e for Owners and Enthusiasts 1 démarreur

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

October 2020 Vol 1 No 2 and the Tour de 2 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 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] Note new The address of the Club and this [email protected] [email protected] email address PREZ SEZ PAGE 5 magazine is: Secretary ~ Tim Cottrell Membership Secretary ~ YOU SED 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] A-TRACTIONS PAGE 8 www.citroenclassic.org.au Treasurer ~ Ian Macdermott [email protected] Citroën Classic Owners’ Club of 04I9 362 375 [M] Asset Custodians ~ Ted Cross CIT-IN 202I BENDIGO Australia Inc. is a member of the [email protected] Max Lewis PAGE I0 Association of Motoring Clubs. Activity Coordinator ~ Lee Dennes AOMC Liaison Offi cers ~ The views expressed in this publication 0438 286 I8I [M] Max Lewis [03] 9372 092I [H] POST CIT-IN TOUR PAGE I2 [email protected] Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] are not necessarily those of CCOCA 2CV WORLD MEETING 202I or its Committee. Neither CCOCA Spare Parts Offi cer~ Lance Wearne Club Permit & Safety Offi cers~ nor its Committee can accept any 0424 054 724 [M] Russell Wade [03] 9570 3486 [H] PAGE I6 [email protected] Philip Rogers [03] 5944 309I [H] responsibility for any mechanical CITROËN & LE TOUR DE advice printed in, or adopted from this Publication Editor ~ Leigh Miles Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] publication. [03] 9888 7506 [H] Librarian ~ Max Lewis FRANCE PAGE I8 [email protected] [03] 9372 092I [H] The Club cannot accept any LE COQ SPORTIF PAGE 38 responsibility for, or involvement in, Committee Persons ~ [email protected] any business relationship that may Robert Belcourt [03] 9885 4376 [H] Club Shop ~ Kay Belcourt AN EYE FOR DETAIL PAGE 39 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] LE CAMION CITROËN Bruce Stringer 04I2 342 706 [M] ICCCR Representative ~ PAGE 42 Ted Cross [03] 98I9 2208 [H] LEGISLATION, REGISTRATION, LLifeife MembersMembers MMembershipembership CCoverover ImageImage ADMINISTRATION PAGE 50 The committee awards life Annual Membership is $35. The cover image is taken from the SELLING THE FAMILY JEWELS? membership to Club members in website www.en.typeh.eu/ where you recognition of their contribution specify and order your brand new PAGE 54 to, and support of, the Club. Life Type H van.. CLASSIFIED ADS PAGE 65 memberships have been awarded to: Sue Bryant 20I7 Brian Wade 20I7 MMeetingseetings Rob Little 20I2 Club meetings are held on the fourth DDeadlineeadline Ted Cross 20I2 Wednesday of every month [except The deadline for the next edition of CContributorsontributors Peter Boyle 2003 December] at 7:30pm. The venue ‘démarruer’ is Monday, December I4, Contributors to this edition of Jack Weaver I99I is the Frog Hollow Reserve Rooms, 2020. The deadline for the next ‘Front ‘Front Drive’ include Alan Brown and Nance Clark I984 Fordham Ave., Camberwell. Drive’ is Monday, November I6. Andrew Cox.

CCitroëningitroëning Club Permit applications to New Permit holders must Club permit renewals can be FOR SPARE PARTS & TOOLS CLUB SHOP OTHER CLUBS VicRoads must be accompanied supply the Club with sent to PO Box 52 Balwyn, Contact Lance Wearne. For Citroën models, VIC www.citcarclubvic.org.au by a RWC [pre I949 can approved photos, club permit Victoria. 3I03 with a stamped Phone: 0424 054 724 [if memorabilia and other items NSWwww.citroencarclub.org.au be inspected by a Club Safety number and expiry date. return envelope or signed your do phone, please do contact Kay Belcourt at QLD www.citroenclubqld.org Offi cer], ownership validation at club meetings/events if so at a reasonable hour] or [email protected] SA www.clubcitroensa.com and VicRoads forms endorsed the appropriate offi cers are [email protected]. WA www.citroenwa.org.au by the club including fi nancial present. au TAS www.citroentas.org validation. 4 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 5 EEdd SedSed PPrezrez SSezez We were watching a little TV Citroën in Australia. o, it is not ‘Front Drive’, it the other evening… and right s you know the club has I recently wrote to you all is ‘démarreur’. ‘Starter’ in now we, in common with many been prevented from run- about the coming changes to French.N We put our toes in the others, are watching a good Aning normal events. the running of CCOCA, which water a couple of months ago deal more TV than we used to In Melbourne we have been has largely been prompted by when we sent out what was de- and a promotion for the Tour limited to ‘stay at home within a restrictions we have all faced scribed as a ‘supplementary’ edi- de France appeared. Needless 5kilometre perimeter’, but there throughout Australia. Ian Mac- tion of ‘Front Drive’. We saw this to say the fact that the vehicle have been some benefi ts as well. dermott has also followed up as a way of providing you with sponsor of this very French of Getting back to basics and - with a letter seeking your pref- something a little extra during sporting events is Skoda was not ing after family and friends have erence for a hard [paper] copy these diffi cult times. just a shock, it was a disappoint- been a priority. Leigh has been of the magazine, or to continue I have decided to continue the ment. I remembered that in the giving you bonus electronic mag- with the electronic format. The idea. But to ensure there’s no past Citroën has had a very close azines, and here is another one. choice is yours, but please let Ian confusion between the editions relationship with sport in general We will continue to trial know as soon as possible. These of ‘Front Drive’, which a per- and cycling in particular. monthly Zoom club meetings. changes are proposed to start centage of you have elected to Of course the brand has en- Last month we had club mem- rolling out from November I, continue to receive in hard copy joyed a long, and very success- bers join us from South Austral- 2020. The overall effect of these form, and these soft copy only ful association with rallying, but ia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South changes will return unspent extra magazines, there is a new I am excluding that fi eld. Tomes Wales, Queensland and the UK. membership fees to the mem- and tomes have been written title ‘démarreur’. It was great, and I would love to bers in the short term and will ~ over the decades. If you want to Don’t worry, there will still be speak to more people at our Oc- rationalise our range of ongoing know more about Citroën’s ral- six hard copies of ‘Front Drive’ tober meeting. services and fees. lying history, contact the Club’s posted out. ‘démarreur’ is addi- When most people think of CIT-IN in 202I at Bendigo is still new Librarian [Max Lewis] and Citroën as a marque, they usu- on track. We have early registra- tional. see what he has on the shelves. Whether you get ‘Front Drive’ ally think of the signature models tions in place, and our recom- But, it is not just the direct like Traction, DS, SM and 2CV, but mended accommodation already by post or email, you will also re- sponsorship link that came to ceive ‘démarreur’ if we have your Citroën is much more in . has 65 people booked in. You do mind. Over the years in the pag- It is imbedded in the French cul- correct email address. Continued on page 7 es of ‘Front Drive’ I have seen [in- ture, beginning with street signs deed I have probably published] donated by Andre Citroën in images of Yvette Horner. the 1920s, Citroën taxis, the Eif- Her association with the Tour fel Tower publicity, and of course began in I952 when the Calor a vast range of Citroën com- company, sponsor of the Tour de mercial vehicles. For many years France, offered her the opportu- Citroën was synonymous with nity to join the race, launching her the Tour de France as the offi - career. She played on a podium cial support vehicles. There are at the fi nish of each stage. Wear- many examples here in Austral- ing a sombrero and perched on ia as well, if we count the Cami- the roof of a Traction Avant dec- ons and Camionettes that were Continued on page 6 imported since the early days of 6 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 7 EEdd SedSed PPrezrez SSezez Continued from page 4 around the Tour de France for Continued from page 5 larly wish to see many CCOCA orated in the Suze brand colours decades. And that is the prime not need to pay for accommo- and CCCV members supporting of yellow and black, serenaded focus of this Supplement edition. dation until a week before the our own national event. onlookers. She repeated this in I hope you enjoy this little de- event, but you do need to regis- Please do consider joining the following years, accompany- tour into an off-beat part of our ter very soon if you want the dis- us afterwards for the post CIT- ing the Tour de France a total of brand’s history. counted early bird fee. There will IN tour, which has been organ- eleven times, from I952 to I963. Perhaps a little more ‘serious’ be a generous refund policy soon, ised by Brian James. This tour Suze is a Swiss bitter aperitif now and certainly less commonly fea- and we are confi dent that the will showcase fantastic parts of owned by Pernod-Ricard. tured in Citroën publications is event will take place. See details Southern Victoria, and Helen and But that brought me to the the marques oft-forgotten his- elsewhere in this magazine. If we I are personally looking forward other side of sponsorship. Cit- tory in trucking. My predecessor, need to limit numbers attending, to attending. It will be great to be roën had no relationship with Russell, touched on the subject in closer to the event we plan to on the road again in our Citroën Suze, but Suze recognised the Volume 43, No 05 when he fo- give priority to the people who of choice. quintessential Frenchness of not cussed on Citroën’s diesel herit- have booked early. We particu- Cheers, just the Citroën brand but the age. But, here we really do some Ted ~ President Traction Avant: Yvette could not serious digging! be seen atop anything BUT the Did you know that it was once Traction Avant! [Actually, I have possible to buy a hydro-pneu- since discovered that in I952 she matically suspended, hydro-pneu- was atop a !] matically braked ? I certainly Citroën bodies underpinned didn’t. promotional vehicles used Enjoy Leigh F Miles ~ Editor

