.56/3.0 ££I63.I7/3.25I63.I7/3.25 a different way of doing things. AAlternatorlternator ££47.2I/0.4547.2I/0.45 ££29.83/0.429.83/0.4 ££45.00/-45.00/- ££32.85/1.032.85/1.0 Their 250 has a reasonable ride, IInsurancensurance ggrouproup 7 6 7 7 fi rm and well damped. But they WWarrantyarranty II2/2/UULL II2/2/UULL II2/2/UULL II2/2/UULL believe their customers should PPricerice [[incinc CCarar TTax,ax, VVATAT] ££7,4007,400 ££7,2257,225 ££7,3507,350 ££6,6266,626 know they are travelling quick- EQQUIPMENTUIPMENT CHHECKLISTECKLIST ly, and the car has distinct wind AAirir cconditioningonditioning     and road noises. Coupled to the AAshtraysshtrays [[number]number] 4 4 3 4 fi rmness of the seats, they have succeeded. AAutomaticutomatic ttransmissionransmission C--MaticMatic    3 CCentralentral llockingocking     Equipment DDualual circuitcircuit bbrakesrakes     The contest for fi tting the most equipment is led by the EElectriclectric wwindowsindows   OOptionalptional  two French cars. Among items EEnginengine bbayay llampamp     the Citroën boasts are ride FFirstirst aaidid kkitit     height control, air conditioning, FFanan speedsspeeds 3 3 3 3 four facia vents, electrically op- FFreshresh airair vventsents 4 5 4 6 erated window lifts and door HHeadead rrestsests  OOptionalptional   mirror, three cigarette lighters, IIntermittentntermittent wwipeipe     tinted glass, and superb qual- LLaminatedaminated sscreencreen     4 ity carpets and trim. There is LLeathereather uupholsterypholstery OOptionalptional   OOptionalptional an ammeter but no tempera- OOilil ppressureressure ggaugeauge     ture gauge or intermittent wipe PPetroletrol capcap locklock    OOptionalptional for the large, centrally mounted PPowerower steeringsteering     windscreen wiper. This has two RRearear fogfog lightlight     speeds. SSeateat bbeltselts     In test form the Peugeot is also SSunun rroofoof   OOptionalptional  well off. It has air conditioning TTachometerachometer     and electrically operated win- dow lifts and sun roof. It is com- TTintedinted gglasslass   OOptionalptional  9966 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9977 FFourour ofof thethe BestBest prehensively instrumented, and light, rear arm rest and [now] cars for their staff, the Jaguar is The general consensus is that has a temperature gauge but no seat belts in the price. bound to sell more. the Citroën [27points] would ammeter. The two-speed wipers Costs Mercedes Benz and Peugeot have scored more but for the have an intermittent wipe. It has As these cars are presumably resale prices are better. poor performance from its an- six facia air vents. going to be bought in the main Verdict tiquated engine and unique au- The Mercedes Benz has a by companies for their directors, This is not a verdict we found tomatic gearchange which has more frugal look. There are hard accountants should note that easy. All are very fi ne quality cars none of the advantages of a carpets, a lot of moulded black there are fewer than £300 be- with merits of their own. In the proper automatic or a proper plastic and an absence of unnec- tween them, and they each of- end we had to adopt a subjec- manual. We love the steering, essary embellishment. Greater fer much the same sort of value tive system of scoring. Four of the stability, the comfort and emphasis has gone into design- for money in terms of equip- our testers imagined they could passenger space. Generally, we ing items like rain channels that ment, accommodation and per- afford one, and awarded the also like the dramatic, purpose- keep the windows clear and formance. cars marks out of I0 for general ful styling. rear light fl uting that keeps them There is little to choose be- desirability, making a possible to- That the Peugeot comes bot- clean when the roads are dirty . tween them on fuel consump- tal of 40 points. tom with 23points is no dis- It has a fi rst aid kit on the tions. Our returns show them The Jaguar emerges top with grace. It offers very good value rear shelf, extra driving lights consistently between lows of 34 points. Its ride qualities, si- for money in terms of equip- and central door / petrol cap / I8.8 and highs of I2.8L/I00km, the lence, accommodation, perfor- ment and space. It has good per- boot locking system but there rates dropping by similar ratios mance and traditional style are formance and comfort, and its is no rev counter or ammeter. as speeds increase. All require enough to outweigh the disad- overall position may be because The electric sun roof fi tted to four-star fuel. vantages of that light steering. it is a conservative fence-sitter. the test was extra. It has four fa- All have I2months/unlimited A close second is the It has none of the extravagance cia air vents, and the two-speed mileage warranties. The Jaguar Mercedes Benz [32points]. De- of the Prestige , none of the no- wipers have an intermittent fa- has an insurance advantage by spite its fairly basic interior and frills sense of the Mercedes- cility. being in Group 6, while its three its inferior comfort and ac- Benz, none of the oIde worlde On paper the Jaguar appears a opponents are in Group 7. On commodation, we are very im- aura of the Jaguar. It does all little left out of it. In reality, little is the other hand, the Mercedes pressed by the dynamic qualities things well, but not outstandingly missing, and it has an adjustable Benz servicing intervals are bet- of handling, cornering, braking, well to win our hearts. steering wheel, oil pressure and ter: a major service at I6,000km and by the obvious effort that This review originally appeared in ‘What Car?’ magazine in May, I977 temperature gauges and amme- with a lesser 8,000km service, has gone into making it a safe, and is taken from the Editor’s archive. ter. Obvious items that are miss- compared with major I0,000km/ durable product. ing are head rests, tinted glass minor 5,000km attention for the and a self-parking system for the others. two-speed windscreen wipers. To carry out those services, There is no intermittent wipe. It Jaguar offer by far the widest has fi ve air vents, including one spread of dealers ~ 300 com- for those in the back. pared with just over 200 for Cit- All are equipped with various roën, just under 200 for Peugeot types of automatic