76 Australia’s National Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 1

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

Australia’s National Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts

February/March 2021 Vol 44 No 5 2 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw 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 The Club’s website is: [email protected] 04I9 362 375 [M] CIT-IN 202I BENDIGO www.citroenclassic.org.au Treasurer ~ Ian Macdermott [email protected] PAGE I4 Citroën Classic Owners’ Club of 04I9 362 375 [M] Asset Custodians ~ Ted Cross OFF THE BITUMEN, ONTO Australia Inc. is a member of the [email protected] Max Lewis THE BEACH PAGE I6 Association of Motoring Clubs. Activity Coordinator ~ Lee Dennes AOMC Liaison Offi cers~ The views expressed in this 0438 286 I8I [M] Max Lewis [03] 9372 092I [H] THE RAPID CAMEL STRIKES publication are not necessarily [email protected] Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] AGAIN PAGE 24 Spare Parts Offi cer~ Lance Wearne Club Permit & Safety Offi cers~ those of CCOCA or its Committee. PLASTIQUE FANSATIQUE Neither CCOCA nor its Committee 0424 054 724 [M] Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] can accept any responsibility for [email protected] Philip Rogers [03] 5944 309I [H] PAGE 30 any mechanical advice printed in, or Publication Editor ~ Leigh Miles Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] NERDS R US PAGE 38 adopted from this publication. [03] 9888 7506 [H] Librarian ~ Max Lewis The Club cannot accept any [email protected] [03] 9372 092I [H] PHOTOTHÈQUE PAGE 42 responsibility for, or involvement in, Committee Persons ~ [email protected] Robert Belcourt [03] 9885 4376 [H] Club Shop Kay Belcourt OFF-BEAT SOFT-ROADERS any business relationship that may ~ PAGE 46 occur between an advertiser and a Max Lewis [03] 9372 092I [H] 04I3 65I 2I0 [M] member of the Club. Russell Wade 040I 859 704 [M] [email protected] PROPHECY FULFILLED Bruce Stringer 04I2 342 706 [M] ICCCR Representative ~ PAGE 55 Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] RECENT RECREATIONS LLifeife MembersMembers MMembershipembership CCoverover ImageImage PAGE 66 The committee awards life Annual Membership is $35 and The cover image is taken from YOU SED PAGE 70 membership to Club members in printed editions of ‘Front Drive’ are the quarterly Citroën information recognition of their contribution posted to Australian addresses for an bulletin, ‘Le Double Chevron’, No 68 READ ALL ABOUT IT: BOOK to, and support of, the Club. Life additional $45 per year. from the Summer of I982. The image REVIEW GS/A PAGE 70 memberships have been awarded to: was taken by Emmanuel Perrin. More Sue Bryant 20I7 of his work can be found on page 42. CLASSIFIED ADS PAGE 74 Brian Wade 20I7 Rob Little 20I2 MMeetingseetings DDeadlineeadline CContributorsontributors Ted Cross 20I2 Club meetings are held on the fourth The deadline for the next edition of Contributors to this edition of Peter Boyle 2003 Wednesday of every month [except ‘Front Drive’ is Wednesday, March I7, ‘Front Drive’ include David Baker, Jack Weaver I99I December] at 7:30pm. The venue 202I. Tony Baker, Philippe Berthonnet, Nance Clark I984 is the Frog Hollow Reserve Rooms, Alan Brown, Garth Foxwell Gilles Fordham Ave., Camberwell. Labrouche, Adrien Malbosc and Em- manuel Perrin CCitroëningitroëning Club Permit applications New Permit holders must Club permit renewals can be FOR SPARE PARTS & CLUB SHOP OTHER CLUBS to VicRoads must be supply the Club with sent to PO Box 52 Balwyn, TOOLS For Citroën models, Vic www.citcarclubvic.org.au accompanied by a RWC [pre approved photos, club permit Victoria. 3I03 with a stamped Contact Lance Wearne. memorabilia and other items NSWwww.citroencarclub.org.au I949 cars can be inspected number and expiry date. return envelope or signed Phone: 0424 054 724 [if contact Kay Belcourt at QLD www.citroenclubqld.org by a Club Safety Offi cer], at club meetings/events if you do phone, please do [email protected]. SA www.clubcitroensa.com ownership validation and the appropriate offi cers are so at a reasonable hour] or au WA www.citroenwa.org.au VicRoads forms endorsed by present. [email protected]. Tas www.citroentas.org the club including fi nancial au validation. 4 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5 EEdd SedSed PPrezrez SSezez Inspired, I contacted Peter to verse mix of Citroën models un- abbit holes! While Alice see what he knew of the car’s elcome to 202I and der ownership throughout Aus- Liddel [of ‘Alice in Won- history. He bought it from SA Leigh’s latest maga- tralia. Rderland’] might have been the ex-Citroënist Phillippe Mortier Wzine. Speaking of diverse models, fi rst human to go down a rabbit but there the trail goes dry as I am guessing you share my nothing rarer comes to mind hole, many of us have been em- Phillippe had bought it from a delight that 2020 is fi nally be- than the quirky Citroën Mehari barking on the same journey re- long-closed second-hand dealer. hind us. Last year created many utility vehicle based on the 2CV. cently. Although the hole is more But contact with the GS-Regis- issues for the running of the club, Leigh will feature this model and likely to be computer-related. ter manager for the CCCUK re- and whilst many functions of the hopefully give us some little- The rabbit hole of YouTube is sulted in all sorts of information club continued, social events and known facts about this plastic especially pernicious. You start about chassis numbers, ORGA/ activities have suffered. fantastic. by just looking at a BX video of RP numbers, build dates and We took this time to re-vamp I believe we have three mem- a Series I I4RE [www.youtube. original UK registration dates. the club in several ways and bers with this amazing model in com/watch?v=fSaZ5SSO0BY] Read my discoveries at the stripped some running costs our club here in Australia. And and suddenly there is stream of bottom of the rabbit hole on from it, to provide a cheaper an- the rarest of them all belongs BX videos ready for you! page 66. nual fee for most members. This to Bruce and Yvette Adame in And the rabbit hole has opened. But, the prime focus of this was generally well supported Queensland. We will hopefully But these holes are not only dis- edition is the Méhari: Citroën’s, by most members, and we have hear more about this Mehari in coverable on line. At the recent go-anywhere ‘camel’. It was been playing catch up with bo- a future feature story. GS/A day run I got involved in launched in I968, that year of fer- nus magazines and a special hard I know that when Helen and chatting with CCCV-member and ment when civil unrest occurred copy run that we were previ- I went to the Citroen I00-Year GSA-owner, Dave Rogers. Dave’s throughout France, lasting some ously unable to print and send. event at La Ferte Vidame in 20I9 car is so early it has the old-style seven weeks and punctuated by Now we can resume normal ac- there were hundreds of them tivities in 202I. GS dash, rather than the newer demonstrations, general strikes, proudly on display. They are a Please support our social GSA type. I was able to add a little the occupation of universi- hero A-Series model in France events and meetings as they more to his history of the car as ties and factories. At its height and whilst out on the coast from appear in our activities calen- when I fi rst knew it, it was owned the economy of France came Bordeaux for day, we counted dar. Cit-In is still going ahead as I by ex- to a halt. The protests reached thirty. They were all being used CCOCA member, Peter write this report and we have in Fitzgerald. such a point that political lead- CContinuedontinued oonn pagepage 6 ers feared civil war or revolu- excess of I20 registrations. There tion; the national government are still a few spaces available; briefl y ceased to function after but the fi nal cut-off is quickly ap- proaching. President Charles de Gaulle se- Throughout this period, I know cretly fl ed France to Germany at that many members have been one point. The protests spurred repairing and restoring their movements worldwide, with Citroëns and we have some re- songs, imaginative graffi ti, post- cent new members to welcome ers, and slogans. into our group. Welcome to Jeff Surely the ‘right’ year to launch Ridley in Tasmania with his Trac- this ‘anti-establishment’ car. But tion and Phillip Winn in WA with CContinuedontinued oonn pagepage 6 his D Special. CCOCA has a di- 6 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7 EEdd SSeded CContinuedontinued ffromrom ppageage 4 CContinuedontinued fromfrom pagepage 6 and late-February. If numbers Monthly Meeting: Model sales were miniscule: just 837 daily at the local beach houses exceed the regulations the BBQ Car Moments found homes that year. Read the as superb holiday transport. will be held at an alternate out- WHEN Wednesday, 25 February full story in this Front Drive. So please sit back and enjoy door public space and attendees TIME: 7:30pm An Appeal this next magazine. will be notifi ed via email of the WHERE: Zoom Do you own any AUSTRALIAN Ted Cross ~ President new venue. COST: Free or NEW ZEALAND GS material? Some of the gems to be seen BOOKINGS: Not required Brochures? Road Tests? Press or include: CONTACT: Lee Dennes, Magazine Advertisements? If so, • An IDI9-P, I959-I960, ex-Javel 04 3828 6I8I I would love to hear from you. I factory, France. Rumoured to [email protected] have been imported to Aus- am doing some research for Marc The link for the Zoom meeting tralia by the French Consulate Stabèl, whose GS/A book is re- will be emailed by Tim Cottrell in Canberra. viewed in the magazine and we on the day. • Another IDI9, also a single are seeking local material. Con- Bring along your favourite Cit- light, West Heidelberg assem- tact me at editor@citroenclassic. roën model car and have a chat bled, cI962-66. Originally was org.au about the ‘real’ car on which it in ‘Ivory’, but unfortunately has Enjoy, is based, the story of how you been painted, as Peter says, Leigh F Miles ~ Editor acquired it, why you like it so with a toothbrush. He is plan- much… whatever takes your ning a rebirth. fancy. • Peter’s beloved Traction Avant, AA-Tractions-Tractions ex-Javel factory, I950-5I. Chit Chat Tuesday • ‘Beachcomber’, Not Peter but WHEN: Ist Tuesday Please note: For all events you will be required to provide names, email a 2CV6 Special. 2 February addresses and phone numbers of attendees to the Event Contact as per Covid • All hat, no cattle, DRB Cobra, 2 March Contact Tracing Regulations. Please check the Club’s website for the latest 302 Ford, 5-speed. 6 April information or contact the organiser prior to travelling to any listed event. • The good night out, Mercedes TIME: I0:30am Benz 450SLC, I978. Monday, I5 February WHERE: Provedore Café, • February BRING: Everything for a McCrae Peter Sandow’s ‘Poke Around BBQ/picnic COST: Cheap Eats the Factory’ and al Fresco PROVIDED: BBQ facilities, BOOKING: Not required tea and coffee CONTACT: Warwick Spinaze Lunch 04 070I 67I9. WHEN Saturday, 20 February CONTACT: Peter Sandow TIME: From I1:00am, 04I9 5I5 302 Provedore Café, McCrae lunch from I:00pm [email protected] Plaza, cnr Lonsdale St & Pt WHERE: Workshop/Factory, As always, numbers are limited, Nepean Rd, McCrae Easy to 3 /4 Merino Street, Capel so book early or you may have fi nd, plenty of parking, under- Sound then lunch at I6 Arunta to join the waiting list. At the cover seating if weather wet. Crt., Rye time of writing no more than I5 This is a low key ‘DIY’ event COST: Free people can attend but that could for like minded Citroën own- BOOKINGS: Essential by easily change between now ers to meet and chat. 8 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 9 AA-Tractions-Tractions BRING: Everything you need for Club Rooms, 8/4I Norcal Rd., NB: Please note the change of • March a picnic in the sun Nunawading venue, date and time for this Combined CCOCA/CCCV CONTACT: Dave Rogers [CCCV] Melway 48, GI1 meeting. Concours d’Elegance 0422 229 484 COST: Free 2021 Annual General Meeting WHEN: Saturday, March 6 202I [email protected] BOOKINGS: Essential by Monday, WHEN: Wednesday, 24 March TIME: Car entry from NOTE: Change of contact per- I5 March TIME: 7:30pm 9:00 to I0:00 son. While Covid means that the CONTACT: Lee Dennes, CONTACT: Tim Cottrell, 04 3828 6I8I WHERE: Trey Bit Reserve, Jetty best-laid plans can be re-railed 04I6 009 297 [email protected] Rd., Sandringham we expect Big Shot Café & Bar [email protected] Cost: $5 per car [the ‘H-Van Man] will be in at- This event is now full, but Lee Ted Cross has created a waiting list. BOOKINGS: TBC tendance and we hope the local [03] 98I9 2208 Sea Scouts will host a ‘sausage- Jon is a Melbourne lawyer, [email protected] sizzle’ to keep the ‘hungries’ at broadcaster, writer and public After the undoubted success bay. speaker who was the Morning of the delayed 2020 AGM your Classes will be: Presenter for over 20 years on Committee has decided that • Traction Arrière ABC Radio Melbourne until Oct we should once again hold the • Traction Avant 20I9. Club’s Annual General Meeting • A -Series [2CV, Dyane, Ami] Jon bought his fi rst Light I5 in as a virtual event, using Zoom. • D-Series, G-Series [ID/DS, GS/ I975 when he was a student, Oh, and of course the whole GSA] and has pretty much had either matter of COVID makes Zoom • X-Series [AX, BX, CX, Xantia, a Traction, 2CV or DS ~ some- a far safer approach to hosting Xsara times all three ~ ever since. He the AGM. • C-Series [C2, C3, C4, C5, C6] will speak on a range of topics Zoom allows a far wider cross- • DS Brand that will keep us thoroughly section of our members to • Popular Choice entertained throughout the participate in, and to be heard Keep an eye open for more evening. There will be something at, the AGM. details closer to the date. for everyone including good old In March you will receive an media gossip and his ‘Cheaper email with a link to the com- Joint Meeting with CCCV: than a Shrink’ notion, which is bined Proxy/Nomination Form. Guest Speaker, Jon Faine AM how he approaches playing with Follow the link, complete and WHEN Thursday, I8 March old Citroën cars. submit the form. TIME: 8:00pm www.jonfaine.com • Proxy Form WHERE: Vintage Drivers’ For the AGM to proceed, a 1100 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1111 AA-Tractions-Tractions quorum of I0% of members Western District [03] 9728 5526 have been made to date given [about 30] must be present, FROM: Bendigo 0427 534 0I4 the Covid-I9 situation. If there is in person or by proxy. Please TO: Horsham brianjamesphotography@ a small fee, participants will be complete the Proxy Form VIA: Ballarat, Lorne, War- bigpond.com with ‘PostCit-In’ advised, and this will be col- lected as cash in Bendigo. by Tuesday, I6 March. This is rnambool, Hamilton and as the subject the Club’s preferred way to Halls Gap Accommodation Expenses: All achieve our quorum. COST: TBA, see below Entry Fee: The actual entry fee entrants are responsible for • Nomination Form BOOKINGS: Expressions of is a tba right now. There may be booking their accommodation This is part of the same form interest being taken now a small entry fee to cover some and all other expenses. Full as the Proxy. You only need to CONTACT: Brian James included meals, but no bookings details are here. Bookings Open: Expressions complete this if you wish to CCastlemaine’sastlemaine’s mmainain sstreettreet SSovereignovereign HHill,ill, BBallaratallarat nominate any member to a of interest will be taken now. Committee or Support posi- Bookings Close: Again, COVID-I9 tion. The form will not need to has made planning diffi cult but be signed by the seconder or adequate advance warning of the nominee. The President is booking closure will be provided. prepared to second all nomi- • Day I Monday, 5 April nations. The Club will contact Bendigo to Ballarat I54km VVolcanicolcanic rrockock formations,formations, TTowerower Hill,Hill, WWar-ar- • Accommodation Eureka nominees to ensure their rrnamboolnambool willingness to be nominated. Stockade Holiday Park [2 nts] Nomination Forms must also [03] 533I 228I be completed by Tuesday, I6 PPocooco Gelato;Gelato; thethe fi nnestest iinn PPortort FFairyairy • Day 2: Tuesday, 6 April March. In Ballarat. • Day 3: Wednesday, 7 April • Committee Reports Ballarat to Lorne I58km Committee and Support • Lorne Foreshore Caravan Offi cer Reports for the 202I Park. [2 nights] AGM will sent to you closer [03] 5289 I382 to the date. If after reading [email protected] these reports you wish for a TThehe GreatGreat OceanOcean RRoad,oad, oonene ooff thethe • Day 4: Thursday, 8 April question to be raised on your wworld’sorld’s greatestgreatest drivesdrives Lorne and surrounds. behalf, contact the Secretary • Day 5: Friday, 9 April. who will table your question. It, Lorne to Warrnambool and the reply, will be included MMaldonaldon VintageVintage MachineryMachinery MMuseumuseum 207km in the minutes circulated to • Warrnambool Holiday Park members. & Motel [2 nights] [03] 5562 503I • APRIL [email protected] Post Bendigo Cit-In Run 2021 • Day 6: Saturday, I0 April WHEN: Monday 5 to Warrnambool and surrounds. Thursday I5 April • Day 7: Sunday, I1 April WHERE: Central Victoria and Warr’bool to Hamilton I16km 1122 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1133 AA-Tractions-Tractions • Lake Hamilton Motor Village make and model as the original & Caravan Park. [2 nights] contestants of the trials. [email protected] TIER 3a: Other vehicles manu- • Day 8: Monday, I2 April factured between I92I-I926. Hamilton and surrounds. TIER 3b: Vintage vehicles up to • Day 9: Tuesday, I3 April I930. Hamilton to Halls Gap 96km CCOCA members will be in- • Halls Gap Gardens Caravan terested to know that in I92I Park. [I night] four Citroëns participated. The [03] 5356 4244 drivers were H Curtis, WG stay@hallsgapgardenscara- racvalpinetrialcentenary@vdc. McDonald, Miss K Braithwaite vanpark.com.au org.au and William Dixon who was • Day I0: Wednesday, I4 April In 202I RACV will celebrate a late entry and did not fi nish. Halls Gap to Horsham 80km the centenary of the RACV Curtis’ car is listed as 9.4Ihp, • Horsham Riverside Caravan Alpine Trials, events that were while the others are 8.59hp. It Park. [I night] signifi cant milestones in Austral- would be great to see a Citroën [03] 5382 3476 ian automotive history. To com- or two participate in the Cente- horsham@southerncross- memorate those milestones, nary Trial. ing cars and motorbikes from RACV, along with the Vintage Keen to participate? You can parks.com.au the I920s to the I980s as well as • Day I1: Thursday, I5 April Drivers Club, will be organising read more about the event and a huge array of veteran, vintage, an event recreating the original download the registration form We all head home. rare and unusual vehicles on • Total distance 8I1km I92I Alpine Trial. The RACV Al- here: www.vintagedriversclub. display. Historic Winton is con- pine Trial Centenary event will com.au/racv-alpine-trial ducted by the Austin 7 Club Inc. follow, as closely as practicable, Don’t own a suitable ‘period • May with assistance from the Historic the route of the I92I RACV I,000 car’? You can still see the cars 444th4th HHistoricistoric WintonWinton Motorcycle Racing Association Mile Reliability Trial that participate. The planned WHEN: Saturday, 22 & Sunday of Victoria. A maximum of I00 vehicles route is: 23, May will be permitted to enter, with Day I: Noble Park to Taralgon TIME: 8:00am to 4:30pm Early Warning preference given to vehicles that D ay 2: Taralgon to Lakes WHERE: Winton Motor Race- competed in the original events Entrance way, 4I Fox StreetWinton, • November and to other vehicles manufac- D ay 3: Lakes Entrance to COST: TBC RRACVACV AlpineAlpine TrialTrial tured during the period of the Wodonga BOOKINGS: Advisable CCentenaryentenary trials: I92I-I926. Day 4: Wodonga to Bright BRING: Everything you need for WHEN Saturday, 20 to Saturday, Entries will be accepted in 3 D ay 5: Bright to Mt Buffalo, Har- a great day out 27 November Tiers. Preference for acceptance rietville and return to Bright CONTACT: www.historicwin- FROM: RACV Nobel Park will be in the order of these tiers. Day 6: Bright to Mansfi eld ton.org/contact TO: RACV Goldfi elds Resort, TIER 1: Vehicles that actu- Day 7: Mansfi eld to Healesville Historic Winton is Australia’s Ballarat ally contested any of the four D ay 8: Healesville to Ballarat, largest and most popular all-his- COST: Participants: $350pp RACV events. fi nishing at Creswick toric motor race meeting. Enjoy BOOKINGS: Essential TIER 2: Vehicles of the same a weekend of non-stop racing CONTACT: Glenda Chivers, featuring over 400 historic rac- 043I 709 248 1144 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1155