world shattering but different. draulic sophistication and again YYouou SedSed The Traction could handle, it took the world by storm and In the last ‘bonus’ edition I der the beauty of their style, a drive over rough roads like no turned upside down the dowdy wrote about style and design. great leap forward in engineering other and all with front wheel horse and cart opposition. That prompted club member excellence. drive. This was all wrapped up in a Max Lewis to write… This is the true value of the An incredibly safe car for its style that will remain, as it was at A good article Leigh. three. … head and shoulders its introduction, a timeless, time- above the others. less iconic beauty. Style to me is say Art Deco The outside metal, the style of The 2CV: while its style is one A very successful marriage of and the designs are too numer- the bodywork is really no more than a titillating vision. only a mother could love, its me- style and design. ous to list but Lalique glassware chanics were a tour de force. Of the three, the D would be The Traction introduced many would encapsulate it. From a sophisticated tiny engine the gold medallist but would be new features from the mid ‘30s The real beauty of the three on a light body a whole new idea sharing that position on the win- which were world beating but iconic Citroëns… the Traction, of motoring was born… after all ners podium with her kith and the 2CV and the D family is not her style, while not diminishing Citroën made millions of them. kin. the style as much as the design. from its overall success, was not The D family again was a mas- Regards, Each of these models had, un- Continued on page 7 sive foray into mechanical/hy- Max Lewis 8 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 9 AA-Tractions-Tractions All information below is based Please note: As a result of the uncertainty surrounding future restrictions due to Covid-19 on current COVID-I9 restric- please check the Club’s website for the latest information or contact the tions. You will be notifi ed of any organiser prior to travelling to any event that may be listed. updates accordingly. The Club rooms will NOT be accessible due to restrictions on On Wednesday, Tim Cottrell will WHEN Sunday, I3 December social distancing. • OCTOBER email you a link to the Zoom TIME: I2:00pm • Bookings for this event are October Club Meeting: meeting space. So grab a refresh- WHERE: Frog Hollow essential, due to attendance Zoom Informal Meeting ment, maybe your latest Citroën Reserve, Fordham Ave., numbers being limited by the WHEN: Wednesday, model, book or story to share Camberwell. 28 October Covid restrictions. and chat with CCOCA members COST: Free TIME: 7:30pm • You will be required to provide all across the country. BOOKINGS: Essential by Monday, WHERE: A computer screen 7 December [see notes below] a phone number, and email address for each participant near you BRING: Everything for a picnic/ ECEMBER when making a booking. After the success of our Zoom • D BBQ • You can register by email to meeting in September we will do A Very CCOCA Christmas CONTACT: Lee Dennes, it all again in October. BBQ 04 3828 6I8I [email protected] with the subject: CCOCA BBQ. Note that the meeting time has [email protected] reverted to the ‘normal’ club meeting time of 7:30pm, AEST. We hope that this is little more convenient for members in other time zones than the previous Chit Chat Tuesday WHEN: Ist Tuesday 6:30pm start. 3 November On Wednesday afternoon Tim I December Cottrell will email you a link to TIME: I0:30am the Zoom meeting space. So grab WHERE: Provedore Café, a refreshment, maybe your latest McCrae Citroën model, book or story COST: Cheap Eats to share and chat with CCOCA BOOKING: Not required members all across the country CONTACT: Warwick and indeed internationally. ~ Spinaze OVEMBER 04 070I 67I9. • N Provedore Café, McCrae Plaza, November Club Meeting: cnr Lonsdale St & Pt Nepean Zoom Informal Meeting Rd, McCrae Easy to fi nd, plenty WHEN: Wednesday, of parking, under-cover seating 25 November if weather wet. This is a low key TIME: 7:30pm ‘DIY’ event for like minded Cit- WHERE: A computer screen roën owners to meet and chat. near you 10 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 11

BENDIGO IS PART OF VICTORIA’S Saturday 3 April [01.11.20 - 31.10.21] $275 HISTORIC GOLDFIELDS REGION AND IS A TOURIST DESTINATION. THERE WILL BE • Show & Shine, Bendigo Just in Time PLENTY FOR ALL TO SEE AND DO INCLUDING Festival, catered lunch at the [01.11.21 - 20.02.21] $290 HISTORIC TRAMS, CHINESE INFLUENCES, festival. Age 5 - 18yrs 50% THE POPULAR BENDIGO FESTIVAL • Spit-roast dinner with country Information and application AND THE CHINESE DRAGON PARADE. theme. forms WHILE CIT-IN WILL BE CENTRED IN BENDIGO, Sunday 4 April www.citcarclub.org.au AS PART OF THE PROGRAM YOU WILL • Observation run visiting www.citroenclassic.org.au ALSO VISIT SOME WONDERFUL HISTORIC historic towns in the region, • It is important to remember TOWNS IN THE DISTRICT. picnic lunch. this event is co-hosted Distance from Bendigo • Formal dinner at All Seasons by CCCV and CCOCA and • MMelbourneelbourne 115353 kkmm • AAdelaidedelaide 661414 kkmm Resort. by mutual consent and for accounting purposes • CCanberraanberra 662020 kkmm • SSydneyydney 88363 6 kkmm Monday 5 April all payments should be • HobartHobart 88717 1 kkmm • BBrisbanerisbane 11,599,599 • Full buff et breakfast at All Seasons Resort directed through the CCCV • PPertherth 33,316,31 6 kkmm website. There will be more • Farewell information coming soon from Venue CCOCA. All Seasons Resort Bendigo. This will be the fi rst opportunity The National CIT-IN April limited so please get in quickly. www.allseasonsbendigo.com.au to enjoy the fi rst post COVID-19 2021, jointly organised by Book by phone or email only [03] 5442 8I66 cccv and ccoca, will be held and mention CIT-IN to receive national meeting and we Accommodation strongly recommend this in the beautiful country town group rates. If you try to book The resort has excellent of Bendigo. The program and event is supported by all online it could appear booked rooms at competitive application form have now CCOCA memembers. There is a out or higher prices will be rates negotiated for tthehe been posted on the CCOCA Cancellation & Refundppossibilityossibilit y that the event may listed. conference but bookok earlearlyy Website www.citroenclassic. ~ need to be modifi ed Here is a sneak preview of the and mention CIT-IN foror org.au. As you know there It is the organisers’Policy ccloser to April but event program. special rates. Alternativetive will be a rush for holiday intention that wherever wwe are confi dent it accommodation includesudes accommodation when the lock Friday 2 April possible a full refund of wwill be substantially as down restrictions are relaxed • Registration at All Seasons to Big4 Caravan Park the registration fees will be displayed.dis We will keep so you need to book ASAP as Resort, 171 McIvor Highway, about 3kilometres away.way. provided up to 21.02.2021. youyou all informed. our reserved accommodation Bendigo 3pm ~ 6pm. Cost [per person] However, after 21.02.2021 RegardsReg may only be held until the end • Welcome reception including Early Bird [before if you decide to cancel Ted Cross ~ President, of July so please book well in generous supper 6pm ~ 31.12.20] $260260 your registration then your on bbehalf of the CCOCA advance. Accommodation is 10pm. Later bookings refund cancellation fee will comcommitteem be $25.00 per person. Please be further assured that every request outside of these guidelines will be considered on its merits and will be at the discretion of the organisers. 12 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 13

Statue of William PPocooco Gelato;Gelato; thethe some included meals, but no Wallace, Ballarat fi nnestest inin PPortort FairyFairy bookings have been made Botanic Gardens. to date given the COVID-19 situation. If there is a small fee, participants will be advised, and this will be collected as cash in Bendigo. ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES: All entrants are responsible for booking their accommodation and all other expenses. Full details are here. The banks of the BOOKINGS OPEN: Expressions River Moyne, Port of interest will be taken now. Fairy VVolcanicolcanic rrockock ffor-or- mmations,ations, TTowerower HHill,ill, BOOKINGS CLOSE: Again, WWarrnamboolarrnambool COVID-19 has made planning diffi cult but adequate advance POST BENDIGO CIT-IN RUN warning of booking closure will 2021 be provided. WHEN: Monday 5 to • Day 1: Monday, 5 April Thursday 15 April Bendigo to Ballarat 154km WHERE: Central Victoria and A short walking tour around Western District Sovereign Hill, Bendigo prior to departure FROM: Bendigo Ballarat for Ballarat via Maldon, TO: Horsham Castlemaine, Daylesford and VIA: Ballarat, Lorne, Creswick. Warrnambool, Hamilton • Accommodation in Ballarat [2 nights]: Eureka Stockade and Halls Gap TThehe GreatGreat OceanOcean COST: TBA, see below Holiday Park, 104 Stawell St., RRoad,oad, oneone ofof thethe Ballarat BOOKINGS: Expressions of inter- wworld’sorld’s greatestgreatest [03] 5331 2281 est being taken now ddrivingriving eexperiences.xperiences. • Day 2: Tuesday, 6 April CONTACT: Brian James Sovereign Hill, Gold Museum, [03] 9728 5526 Ballarat Gardens etc. 0427 534 014 MMaldonaldon VintageVintage Ma-Ma- cchineryhinery MMuseumuseum • D AY 3: Wednesday, 7 April brianjamesphotography@ Ballarat to Lorne 158km bigpond.com with ‘PostCit-In’ Travel via Inverleigh for lunch. as the subject • Accommodation in Lorne ENTRY FEE: The actual entry fee [2 nights]: Lorne Foreshore is a TBA right now. There may Caravan Park, 2 Ocean Rd., be a small entry fee to cover Lorne 14 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 15