transmission, and fewer than I00 for Mercedes power steering, hazard fl ash- Benz. By this simple geographi- er, laminated windscreen, clock, cal spread, and the fact that Brit- heated rear window, reversing ish companies still prefer British 9988 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9999 11924924 CCitroënitroën 5CCVV: ForFor SaleSale Now, notionally this is just an the young Elliot to go kangaroo fattened wheels [Vanguard] with and the more modern Citroën advertisement for a secondhand shooting. So it got parked in the good tyres off the back of my cars had considerable trou- car. But, with the delightful back- chook shed and not touched. car for his trailer wheels would ble gaining traction and staying story Richard tells this is clearly That’s where I found it. The solve his problem ~ the deal straight. The 5CV with its big di- something between a love let- two Elliot sisters rarely used the was done. ameter wheels and narrow tyres ter, a motoring article and a ‘For car and in fact I was told that I took the car home, changed found grip under the mud. The Sale’ advert. Over to Richard… its weekly outing to church was the plugs, changed the oil and fact that the car was not overly 3 OOwnerwner CarCar withwith one of the biggest things in its fi lled the tank with fuel. Two or quick but had plenty of torque FFullull HistoryHistory life. I paid $350 [plus a lot of three turns on the crank handle made it very easy to take home beers in the local pub] for the and it fi red into life. The question the trophy very much to the purchased the car in I970 car. I had it trucked to Adelaide was should I restore the car or surprise of those there. from a guy called Denis El- by a local West Coast carrier leave it in its basically good origi- In in the end I decided to re- liotI who lived at Streaky Bay on and delivered to Port Adelaide nal state [there was some sur- store the car because atmos- South Australia’s West Coast. for me to collect. face rust]. pheric moisture was progressing The car was living in a deserted When I came to collect the I chose the option of leaving the surface rust. fowl shed. Elliot had been given car at Port Adelaide one of the it as it was for the time being. I It has undergone a total re- the car by his spinster aunties workers there was waiting for ran it in several rallies and even build including paint, new hood, who had owned it from new. me to tell me he had a trailer entered it in a Citroën Club mo- new steering wheel and radiator The best feature of the car with the same wheels as my car tocross event at Mt Crawford badge, new leather upholstery was that it was totally complete but that he couldn’t get tyres forest in the Adelaide Hills and with the original door pockets ~ nothing missing [not a thing]. and could I help him. won the day. It was a very wet with the embossed leather Cit- The fact that it was slow most I suggested a swap of the two day, the course was very boggy roën logo and new beaded edge probably saved its life because BBelow:elow: TheThe 5CCVV tyres. even a set of wide rims and aass originallyoriginally The car’s body was made tyres fi tted to the rear of the car ffoundound inin thethe by TJ Richards in Adelaide and did not make it fast enough for ‘‘chook’chook’ shed.shed. what is interesting is that there is 110000 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l InternetI n t e r n e t MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CitroënC i t r o ë n OwnersO w n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 110101 FForor SaleSale a I924 Amilcar in Adelaide with UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED ALL PRICES an identical body except for the SHOWN EXCLUDE RELEVANT GOVERN- bonnet and radiator. It was also MENT TAXES AND CHARGES. the same colour. I have a lot of books on early 1986 2CV Ute For health reasons I am selling my 2CV Ute for the Citroëns and some 5CV parts price of $20,000. The 2CV Ute was built for the English which I am happy to sell with Navy, to fi ght the rebels in the Malaysian jungle. It had the car. I have owned quite a few to be robust and reliable to cope with the jungle tracks Citroëns including a Big Six Trac- and it had to be light enough to be taken ashore by tion, two Light Fifteens, several helicopter from the aircraft carriers, it was for that reason the 2CV’s were chosen. The fi rst batch of 35 2CVs an ID20 and a CX 2400. pick-ups was delivered late I959 and I960, when the The 5CV is all I have left of my ship reached Singapore. A second batch of 30 pick-ups Citroën past. was delivered in 1961. When the mission was over: Registration is 49146 [SA reg- all Utes were thrown overboard into the ocean. My istered]. Ute is a reproduction of the originals. The person who I am asking $25,000 or near had it built died before it was fi nished. The Ute was completed and was advertised, and I bought it and offer. By arrangement I could de- had it shipped to Fremantle. I have driven it as my liver the car. usual transport since 20I7. VIN: VF7AZKA00KAI84323, Contact Richard Fewster, Eng No. 0905042793. Registered until I4.2.202I will [email protected] be extending by another 3months. Contact: Herman or 04I8 820 209 [D02/01] Berkeringh, [email protected] or 08 9844 4245 CCOCA takes no responsibility for the provenance of this car and the buyer needs to conduct their own due diligence. [D01/04] 1990 BX GTi 16-Valve Rust free body with very good cloth interior. Mechanically sound with strong motor and smooth 5-speed manual transmission. All electrics work. [windows and roof] Suspension is very good with no problems evident. Repaired f/g crack in left front bumper with accompanying small dent in guard. Small hole in passenger seat cloth. Paint faded on bonnet and roof. Maintained by French specialist mechanic. Timing belt changed within last 1,000kms. On club rego [Vic 1283- H3, which is not transferable, VF7XBFC0001FC1421]. $4,000. Contact: Richard Ward, 0407 316 060 or [email protected] [F44/05] CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS’ CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Australia’s National Citroën Car Club

CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS’ CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Australia’s National Citroën Car Club