BENDIGO IS PART OF VICTORIA’S HISTORIC GOLDFIELDS REGION AND • Welcome reception including 3kilometres away. IS A TOURIST DESTINATION. THERE WILL BE generous supper 6pm ~ 10pm. Cost [per person] PLENTY FOR ALL TO SEE AND DO INCLUDING Saturday 3 April Just in Time HISTORIC TRAMS, CHINESE INFLUENCES, • Show & Shine, Bendigo [01.02.21 - 20.02.21] $290 THE POPULAR BENDIGO FESTIVAL Festival, catered lunch at the AND THE CHINESE DRAGON PARADE. Age 5 - 18yrs 50% festival. Information and WHILE CIT-IN WILL BE CENTRED IN BENDIGO, • Spit-roast dinner with application forms AS PART OF THE PROGRAM YOU WILL country theme. www.citcarclub.org.au ALSO VISIT SOME WONDERFUL HISTORIC Sunday 4 April TOWNS IN THE DISTRICT. www.citroenclassic.org.au • Observation run visiting • It is important to remember Distance from Bendigo historic towns in the region, this event is co-hosted by • MMelbourneelbourne 115353 kkmm • AAdelaidedelaide 661414 kkmm picnic lunch. CCCV and CCOCA and by • CCanberraanberra 662020 kkmm • SSydneyydney 88363 6 kkmm • Formal dinner at All Seasons mutual consent all payments • HobartHobart 88717 1 kkmm • BBrisbanerisbane 11,599,599 Resort. should be directed through • PerthPerth 33,316,31 6 kkmm Monday 5 April the CCCV website. There will • Full buff et breakfast at All be more information coming Seasons Resort soon from CCOCA. • Farewell This will be the fi rst post The National CIT-IN April 2021, so please check direct with Venue COVID-19 national meeting jointly organised by CCCV the All Seasons Resort to All Seasons Resort Bendigo. and we strongly recommend and CCOCA, will be held in make sure there is still www.allseasonsbendigo.com. every CCOCA member accommodation available. the beautiful country town of au supports it. There is a Bendigo. The program and Book by phone or email only [03] 5442 8I66 possibilitypossibility thatt the event may application form have now and mention CIT-IN to receive Accommodationn Cancellation & Refundneedneed to bbe modifi ed closer been posted on the CCOCA group rates. If you try to book The resort has excellentxcellent tot April but we are Website www.citroenclassic. online it could appear booked rooms at competitivetitive It is the organisers’Policy intention conc fi dent it will org.au. out or higher prices will be rates negotiated fforor the that wherever possible a full beb substantially Now that lockdown has listed. conference ~ butt bbookook refund of the registration as displayed. We fees will be provided up to been relaxed there is likely Here is a sneak preview of the early and mentionn willwi keep you all 21.02.2021. to be a rush for holiday event program. CIT-IN for special informed.info rates. Alternative However, after 21.02.2021 accommodation, so Friday 2 April RegardsReg accommodation if you decide to cancel book ASAP. Our reserved • Registration at All Seasons TedTed Cross President, includes to Big4 your registration then your ~ accommodation was being Resort, 171 McIvor Highway, on behalfb of the CCOCA Caravan Park aboutout refund cancellation fee will held until the end of July Bendigo 3pm ~ 6pm. be $25 committeecomm .00 Please be furtherper person. assured that every request outside of these guidelines will be considered on its merits : Bookings and will be at the discretion HANCE of the organisers. C AST L close 20 February! 1166 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1177 OOffff thethe Bitumen,Bitumen, OntoOnto thethe BeachBeach cy forbids me to repeat, I call my here is no car without father and his toolbox, hoping history. And the Citroën that his ‘deuchist’ pass will help Méhari,T with its look of a plas- us remove this astonishingly tic toy from a well-know man- complex camping tent. ufacturer, is the ideal car for Don’t laugh: even with the family fun next summer… help of the essential I4mm span- TThehe daughterdaughter ofof MayMay 1968,1968, thethe CitroënCitroën MéhariMéhari isis a reflectionreflection ofof itsits time:time: and for creating great stories to ner, we took half an hour, or ccolour,olour, freedom,freedom, insoucianceinsouciance andand nonconformism.nonconformism. tell! maybe an hour! I dare not even BBackack toto thethe idealideal 2CCVV derivativederivative forfor thethe holidays.holidays. The Citroën Méhari makes you think of reassembly... But for the a star. Wherever you are, there moment, there is a great desire is no point in hoping to go un- to go and enjoy the sun and the noticed. The heads turn around, sea with the family. the thumbs go up, the smiles ap- Mower or Motorcycle? pear and a few loud bursts of Young and old do not be- laughter are heard, especially if lieve their eyes. Which, despite you push the tiny twin-cylinder its bodywork which does not and the car sways in a cartoon conceal its plastic origins and a fashion. Because, surprisingly, this rattling engine sound, it is a real car, long mocked for its modest duly registered car. Of course, performance, appreciates when the doors do not close proper- the tone is raised. But fi rst of all, ly, the plastic carpet under your we must understand the beast. feet evokes the world of camp- First stage? Remove the entire ing and the driving posi- roof and the side windows. tion requires time to After a few broken nails get used to it. With and curses that your knees in decen- your chin,

RRight:ight: SSpartan,partan, tthehe MMé-é- hhariari nneverthelessevertheless ooffersffers a bbreathtakingreathtaking viewview ooff tthehe oocean.cean. WWhathat iiff rrealeal lluxuryuxury waswas space?space? 1188 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 1199 OOffff thethe Bitumen,Bitumen, OntoOnto thethe BeachBeach