Erskine Falls, Lorne 116km or Lake Fyans Holiday Park, Tower Hill, Port Fairy 650 Mokepilly Road, Lake • Accommodation in Hamilton Fyans 3381 [2 nights]: Lake Hamilton [03] 5356 6230 Motor Village & Caravan stay@lakefyansholidaypark. Park, 8 Ballarat Rd., Hamilton com.au [03] 5572 3855 • Day 10: Wednesday, 14 April [email protected] Halls Gap to Horsham 80km • Day 8: Monday, 12 April Total distance 811 Campes Motor Museum, The Reed Lookout, McKenzies Nigretta Falls, The Ansett Falls Castlemaine’s main Museum • Accommodation in Horsham street • Day 9: Tuesday, 13 April [1 night]: Horsham Riverside Hamilton to Halls Gap 96km Caravan Park, 190 Firebrace • Accommodation in Halls St, Horsham [03] 5382 3476 Gap [1 night]: Halls Gap horsham@southerncross- Gardens Caravan Park, 2223 parks.com.au [03] 5289 1382 Grampians Rd., Halls Gap • Day 11: Thursday, 15 April 1300 364 797 [03] 5356 4244 We all head home with a [email protected] stay@hallsgapgardenscara- possible visit to Wimmera rail • Day 4: Thursday, 8 April vanpark.com.au bridge at Quantong Teddy’s Lookout, Erskine Falls. • Day 5: Friday, 9 April. Lorne to Warrnambool 207km Twelve Apostles, Cape Otway Light Station WWarrnamboolarrnambool & • Accommodation in War- DDistrictistrict HHistoricistoric rnambool [2 nights]: CCarar CClub.lub. Warrnambool Holiday Park The majestic rock & Mote, cnr Raglan Pde & formations of The Simpson St., Warrnambool Great Ocean Road [03] 5562 5031 [email protected] Camp kitchen & BBQs • Day 6: Saturday, 10 April Warrnambool Heritage Cheese, Visit to Warrnambool & District Historical Vehicle Club • Day 7: Sunday, 11 April Warrnambool to Hamilton 16 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 17

that of 2020 occur next year, Citroën, as well as the region of for example 30minutes from with the resulting legal restric- Delemont are looking forward Basel or 45minutes from . tions on demonstrations and to a special event that should not Prices for the 24 World Meet- events, we will of course have to only meet the expectations and ing of 2CV Friends 202I [until act accordingly. wishes of all participants and visi- 3I.I2.2020] In any case, we will make eve- tors, but also make us happy as • €I00 ~ Citroën 2CV + HY ry effort to ensure that the 202I organisers. • €I20 ~ Citroën pre-27.07.I990 World Meeting can be main- Thank you for your attention • €I30 ~ Citroën post 27.07.I990 tained with all participants pre- and see you soon in Helvetia ! • €200 ~ Other [non-Citroën] registered. Of course, in special The Organising Com- • €40 ~ Person without a car, cases, we also trust in the under- mittee of the World Meet- visitors 6 days. Choose this only The Coronavirus crisis in the standing and cooperation of all ing of 2CV Friends 202I if you are not travelling in a car. fi rst half of 2020 has seriously af- meeting participants and visitors. Willi Brändli ~ President [eg bicycle, camping] fected or cancelled all the events After the cancellation of major WHEN: Tuesday, ,27 July to Vehicle prices always include the planned for this year at the glob- events in 2020, such as the Na- Sunday, I August 202I entry for the driver and co-driver. al level. Most 2CV-related events tional in France, DET, ICCCR, etc, WHERE: Delémont, Jura, Additional passengers may be have also been affected. we are particularly looking for- Switzerland added as required. Despite these experiences, the ward to our 202I World Meeting COST: From €I00 To register online, you need in Switzerland and will do our ut- information about the driver, Organising Committee [OC] of BOOKINGS: Essential, most to offer an interesting and passengers and your car [year, the 202I World Meeting in Swit- www.2cv2021.ch/inscription/ beautiful meeting. license plate, etc]. Payment is ?lang=en zerland is continuing its work in a That is why it is important not made by credit card. consistent and coherent manner only for us, but also for you, that CONTACT: [email protected] Admission for day visitors is free. to ensure that the event can take as many participants as possible The Meeting site is located in a Their access is limited to the place in all situations. Therefore, register by the end of 2020 and beautiful natural environment festival grounds and do not have the current plan will be main- still benefi t from the preferential just 5minutes from the city of access to the campsite. tained and, if necessary, adapted rate, which is valid until 3I De- Delémont, capital of the Jura. You will get your ticket as a PDF to take into account any health cember 2020. It is located in the heart of Eu- for self-printing. The ticket will measures. The Organising Committee, rope, limiting the travel time to be available only after receipt of Should a situation similar to our Swiss friends of the 2CV and the destination for participants, payment. 18 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 19 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance iitt re-emergedre-emerged asas LL’Equipe’Equipe, wwhichhich ggenerouslyenerously bbyy ccycleycle mmanufactur-anufac s wewe approachapproach thethe heightheight iiss stillstill goinggoing strong.strong. BackBack then,then, ers. In I923, l’Auto reckoned to ooff ssummer,ummer, I wwouldould nnor-or- tthishis upstartupstart publicationpublication hadhad sell half a million copies each day Ammallyally bebe keenlykeenly awaitingawaiting tthehe sstruggledtruggled toto makemake headwayheadway of the Tour. However, by the end sstarttart ofof thethe TourTour dede France,France, aagainstgainst LLee VéloVélo, sellingselling fewerfewer of the decade, things were start- bbutut nnotot tthishis yyear.ear. FForor nnow,ow, tthanhan 225,0005,000 ccopiesopies a day.day. TToo ing to stagnate. , then a big wwe’ree’re ppromisedromised iitt wwillill sstilltill sstaytay inin bbusiness,usiness, ssomethingomething manufacturer of bicycles and mo- ttakeake pplace,lace, jjustust llaterater iinn tthehe hhadad ttoo bbee ddoneone ttoo bboostoost ccir-ir- torcycles, was a dominant force, yyear,ear, bbutut ccanan ttherehere bbee a cculation.ulation. seemingly able to annihilate the TTourour wwithoutithout mmassass ccrowds?rowds? TThehe editoreditor ofof ll’Auto’Auto waswas Hen-Hen- competition, leading to victory in TThehe TourTour dependsdepends onon a large,large, rrii DDesgrange,esgrange, a ssuccessfuluccessful ccyclistyclist I927, ‘28 and ‘29. Worse than that, llocalocal audience,audience, that’sthat’s whywhy itit waswas wwhoho hadhad setset I2I2 worldworld recordsrecords only one Frenchman had won in iinvented.nvented. LLetet uuss ttakeake a tourtour ofof oonn tthehe ttrackrack iinn tthehe II890s,890s, bbeforeefore the last ten years. This promotional truck for FAMY coffee was built on a Citroën Type 46 chassis tthehe pastpast andand thethe partpart CitroënsCitroëns tturningurning ttoo jjournalism.ournalism. AAlthoughlthough I930: Henri Desgrange still ran [essentially a Type 55 with a 5.Ilitre pet- pplayedlayed iinn iit.t. tthehe iideadea mmayay nnotot hhaveave bbeeneen hhis,is, iitt the Tour as his personal fi efdom. TThehe sstorytory sstartstarts aatt tthehe ddawnawn ooff iiss DDesgrangeesgrange wwhoho mmadeade tthehe fi r srstt rol engine] for the I958 Tour by Postel He was determined to reduce in . Like many of the vehicles de- tthehe I900s,I900s, whenwhen twotwo sportssports jour-jour- TTourour ddee FFrancerance hhappen,appen, iinn II903,903, the infl uence of the richest cycle nnalsals werewere battlingbattling fforor circulation.circulation. sspecifipecifi c acallylly t oto i nincreasecrease s asalesles o fof signed for the Tour, it has an open back, companies, so he came up with from which suitably attired staff would LLee VéloVélo, thethe mmarketarket lleader,eader, wwasas hhisis ppaper.aper. TThehe pplanlan wworked.orked. OOverver a radical new format. From I930, ffoundedounded iinn II892892 aandnd ssoldold aaroundround tthehe coursecourse ofof thethe race,race, salessales in-in- scatter free samples among the crowds teams were organised by coun- as the Caravane rumbled by. 880,0000,000 copiescopies a day,day, aboutabout thethe ccreasedreased tthree-foldhree-fold aandnd rremainedemained try and region. Moreover, the rid- ssameame asas LLe Figaro, FFrance’srance’s ooldestldest hhighigh aafterfter iitt eended,nded, tthushus eensur-nsur- tical bikes, all painted yellow, the e Figaro This C4 conduite ers were all equipped with iden- ddailyaily newspaper.newspaper. IItsts rrivalival sstartedtarted intérieure - iingng thethe eventevent wouldwould returnreturn eacheach colour of the paper l’Auto was printed on. llifeife iinn II900900 aass ll’Auto-Vélo’Auto , bbutut ciale formed part yyearear tthereafter.hereafter. LLee VéloVé , onon thethe -Vélo lo However, to make this work, a wwasas thenthen re-baptisedre-baptised ll’Auto’Auto, aafterfter of the I93I Tour, ootherther hand,hand, ceasedceased publicationpublication a ParisParis courtcourt ddecidedecided tthehe ooriginalriginal advertising Lustu- iinn II904.904. new income stream was needed. nnameame wwasas ttoooo ccloselose ttoo tthathat ooff iitsts cru pasta, a brand BByy tthehe II920s,920s, thethe TTourour ddee Up until then, the companies be- ccompetitor.ompetitor. AfterAfter somesome machina-machina- which still exists FFrancerance hhadad bbecomeecome wwellell eestab-stab- hind the teams had covered all ttionsions atat thethe endend ofof WorldWorld WarWar II,II, today. llished,ished, withwith tteamseams ssupportedupported the costs. Under the new formu- la, the organisers had to shoul- Far left: This con- der the burden of logistics and tender for the lodging for the riders and their largest bottle of entourage. The solution was the wine in France Tour de France Caravane Pub- was built on a licitaire, a parade of vehicles, be- I957 Citroën Type decked with advertising that pre- 55 chassis by Car- ceded the cyclists before each rosserie Leffondré stage. The revenue from spon- and [left] featured sorship fees to join the Caravane in their adverts met the bills previously paid by thereafter. the manufacturers. 