TThehe CCitroënitroën ttwin-cylinderwin-cylinder fi ttedtted thethe 2CCVV aand,nd, bbyy eextension,xtension, aallll iitsts dderivatives,erivatives, iin-n- ccludingluding tthehe MMéhari.éhari. WWithith iitsts ggreatreat ssuspension,uspension, tthehe MMéhariéhari iiss nnotot aafraidfraid ttoo vventureenture ooffff tthehe bbeateneaten ttrack.rack. 2200 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2211 OOffff thethe Bitumen,Bitumen, OntoOnto thethe BeachBeach nicates a zest for life that can- The folding windshield amus- brations inherent in its architec- not be reduced to the sum of es children, but I have to put ture evoking more the world of its qualities. In addition to its it upright if I intend to exceed motorcycles [we think of BMWs] characteristic engine noise from 40kph. And she goes there with than of cars. While waiting to ar- its twin cylinder motor [a subtle joy, this brave Méhari. The 26bhp rive at the beach, the small Cit- mixture of lawnmower and mo- [I9.4kW] easily takes the 525kg roën offers me the supreme torcycle], the Citroën makes its car up to 70kph. The engine pleasure of tasting the smells of passengers laugh by its charac- loves to rev, its fl exibility even summer. The pines on the edge teristic sounds. allows you to not worry too of the road caramelized by years I am not going to go on about much about the gear lever. of sunshine, the remnants of the the genius of suspension by in- You just have to get used to morning dew exhaling delicious ertia dampers which give gener- the offbeat sound, the breath- scents, the fragrances of iodine ous ground clearance and keep taking sound volume and the vi- from the ocean not far away… arms outstretched towards this TThehe MéhariMéhari iiss a LLeft:eft: UUnconven-nconven- huge vertical steering wheel, rreefl eectionction ooff a ttionalional eevenven iinn you benefi t [in good Citroën] ccarefreearefree eerara iinn tthehe gglovelove box!box! ItIt from a truly comfortable seat. lloveove withwith free-free- wwasas re-purposedre-purposed This is the fi rst good surprise, ddom…om… iinn a ssecondecond ttoo wwelcomeelcome tthehe ssea-ea- and by far not the last. Because sshells…hells… from the fi rst meters, the Méha- ri shows remarkable road quali- ties. Yes Yes! The steering is precise, the MMinimalinimal iin-n- RRight:ight: IItt mmightight brakes enduring, the suspension sstrumentationtrumentation is extremely comfortable, the nnotot looklook likelike it,it, bbutut ashtrayashtray asas bbutut tthehe MMéhariéhari sweet and well-ratioed gearbox, sstandard:tandard: aatt tthehe ttakesakes carecare ofof thethe the very voluntary engine and ttime,ime, tthehe ppriori-riori- ddetails:etails: ttherehere iiss exemplary handling. More im- ttiesies wwereere notnot thethe eevenven a nnotchotch ttoo portantly, the Méhari commu- ssame!ame! cclimblimb oonn bboard.oard. Few cars, not even convert- its maximum speed without the car riveted to the ground. ibles, make you so aware of showing a single sign of fatigue... They generate quite contradic- how lucky you are to be on an on the fl at! I00kph is quite pos- tory sensations because they adorable little road! Add to that sible, even if the volume of are both fl exible and hyper-live- permanent sunbathing and the noise will quickly exhaust you. ly. Very soft in compression and possibility of cutting cheerfully A detour via an unsurfaced devilishly reactive in relaxation, across fi elds and you get the track highlights the aptitude this running gear contributes ideal machine to forget your of the beast on the road: long greatly to the charm of every worries. If you have the mis- wheelbase, high ground clear- 2CV and its derivatives. fortune to be in a hurry, the ance, large defl ections and un- At Ease Everywhere fl at twin agrees to operate at evenness smoothed as if by 2222 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2233 OOffff thethe Bitumen,Bitumen, OntoOnto thethe BeachBeach magic. The modern car that ac- second to be put in place. will have offered me the joys of fect of making you feel ten years companies us is forced to pro- After a day of ricocheting, carelessness. As I fell back into old again! ceed at walking pace while si- bathing in ‘good when you are childhood, I suddenly no longer Our heartfelt thanks to Bruno multaneously martyring the there’ water and making the burdened myself with forbid- Guilmard, FCA dealer in La Ro- vertebrae of its driver. most beautiful sand castle in the ding considerations. Did I lock chelle, for having found this Mé- I’m Ten Years Old… world, it is already time to go the car? Can I go through this lit- hari. Thanks to Marc Legeais, the Here is the beach! The glove back. Children are tired. You just tle path? How do I remove the owner, for his blind confi dence. have to put the windows back in, sand at the end of the day? Yes, I compartment can be removed We also thank Cyril, Sophie, Pe- without tools and is transformed settle the speedo at 70 on the admit, I could not resist the im- nelope and Tristan, our extras into a bucket to accommodate tiny dial, engage the overdrive mature pleasure of washing the children’s shells. We take the fourth gear and take advantage car with a jet of water while hav- for the day! © This article, with text by Philippe of Citroën’s famous comfort. ing fun watering the children, de- rakes and shovels piled up in the Berthonnet and photos by Gilles rear, behind the back seat,.This I already know that it will take lighted to fi nally have permission Labrouche fi rst appeared in the can be removed by pulling on it me at least half an hour ~ if I to do stupid things, by the way. French magazine Retroviseur in July/ and it can be transformed into a have not lost bits on the way ~ Of course, you will fi nd more August 20I9. It was translated by the deckchair or cabin, with the ad- to re-attach the hood and its evil beautiful, more powerful and Editor and is taken from his archive dition of the side windows and frame. But whatever. less expensive cars than a Me- and may not be reproduced without the bonnet which need only a During one day, the Méhari hari. But none will have the ef- the permission of the publisher. SSurprisinglyurprisingly llively,ively, tthehe MMéhariéhari ccanan aattainttain TEECHNICALCHNICAL CHHARACTERISTICSARACTERISTICS II00kph…00kph… asas longlong asas thethe roadroad isis fl aat!t! I Iff • FFront-mounted,ront-mounted, twintwin cylindercylinder eengine.ngine. yyouou areare notnot afraidafraid ofof wind,wind, noisenoise oror badbad 6602cc02cc [I74[I74 x 70mm],70mm], 26bhp26bhp [I9[I9..44kW] wweather,eather, LLaa MMéhariéhari iiss fforor yyou.ou. BBut,ut, eearar @ 55,500rpm,,500rpm, 4..44Nm @ 33,500rpm.,500rpm. pplugslugs aarere eessentialssential oonn tthehe hhighway!ighway! CCompressionompression rratioatio 7..7575::I,I, ccentralentral 22-bearing-bearing camshaft,camshaft, SSolexolex 3344 picspics 6 ccarburettor,arburettor, aair-cooled.ir-cooled. • TTransmissionransmission ttoo ffrontront wwheels.heels. 44-speed-speed ggearboxearbox withwith IstIst geargear notnot synchronized.synchronized. • UnassistedUnassisted rrackack aandnd ppinioninion ssteering.teering. • Fr/RrFr/Rr drumdrum brakes,brakes, unassisted.unassisted. • SSuspensionuspension wwithith 4 iindependentndependent wwheelsheels wwithith ccoiloil sspringsprings wwithith llongitudinalongitudinal iin-n- tteractioneraction aandnd fl yywheels;wheels; RRrr telescopictelescopic sshockhock absorbers.absorbers. • Structure/BodyworkStructure/Bodywork cchassishassis ssteelteel pplat-lat- fform,orm, cconvertibleonvertible bbodyworkodywork inin plasticplastic wwithith ffoldingolding wwindshield,indshield, 2 ddoors,oors, 4 sseats.eats. • DDimensionsimensions [L×W×H, iinn mm]] 3..5050××II..5353××II..4545, wwheelbaseheelbase 2..4040, ffront/ront/ rrearear ttrackrack I..2626. • Tyres:Tyres: II35×I5.35×I5. • WeightWeight [[unladen]unladen] 5525kg.25kg. • MaximumMaximum sspeedpeed [[factory]factory] II02kph02kph 2244 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2255 TThehe RapidRapid CamelCamel StrikesStrikes AgainAgain restoring a Austin Healy 3000 Yes, I answered and explained he had a ‘special 2CV’ in Germa- his story commences Mk 2. I had a love of the country and ny and would I be interested in I5years ago when there Well from then on, we just all things French particularly purchasing it from him and giv- wasT a ring on my work phone couldn’t stop talking. their cars, their wines and their ing it a good home? from a guy living in Adelaide who Fast forward I4years. cheeses. What a question, of course had just tried the single malt Once again while wander- The 2CV [Deux Chevaux] was I would ~ and this started the whisky that my company [Bak- ing the loops and turns of the a real favourite. What an amaz- long trip of the ‘Special 2CV’ to ery Hill] produces, and, could he Phillip Island racing circuit one of ing piece of design and engi- Phillip Island from Germany with drop in and pick up a bottle or the group sidled up to me and neering. He then explained that its signature moment being a two ~ as he was on his way to started chatting about his Cit- few hot laps on the actual racing Phillip Island for a few days. roën and in particular a particu- circuit in early 2020. Honest to his word Vince lar 2CV he had a passion for. He The car wasn’t just a ‘normal’ dropped in, but was accompa- proceeded to ask me ‘Have you 2CV but a I977 Citroën Méhari. nied by four of his mates ~ all heard of the Deux Chevaux?’ Pronounced ‘Meh-ri’. into their single malts and all go- The Méhari was named after ing down to the Classic and His- the breed of camels used by the toric car races in Phillip Island. Berber tribesmen in North Af- Coincidence? I was also inter- rica for long distance travel. ested in Classic and Historic ve- I call mine the ‘Rapid Camel’. hicles and currently owning and The Méhari was fi rst pro- DDavid’savid’s MMéhariéhari bbeingeing lloadedoaded iinn GGrosskar-rosskar- duced in I968 as a result of llbachbach fforor sshipmenthipment ttoo MMelbourne.elbourne. YYourour the French Foreign Legion ap- EEditorditor tthinkshinks tthehe ttruckruck tthathat wwasas sentsent forfor proaching Citroën for a vehicle tthehe ccollectionollection wwasas pperhapserhaps fi nnee e examplexample that they could use in the Mid- ooff ‘overkill’.‘overkill’. 2266 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2277 TThehe RapidRapid CamelCamel StrikesStrikes AgainAgain Dyane 6 using its engine gear- • Engine type: box and suspension and basi- 2-cylinders cally redesigning the body. And horizontally redesign the body they did and opposed in fact built the fi rst acrylonitrile • Fuel System: butadiene styrene or ABS bod- 2-barrel ied car ~ which is now com- Solex monplace. To accommodate carburettor. easy access and loading it was • Engine size: designed with only two doors 602cc and seats, and a removable soft • Bore/Stroke: top. The windscreen could be 74×70mm laid fl at. • Number of The specs for the Mehari valves: 4 were: • Compres- • 4-speed manual. sion ratio: •Top speed of 100kph 8.5:1 • Fuel consumption: 7.5L/ • Max. power: I00km or 38mpg. 29bhp or • Fuel tank capacity: 25L 2IkW @ • Number of doors: 2 5,750rpm • Wheelbase: 2.37m • Maximum dle East to carry heavy loads. • Length: 3.52m torque: For those conditions Citroën • Width: 1.53m 39.2Nm or decided to modify the standard • Curb weight: 570kg 28 lbft @ 3,500rpm • Weight/power ratio: 19.6kW/ LLeft:eft: DDavidavid aassuresssures uuss tthehe pprocessrocess ooff hp mmechanicalechanical ccheckinghecking aandnd oobtainingbtaining a My Rapid Camel was origi- rroadworthyoadworthy certicertifi ccateate wwasas tthehe eeasiestasiest ooff nally garaged in Grosskarlbach aallll tthehe sstepsteps ttoo do.do. in Germany so transportation AAbove:bove: TThehe ‘‘RapidRapid CCamel’amel’ oonn ddisplayisplay aatt via sea from the closest major PPhilliphillip IIsland.sland. city, Stuttgart, to Melbourne BBelow:elow: A couplecouple ooff circuitscircuits iinn tthehe ccom-om- ppanyany ooff larger,larger, aandnd ffaster,aster, cclassics.lassics. was arranged. 2288 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 2299 TThehe RapidRapid CamelCamel StrikesStrikes AgainAgain The thought of the Rapid way home simply couldn’t be- experience a rash assumption, Camel just being strapped on lieve what they saw, they were David. In Australia you never re- to the deck somewhere on the amazed! And quite rightfully so ally know what hidden treasures ship, open to the sea spray was as I have been told there are lie in wait for the avid collector unthinkable. The Méhari was only three of these residing in at back of some old shed. Edi- special, and so it had its own Australia. [That is, in the Editor’s tor.] I2ft container, fully strapped in, The next step was mechanical sealed and loaded into the bow- checking, roadworthy and regis- els of the good ship ‘Rita’. tration. Weeks and weeks passed and This was possibly the easiest ‘Rita’ fi nally arrived in Melbourne of all the steps to do. and after unloading the precious Thank goodness as it was Feb- container all that was left was ruary and the Phillip Island cir- the fumigation and importation cuit races were just round the checks. corner and once the news was This eventually was done and out that I had a Mehari ~ I was I went down to the docks and swiftly asked to place it amongst TThehe proudly drove my beautiful Me- the display cars and fi nally do a CCitroënitroën hari to its new home. Most of few circuits in it with some other MMéhariéhari hhasas the motoring public on the classic and historic vehicles. a ttubularubular frameframe aass The Rapid Camel has found its wwellell asas a steelsteel fl ooorpanorpan toto new home. ssupportupport allall thethe mechanicalmechanical ccomponentsomponents David Baker aass wwellell asas thethe novelnovel plasticplastic bbodyody 3300 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3311 PPlastiquelastique FFantastiqueantastique roën was seduced by Roland new Dyane, the 2CV having to which can offer its user the su- orn in May I968, the Cit- de la Poype, head of Société make do with 425cc. Air-cooled, preme joy of cleaning his car roën Méhari represents d’Etudes et d’Applications du it requires only limited mainte- with a simple spray of water. Ba certain concept of freedom Plastique, specialising in plastics. nance and can be used at I00% She Meets Her Audience and carelessness that was talked Inspired by the Mini Moke, it of- of its capacity without the risk Quelle surprise! The French about so much at the time. But fered a derivative of the 2CV of over-heating. A huge asset for realise that this ABS [Acryloni- far from merely surfi ng the wave [therefore based on a proven motorways which were at that trile Butadiene Styrene] body- of an ephemeral fashion, it met platform] positioning itself as a time being rapidly constructed. work simplifi es their lives. For a real need that had never been light and affordable alternative For the purposes of all-ter- farmers and foresters alike, be- formulated before… to stubborn and hard off-road rain work, the suspension of the ing able to simply apply plenty Even the most ardent defend- vehicles. Anticipating the grow- Méhari does wonders. Do not of water to this washable hull ers of marketing today dare ing success of leisure activities change a recipe that works. Cit- BBelow:elow: TheThe of-of- is a blessing. But this is also the [fi shing, seaside vacations, etc], to admit it: the qualitative and roën simply took over the bril- fi ccialial llaunchaunch ooff case for all the owners in gen- the new Méhari, from its launch, quantitative studies carried out liant running gear of the 2CV: tthehe MMéhariéhari ooc-c- eral: for all those going to fi sh- in this fi eld have their limit. In- seduced with its robustness and the famous inertia dampers. This ccurredurred aatt DDeau-eau- ing or to the beach, and even for deed, few consumers are imagi- low cost of use. allowed relatively high ground vvilleille oonn MMayay II6,6, the townspeople who use it as native enough to dare to formu- TThishis rrareare pperioderiod Indeed, we fi nd under the clearance and amazingly long II968.968. an advertising medium. late a concrete summary of all vviewiew hhighlightsighlights bonnet the famous twin-cylin- travel, they also have the merit BBelowelow left:left: TheThe Notwithstanding its real quali- their expectations. As amazing tthehe newnew lightslights der 602cc motor, developing of pampering the lower back. MMéhariéhari [[herehere iinn ties, the public and the press as it may seem this is the case of tthathat appearedappeared 28.5bhp DIN [2I.3kW]. This en- One of the other major quali- II97I]97I] abandonsabandons seem rather confused because the Citroën Méhari. fforor thethe I970I970 gine is also found in the Ami 6 ties of the Méhari remains the tthehe aaluminiumluminium Citroën again enters a market Without knowing it, the fi rm mmodel.odel. NNoteote TheThe ~ released in I96I ~ and the all- incredible plastic bodywork wwindscreenindscreen ssur-ur- where it was not expected. at the Quai de Javel launched, in hhood’sood’s stowagestowage rround,ound, bbutut itit rre-e- The strikes of this tumultuous these troubled times of I968, a ssystemystem wwhichhich mmainsains ffoldableoldable ttoo I968 did nothing to help sales, car that solved many problems. cclearlylearly eevokesvokes a ‘‘becomebecome a jjeep’.eep’. and only 837 Méhari found tak- Initially resistant to the idea, Cit- ccampingamping ttent!ent! FFun….un…. ers that year. The car was cer- 3322 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3333 PPlastiquelastique FFantastiqueantastique BBelowelow left:left: AAmeri-meri- tainly thought of as a niche ve- ance of an orange hue which ccanan ppressress aadd fforor hicle, but never-the-less these was to be in great demand. CConqueringonquering thethe WestWest tthehe MMéhari.éhari. TThehe results remained disappointing. The two-seater version al- AAss aastonishingstonishing aass iitt mmayay sseem,eem, tthehe iillustrationsllustrations ddepictepict It must be admitted that, despite MMéhariéhari ddidid mmakeake a qquiteuite ggoodood lowed the purchaser to reclaim tthehe FFrenchrench vversion,ersion, the small market, the competi- the VAT on the vehicle and with cconquestonquest ooff America.America. TToo mmeeteet llocalocal rratherather tthenhen tthehe sstandards,tandards, CCitroënitroën mmodiodifi eedd iitsts ffrontront tion was surprisingly numerous: the ‘campaigns’ and rally-raids ‘‘dazeddazed aamphibian’mphibian’ Siata Spring and Renault 4 Plein- fface,ace, mmakingaking iitt eevenven mmoreore llikeike a CCitroënitroën ffoistedoisted oonn the irrepressible wind of adven- Air and the Mini Moke to name ddazedazed aamphibian.mphibian. FFleeingleeing tthehe ccountryountry tthehe SStates.tates. BBelow:elow: A ture fi lled its sails. With indus- ooff UncleUncle SSamam iinn II97I,97I, tthehe MMéhariéhari mmetet ssmallmall mmarketarket wwithith a few. trial tooling and a network fi - oonlynly a modicummodicum ooff eesteem.steem. AAboutbout pplentylenty ooff competi-competi- Everything comes to those nally ready to manufacture and II,000,000 examplesexamples werewere soldsold there,there, ttion:ion: RRenaultenault PPlienlien who wait and the Méhari be- iincludingncluding a bbatchatch ttoo tthehe LLosos AAngelesngeles AAir,ir, SSiataiata SSpringpring came available to motorists after TTimesimes aass a ddeliveryelivery vvehicle.ehicle. aandnd MiniMini MMoke.oke. just a few months. In the inter- vening period there were some minor changes and improve- ments ~ including the appear-

THHEE TIIMEME OOFF FRRIENDSIENDS AANDND ADDVENTUREVENTURE

In fact, it almost takes care of itself. And that means you the Mehari, even on the inside. And with an air-cooled can spend all your time just having fun. engine, that’s the only time it ever needs water. IInn JulyJuly I969,I969, 2525 MéhariMéhari departeddeparted fromfrom You can keep Mehari at the beach or even on the Mehari delivers 40-plus mpg and a top speed of beach, because it can’t rust. You can drive it deep in the 70 mph. It comes with front-wheel drive, 4 speed full woods, because it resists scratches. You can even leave it synchro transmission, a heavy-duty surrey top, heater and BBelgium,elgium, uundernder tthehe aauthorityuthority ooff tthehe RRoyaloyal outdoors, year after year, because it won’t peel or ever demister, directional signals, dual electric wipers, folding need painting. It can take all this punishment because it’s tailgate, collapsible rear bench seat and a choice of three JJuniorunior AutomobileAutomobile CClublub ooff Belgium,Belgium, fforor made of ABS “anti-shock” plastic, one of those man-made colours: Sunset Red, Ocean Green or Sand Yellow. miracles that has the strength of metal, but none of its The price? Comfortably less than $2000. But with all weaknesses. that it does, you probably couldn’t care less! a LLiègeiège~DDakarakar~LLiègeiège jjourney,ourney, tthathat iiss Mehari thrives on other kinds of punishment too. You can load it up with 880 pounds of anything. From fl owery dogwoods to frisky dogs, without worrying about the II5,000km5,000km inin total.total. ThisThis isis indeedindeed tthehe dirt that comes with them, because you can hose down fi rrstst RRally-Raid,ally-Raid, eveneven tthoughhough thethe marquemarque iiss nnotot oofffi cciallyially iinvolved.nvolved. TTakingaking uupp tthehe TThehe ccabinabin iiss nnotot cclutteredluttered wwithith ffrillsrills bbutut iidea,dea, JJacquesacques WWolgensingerolgensinger ddecidedecided ttoo ccanan bbee wwashedashed withwith a simplesimple sspraypray ooff ccreatereate aann eeventvent aaroundround tthehe MMéhariéhari wwater.ater. SSoo ppractical…ractical… wwhosehose strength,strength, robustnessrobustness andand thethe eemotionalmotional aappealppeal iitt aarousesrouses iiss aalreadylready ssuspected.uspected. SSoo iinn AAugustugust II970,970, CitroënCitroën llaunchesaunches a rraidaid llinkinginking PParisaris ttoo KKabul.abul. RReservedeserved fforor II8-30year8-30year olds,olds, tthishis rrallyally iiss a vvictimictim ooff iitsts ssuccess:uccess: II,300,300 requestsrequests forfor 200200 placesplaces initiallyinitially pplanned!lanned! IInn thethe end,end, 449494 partici-partici- ppantsants willwill headhead offoff forfor I6,500kmI6,500km ofof aadventure.dventure. WWithith ssuchuch ppopularityopularity tthehe rrecipeecipe wwouldould bbee rreusedeused tthereafter:hereafter: PParisaris~PPersépolisersépolis~PParisaris iinn II97I,97I, cross-cross- iingng ooff SSouthouth AmericaAmerica oorganizedrganized bbyy CCitroënitroën AArgentinargentina iinn II972972 andand RaidRaid AAfriquefrique tthehe ffollowingollowing year.year. 3344 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3355 PPlastiquelastique FFantastiqueantastique TThehe MMéhariéhari 4×44,, waswas launchedlaunched inin MMayay sell such a machine the career II979,979, butbut isis waswas mademade inin quitequite smallsmall of this amazing car, both jeep, nnumbers;umbers; llessess tthanhan II,500.,500. TThehe ssparepare ttyreyre sometimes truck, sometimes toy, oonn thethe bonnetbonnet waswas oneone ofof thethe options.options. was launched. SSimple,imple, eevenven aarchaic,rchaic, tthehe The Citroën 2CV became CCitroënitroën MMéhariéhari iiss a ggoodood available with the same engine ddealeal mmoreore ccomplexomplex iinn in February I970, but the Méha- tthehe 4×4 ver-ver- ri is atypical enough not to suf- ssion.ion. fer from the competition of its twin-engined sisters, including the new Ami 8 presented at the end of I969. The Scent of Adventure The production of the Méhari now exceeded I0,000 per year. In addition to an Americanised ver- sion and the proliferation of ral- ly-raids [Paris~Persépolis~Paris in the summer of I97I], Citroën a n d the ro- launched the Pop Cross in the tary engine, the summer of I972. It was a test on sale of Masera- land, halfway between the stock ti…] and on the arrival of the car and the dodgem-car, and CX which was to bear the very where every stratagem was al- heavy burden of replacing the DS. lowed! Therefore, it is logical that All this strengthens the appeal, the Méhari was a little left out. both real and emotional, con- It was not until the I978 mod- veyed by the Méhari. Thus, I974 el year that a substantial change FFollowingollowing thethe of public relations Citroën, with is its best year, with nearly I4,000 appeared, with a new front pan- uundoubtedndoubted suc-suc- great humour. el fi tted with a removable grille. examples produced. ccessess ooff tthehe 2CCVV However, the brand had done Developments remained mi- Disc brakes and seat belts made CCharlestonharleston thethe its homework and the newcom- nor, the climate being somewhat a welcome appearance, but it MMéhariéhari tturnedurned er was equipped with a short complicated at Citroën. [I think was especially the arrival of a ccolourfulolourful withwith gearbox and a differential lock that may be what can be de- 4×4 variant that surprises its lit- tthishis bbluelue aandnd on the rear axle. Too expensive, scribed as understatement. See tle world. wwhitehite Azur.Azur. Ed’s note at the end of the ar- Unlike the 2CV, Citroën did it unfortunately did not win the ticle. Ed.] Despite the success of not see fi t to equip its small votes of the public… the GS, presented in I970, the ‘jeep’ with two engines. ‘We had The Final Curtain ‘Double Chevron’ was bought the choice between the bulldoz- In order to counter the natu- by Peugeot. All Peugeot’s efforts er and the lawn mower, we opt- ral erosion of sales, Citroën pre- were focused on the clearing of ed for the second solution’, says sented a pretty yellow colour in accounts [the demise of the SM Jacques Wolgensinger, director I980 and a limited series in I983. 3366 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3377 PPlastiquelastique FFantastiqueantastique The recipe had worked very well Plage series, reserved for Spain following year. Tough to the last, important. As head of the So- with the 2CV; the success of the RReservedeserved forfor and Portugal, arrived. [Some re- the Méhari did not fi nally retire ciété d’Etudes et d’Applications Charleston and Dolly proved it. SSpainpain [[andand dde-e- ports suggest the Plage was only until I987, after around I50,000 du Plastique, he set up his fi rst Thus, an Azur version appeared ppendingending oonn youryour sold in Spain, while Portugal had copies. Proof of her genius? She plastics factory in May I947. He in I983 as a 700 model limited ssource,ource, mmaybeaybe the Azur. Ed.] It can be recog- will never be really replaced… is also the designer of the Cit- PPortugal]ortugal] thethe nized by its colour [Yellow Ata- edition. It was distinguished by roën Méhari and founder of the llimitedimited eeditiondition cama, ACI147] and especially by despite numerous attempts! a fairly chic presentation, in blue © In its original form this article, PPlagelage certainlycertainly its specifi c yellow roof and side Antibes Marineland in I970. with text by Adrien Malbosc fi rst and white. Building on its suc- ccutut a ddashash wwithith curtains. • Describing the climate at Cit- cess, it was fully integrated into iitsts mmatchingatching appeared in the French magazine roën in the late I960s as compli- Our friend Méhari marks the Retroviseur in July/August 20I9. It the range from the next model yyellowellow roofroof andand end of her career with a few fa- cated does seem an understate- year. At the same time, a special sscreens.creens. was translated by the Editor and is mous cinematographic appear- taken from his archive with additional ment. In I968 the group was ances, including three episodes material from various sources and re-organised. A parent company, of Gendarmes à Saint-Tropez, may not be reproduced without the Citroën SA, oversaw the activities with Louis de Funès. Despite permission of the publisher. of Citroën, Berliet and Panhard. these pretty fl ashes, sales be- EDITOR’S NOTES: The structure comprised more come smaller, going below 3,000 in I983 and under 2,000 units the • Roland Paulze d’Ivoy de la than 20 subsidiaries. In an accord Poype [I920~20I2] was a World signed the same year with Fiat BBelowelow left:left: ThisThis ddrawing,rawing, ffromrom a II976976 War II fi ghter ace, a member of a new holding company was bbrochure,rochure, eemphasizesmphasizes tthehe rrecreationalecreational ssideide ooff tthehe MMéhari,éhari, bbutut aalsolso tthehe ffam-am- the Normandie-Niemen fi ghter established owning the bulk of iilyly aaspectspect aass iitt ccanan aaccommodateccommodate ffourour group that fought on the Soviet Citroën’s shares. Fiat held a 49% ppeople.eople. front. He was also a plastic in- stake and Michelin 5I%. More BBelow:elow: PeriodPeriod illustrationsillustrations ooftenften playplay thethe dustry pioneer. He understood contorted than complicated to ccardard ooff sself-mockeryelf-mockery andand freedom.freedom. TThehe that plastics and disposable my mind. MMéhariéhari kkeepseeps companycompany hhereere wwithith tthehe 2CCVV packaging would become very Leigh F Miles ~ Editor. aandnd tthehe DDyane.yane. 3388 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 3399 NNerdserds R UsUs lights, indicators, wings, fl oors… ecognise them? Despite The devil nestles in the details. I969~I977: In Septem- an unchanged look in al- Follow this guide to become ber I969, the front of NNewew removableremovable Rmost twenty years of produc- unbeatable at the next Citroën the Méhari was further ggrillerille tion, the Citroën Méhari did Trivia Night you attend. retouched with front constantly evolve: headlights, indicators now placed next to the headlights. May I968: Pre-production. May I6, I968, the Méhari is offi cially presented. The very I978~I987 fi rst pre-production examples have distinctive indicators, lights and hubcaps.