20 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 21 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance This proved to be an attractive Most of the special vehicles again in their advert, using a Cit- Type 55 chassis, this was an im- way for companies to reach the created for the Caravane will roën Type 55 chassis. posing beast, measuring almost hundreds of thousands of specta- have started with a back-of-an The partnership was fruitful. I0metres long and 2.7m high, with tors who lined the route and the envelope sketch, fl eshed out by Documentation is scarce, but it an all-up weight of 7tonnes. Caravane became a permanent the carrossier and probably al- is believed three examples were One or two fi lm clips from the part of the Tour. Equally, Citroën tered as the build went along to commissioned by Sud-Aviation period include shots of this rath- became a permanent part of the suit the needs of manufacturing. between I955 and ‘56. er striking machine, but I could Caravane. However, a few were products A fourth was subsequently or- not fi nd any colour pictures, so Only three companies partici- of the relatively new discipline of dered by the French Armée de to get a hint of what it looked like pated in the fi rst Caravane, but Industrial Design, and in France, l’Air, though this was different in in the fl esh, we have to refer to Philippe Charbon- a number of details, including use the idea quickly caught on. In the one of the best known Designers an early sketch. neaux designed of a different chassis. early 50s, the Tour started to ap- was Philippe Charbonneaux. To me, it is a slightly curious this vehicle for Charbonneaux went on to ap- pear on TV, which increased the Frigeavia and Teleavia were sis- design for an advertising vehi- Sud-Aviation to ter organisations, both owned, ply his talents to design a sleek cle. BiC has been part of the Tour reach of advertising and resulted promote their somewhat bizarrely, by Sud-Avi- fridge for Frigeavia in I956 and de France Caravane for decades, in higher budgets for promotion- refrigerators and ation, the company that went on the following year, an elegant TV fi elding several customised vehi- al vehicles. up and televisions, Built by to develop the Caravelle and, in for Teleavia. cles based on their Cristal pen down the land were commis- Leffondré it also partnership with the British Air- However, returning to I955, theme, like this one from I953. I sioned to build sometimes out- featured in their craft Corporation, Concorde. Philippe Charbonneaux worked will not give it much airtime be- landish creations. advertising. When a promotional vehicle was with a different carrossier, this Left: Philippe Char- cause it is not a Citroën, but it required, it is no surprise that time Le Bastard, to create this bonneaux worked underlines the point. What is it the company wanted a ‘proper’ spaceship for the road, commis- with Le Bastard about the I955 version that tells to create this I0m designer, and it was to Philippe sioned by BiC. us BiC sells pens? [Lighters did ‘spaceship’ for BiC. Charbonneaux they turned. It is Built once again on a Citroën not appear until I973]. I suppose The colour render- equally natural that the fi nished ing is an early it is just a pitch towards the fu- article had an aviation theme. ture; avant garde and all that. design sketch ~ Construction was handled by the only available Certainly, in an interview later Leffondré, as can be seen once colour reference. in life, Charbonneaux referred to This I953 BiC vehi- cle seems to have little to do with ball point pens. Anyway, it’s not on a Citroën, so who really cares? 22 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 23 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance this camion as one of his favour- guy. He is routinely compared ~ ite designs. at least in France ~ to Raymond His design business prospered Loewy. His early work was al- and in I985 he was able to found most all in the automotive world a museum in Reims to house his and though he branched out personal collection of I60 trucks, into other areas, he continued to cars and motorbikes, many of work on cars all his life. which were his own creations The Franay-bodied I5 H Presi- which he bought back and re- dential limousine came from his stored. Alas, he said this one end- drawing board and he is credited ed its life at the bottom of a ra- with having a hand in the design vine in . of the 8, I6 and 2I. Charbonneaux is an interesting His son Hervé has written a I960: PHILIPPE CHARBONNEAUX AND THE FRENCH MILK MARKETING BOARD

biography entitled ‘Du Dessin au screen visor and smoothed-out Design’. sides. One that did survive is this I960 commission from But I digress… Clearly still in fi ne fettle, this the French equivalent of the Milk Marketing Board There were many other Cara- rather well equipped I964 exam- [if you are old enough to remember that], pictured vane vehicles based on the H van, ple resides today in the Musée here in the Reims museum. Beneath all that body- several of which did come from des 24 Heures du Mans. work is… an H van. Once again, the execution was the workshop founded by Ga- I am not sure which fi rm was a collaboration with Leffondré, though it is widely, briel Le Bastard in Rouen. Some- responsible for the coachwork of and incorrectly, attributed to Le Bastard. No less an authority than Bonhams made this mistake when times said to be the best known the example in this re-coloured Only the view the vehicle was put up for auction at Retromobile of the Tour de France vehicles, is photo. from the driver’s in 2009. It sold for £9,I84 including premium; which this I957 Aspro ambulance. Cacolac turns out to be a gives away was probably a disappointment. Maybe the shark’s Although perhaps slightly more brand of chocolate milk, that is the van’s origins. mouth put people off. recognisable as an H van ~ the till made today, reportedly to ex- For reasons unknown, it changed colour at some door tops give it away ~ there actly the same recipe as it was point, and appeared in the auction in a rather unfetching shade of turquoise; perhaps is still a family resemblance be- in I956, when this machine fi rst another factor in the relatively depressed price. tween the ambulance and this joined the Caravane. This view from above shows how the shark fi n theme continues to the rear, and the I964 creation for SEV Marchal; I should think Marketing would portholes in the roof. extended front overhang, wind- have something to say if you tried 24 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 25 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance launching a drink called ‘Cacolac’ cluding the wonderful Hoovers today. shown above. Another company who built Alas, relatively few of their cre- special-bodied H vans for the ations were built from Citroën Tour was Jean Barou. products, but in I960 and I96I Barou was responsible for at Pourtout built a small fl eet of least two vehicles commissioned Below: Two of the converted H vans for the French by Midi Libre, the daily newspa- vehicles built by subsidiary of Minnesota Mining Jean Barou of per based in the southern city of & Manufacturing, better known Touron-sur-Rhone Montpellier. as 3M. The design came from We can say with confi dence for Midi Libre, the elled on a Le Mans car of the the pen of Jacques Quellien, a there were at least two because Montpellier-based same year. freelancer, who like Charbon- two have survived to this day, and newspaper. In the I950s and ‘60s, Carro- neaux, worked with several lead- both have been restored to run- sserie Pourtout turned to in- ing coachbuilders. There were at ning condition. dustry and advertising, creating least three different variations on The red one carries a sticker some of the most iconic vehicles a theme; with vehicles dedicated showing that it attended the 20I7 to grace the Tour de France, in- to glue, tape and Scotch-Brite Tour, fi fty years after it fi rst joined the Caravane. We will forgive the inverted chevrons. Heading back to towards the north we fi nd Carrosserie Pour- tout, based in Rueil-Malmaison, a western suburb of . Today, it is a conventional damage re- pair bodyshop, but the business has its roots in the glory days of coachbuilding. During the inter-war years, it created elegant and stream- lined bodies on chassis from the grandest fi rms, including , , Hispano-Suiza, - Lago and many others. The Pour- tout stand was a regular feature of the Salon de l’Auto in Paris. tunéThey did not just make one-off sumptuous œuvres for the for- , though, from I937, Pourtout built over I00 examples of a spe- cial bodied 402, mod- 26 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 27 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance scouring pads. document the more distinctive nanced some decidedly original vehicles and hopefully grab some At the end of the Stage, the examples of the ‘Peloton Pub- vehicles to further their brands. free samples at the same time. vans could be used to provide licitaire’, but not everyone had a While the H van is almost cer- Spectators were even seen to corporate hospitality. huge corporate marketing budg- tainly a local initiative, other Sofi l pack up their picnic baskets and Period photographs inevitably et to tap into, so many of the vehicles were rather more ambi- fold their chairs once the Cara- transformations were rather less tious. vane had passed, not even both- The preserved Arthur Martin van has radical. There was also a practical Felix Aublet, the designer ering to stay for the race. a platform rear that can be removed issue; many companies wanted a seems to have let