NNewew horizontalhorizontal iindicatorsndicators I968~I969

RRemovalemoval ooff thethe smallsmall ‘fi nns’s’ ffromrom JJulyuly II982982

SSimpleimple rrearear llightsights

WWheelsheels wwithoutithout hhubcapsubcaps VVerticallyertically mmountedounted RRevisedevised bbonnetonnet NNumberumber pplatelate iindicatorsndicators ccatchesatches rrelocatedelocated toto thethe ttailgateailgate

RRevisedevised rrearear llightsights 4400 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4411 NNerdserds R UsUs I970~I983 Four Seater Méhari 4×4 Méhari A ffour-wheelour-wheel drivedrive TThehe 4-seat4-seat versionversion vversionersion ccompletesompletes hhasas sideside ssupportsupports tthehe rrangeange ffromrom sspecipecifi c forfor rearrear JJanuaryanuary I980I980 withwith aaccommodationccommodation ooff sspecipecifi c d designesign tthehe benchbench sseat.eat. IInn eelements.lements. aaddition,ddition, tthehe ffootoot wwellell forfor thethe rearrear ppassengersassengers waswas TThickhick ‘‘nudge’nudge’ bbarsars rrecessed.ecessed. ooptionalptional EXXAMPLESAMPLES OOFF MÉÉHARIHARI BOODYDY COOLOURSLOURS GGrabrab bbarar II968968 ~ II987987

RRearear lightslights iinn a SSpecipecifi c f fueluel ssingleingle bblocklock fi lllerler s spoutpout RRougeouge HopiHopi VVertert MontanaMontana BBeigeeige KKalaharialahari OOrangerange KKirghizirghiz II968968~II975975 II968968~II987987 II968968~II977977 II968968~II987987

VVertert TibestiTibesti BBeigeeige HHoggaroggar JJauneaune AAtacamatacama BBlanclanc eett BBleuleu II975975~II979979 II977977~II987987 II979979~II987987 [[Azur]Azur] II983983~II987987

MMéhariéhari SSerieseries I MMéhariéhari SSerieseries IIII MMéhariéhari 44×4×4 PProductionroduction YearsYears II968968~II977977 II977977~II987987 II979979~II983983 NNumberumber PProducedroduced II0I,2350I,235 [to[to 3I/I2/’77]3I/I2/’77] 442,5052,505 [I/I/’78[I/I/’78 toto 7/’87]7/’87] aaboutbout I,250I,250 MMotorotor TTwo-cylinder,wo-cylinder, aair-cooled,ir-cooled, 6602cc02cc PPowerower 226bhp6bhp [DDININ]]/I9/I9..44kW 229bhp9bhp [DDININ]]/2I/2I..66kW WWeighteight 5525kg25kg 5555kg55kg 77I5kgI5kg PPricerice NNewew [[4-seater]4-seater] F77,800,800 inin I969I969 FII8,7508,750 inin I978I978 F445,0005,000 inin I979I979

4×4 Modifi ed sides: In July I98I, the Mehari 4×4 saw its sidepanels revised in order to fi t the optional large rims and to improve its off-road ability. 4422 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4433 PPhotothèquehotothèque EEmmanuelmmanuel PPerrin’serrin’s iinterestnterest iinn iinn tthehe fi e leldsds o fof aadvertisingdvertising a nandd pphotographyhotography bbeganegan wwhenhen hhee wwasas iinstitutionalnstitutional communicationcommunication forfor II4.4. AAfterfter ccompletingompleting ssecondaryecondary mmanyany aagenciesgencies aandnd ccompanies.ompanies. sschoolchool hhee wwentent ttoo PParisaris iintendingntending TTopics/specialities:opics/specialities: pportraiture,ortraiture, ttoo ‘‘moremore oorr lessless seriously’seriously’ studystudy llandscape,andscape, stillstill llife.ife. HHee iiss wwidelyidely tthehe teachingsteachings ofof thethe EEcole rrepresentedepresented iinn magazinesmagazines [TTerre cole erre NNationale de Photographie fforor a ddee Vins, TTéléramaé , ll’Express’E , CCiel atio Vi léra xpr iel ccoupleouplen aooflef yyears.ears. eett Espacens ] aandndm iinna 220I20I2 wwonesosn tthehe de Esp VVariousarious ccourses oPuhroses aass aassistantssistant TTerroire a cd’Imagese Grand Prix. tog rroi aandnd iinn llaboratoryaboratory rpproceduresarpocedures IInn rrecentr edc’Ient years,years, hhee hhasas bbeeneen hie mag ccompletedompleted hhisis ttraining.raining. HHee tthenhen ddevelopingeveloping eas G photographyphotography ran wworkedorked producingproducing aaudio-visualudio-visual tteachingeaching aactivityctivity aandndd hhisPirs workwork pprogrammesrogrammes fforor anan advertisingadvertising hhasas alreadyalready beenbeen presentedpresenitxed atat aagency.gency. HisHis cchoiceshoices iinn tthesehese sseveraleveral eexhibitions,xhibitions, iinn PParisaris aandnd pphotographshotographs isis describeddescribed asas RRegionalegional FFrance.rance. eeclecticclectic andand whilewhile hishis sstyletyle rremainsemains ttoo bbee ffullyully ddevelopedeveloped hhee clearlyclearly ddisplaysisplays a questquest fforor ooff-beatff-beat aangles..ngles.. TThesehese imagesimages werewere ttakenaken wwhenhen hhee wwasas 2233 [[inin II982].982]. HeHe remainsremains aann activeactive professionalprofessional pphotographer,hotographer, wworkingorking 4444 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4455

PPhotothèquehotothèque WWhilsthilst Emmanuel’sEmmanuel’s pphotographyhotography bbamboo.amboo. TThishis carcar wonwon anan ttodayoday ffocusesocuses oonn wwineine aandnd tthehe eendurancendurance pprizerize oonn tthehe 2244 tterrior hehe stillstill tturnsurns hhisis llensens oonn hhourour circuitcircuit ofof LeLe Mans.Mans. erri mmotoring,otorring, aass tthehe iimagemage bbelowelow MMoreore ofof EEmmanuel’smmanuel’s sshows.hows. Now,Now, I aamm nnoo aartrt jjudge,udge, wworkork ccanan bebe foundfound bbutut I thinkthink I cancan sseeee iinn tthathat iim-m- oonn hhisis wwebsite:ebsite: wwww.ww. aagege thethe samesame quirkyquirky eyeeye forfor anan eemmanuelperrin.frmmanuelperrin.fr iinterestingnteresting angleangle thatthat waswas appar-appar- aandnd hishis InstagramInstagram eentnt inin I982.I982. TheThe imageimage belowbelow isis aaccountccount isis @em-@em- ooff a pprototyperototype ssingle-seateringle-seater mmanuelperrinpho-anuelperrinpho- eelectriclectric vehiclevehicle designeddesigned ttographe.ographe. aandnd pproducedroduced byby engi-engi- © TheseThese imagesimages nneeringeering sstudentstudents fromfrom hhaveave beenbeen rreproducedeproduced withwith tthehe AlèsAlès miningmining school,school, tthehe ppermissionermission ooff nnearear Nîmes,Nîmes, inin thethe tthehe pphotographerhotographer ssouthouth ooff FFrance.rance. aandnd mmayay nnotot TThehe fframerame aandnd tthehe bbee rreproducedeproduced bbodyody areare mademade ofof eelsewherelsewhere wwithoutithout hishis ppermission.ermission. 4466 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4477 OOff-beatff-beat Soft-RoadersSoft-Roaders

out. original form, with ’70s bucket Trabant 601 Kübel seats up front for comfort and First up and rarest of our additional sideways support. group is a Trabant 60I Kübel ~ Travelling through rain-swept a vehicle that gave new meaning woods in a Kübel feels less like to the term idiosyncratic. a summer holiday and more like Derived from the cotton- a set-piece from a John le Carré shelled P50, the 60I Kübel was novel ~ but it’s never less than originally built for use by the enjoyable. A Trabant in full two-stroke German border patrol but, in world, Jeepster was shipping up- fl ow sounds much like a I950s I978, East German authorities TTacklingackling trackstracks withwith two-two- market, rear-drive utility in the washing machine that’s been decreed that it would be avail- wwheel-driveheel-drive cclassicslassics late ’40s ~ and that was just the supercharged ~ unique but far start. able to civilian customers as the from awful. eckon the idea of a By the I970s, there existed a Tramp. It goes well, too, once you ac- ‘soft-roader’ is a new small but signifi cant group of all- In its homeland, the Tramp climatise to the unusual gear- Rone? While an all-purpose two- was an aspirational thing: only rounders aimed at affl uent sorts change. As for the drum brakes wheel-drive machine might ap- in need of something between a the elite would have the rare on every wheel? The Kübel is peal to load-luggers in the su- Lada and a Landie. chance to drive a pink Trabant light enough that stopping is permarket car park, it’s been But just how off-road can they with a soft-top and no doors. rarely a problem. around for far longer than your go? We took fi ve classic pseu- Lucky them. Although the Trabant was average chain store. do-machines to the wilds of the Ours is an ex-border patrol never intended to serve as an Long before the Evoques, Queen Elizabeth Country Park number from I97I that’s been off-road vehicle, its front-wheel- Countrymen and Q3×2s of the in Hampshire, England, to fi nd painstakingly restored to near- drive setup and good ground 4488 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 4499 OOff-beatff-beat Soft-RoadersSoft-Roaders

clearance mean it’s perfectly mann Ghia TI. the other Vee-Dub: no Beetle muddy tracks ~ and the noise of suited to the tracks of our test The result? The I8I Kurierwa- could match its folding wind- the I.6-litre fl at-four engine help- ground. gen of I968 ~ initially used by screen, split rear seat and sur- fully drowns out any objections Sure, interior comfort is min- the German Federal Army as a prisingly spacious cabin ~ and, to the rugged ride. imal ~ but there’s always the general purpose vehicle, before unlike the Beetle drophead, the Citroën Méhari auxiliary heater to keep the cold civilian sales began in I97I and, I8I not only had four doors, but Looking positively elegant Berlin air at bay. two years later, exports to the they were removable and inter- next to the I8I, our next steed Indeed, one can’t help but USA started up. changeable. is the Citroën Méhari, devised think the best way to enjoy the Stateside, the I8I was market- Admittedly certain sacrifi c- by the French fi rm as a simpler, ed as ‘The Thing That Can Do es had to be made in produc- 60I Kübel is being chauffeured front-drive replacement for the Anything!’ tion, such as the lack of sound in the rear bench, much like a twin-engined 4×4 2CV variant, Grenztruppen Colonel desper- An optimistic slogan, perhaps, insulation and wind-down win- but enough to see 2I,598 driv- dows, but it was all in the name the Sahara. ately plotting their promotion to ers pick one up in I973 alone of practicality: the interior can Sales started in I968 and, by General. ~ despite the Thing costing $I,000 be easily hosed out [VW fi tted the end of its run in I987, the Volkswagen 181 more than a Beetle convertible. drain holes by the rear seat] and Méhari had become a fi xture of Meanwhile, on the other side Things were less successful there are zero distracting luxu- the French Army and European of the Iron Curtain, VW was in the UK, mind, as an attempt ries. holiday resorts alike. developing a light utility vehicle to market the I8I as the Trekker Yes, the all-drum brakes re- A handful made it to the US, with parts sourced from its ex- [dealers object to a car called quire a certain amount of ad- but they weren’t a success ~ isting models ~ the engine and ‘Thing’] failed with fewer than vanced planning and the high sills despite Citroën’s assurance that gearbox from the Beetle, the I00 vehicles sold. mean you have to climb onto there was, ‘No worry if any part rear suspension from the Type 2 To some eyes, the Trekker/ the seats, but the rear-drive I8I of the body is damaged. You and the fl oorpan from the Kar- Thing was infi nitely superior to is still ideal family transport for simply take it off, replace it and 5500 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5511 OOff-beatff-beat Soft-RoadersSoft-Roaders

throw it away.’ ter the Trabant and Volkswagen Austin Mini Moke Mk2 tin buyers were offered a utility Initially billed as the Dyane 6 ~ and, given that the Deux As for the Citroën’s chief Brit- vehicle available in a single shade Méhari, power came from a fa- Chevaux was devised for abom- ish rival, the Mini Moke was built [dark green] with a whole host miliar 602cc air-cooled fl at-twin inable road conditions, the Mé- for only four years in the UK ~ of extras ~ a second wiper, pas- engine, while the two-seater hari is predictably formidable off and some 90% of the soft-road- senger seats, sidescreens and, open pick-up body was made the asphalt. ers were exported. And yet, it’s pushing the boat out, a heater. from injection-moulded ABS Its plastic body is so light that Unfortunately, in I967 UK au- still seen as a symbol of London plastic. the Méhari feels like it’s fl oating thorities dealt a blow to the in the Swinging ‘60s. In I970, a rear seat became an along the cart tracks and could Moke, deciding that it wasn’t a Of course, designer Alec Is- option, as did removable side easily pass the classic ‘basket of light commercial vehicle but, in sigonis never intended the Moke doors. A handful of proper 4×4 eggs’ test set for the 2CV. fact, a car. Which meant more to be some frivolous runaround: versions ~ distinguished by a Rear passengers enter via an tax. spare wheel mounted on the integral step on the body side, the original idea was one of a Despite the arrival of the bonnet ~ were made between while tall drivers won’t need to Mini-based Jeep, one that could Moke Mk2, a price increase of I979 and ’83, but most made do open the door: they simply step be dropped into combat and £78 meant UK sales prospects with front-drive. into an airy world of vibrant carried by four squaddies. were limited. British production Citroën didn’t offi cially mar- plastic. Alas, a I960 army evaluation ceased in ’68 and the tooling ket the Méhari in the UK, which Whether it’s a four-seater re- put paid to dreams of action, was sent to Australia, where the is a shame. Who could resist a sort wagon or a farmer’s hack front-wheel drive and limited Moke had been built since I966. soft-roader with the 2CV’s slick for conveying livestock, the Cit- ground clearance consigning the Today, the Austin Moke offers dash-mounted gear-change, soft roën will do the job without fuss Moke to civilian duties. Even a unbeatable all-round visibility, su- suspension and entertaining ~ and offers more fun than you twin-engined 4×4 effort proved perb ventilation and a brilliant cornering? could reasonably expect for the fruitless. incentive for concentrating on Even today, it’s a delight af- money. For just £405, Morris and Aus- the road ahead ~ namely, the 5522 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5533 OOff-beatff-beat Soft-RoadersSoft-Roaders