his enthusiasm Advertisers too clamoured to completely when it is not required for events. And for a moment of useless triv- vehicle that could do a turn at a for Perspex get ahead of practi- be part of the spectacle. In the ia, [designer of the GS, CX local market or fête as well as en- cal considerations. Who would early days, there were few oth- and SM worked for Arthur Martin after tertain the crowd before the rid- want to be inside the bubble at er opportunities to reach a large leaving and before joining Citroën. ers came through. the height of a French summer? number of people, but even to- It was while working here designing do- Viewed from the perspec- The competition was only day, when there are innumerable mestic appliances and furniture that he tive of 2020, some of the prod- slightly more modest. channels available, there is still met Jean Giret, whom he subsequently ucts being promoted seem a bit Every year, the popularity of competition between companies appointed as modeller at Citroën. quaint. It is hard to imagine an ad- the Tour de France Caravane to secure a place on the Tour. Period video footage shows dozens of vertising battle for the hearts and Publicitaire has grown. Crowds Having seen brands’ investments H vans like these, with advertising that minds of the nation’s knitters to- were drawn not just to cheer on in cycling teams tainted by dop- could be unbolted at the end of the day, but in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the their favourite riders, but also to ing scandals, sponsors have re- season and replaced in time for the next. yarn makers Sofi l and Pernelle fi - be entertained by the parade of garded participating in the Cara- 28 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 29 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance

vane as the safest way to benefi t The Tour has pro- Perhaps the economics of be- from the Tour’s publicity. vided promotional spoke coachbuilding changed, In its inaugural year, only six opportunities for perhaps the increase in numbers vehicles participated. Five years everything from diluted the effect of a ‘signature’ later this had grown to 25 and canned vegeta- vehicle. Either way, as the ‘60s by the end of the I970s, there bles [Blanchaud] gave way to the ‘70s, the style of were over I50 entries in the to chocolate milk the Caravane vehicles changed Caravane. In 2006, the parade [Banania] and pas- from purpose-built trucks to peaked at 206 participants, be- tis [Berger] and of modifi ed cars, favouring those fore race organisers decided to course Cadel Evans’ that did not need major structur- ‘favourite’ saucis- limit the number of vehicles al- son. al changes. lowed. Today, the number of vehi- Step forward the Mehari. cles is typically between I60 and In more recent years, exactly I80, but collectively, they distrib- the same formula has been ap- ute some I5million freebies dur- plied to the C3 Pluriel. ing each Tour. A bit of state sponsorship here; 30 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 31 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance FDJ is Française des Jeux, or the French equivalent of Tattslotto, except it is majority owned by the government. It is good to see that BiC has re- mained faithful to the Tour, more than 65years since the company fi rst participated. The fi rst CV2 appeared in the Caravane in or around I960, with the combination shown on the previous page advertising Berg- er’s brand of pastis. I wonder that does not quite look right Above left: This photo, dated 1930, gives how many times it was overtak- here, in particular, the wheels. a fl avour of the entourage that devel- en by cyclists going up the cols? Sure enough, it turns out only oped. The car has obviously been re- the body was created by Citroën. Above: This C6 also formed part of the styled, with lights displaced into The chassis and running gear is four-wheeled peleton in the same year. the rear wings and what seems to that of a modern Nissan Cabstar. Below: The author, Andrew Cox, particu- be a separate boot, but I haven’t Apparently, the organisers felt an larly likes this image of a team member managed to discover which com- original H van would not be up to handing a drink to Louis Bobet, one of pany did the work. the rigours of Le Tour. Obvious- France’s greatest riders, who won the There were several variations ly nobody told them that H vans Tour in I953, ‘54 and ‘55. on a theme, with this car recog- nisably different from the fi rst. Despite being out of produc- tion since I990, the 2CV has been the public face of Cochonou in the Tour de France cavalcade for over 20years. And to be clear, Cochonou is not just a random sponsor, it is the offi cial sup- plier of sausages to the Tour de France! [Ed. I am sure Cadel Ev- ans availed himself at every pos- sible opportunity.] After many years’ absence, the H van also made a comeback in 20I2 for Le Coq Sportif and the same vehicle appeared again in 20I7, repainted for Banette. And yet, there is something 32 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 33 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance were doing this decades ago. of pacing until I925 and it took a The fi ne tradition of carrying get the forces of law and order, Unsurprisingly, the ‘new’ H van further fi ve years to relax a rule spare bikes on the roof of a Cit- pictured just last year in their C5 has also featured in recent Tours, requiring riders to make any re- roën estate has been maintained Aircross with at least six examples ap- pairs themselves, unaided. How- for many years, from the DS ~ Within the broader group of pearing in the colours of Amora. ever, from then on, the number alas I could fi nd no usable pic- Tour de France vehicles falls For more on the ‘new’ H van see of support vehicles, associates tures ~ to the present day. those that provided services for page 45. and hangers-on, increased inexo- In 20I5, Citroën announced the crowds who gathered to The Tour de France is much rably. they had agreed a two year deal watch it all happen. The black and more than a bunch of riders and I love the picture of a team to sponsor the Tinkoff SAXO white photo from I955 shows a parade of advertising vehicles, member handing a drink to Loui- team, providing no fewer than two H vans operated by the there’s a complete entourage de- son Bobet, one of France’s great- 24 C5s to act as support vehicles Banque Nationale pour le Com- voted to keeping everything to- est riders, who won the Tour across Europe. merce et l’Industrie providing a gether and functioning. Citroën in 1953, ‘54 and ‘55. That said, The unbeatable ride of a hy- mobile banking service: mainly has always been well represent- it does make me wonder how dropneumatic Citroën made it issuing cash but also providing ed among the escorts and reti- rigorously the rules on drafting the natural choice for photog- foreign currency exchange facili- ties, to support visitors from afar. nue. were enforced back then. A spell raphers and reporters, with this These mobile banks were open Henri Desgrange, the race’s of riding behind an H van would modifi ed CX safari one of many from 4:30pm until 8:30, well after organiser was wedded to an im- have been an excellent way to that covered the event in the the local branches had closed, age of cyclists as solo warriors conserve one’s strength ready 1960s and ‘70s. Eleven years later, the scene and heroes. He banned any kind for the next breakaway. And of course, one cannot for- is not so very different, only the name of the bank has evolved. Both BNCI and BNP were prede- cessors of today’s BNP Paribas. And fi nally, no look at the Tour de France of yesteryear is complete without a mention of Yvette Horner. In the I950s, playing was big business in France, and the best players were major ce- lebrities in the true sense of the word, well before it was down- graded to ‘famous for being fa- mous’. One of them, Maurice Al- exander, would routinely charter a private plane to take him to the after-parties of the bigger stages of the Tour de France, where he would play for thousands of peo- ple at a time. 34 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 35 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance Yvette Horner was born in ‘‘Louison’Louison’ BobetBobet gavegave hherer oonene ooff Her husband was right; despite When Citroën Sponsored Le I922, in , in south western hhisis yyellowellow jjerseyserseys aandnd wwhenhen sshehe its physical challenges, the Tour France. As a young woman, she ssoldold hherer mmillionthillionth rrecord,ecord, JJacquesacques Tour set her up for life. For a brief period, in won many awards for her playing, AAnquetil,nquetil, a fi v eve t itimesmes w iwinnernner o fof She went on to sell the I980s, Citroën’s including the World Accordion tthehe TTour,our, ccameame ttoo ccelebrate.elebrate. over 30million re- involvement with Federation’s World Cup when IInn I96I,I96I, YvetteYvette ppartneredartnered wwithith cords and perform Le Tour went be- she was only 26. Despite this suc- aanothernother cclassic,lassic, a bblacklack DDSS, more than 2,000 yond providing cess, she struggled to achieve the wwhichhich sheshe usedused untiluntil sheshe re-re- shows. She lived to vehicles; they public success of her male peers. ttiredired ffromrom tthehe TTourour afterafter see her 95th birth- sponsored a It was her husband, René tthehe II963963 eevent.vent. day and appeared as professional team. Droesch, who saw the oppor- guest of honour at the The story behind tunity the Tour represented. Be- 20I2 Tour de France, when this move could be the tween I952 and I963, she was she was 89. screenplay for a fi lm, per- part of every Tour de France, haps a follow up to Ford playing as her car drove along the TThehe LLOOKOOK MMondrianondrian vs Ferrari, Le Mans ’66 for route and then again in the eve- ccyclingycling jjersey.ersey. Matt Damon. It is the tale nings at shows and parties. Over BBernardernard