possibility of falling out. ed-slip differential ~ and the Dé- most comfortable car of the has dated, but the concept still It’s also a machine of excep- couvrable. group, but also because the fab- works today. tional charm, combining all that In I98I, Talbot offered custom- ric panels eliminate the rattles of Which is the Winner? is great about the early Mini with ers a Rancho with a back seat the hard-top model. Each of our group has a differ- fresh air and the opportunity to and roll-down fabric covers over Better yet, spend I0 minutes ent appeal. The Moke is an au- become close to nature. an open rear compartment with unzipping the back, side and roof tomotive icon, the Méhari is in- On a rational level, the Moke two bodywork options: green or panels and the Matra is trans- credibly versatile, the Trabant is can do little more than a Mini brown. formed into a genuinely versa- small but menacing and the Ran- Poor sales meant Décou- pick-up, with marginally more tile four-seater convertible. cho is, well, a Rancho. vrable ceased after only a year, comfort ~ but who cares about Rear passengers ~ who sit But the winner has to be the common sense? with just 600 examples fi nding four inches higher than those in homes mainly in Mediterra- I8I, for the simple pleasure of ~ front of them have their own Matra Rancho Découvrable nean holiday resorts. Which is a ~ meeting an old friend after many Our fi rst four soft-roaders shame, because it’s the best of windscreen, while the front oc- years, only to fi nd that they’re in were devised for military pur- the Ranchos. cupants enjoy positive luxury grander form than ever. Clas- poses; this last one had no such Though the engineering was compared to the rest of our off- sic motoring ~ on-, off- or soft- raison d’être. Meet the ultra-ra- the same as the standard vehicle road pretenders. road ~ is rarely better than that. re Matra Rancho Découvrable. ~ with a I.4-litre engine from the Of our quintet, the Matra has You can keep your Evoque. While the Rancho was built as Simca I308 and a body based on the least pretence of being an © This article with images by Tony Baker fi rst appeared in Classic & just one model in the UK, French the Simca I100 Commerciale ~ off-roader vehicle, but it has a buyers could choose between splendid, early-’80s interior plus Sports Car in 20I8 and is reproduced the Découvrable is a good deal with the permission of the publisher. the utilitarian two-seater AS, more pleasant to drive than the the ability to carry four adults The author is not credited. It may the super-macho Grand Raid ~ fi xed-roof number. and plenty of luggage in style. not be re-printed elsewhere without complete with winch and limit- That’s partly because it’s the Sure, the soft-top’s execution their express permission. 5544 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5555 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… The French travelling compan- rope fi ve years later, I drove to odour of breakfast coffee and CCitroën:itroën: CarCar ofof ThreeThree DecadesDecades ions, Louis and Ernest, who dis- Ernest’s house one spring morn- warm baguettes drifts from the Foreword. covered the universe of free-to- ing. He was no longer there. His neat bungalow next door. Where are they now ? use motorways, service area Full neighbour explained that had In December I994 and January ‘Café, Louis!’ English all-day brekky gastrono- departed this world two years Louis, skinny as a mangetout, I995 I wrote a two-part article « my, and endemic rusty 2CVs, are, previously. I never found out rotates Ami 8 type interior door Prophecy Fulfi lled: Citroën Car like the Britain portrayed in the what had happened to what had handles and emerges from the of Three Decades » which was tale, part fact, and part whimsy. been, presumably, France’s only blue vinyl interior of the estate published in the UK Citroënian Louis is real enough, and still RHD Ami 6. with a sprightly step belying his magazine. wears his trademark fl at cap Well, in this pivotal year of sixty years, wearing crisp over- At the time, the United King- and lends an informal octoge- 2021, would our intrepid pair alls and a rakishly-angled Breton dom had been a member of the narian hand at the sparkling Cit- still recognise the former-EU sailing cap. The I,220 engine ticks European Union for 22years. roën dealership now run by his member state they visited twen- over with a smooth, humming The Maastricht Treaty, allowing, son and daughter-in-law. I see ty-six years ago? That question, whirr, despite its 220,000kms. amongst other things, freedom him from time to time, and we dear readers, is perhaps best left Bought new in I972, the ‘Break’ of movement for workers be- laugh about when we towed a suspended for the moment; sus- had been the third off the pro- tween member states, had been split-windscreen H-Van from its pended as delicately as a Deux- duction line up the road at ratifi ed a couple of years previ- thirty-year slumber in the living- Chevaux on a rusty chassis. Rennes. He glances back. It is still ously. The Channel Tunnel had room ~ yes, dear reader, the Alan Brown ~ January 202I his favourite workhorse. recently been inaugurated. Xan- living-room ~ of a coastal cot- On the crisp tablecloth is tias were selling like hot cakes all tage located between the oyster arage des Charmilles. this week’s copy of the La Vie over Europe. It was still possible beds and the Vendée vineyards. The GS service van is re- NNo,o, iitt iiss nnotot a de l’Auto classic car magazine, [just] in the summer of ’94, to Ernest was real, too; only not splendentG in its fresh blue and ppictureicture ooff LLouis’ouis’ ready for Louis’ inspection while buy a brand new Heuliez-built in the place or at the time de- white paint. Bold yellow letters GGSS SServiceervice VVan.an. drinking from the breakfast bowl BX Break. picted in the story. And so was on the sleek, unmarked body- TThehe ooriginalriginal and dunking croissants. Its title The star of the story, of course, his Second World War injury work announce: vversionersion ooff tthishis page whispers” was Louis’ GS Break Service. and his immaculate RHD, bottle- Louis Gaborieau et Files ppictureicture ccanan bbee La Vie de l’Auto… ‘Il n’y a de GS/A: truly a car of three dec- green Vendée-registered traffi - Garage des Charmilles ffoundound atat wwww.ww. nouveau que ce qui a été ou- ades? clutch Ami 6. He’d shown it to Citroën wwildeclassic.com/ildeclassic.com/ blié… The Britain portrayed in the me a week before John Len- June sunshine fl oods into ffor-sale-draftor-sale-draft He tries to translate into Eng- article, factually or fancifully, was non’s untimely death, and when the ‘atelier’ the post-Thatcher, pre-Blair Brit- I was an impecunious exchange through wide ain of the John Major adminis- teacher on secondment in Ven- glass panels tration. Matching-letter buzz- dée from Staffordshire, England. I of the main phrases such as « Back to Basics almost bought the car, then next doors, sharp- » and « Citizens’ Charter » were day received an international tel- ly highlighting current. egram [remember those?] offer- the spotless Politico-speak notwithstand- ing a teaching appointment in workshop, its ing, I have to let the ‘Front Drive’ Bunbury, WA. Truth is, indeed, carefully ar- readership into a secret, which sometimes stranger than whim- ranged tools I hope will not tarnish the I994 sy. and equip- tale too much. When we returned to Eu- ment. The 5566 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5577 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… lish, to practice for the forth- retreating Panzer, had rendered real Citroën feel. It was such a In the cafeteria, most of the coming trip, and comes up with: his left arm able to effect gearch- pity that so few GSs remained homeward-bound passengers ‘It is only new what has been anges, but unable to manipulate in use. Beautiful examples had eat platefuls of orange beans forgotten’. a steering wheel. Citroën La been scrapped, perhaps for the upon which fl oat fried eggs, gar- His dictionary confi rms this Roche obliged with a centrifu- sake of a noisy camshaft or a nished with bacon slices and perfect English. He likes it. He gal-clutch UK-specifi cation Ami. worn-out clutch. Yes, the GS is a drink cups of milky tea… at peers out of the window at the For his 70th birthday, Ernest de- classic. Last of the pure Citroëns. eleven in the morning! A strange GS… cided he’d like a second car to It would be a worthy addition to aperitif, agrees Louis. What must Six on a June Monday morn- stable with the immaculate Ami, any collection. they eat for lunch?… Louis can’t ing. A busy week ahead. Lou- so gave Louis Gaborieau the St Malo appears out of the resist ‘le merchandising’ and buys is is leaving for St Malo with a brief to accompany him across morning mist, reached after a the GS photo which he spots customer for his fi rst ever trip the water to fi nd a lovely right- couple of hours’ cruise along clipped for sale in the photo across the Channel. He hopes to hand drive 2CV. new four-lane roads already me- shop between two others of return with a 2CV in tow. AAgain,gain, nnoo iitt iiss Louis discovered that Britain ticulously planted with trees and Volvo estates whose scowling nnotot Louis’Louis’ GGSS bbutut had been a big 2CV market in shrubs, occasionally crossed by drivers clearly resent the pho- Veteran Customer the ‘80s. He assumed there’d be bridges which use colour and It is fi tting that the 50th anni- iitt iiss tthehe iinteriornterior tographers intrusion. On their some good fi ve-year-old cars panache in their concrete struc- versary of the Normandy land- ooff anan AmiAmi iinn tthehe AAllll ssetet fforor a print, he and Ernest are smiling, available from the hundreds ture. They zoom through vehi- ings should coincide with the re- ccorrectorrect sshadehade ooff ‘‘pleezantpleezant ccrass-rass- Ernest’s steely grin refl ecting the bbluelue andand display-display- sold. He’d done his homework. cle control, park behind three fl ash nicely. patriation of a 2CV to France. iing’.ng’. TThehe BBrit-rit- iingng tthehe ccircularircular In three days he supposed he’d GB-plated BXs, and are soon The photographer turns out D-Day brought about his most ttanyany FFerrieserries sshiphip iinternalnternal ddooroor look at a few, and fi nd a low- swallowed by a whale-like su- to be Mike, a New Zealander senior client’s requirement. A lleaveseaves SStt MMaloalo hhandlesandles thatthat mileage car in good condition. per ferry. They pause only to be with a disdain for Scandinavi- right-hand drive 2CV to com- fforor Portsmouth.Portsmouth. ggracedraced eearlyarly eex-x- ‘Salut mon vieux!’ ~ comes photographed as they drive on an cars and a liking for ‘Jee-ess- plement his similarly-equipped TThehe ooriginalriginal ccanan aamplesmples ooff thethe GGSS. the cry against the background to the car deck. bbee ffoundound atat uz’ and other ‘Seuh-trehns’. The Ami 6… TThehe originaloriginal ccanan of a ticking M4 engine. The spar- model has an enthusiastic fol- In I966, Ernest Guilbaud took ‘Pleezant Crassing’ wwww.discov-ww.discov- bbee foundfound atat hhtt-tt- kling Ami lurches to a halt and The ships address system tells eerferries.com/rferries.com/ lowing in Kiwiland, he tells them. delivery of a bottle green Ami 6 pps://autodesign-s://autodesign- makes a wallowing roll not un- them what to do in the event ffollow-heroes-ollow-heroes- The following nine hours fas- saloon with the steering wheel mmagazine.com/agazine.com/ like a small rowing boat as Er- of disaster, and wishes them a ccelebrate-wales-elebrate-wales- cinate the gallic pair. Their fellow on, for France, the wrong side. een/2019/12/n/2019/12/ nest’s ample frame alights on the ‘pleezant crassing’. ddinard-st-malo/inard-st-malo/ passengers spend much time Ernest’s escapades in June I944, tthe-citroen-ami8-he-citroen-ami8- forecourt. A grin reveals several in particular an encounter with a tturns-50/urns-50/ stainless steel teeth as he strides towards his garagiste and long- standing friend. ‘Tout est prêt?’ Magic Carpet to St Malo The GS cruises along the new Nantes autoroute at I40kph, its innate stability reminding Louis of the fi veDS models he owned in the ‘60s and ‘70s. They con- clude that none of the post- Peugeot merger cars have that 5588 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 5599 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… reading newspapers, drinking where that many areas already any quieter. thought it sounded promising: tea and beer and eating choco- have more cars than parking Rude Awakening only 20,000miles, new chassis, late. Some play ‘le Beengo’ in the spaces. Perhaps this is why eve- ‘Scuse me, sir’. clutch, brakes, kingpins and a full bar; an attempt by the French ryone keeps moving… Ernest’s The tapping on the wind- MoT. Ernest remembers his Ami ferry company to emulate their fi rst question is: screen at 6:30 was a service 6 had none of these… why do UK counterpart and which, like ‘Mais, où vont-ils tous? Where area employee advising them these I980’s components not the breakfast sausages, does not do they go, mon ami?’ they owe £7 for overnight park- last? quite work: The GS does a sterling job of ing ~ ‘It’s to stop tem New Age The navy and cream Dolly ‘All ze sexes, seexty-seex; two smoothing the choppy concrete Travellers, sir…’, comes the ex- looks stunning from the end of leetle deuks, twanty-two… one motorway. They’ll have time to planation. the street. Close up, it is a sym- fat lady and a deuk…’ see their fi rst car on their list A quick freshen up in the wa- phony of tyre paint, polish and Teenage children produce before dark. ter closet, a walk past the shop, well-disguised rust. endless supplies of coins to play French Mechanic’s GS Break in fi lled with more varieties of ‘Pourri!’, comes the judgement. video games or buy from vend- England sweets and newspapers than Louis has a chuckle when he ing machines. The sea slips by The car yard is closed, but the Louis has seen in one place be- thinks of the probable reaction seven decks below and the af- A ‘‘FullFull EEnglish’nglish’ iiss lady Louis had ‘phoned on Sun- fore, and they have only to run of the Department of Mines in- ternoon drifts on, passengers re- nnotot asas universaluniversal day is expecting them. She de- the gauntlet on one-armed ban- spectors in Le Roche to a chassis treating into a familiar cocoon of aass itit ooncence wwasas scribed the 2CV Charleston as dits and the musical jingle of such as this one. It looks strong high-tech travel, emerging back bbutut itit rremainsemains a ‘mint’ over the ‘phone’ Louis’ lim- Postman Pat’s ride-in van to be enough, but not Citroën enough. to reality as evening and Ports- sstapletaple onon cross-cross- ited English made him presume in the restaurant. TThishis nnavyavy aandnd By now it is late afternoon and, CChannelhannel ferriesferries ooff mouth approach. that this referred to the colour; On the way to inspect the ccreamream DDollyolly aap-p- like the majority of their fellow aanyny brand.brand. TThehe his dictionary described a green ppearsears iinn mmuchuch Driving on the left for the second car, the ‘breakfast anglais’ road users, the Citroënistes have ooriginalriginal wwasas tak-tak- herb. How could the same bbetteretter cconditionondition fi rst time, Louis hits the traffi c is but a receding memory. They not sat down for lunch. Neither eenn byby genevievergeneviever word also mean ‘rough