TTapie,apie, of two Bernards; Hinault the years, she used a variety of pproprietorroprietor ofof LLOOKOOK, and Tapie. vehicles, which were of course LLaa VVieie CClaire,laire, TTer-er- In I983 Bernard Hin- provided by her sponsor, but eas- rraillonaillon andand Adidas.Adidas. ault was already the great- ily the most famous is the Big 6 HHee wwasas declareddeclared est French cyclist of his era, hav- she used in I954 and ‘55. This was bbankruptankrupt inin ‘95‘95 ing won the Tour de France four modifi ed with a large sunroof aandnd hashas subse-subse- times. However, he had a major and platform, so she could per- qquentlyuently pursuedpursued falling out with his team, Renault- form standing up or sitting on a a ssuccessfuluccessful aact-ct- Elf-Gitane, when they favoured seat fi xed to a roof rack. An am- iingng aandnd rrecordingecording younger riders for the ’84 Tour, plifi er in the boot and speakers ccareer!areer! , who was fresh mounted at the rear ensured she from that year’s victory and the could be heard as she passed by. up and coming American, Greg A soupçon of detail for the LeMond. uber-nerd, the car was a I95I Bernard Tapie is a French en- model, and hence had a small- trepreneur-businessman-politi- boot. To accommodate the audio cian. His gift was to see oppor- gear, an enlarged boot lid from tunities that others could not. Raoul was fi tted, giving it the ap- He bought struggling companies, pearance of a later large-boot model. sometimes for a single, symbol- By all accounts, Yvette was a Left: Hinault has stood the test of time kind, friendly and charming wom- as a cycling hero. Here he is in his hay- an, who became friends with day, giving both brands some excellent many of the top riders. Louis exposure. 36 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 37 CCitroënitroën & lele TourTour dede FranceFrance ic franc, turned Hinault in action Vie Claire team went on to dom- from being attractive, it was func- them around again, this time inate the sport for the next two tional, with each panel able to ac- and sold them conferring with years. In I985 Hinault won both commodate a different sponsor. on, making mil- the team direc- his fi fth Tour de France and the This Mondrian-inspired jersey lions in the pro- tor Paul Kochli, Giro d’Italia. In the I986 Tour, Hin- has become an icon in cycling cess. In I983, he who evidently ault and LeMond fought each history. had bought a could drive and other almost as hard as the other All the companies that ap- small company look out of the riders, with victory fi nally going peared on the I984 jersey were called LOOK, a window simul- to the American. Coincidental- owned by Bernard Tapie, except manufacturer taneously. The ly, the team’s success catapulted one. The opportunity to incor- of ski bindings. car is obviously LOOK onto the world stage. Ta- porate its corporate colours in Although tech- a , pie sold the business in I988 for the maillot Mondrian evidently nically adept, but it is allowed FF260million; not a bad return on proved too tempting for Citroën. the business in this hallowed investment. There was a suggestion, perhaps was handi- journal because But I am getting ahead of my- apocryphal, that Tapie encour- capped by the it is sporting a self. In I984, the new team need- aged Citroën to come on board, seasonal mar- fi ne Citroën logo. ed a jersey, and MicMac a Tapie- as a further sleight to the lead ket for their owned fashion group, proposed sponsor of Hinault’s old team, equipment company. He formed products. Around this time, they an all-black design. This was Renault. turned their experience to cy- a new team, dedicated to getting roundly rejected, but the second Either way, it proved to be a cling, launching a new clipless Hinault onto the winner’s podi- proposal was a hit. It was inspired good investment, as Hinault has pedal. Although the idea was far This is Hinault um, calling it , after by a I930 painting by the Dutch stood the test of time as a cy- from new, so far, nobody had wearing the race his chain of health food shops. artist Piet Mondrian, entitled cling hero. made it a commercial success. leader’s pink jersey Tapie had a back-up plan as Composition II with Red, Blue This feature was written by When Hinault announced he in the Giro d’Italia, well; making Greg LeMond an of- and Yellow. leads Greg LeMond Andrew Cox for ‘The Citroënian’, was looking for another team to being handed fer he could not turn down to This was a radical change from in the I986 Tour the magazine of the CCCUK and is ride with, Tapie saw an oppor- a bidon from a join the team. contemporary jerseys. Apart de France. reprinted with their permission. tunity to raise his public profi le slightly battle It was a huge success. After and promote LOOK as a cycling scarred CX. stuttering a little in I984, the La 38 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 39 LLee CoqCoq SportifSportif the H van’s 70th anniversary… n any Citroënist’s language And indeed the 70th anniversary Le Coq Sportif’s attempted of Le Coq Sportif. Icopy of an H van in 20I2 can only In April 20I7, at Birmingham’s be described as an abhorrent Commercial Vehicle Show, Cit- expedient mutant. As a premi- roën debuted two very patri- um French brand it should have otic vans: their classic H van and known better than to create a the newer Jumpy. In celebration parody of another French icon. of the 70th anniversary of the Apparently they only exposed H van, and inspired by sporting themselves to ridicule for a single brand Le Coq Sportif using a Tour de France. H van as a promotional vehicle This was a vehicle much bet- at cycling events in the past, the ter left to Banette, a bakery fran- two French companies decided chise, somewhat along the lines to work together to customise of Baker’s Delight, with a ‘Rene both the interior and exterior of Artois’ French accent [I will only the traditional transporter and say zees once.] its successor. … But in 20I7 Le Coq redeemed Each have been fi nished in AAnn EyeEye forfor DetailDetail of interesting things. It usually themselves with a proper rela- the Tricolore of France Citroën blue, white, and red and oorr NerdsNerds Unite!Unite! tionship with Citroën that gen- Citroën starts with a picture that catch- have been designed to be used erated a far more pleasing result. n researching for this edition, es my eye and suddenly I am off as mobile bicycle workshops, Like a Sauternes and foie gras, indeed for every edition of down the proverbial ‘rabbit hole’ where one can ‘fi x , pedals, or a beret and Breton stripes, Cit- Iour magazines I trip over all sorts of discovery. and gears, quickly mend a jersey, roën and Le Coq Sportif are two or even make a café au lait’ to IInn starkstark contrastcontrast toto French icons that just naturally boost energy levels before the tthehe promotionalpromotional H work well together, as evidenced next race. vvanan aabovebove tthishis ‘‘reno-reno- by their 20I7 collaboration for Frankly that reads like the hype vvator’sator’s ddelight’,elight’, wwithith from the marketing departments iitsts ooriginalriginal ‘‘CaféCafé SSanan as neither van appears to do RRivo’ivo’ ppaintworkaintwork andand more than display some bicycle lliveryivery wwasas ssoldold atat parts in an effort at cycling au- aauctionuction bbyy SSotheby’sotheby’s thenticity. fforor €€43,700.43,700. ItsIts After the Birming- ccurrenturrent llocationocation iiss ham show the trucks uunknown.nknown. were set to travel along to Le Coq Sportif’s then up- coming communi- cations events. 40 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 41 AAnn EyeEye forfor DetailDetail… Sometimes I even fi nd that assessment of the van. others have been there before Here is [some] of what he had me and that is exactly what hap- to say. pened following my discovery of It was sold at auction at Ret- this fantastic renovator’s delight romobile in 20I9. The catalogue H van emblazoned with the log- estimate was a fairly heady €I5 os of Café San-Rivo. to €25,000. It sold for an amazing In common with images of the €43,700 making the owners or beautiful blue Traction 6h which their successors very happy. adorned the cover of the last Everywhere you look there are ‘Front Drive’ this vehicle was also quirky features you would only on the website www.classicdriv- fi nd in books. The instruments er.com. are the same as the contempo- From my fi rst discovery of the rary Traction Avant. So, with a image I was sure I wanted to in- maximum speed of 88kph clude it in our magazine. But [in HZ form with a higher then, I was going through an fi nal drive ratio] the nee- old [July 2020] edition of dle is never going to get ‘Citroënian’ only to dis- much beyond halfway. cover that the CCCUK’s The clock in the mid- H van afi cionado [An- dle is a nice touch, but drew Cox] had already it lasted only until May fallen for the vehicle and I950. had undertaken a detailed At the rear, the side and upper panels are fl at. The sides changed in January I952 to hav- ing a series of pressings all the way up and the top section fol- lowed suit in I958. No van ever left the factory with three win- dows set in the tailgate. Similarly, the side panels were made from canvas until March I953, but that does not lend it- self to sign-writing. So, it’s fair to assume the change to sheet metal was done at the time the livery was applied. The information for this article is sourced from ‘The Citroënian’ and was written by Andrew Cox. It is re-used here with their permission. 42 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 43 LLee CamionCamion CitroënCitroën Understanding Citroën’s in- velop a model referred to as a A pposteroster promotingpromoting thethe CitroënCitroën TypeType 4545 The Type 29 followed with a pay- volvement with utility vehicles ‘delivery car’. The purpose of this bbus’sus’s pparticipationarticipation iinn tthehe II934934 MMonteonte load increased to 2,500kg. The and trucks is not, typically, high article is not to enumerate all the CCarloarlo Rally.Rally. future of trucks for Citroën is on the agenda for Citroënists. models but, more simply to re- GGettingetting rreadyeady fforor thethe dayday onon routesroutes 4 now a certainty. The Type 29 re- But these are an essential part mind us of the main vehicles that aandnd I2I2 ~ ttwowo TransportsTransports CitroënCitroën typetype mained in production until 1934 of the marque’s history. Because were developed for the sector. C6GGII bbusesuses aatt thethe LevalloisLevallois gga-a- when it was replaced by the Type the topic lacks the profi le of the As early as I920 , light van bod- rrageage aandnd wworkshopsorkshops inin 32 which employed identical company’s cars fi nding defi nitive ies were being fi tted to car chas- PParisaris iinn II93I.93I. bodywork. The 29 had a six-cyl- information is not easy. sis of the A, the B and even the inder engine displacing 2,650cc The information below is de- tiny 5hp models. In I927 Citroën and developing 53bhp. A total rived from various sources, but launched its fi rst light truck Cit- of I2,531 examples were built. predominately Julian Marsh’s Cit- roën the ‘one ton truck’, the AN. In I934, almost concurrently with roënët website and the book It had an all-steel enclosed cabin. the Traction Avant, the Type 45 ‘Citroën: 80years of Future’, by In I930 the fi rst French ‘rap- was launched. Roger Guyot and Christophe id truck’ was presented. It had a This vehicle was available with Bonnaud. payload of I,800kg and used the three different chassis, one of 2.4litre, six-cylinder engine seen which is the ‘surbaiss’. This al- itroën trucks have been in the C6F. This excellent truck lowed the 45 to be modifi ed into part of the French automo- was an instant success and was a passenger vehicle. In 1934 Cit- tiveC industry for decades. Today used as the basis for the of roën entered a Type 45 in the Berlingo, Jumper and Space- TThehe fi rrstst F Frenchrench the Compagnie des Transports that year’s , and tourer are all that remain of the ‘‘rapidrapid ttruck’ruck’ wwithith Citroën created in I93I. There ran the 2,456kilometres from brand’s long tradition of utility iitsts II,800kg,800kg payloadpayload will be a full analysis of this suc- vehicles. André Citroën had ful- wwasas launchedlaunched iinn cessful sideline in a future edi- ly understood the importance of II930.930. tion of ‘Front Drive’. Suffi ce it to this type of vehicle and was the CCitroënitroën C4F fi rre-e- say that these buses furrowed fi rst to show the foresight to de- ttruckruck ffromrom II93I.93I. the roads of France for decades. 44 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 45 LLee CamionCamion CitroënCitroën Warsaw through Frankfurt to Production of the 45 did not petitors with the launch of the ly new concept, based on front Monte Carlo in 59½ hours; the cease until I953! TUB [Traction Utilitaire Basse]. wheel drive technology. This al- driver was François Lecot. That’s In I937 the Type 23 was pre- The acronym was used later as lowed an incredible amount of an average speed of only about sented. The payload was 1,500kg the nickname of its succes- space to be freed-up behind the sor, the H van. engine and gearbox. 25mph; but the point of the chal- TTwowo examplesexamples ofof and it utilised the four-cylinder lenge, certainly, was to prove du- engine from the I1CV Traction. The The mechanical bits were tthehe TTypeype 23,23, sepa-sepa- TUB largely inherited from the rability. Haven’t you heard that rratedated bbyy II5years.5years. Typically, for Citroën, it was avail- was con- Traction 9CV engine, three name before? Yes, is was same TThehe hhorseorse vanvan able with various bodies and a ~ ceived as speed gearbox, rack and Francois Lecot who was to drive ddatesates ffromrom II938938 range of payloads. a com- pinion steering, hydraulic a 7CV Traction between Tournus wwhilehile tthehe lladderadder But it was I938 when Citroën plete- and Paris for a total of 5,007km. ttruckruck iiss ffromrom II953.953. really stole a march on its com- brakes and torsion bar sus- pension. TUB had a pay- load of 850kg. Production com- menced in I939 ~ on the eve of the outbreak of war. Between Above & left: The original I938 TUB van. Lower left: This image of H vans is from a I964 brochure. Below: In 20I8 Fabrizio Caselani and David Obendorfer developed this updated H van: the panels were designed to be a retro-fi tted to Citroën’s modern Jumper van. Transformation kits start at about €I1,000 and fully converted long-wheel- base vans top out at €42,000. Check it out at www.en.typeh.eu/ 46 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 47 LLee CamionCamion CitroënCitroën 1 3 I939 and I94I, a total of I,748 sis, a big cubic body and a door examples were built ~ possi- on the side. This lateral door was, bly more since accurate records again, a world fi rst. were not maintained during the The brilliant idea of a small, German occupation. Some 50 front wheel drive utility vehicle examples were fi tted with the offering the maximum of internal I1CV engine which allowed an in- volume, with a low load sill and creased payload of I,200kg and a fl at fl oor is ‘signed off’ by Cit- these were designated TUC. roën. The full incarnation of the 1] The 55 was available as a 4x4 as x The TUB is the prototype of all idea was the H van, presented well as 2 4 modern utility vehicles: a chas- in I947, which added an all-steel 2] Front cover of a sales brochure for monocoque to the list of innova- the Type 55. 5 tions presented in I938. 3] A redesign of the cabin was proposed, Today, pretty much every small but it came to nothing. utility van is based on this archi- 4] undertook a re-design of the tecture. It is clear that Citroën Type 55 and it seems these were sold invented the modern small util- through the Citroën dealerships along- ity vehicle. The H van remained 2 side the ‘standard’ cab design. in production for almost 35years, 5 & 6] The 600 and 350 were known from I947 to I982. as ‘Belphégor’, after a then popular As previously mentioned it TV series about a phantom who in- habited the Louvre. 7 7] Belphégor’s cab. No, it was not pro- duced in right hand drive. The Editor has reversed the picture for purely aesthetic reasons.

4 6 48 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 49 LLee CamionCamion CitroënCitroën was also known as the TUB by department under the direction of Citroën, the truck division was red and was branded ‘Van Blanc’ the public although offi cially this of Robert Opron. But, Opron did being ‘hived off’ to and and ‘Van Rouge’. the name reserved for her I938 not assume responsibilty for styl- Citroën’s truck-making ceased in This claim for the invention of predecessor. ing [Responsable de Style] until I972. a ‘new concept of van’ caused a On the ‘heavy vehicle’ side, the some months after Flaminio Ber- While they lost the truck man- level of doubt in your Editor’s Type 45 was replaced by the toni’s sudden death in February, ufacturing, Citroën did retain the mind. Surely the VW Caddy pre- Type 55 in I953. While the 55 I964. To me the 600 is more Ami utility van branch. The H was re- dated the C15? Indeed, the Cad- is based on the 45 it did bene- than GS. Robert Opron’s word placed by the C35, the C25, the dy was launched in I978. But in its fi t from a new cabin. Production for Bertoni’s style, especially later Jumpy and the Jumper. fi rst iteration the Caddy was only ceased in I965. The 55 was avail- in Bertoni’s career, was ‘baroque’, According to Roger Guyot and available as a utility, not as a van. able with either petrol or die- and I think that is the right word Christophe Bonnaud the Double Of course, twin-pot fans would sel power plants, inherited from for the style of the 350/600 se- Chevron even invented the new take issue with this statement, the 45, with a payload of about ries of trucks. Unfortunately, they concept of the van which offers Surely the AK van lays claim to 5tonnes. It was available in three were not a huge success. the same comfort as a sedan. The being the fi rst van to offer the wheelbases [3.6, 4.6 and 5.33m] But they were truly unique. result was the C15 which used same comfort as a sedan? and in 2×4 and 4×4 versions. To- Take a fairly conventional range the front body of the Today, Citroën remains com- tal production was 54,898. of RWD truck chassis [including Visa and remained mitted to the van market with The Type 23 was replaced by 4×4 and articulated versions], in production for the Berlingo [originally based on an upgraded 23 which received a covering the 3.5t to 8t weight 2Iyears, until 2005 the ZX and launched in I996], scaled-down version of the 55’s range, add the high-pressure ze- ~ I7years after the Nemo [launched in 2007 cabin. Production of this model ro-pedal travel hydraulic brake European pro- and based around ’s fi nished in I969. circuit from the DS, and a very duction of the Small platform], the Jumper and The last trucks from Citroën unusual cab. Visa fi nished. Spacetourer. It would appear were the 350 and 600 which were At the same time as the union Originally the from Citroën’s French website unveiled in I965. They are charac- with Peugeot was being negoti- CI5 was only that the Nemo may no longer be terised by an amazing, modern ated [or enforced, depending on available in being offered for sale. cabin drawn by Citroën’s styling your perspective] for the car arm white or Leigh F Miles 50 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 51 LLegislation…egislation… thunk of the rubber stamp, and I dated less than six months of that slightly soiled but hardly RRegistration,egistration, AdministrationAdministration am back in the D, looking over my previously on old CG. used Poll Tax software… he DS slithered onto the left shoulder to achieve unoffi - • Application for CG in my name. My next stop in La Roche is pavement between the cial-pavement-parking clearance • Proof of domicile. just up the Rue Haxo to the Cité TPréfecture and the quayside of height