and very tthanhan tthehe oonene in-in- jam leaving the customs shed. turn off the motorway into a of them can remember forego- aandnd cancan bbee rusty’? A peculiar language in- sspectedpected bbyy LLouisouis To Louis, his observation sharp- ffoundound atat hhttp://ttp:// deed. A rapid glance at the car maze of streets, past terraces of aandnd EErnest.rnest. TThehe ing the sacred midday meal be- ened by the novelty of it all, at aallrecipes.com.llrecipes.com. while the lady talks is enough to houses amusingly identical, left at ooriginalriginal ttakenaken fore. They notice there is no at- seven this Monday evening, Brit- aau/recipe/28626/u/recipe/28626/ make the pair smile, say ‘merci’, a pub [there is always a pub, Er- bbyy PPaulaul HHoffmanoffman mosphere of a pause in activities ain gives the impression of being ffull-english-break-ull-english-break- and point the GS van into the nest remarks, given in any ver- ccanan bbee ffoundound aatt here ~ a pause which in France full of fast-moving cars and tem- ffast.aspx/pho-ast.aspx/pho- thickening drizzle. bal set of navigational directions] wwww.pinterest.ww.pinterest. seems so natural. porary buildings. He read some- ttos/53695os/53695 It is almost dark when they and up a bumpy side road to a cco.uk/o.uk/ They calm the hunger with arrive at the service area for ‘le large patch of uneven tarmac souper’. labelled ‘2CV SALES’. Here they ‘Dix pounds quarante-six’. are able to look at fi ve cars. Ernest translates from the Louis discounts any car with a till receipt. Looking down at welded or patched chassis. Five the two rosbif sandwiches and minutes after stopping, they are their two inaugural cups of tea. back in the GS. The load deck of the GS Twin-Pot Pourri makes a comfortable bed. They The third call is a young red- realise at 2am that the nearby haired man who answered Lou- motorway is not going to get is’ enterprising wanted ad. They 6600 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6611 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… a brace of microwaved plastic- even non-European manufac- ‘Wayne and Tracy and pleased rear of the car. They are begin- coated items from a fi lling sta- tured vehicles. A solitary GSA to announce the arrival of their ning to lose hope of fi nding a tion. These are popular with the was spotted, battered and rusty daughter Kylie Demi Smith’ car which is not a rust bucket. army of pallid, hurried young and travelling in the overtaking Susie points out that there Tomorrow’s local ‘paper is the men in ties, grey suits, white lane. They quickly learn to navi- is room, without extra charge, last chance… shirts and black shoes who ap- gate by road numbers, not town for three more words if re- The Find pear to be able to drive the names. Some of the road signs quired. Tracy Smith thinks on Wednesday dawns bright. The Mondeo in the overtaking lane, intrigue them: the other end of the line for weather has taken a leap from talk on the phone, make notes • ‘Delays possible until May a second or two, then says drab, reluctant spring, to full on sticky yellow labels and down I996.’ in the perky tones of some- summer in a few hours. The sun food and drink simultaneously. Others defy translation via the one who’s just had a bargain… is already high and hot as the GS Ernest brushes up his faded Eng- on-board dictionary: ‘Car for Sale…’ rises to running height, and the lish by reading the wrapper… • ‘Pub grub next right’ Susie, calling up her reserves of warning lights on the uncom- Traditional Cornish pastie. De- • ‘Cones hotline’ professionalism, manages to sub- SSusieusie llovesoves llivingiving promisingly gallic dash extinguish licious hot or cold. Yet others enrich their culi- due her amusement, and make a iinn hherer NNeo-Tudoreo-Tudor one by one. Louis remembers He is pleased to have another nary awareness: second sale in the ‘Cars for Sale’ ffourour bedroom,bedroom, his fi rst reaction to that dash typical ‘plat anglais’ on their sec- • ‘Simon’s sitdown snax ~ ba- section to meet the deadline. ttwowo enen suitesuite ex-ex- when Giscard d’Estaing ran for eecutivecutive ddetachedetached ond day. con egg sausage triple decker An hour later she is unpacking president. Giscard’s intent to run belly buster only £I.99’ aluminium containers of multi- hhouseouse asas muchmuch Dictionary Definitions aass sshehe ddoesoes thethe again in ’95 makes Louis recall The GS whistles on, rock As they speed through the coloured Chinese food into her that LVA headline: evening, their powerful yellow and her hubby’s Royal Doul- RRoyaloyal Doulton.Doulton. steady at motorway speeds, TThehe ooriginalriginal … ‘il n’y a de nouveau que ce braking smoothly and powerfully headlamps turning the blue mo- ton in the recently-added con- qui a été oublié’… servatory of their Neo-Tudor, iimagemage ccanan bbee at the frequent roadworks. Lou- torway signs green, the car they The glovebox contains the seek very nearly escapes them. four bedroom, two-ensuite, ex- ffoundound atat hhttps://ttps:// is stirs the long, vague gearstick handbook whose illustrations In fact, they would never have ecutive detached. Another dou- ccdn-0.enaca-dn-0.enaca- and accelerates through the and instructions demystify the seen it if Susie Morgan hadn’t ble-income, childless evening of ddemic.com/pic-emic.com/pic- gears, the engine turbine-like, complex yet rugged mechanicals. taken the Births announcement satellite quiz shows stretches be- ttures/enwiki/66/ures/enwiki/66/ the large fi gures of the speed- He fl icks through it for the fi rst two minutes before publication fore them. A Volvo and a Xantia BBuilder%27s_tu-uilder%27s_tu- ometer rotating through differ- ddorbethan2.jpgorbethan2.jpg time in twenty years, and appre- ent illuminated colours. deadline… England’s Last Hope in the drive- They express surprise at the Susie is polishing her fi nger- way, them on the powder- sheer number of non-British, nails at the telesales desk, won- dering aloud to Debbie on the pink dralon next headset what to micro- lounge suite. wave for tonight’s tea, or wheth- Such com- er to have a Balti takeaway, or a fort is denied Cantonese from that new place the GS occu- on the corner, and whether the pants who, af- shoe shop would exchange the ter checking SSomeome UUKK rroadoad thigh-length boots she’d changed out a ‘budget’ ssignsigns ccontinueontinue ttoo her mind about since lunchtime, hotel, opted iintriguentrigue mmotor-otor- when her console catches an in- for a second iists.sts. coming ad. night in the 6622 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6633 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… ciates GS design in a fresh, early- ry Club cheque presentations. bers the set of four wings he ates. On the passenger seat is a morning manner which makes Page 33 contains the grain of kept when myopic Sister Thé- magazine he’d found under the him feel that today their luck gold they seek. rèse had driven the Nunmobile spare wheel in the 2CV’s boot. would change. Citroën CV6. Good condition. into the river at Les Essarts, and ‘Car of the Year ~ 1970’ It Is Only New What Has No MoT… a deal was struck. Shouts the front cover in Been Forgotten Wayne’s Wheels Floating Chip-Shop Cabaret beige, mustard and dull orange They discover the beauty On the other side of town is By the evening, the GS and AAnothernother decep-decep- curves. of the countryside which lies the Vert Bamboo I976 model. It the 2CV are back on the ferry. ttiveive iimage.mage. NNo,o, Louis had started to read it on just minutes from the scream- looks none too promising. Every A different company this time, tthishis iiss nnotot WWayneayne the ferry, struggling through LJK ing muddle of the main roads. wing is dented, the wheels are a boat past its best. The air car- aandnd TTraceyracey een-n- Setright’s technicalities. The su- People are friendly and less ar- grubby, and the cheap, replace- ries overtones of vinegary chips, jjoyingoying ttheirheir 2CCVV. perlatives refl ected a time when tifi cial away from the confi nes ment red-striped roof is hardly stale tobacco and diesel fumes. IItt isis aann imageimage Citroën had been years ahead and cliché of the road system. fl attering. TheGS pulls up behind They are relieved the crossing ffromrom CCitroënitroën UUKK’’ss of other manufacturers: A village tea shop makes them it. Louis and Ernest look at one to Cherbourg is short, particu- II978978 2CCVV aandnd ‘…It is natural that a car should welcome with toasted tea cakes, another, then at the car… larly since the unoffi cial ‘cabaret’ DDyaneyane bbrochure.rochure. roll when cornering, natural that conversation and good coffee. TThishis BBambooamboo Wayne comes down the drive consists of group of inebriated IItt depictsdepicts ‘‘John’John’ it would become unstable when Ernest spots a newsagents, and 2CCVV6 isis fforor salesale in jeans, vest and un-laced Ree- young men who inform Louis of aandnd hhisis uunnamednnamed braked hard on a downhill gra- tthroughhrough TheThe they buy the local ‘paper from a boks, clasping a mug of tea. He the purpose of their trip in two ggirlfriendirlfriend eenjoy-njoy- dient on a slippery and uneven CChevronichevronic CCentreentre chirpy lady who smiles from be- has just received his redundan- sentences with which his dic- iingng a ppicnicicnic surface, natural that it should iinn tthehe UUKK. IItt hind stacks of newspapers, each cy money, and takes delivery of tionary has diffi culty: wwithith ttheirheir VVertert sink under a heavy load, bounce ccouldould bbee yoursyours the new Proton that afternoon. ‘It’s a booze cruise. And Nigel’s BBambooamboo 2CCVV. TThehe on bumps, pitch on stopping of which appears to be devoted fforor justjust underunder to reporting the minutiæ of Roy- He lights up the fi rst Embas- stag night’. iimagemage iiss ffromrom and starting, create audible dis- ££7,000!7,000! CheckCheck Coast- tthehe EEditor’sditor’s ccol-ol- turbance when travelling at high al affairs. sy of the day, coughs, and tells iitt ooutut atat wwww.ww. them the history of the car. Lou- ing down the llection.ection. speed. All this may appear com- The local newspaper is a mish- cchevronics.co.uk/hevronics.co.uk/ is understands snatches of this ramp, the monplace in our everyday mash of Special Offers, tab- ccitroen-2cv-bam-itroen-2cv-bam- as he smiles and nods. Wayne contented driving, but the loid headlines and family album bboo-0-6-petrol-oo-0-6-petrol- asks them into the little terrace and culture- GS photos of local fêtes and Rota- vvert-bambouert-bambou house for a cup of tea, and takes shocked re- out the photo album, supple- pair return sists menting the car’s history with the 2CV to the grainy, round-cornered mid-‘70s its native com- prints of the 2CV and his fl air- France. mon- trousered brother who had Ernest place. bought it new, keeping it in pris- grins, ‘There tine condition until passing it to chang- is some- him six years previously. es thing ‘I customised it a bit…’ gear special Close inspection proves the with- that shines green machine is rust-free. There out diffi culty, through the are no dents in the doors, and and fl ashes Louis to get a whole de- the interior is spotless. Mechani- move on. The GS ‘Break’ gives a sign. I am not cally it is perfect. Louis remem- fl at-four rasp as Louis acceler- sure whether 6644 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6655 PProphecyrophecy FulfilledFulfilled… to describe it as confi dence in what distinguish the Citroën GS. Snippets of CAR magazine’s tives. In fact, each new Citroën themselves or utter contempt It has other virtues of a com- appreciation of the I970 vehicle has proved to be an outstanding for everyone else, but in either moner kind, but these special which beat the Range Rover and success and the GS will not be case Citroën are probably right. ones are what have made it a SM to be Car of the Year would the one to break this run of tri- Look at what everybody else is TThehe covercover ooff compulsive choice and a com- challenge the mechanic’s Eng- umphs. It is complicated as only doing in the small-to-medium car tthathat editionedition ooff pelling success.’ lish of the rest of the summer. a Citroën can be, yet it has been market: either they are churning ‘‘Car’Car’ mmagazine.agazine. The GS becomes, de facto, a He would like best the editorial designed with longevity very out hoary old triple-box shapes TThishis iimagemage wwasas classic. Louis remembered the summary. Twenty-fi ve years on, much in mind. The ability to rec- that are either wastefully styled kkindlyindly providedprovided sheer brilliance and clarity of CAR magazine’s prophecy is ful- oncile two such seemingly op- in the American fashion [for bbyy ShaunShaun LLilleyilley GS design, its power unit poised fi lled. posite requirements is just one swank] or left aggressively recti- ooff CitroënCitroën UUKK forward of the front wheels. ‘Giant Test… aspect of Citroën’s undoubted linear [for thrift]. So along come ffromrom hishis pperson-erson- When he would Never has a car been so and long-standing design and Citroën with their GS, which has aall ccollectionollection arrive home, he uniquely and completely quali- engineering prowess. a superbly airfl owed shape of- resolved to fi sh fi ed for our Car of the Year ti- ‘…Indeed the GS could rate fering roughly half the out Citroën’s tle as the Citroën GS ~ the four- as car of the decade. Every as- wind re- own I973 door saloon launched in August pect of its design and behaviour ‘Déscrip- sist- last year to fi ll the abyss be- demands superlatives. Perfor- tion Tech- ance tween the Ami 8 and the D. It mance, handling, braking, com- of the nique’ book is new from end to end but that fort, safety, space utilisation and typical from his alone is not qualifi cation enough; accommodation are all at least mod- archives. what counts most is that the GS as good as those of the oppo- ern There is so clearly a milestone in auto- sition, and on most counts the wheeled was a motive engineering, for it brings GS exceeds any rival in every box, as cuta- into the mundane world of the respect. But the really astonish- much inte- way on small family saloon a degree of rior space page sophistication [to say nothing of ing thing is that such a technically for passen- 4… complication at times] of design advanced car can be produced gers and lug- seldom found among the au- at such a low price.’ gage, look- tomotive ranks. That it does so With some leisurely reading ing quite large at a price that makes it strictly in prospect, Louis looks in his and yet prov- competitive with its lowly, often mirror and sees with detach- ing to be six crude rivals is little short of a ment the green 2CV chasing his inches shorter late-model miracle. youthful, re-discovered GS ser- than a Cortina. ‘This feeling that everyone is vice van past the customs post. ‘…Safety engi- out of step except Citroën has The driver of the GS is repeating neering and sys- buoyed the fi rm up since pre- mantra-like, in an attempt to im- tems engineering war days when even the stout- prove his English pronunciation” of high probity and est hearts must have fl uttered ‘It Is Only New What Has low price, together occasionally during develop- Been Forgotten’ with a reaffi rmation ment of the I5 series, again with ‘It Is Only New What Has of the value of aer- the D and in more recent times Been Forgotten’ odynamic study, are with the 2CV and its deriva- Alan Brown 6666 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6677 RRecentecent RecreationsRecreations Unfortunately not all the GSs the day was the GZ on the ba- the deletion of the ammeter he last event for 2020 for were able to stay for the full sis of today’s retention numbers, and the addition of a number both CCOCA and CCCV event but we did get a total of I think the rarest car was Dave of additional warning lights. It is Twas the 50th Anniversary GS/A six G-Series cars. There were Rogers’ very early UK-delivery not clear exactly when the new run to Healesville. The run was three GSs, including a Break and GSA. GSA dash was introduced into UK organised by CCCV-member a Pallas, two GSAs and a GZ [aka For the fi rst model year [from the . After our run Dave kindly pro- Michael Sparke and was attend- GS Birotor]. September I979] UK cars were vided me some more informa- ed by a fair smattering of mem- While at the time of manufac- fi tted with an adapted GS dash- tion about his car. [I hasten to bers of both Clubs. ture the rarest car present on board. The adaptations included warn readers that the following FFromrom leftleft toto right:right: LeighLeigh MMiles’iles’ aandnd information is of interest only to PPhiliphilip NNorman’sorman’s GGZZ, AAdriandrian SSmiths’miths’ ssilverilver the same group of ‘nerds’ who GGSS PPallas,allas, ‘‘Pottsy’sPottsy’s wwhitehite GGSS aandnd MarkMark relished the line drawings of the BBrowne’srowne’s bbeigeeige GGSS BBreak.reak. Méhari which appeared earlier in this edition. Ed.] While Dave does not have any production fi gures by year and export market, he questioned Mark Stabèl, the author of the excellent GS and GSA book. The CCOCA Club library now holds a copy of this book and a review of it by Librarian Max Lewis can be found in this magazine. Anyway, Mark replied that fac- tory fi gures had been lost and A ssimilar,imilar, bbutut nnotot qquiteuite tthehe ssame,ame, lline-ine- in the interests of accuracy he uup.p. PPottsyottsy llefteft eearlyarly bbutut tthehe rresultingesulting decided not to include any de- ggapap wwasas fi llledled b byy CCCCVCCV PPresidentresident PPetereter tailed engine number produc- aandnd KKateate MMoloney’soloney’s beigebeige GGSASA. tion fi gures. But what Dave does have are some observations by G--SeriesSeries ccarsars wwereere nnotot tthehe oonlynly air-cooledair-cooled representatives.representatives. TThehe one of the book’s contributors, bbluelue aandnd wwhitehite 2CCVV wwasas drivendriven bbyy PPetereter aandnd MMaryary LLynchynch wwhilehile TTeded aandnd HHelenelen CCrossross werewere therethere inin theirtheir 2CCVV aass well.well. a very knowledgeable Dutch- man by the name of Aarnout Pluijgers and he told Dave that the earliest engine plate that he has seen is GXYL00 00YL 0654 from a French GSA that has now been scrapped. Aarnout owns the oldest remaining GSA in The Netherlands: GXYL00 01YL 5859. Dave’s car is GXYL00 6688 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 6699 RRecentecent RecreationsRecreations manual cars. And indeed, your editor’s C- Matic Pallas is GXYR00 01YR 9340, with an ORGA of 2160. Build date: 8 October, I982 and fi rst registered I7 March, I983. All in all, not just a great day out, but an amazing start to a great learning experience! Leigh F Miles ~ Editor TThehe ddashboardashboard ofof DaveDave Roger’sRoger’s GGSASA aalonglong wwithith tthathat ofof a DanishDanish GGSS fi tttedted wwithith aann aanaloguenalogue dash.dash. TThehe rreductioneduction iinn tthehe ddialsials aandnd tthehe iincreasencrease iinn ‘‘idiot’idiot’ llightsights iiss cclear.lear. NNoteote alsoalso thethe interestinginteresting llocationocation ooff thethe 00YL 8107, apparently having EAARLYRLY GGSASA CHHASSISASSIS NNUMBERSUMBERS records for the GS/A have been hhazardazard wwarningarning llightight sswitchwitch oonn tthehe DDan-an- 00 before the second YL makes [[AALLLL SSTARTTART WWITHITH GGXYLXYL 0000 00]00] lost, so we cannot, without the iishsh eexample.xample. Dave’s car older than Aarnout’s CAARR CHHASSISASSIS FIIRSTRST REEGG DAATETE RP/ORGA number put a date of so it’s defi nitely in the fi rst year LOOCATIONCATION [iiff kknownnown] production to Dave’s car. But for of RHD production vehicles ie UUKK YYLL 55866866 6 Feb,Feb, ‘80‘80 UK cars we do have the date of I979. UUKK YYLL 55957957 22II Jan,Jan, ‘80‘80 fi rst registration. The table [left] We have since done some UUKK YYLL 66454454 II33 Feb,Feb, ‘80‘80 shows what the UK list reveals, more hunting in conjunction UUKK YYLL 77795795 5 Jan,Jan, ‘‘8080 with Dave’s chassis number in- cluded. You will note that the last with the GS-Register in the UK. AAUU YYLL 88I07I07 NN/A/A car listed uses the letters GL, not Unfortunately the production UUKK GGLL 99849849 I Mar,Mar, ‘‘8080 YL. The factory used the letters DDaveave RRogers’ogers’ eearlyarly UUKK GGSASA: nnowow thethe GL to distinguish X3 sporting ssubjectubject ooff iintensiventensive rresearch.esearch. models. Similarly they used YR to distinguish C-Matic cars from 7700 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7711 YYouou SedSed Thank you once again centenaries coming up, or history. Reading some of for the latest edition of just passed in the case of what is available might ‘Front Drive’. [Volume the fi rst sales of Citroën. also provide pointers to 44, No 04] Of course as In 2023, we should cel- them about actually ‘mar- the owner of a ‘rear-drive’ ebrate the centenary of keting’ the brand! Some Citroën, I have to read it a Citroën 5CV [Phipps of the changes to the es- from ‘back-to-front’! and Seery] becoming tablished dealer network In doing so, I came across the smallest vehicle to that enjoyed tremendous [p78] reference to ‘Bill travel across the country sales in the mid-’20s, like Forrest’ and his ‘round [Fremantle-Sydney- dropping Maughan Thiem Australia’ efforts. Bill For- Fremantle] and of course [SA] and Gilberts [WA] rest, driving for Maughan 2025, the efforts of West- appear to coincide with Thiem did compete in a wood/Davies in another two things. One, is com- South Australian reliabil- Citroën 5CV should be mencing to market the ity trial. The fellows who celebrated. Clearly, these now ‘Slough-built’ cars undertook the ‘round efforts and those of ‘Reli- as ‘British Citroëns’ and Australia’ drive in a 5CV ability Trials’ such as For- two, a decline in sales between August and rest drove in, put Citroën performance. Earlier, end-December [Perth keenly on the map and in Preston Motors here in to Perth] were Neville the minds of people for Melbourne, in one month Westwood and Greg decades to come, paving alone sold 300 Citroëns!! Davies. Davies actually left an easier path for suc- ~ half of the nation’s sales Westwood at Albury, the cessive models of ‘Front for the month. Oh that fi nal run across the south Drive’ vehicles. today’s masters could of the country being It is to be hoped that achieve this in a year! completed by Westwood Citroën Australia and Garth Foxwell on his own. PSA might do some use- Yes there are important ful homework about this BBookook ReviewReview CCitroënitroën GGSS & GGSASA: Citroën’sCitroën’s push to have this published in Eng- aavantvant gardegarde mid-rangemid-range carscars lish and here you are. Hello readers and library users. Effectively it is a second edition This book as you can see by its so I assume that some wrinkles cover was written by a Dutch- from the fi rst edition have been man… Marc Stabèl and was fi rst ironed out. published in Dutch by Citrovisie of The translation was done by Ju- Holland. lian Marsh and you know folks, it is There must have been some so expertly done, there’s no hint 7722 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7733 BBookook ReviewReview of it being fi rstly a Dutch language did model but about the authors several European car tests. book. skill in squeezing out every drop So we are still fl ying high. around the world lured many a But then of course that is the of interest in describing the birth, A section named Production good runner to the crusher. mark of a professional. life and continued success of the and Assembly to me was a gem as, Small compensation was paid I do have a very minor whinge GS/GSA as you know I have a metals back- but basically it was an exercise to with translation of a technical bent The book starts off with the or- ground and I was really intrigued get car owners to buy new mod- but that it is not worth mention- igin of the GS and what interesting with the manifold ways in which els… a sort of a stimulus to in- ing here. reading it is as Marc explores and materials came together to form dustry. Firstly and I guess as it is just my relates the goings on at Citroën a shape of beauty. During the head scratchings to opinion that the format is more when this car fi rst came up as a The rest of the book is then di- get this review to you, I took the landscape than that the other way thought bubble. vided into each year that the car opportunity to view a car in the around. Not everyone at Citroën was a was manufactured. fl esh so to speak. Already it is off to a fl ying start. What I most love and admire 100% supporter and those who I needed to caress the metal to But what do you say?… don’t with the weren’t are as much described as get my neurons working and back judge a book by its cover… well GS is the simplicity of the an infi del or worse a philistine… into gear. this one you can and as I opened lines of the body with that semi GSA Pallas saloon in the in the nicest possible way. rear wheel blanking [for want of a A page by page, I was still My words and not that proud ownership of our editor… and to the end better word]. Leigh Miles. of the author you must The clean lines continued with mightily im- OK, back to the book… each understand. the model for many years until pressed. year has a detailed exposure of all These naysay- they started to embellish the bod- I could ers quickly fell that went in each year’s change. rabbit on ywork with one thing or another. by the way Well folks… talk about start- It makes fascinating reading al- about the car as the car though like a rich chocolate cake itself but this is ing off with a perfect car initially emerged only to become a chameleon of I had to ration myself. not just about from thought The book is 276pp and has a this splen- change… and that is without los- to paper to clay models to ing the essence of the original. hard cover in the modern style… prototypes. In 1980 the ie no dust jacket. This section is as full of illus- GS morphed into It is in the library as the newest trations as you would want and the GSA and here was a facelift addition and will be available for mostly in colour. with mechanical tweaks that for a borrowing shortly. It must have been tempting to GSA collector owner was the key Watch that space have all the illustrations occupy- to their personal heaven. mes ami. ing all the space of a page but this A lot of plastic bits adorned the Anyone who would rather pur- would have made the book huge interior and exterior again with- chase this book rather than bor- and cumbersome. out detracting too much from the row… please let me know as As it is, the selection and por- original pristine shape. there is already a shipment com- trayal are truly artistic as well as The mechanical tweaks rem- ing from the publisher and I can being full of captivating detail. edied the odd nuisance and en- add your order to it, if you are Presentation of the car to the sured a long life. quick!. world as you know netted the By the 1990s though thou- I have a personal copy which I Best Car of the Year award and as sands of this model along with shall treasure for years to come. well the other Citroëns were destined for Max Lewis ~ CCOCA Librarian the scrap heap as governments GS came out on top of and amateur scribe 7744 AAustralia’su s t r a l i a ’ s NationalN a t i o n a l MagazineM a g a z i n e forf o r CCitroëni t r o ë n OOwnersw n e r s anda n d EnthusiastsE n t h u s i a s t s 7755 FForor SaleSale UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED ALL PRICES 1958 Berini Moped Bicycle SHOWN EXCLUDE RELEVANT GOVERNMENT 28” Malvern Star gent’s bicycle with original green pin- TAXES AND CHARGES. stripe paint. Has 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub gears. Bought for £15 in Feb I958, it is fi tted with a 32cc 1990 BX GTi 16-Valve Dutch Berini M-I3 2-stroke motor that drives onto Rust free body with very good cloth interior. front tyre. Back-pedal brake. Good tyres. Mudguards & Mechanically sound with strong motor and smooth rear packrack. Rare machine. Family heirloom. Owners 5-speed manual transmission. All electrics work. handbook and magazine articles. Goes well. Good [windows and roof] Suspension is very good with condition. No reg’n required. [Some parts still available no problems evident. Repaired f/g crack in left front ~ see Berini website. Nearest agent is in Rotterdam] bumper with accompanying small dent in guard. $2,000. Contact: Warwick Spinaze, Tootgarook, Vic. Small hole in passenger seat cloth. Paint faded on 0407 016 719 [44/3] bonnet and roof. Maintained by French specialist mechanic. Timing belt changed within last 1,000kms. 11971 Citroën DS 21 On club rego [Vic 1283-H3, which is not transferable, Very extensive restoration carried out. New paint, VF7XBFC0001FC1421]. $4,000. Contact: Richard Ward, upholstery, carpets, roof lining, exhaust system, electrics, 0407 316 060 or [email protected] dashboard, and all mechanicals. Drives superbly, and is [F44/05] close to a new vehicle. More photos and refurbishment invoices over the last 4 years available on request. WA 1964 DS19 BVH Motor & Gearbox Reg: IGNY 024, $43,000 Stuart Pekin ~ Perth 0404 23I Still mounted in a rolling front section of the original 7I2 [44/0I] car that was wrecked many years ago because of rust. All hydraulic components, gear change, pump, brain, Citroën 2CV drive shafts, wheels, radiator etc still in position. The I986, 60K kms. Recent import from UK ~ fl eeing front was cut at the A-pillar and includes the fi re wall Brexit!! Was to be used as a Company Rep’s car, forward and has been stored in a dry shed. Can easily but things have changed. Car is in very good overall be loaded for transport as it is a rolling unit. This is condition, but needs some minor tidying up and a rare opportunity to purchase a complete assembly cleaning to be really Great! Full set of new Michelin not dismantled. Price $2,000. For more details please tyres. I put the car through Licensing some 6 months contact Peter Huth anytime on 04I9 649 499 or Email: ago for my client, with no issues. WA Reg: IGUG [email protected] [D01/03] 262, $22,000. Stuart Pekin ~ Perth 04 0423 I7I2 [44/0I] ID 19 Andrew Johnson has an ID I9 for sale • Aussie-built [C&G Series 6I03. Pleasingly, the engine No matches too!] • Whole [save for spare wheel/door card and a broken rear indicator lens.] Would like it to go to someone genuinely interested in such vehicle who will do something with it. Floor is stuffed and to some fair extent the side rails of frame. For an enthusiastic talent, it is worth the look. Garth Foxwell has some 30 photos if someone wants to see, otherwise the fellow’s details are: Andrew Johnson, Ph: 0432 539 992 and asking $1,500. If anyone calls him, don’t rely on leaving message and being heard and do reference the Car Club ad! Garth Foxwell 0427 971 488 [D01/02] CITROËN CLASSIC OWNERS CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Australia’s National Citroën Car Club