setting. Indicate left. Bring • Cheque for stamp duty [90frs Travot. Tax City. Here I must pur- the Erdre in the centre of Nantes. up the clutch. Release spring- per fi scal horsepower, half chase the Vignette, or vehicle li- I step down [in French, one gram- loaded, foot-operated parking price of vehicle over fi ve years cence. The gleaming and smoke- old. A 2CV is of course 3CV… free offi ces are situated in I9th matically climbs ‘up’ into, and de- brake. Receive substantial piece …And the printer again zips century buildings just outside the scends ‘down’ from a car. Fellow of partly decayed mackerel in out a smart grey card. The holo- town square. The lady politely in- DS owners will appreciate the right ear. Resolve to ensure soles gram at the bottom is a neat and forms me that there would be a appropriateness of the expres- of shoes are clean before next recent fl ourish. penalty charge. Seven francs pen- sion] onto the pink granite pave- application. At this stage the advocate of alty and I25francs later I ponder ment, and pick my way through To continue the registration simplicity sings the praises of the the cost of licencing a new XJI2 the several hundred kilos of fi sh documents, on to La Roche. The trip from Nantes now takes less non-paying services of Swansea, for a year… I1.904frs. which had been dumped in pro- a point I discussed over lunch Lastly, call at the accessories test that morning. than an hour by the A83 auto- route. At I:30 precisely, walk past recently with a colleague who shop. The car now being reg- Administration procedures had works in the Vendée administra- istered in Vendée, it has a lo- the scorched railings of the Pré- necessitated a trip to the Breton tion services. An absorbing and cal number. Imagine; my I0year fecture and think of the lamb- capital. A ‘Certifi cat de non-gage’ lengthy debate which brought old 2CV ‘France 3’ was, for a few fuelled bonfi re there last week. being required to complete the to light several fundamental dif- minutes this afternoon, Vendée’s paperwork transfer of a 2CV cur- Left to right: The Present registration documents ferences in the concept of fi scal latest registration. Could this rently registered in the Loire At- quayside at Nantes, to apply for the new Carte Grise; fairness. At the end of our dis- system be the panacea for the lantique. This certifi cate is proof sans poisson. • Old Carte Grise, crossed out, cussion, I concluded that simplis- craving ‘outre-Manche’ for a pre- to the new registering Préfecture The Préfecture signed, dated and marked tic economics are unlikely to gain fi x fi x every August? that the vehicle is not on hire building in Nantes ‘Vendu’. favour here. No chance of UK Refl ective plates are now purchase. The computer zipped and that at La • Bill of sale document. Local Authorities unloading all standard, and at the end of the out the document in seconds. A Roche-sur-Yon. • Contrôle Technique stamp, 52 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 53

is serious. The electric winch has afternoon the car looked splen- As the photo shows, the 350 hauled innumerable unfortunate did; complete with the compul- is the product of a brief but pas- victims off the NI37 and on to sory three windscreen stickers sionate tripartite affair between the load area since I966. Fastidi- ~ vignette, MoT, insurance. New an Ami 6, a DS and a I960s truck. ously maintained, it must be one number plate riveted on [screw There’s the Ami speedo, DS door of the few commercials capable fi xing is illegal]. The new owners handles and catches, DS suspen- drove off to their pâtissiere on of making an H van look normal. The cab-mounted diesel engine the coast, where ‘France3’ special One of the 2,000 special edition 2CVs is ready for an overhaul, but this edition [Beachcomber in the UK] produced in I983. They are recognisable will be very much at home. by their white and blue seat coverings rare survivor and dyed-in-the- A day full of red tape…? In and blue wave-stripes on the panels wool Citroën is eminently use- some ways, perhaps. More than and roof. For each example sold, Citroën able. ample compensation, however, donated funds for upkeep of France’s Alan Brown had been the opportunity to give Americas’ Cup challenger, Defi France. A This article by Alan was originally written for ‘Citroënian’, the mag- the DS a motorway run, and to further 2,000 were produced in the fol- call in on Jean-Luc Thomas at his lowing year, but named Thalacap and sion. The sight of a brake button azine of the Citroën Car Club of garage amid the Muscadet vines had some slight modifi cations. It was this on such a large vehicle is amus- the UK in May I993. It is reprinted near Clisson on the way up to second series that was made available in ing. The braking effi ciency, though, here by the kind permission of the author. Nantes. He is retiring his 350 re- the UK as Beachcomber and as Transat covery truck. in and the Benelux countries.

LLookingooking ForwardForward NextNext issue issue ofof ‘Front‘Frontront Drive’...Driverive’ FFinally,inally, toto celebratecelebrate thethe 50th50th aanniversarynniversary ofof thethe launchlaunch ofof thethe GGSS wewe wwillill putput Citroën’sCitroën’s mid-sizemid-size ssaloon,aloon, estateestate aandnd coupécoupé underunder thethe magnifyingmagnifying glass.glass.

HHaveave yyouou owned,owned, dodo youyou oown,wn, a GGSS oorr GGSASA? WhyWhy notnot ssharehare youryour experiencesexperiences ofof tthishis uunder-estimatednder-estimated ccarar wwithith otherother members?members? SSendend yyouou contribution,contribution, nnoo mmatteratter hhowow brief,brief, ttoo LeighLeigh MMilesiles aatt [email protected] bbyy Monday,Monday, NovemberNovember II6.6. GGotot a picturepicture tthathat mmeritserits ssharing?haring? SSendend iitt aass wwell.ell. 54 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 55 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? The 2017 Auction four times the estimates. Leclere Motorcars, the auto- ue to a then impend- mobile division of the auction ing relocation, Cit- house Leclere, auctioned off a roënD auctioned 64 cars from portion of the reserve holdings the Conservatoire in Decem- of the Conservatoire Citroën in ber 20I7. Approximately 400 Aulnay-sous-Bois for a total of Citroëns resided in the compa- €773K [including fees]. ny’s heritage collection ~ from All I55 exhibits found a buyer early pre-war examples, one-off ~ a very exceptional result for prototypes and important mot- auctions. I,I68 people followed orsport cars. the auction, which was held live was €3~€6K. Citroën says that it was mainly by phone and on the internet at A I953 Traction Avant I1B offering cars of which it has mul- www.drouotlive.com. 62I people fetched €I4K, twice as much as tiple examples, with prices rang- had registered as bidders. The the high estimate of €7K. This is ing from €I,000 to €20K. Prior sale took place directly in the encouraging for Citroënists as to the event Citroën confi rmed premises of the Conservatoire we know that the Traction is one that the auction would include Citroën. of the most undervalued classics pre-war, ‘youngtimers’, modern Several clubs and members around. cars as well as a few interest- from all over France and other Really strong demand for the ing prototype models, like those countries, along with some part- GS and Méhari kept their pricing from Sbarro. There were also ners, had been invited to attend very high. be around 90 items of Citroën the event with Xavier Peugeot, A I973 Series I GS with 92Ikm automobilia offered during the chairman of l’Aventure Peugeot on the odometer sold for same auction. Citroën DS, and Alain Thuret, €I1,200 with estimates of a mere The downsizing was neces- chairman of Amicale Citroën €2.5~5K. sitated by the Conservatoire’s and DS France. They all had the And a GS Spécial Series II impending relocation from the opportunity to experience fi rst- with 2,078km went for €I3,440 Aulnay-sous-Bois [Citroën’s old hand the emotional mood and when the estimate was between factory, which has not produced the strong sense of community €2~4K. any cars since 20I2, and is locat- within the Citroën Community. Three 4×4 Méharis still man- ed in the outskirts of Paris The one item that com- age to stun the market: near Charles de Gaulle manded big euros was the Airport]. driving suit worn by The Conservatoire Jacky Ickx in the Paris- Citroën online auction, Dakar I99I Rally. It was held on December I0, estimated to sell for ended with some sur- €200~250. The result was prising results. Memora- €5,824. bilia items were sold for A I924 Type C 5hp sold high prices, many two to for €I4,560. Its estimate 56 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 57 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? Exclusive with 30,569km fetched €7,840 with an estimate of €3~5K. Another 2000 XM V6 Exclusive with I19,500km closed at €I2,320 beating an estimate of between €5~7K. And a special XM, a 2litre mod- el used the for XM’s launch in I989, showing just €5,440km sold for €33,600 with an estimate of A I979 Yellow Méhari 4×4 [in ry tourists and with only 26km, between €4~6K. very rough condition] but with it was literally brand new! It sold Xantias did well too: apparently I4,I63km, sold for for €I0,640, just under the the A I997 Xantia Activa V6 with €20,I60. Estimated value: €2~4K. high end estimate of €I1K. I,575km reached €I5,680. Esti- A I979 Green Méhari 4×4 Even a I979 Super Visa [4-cyl- mate: €5~8K. [also in rough condition] with inder] did well selling for €6,720 A 200I Xantia Break Series I1,408km fetched €24,640. Again with an estimate of between II with 25,707km commanded the Estimated value: €2~4K. €I.5~3K. €7,280 when the estimate was A I979 Green Méhari 4×4 in A I96I Ami 6 that looked like between €2~4K. slightly better condition and with a barn fi nd with I7,672km on And a few other quirky offer- oddly the same I1,408 stated kms it was estimated to sell for be- ings fared well; went for €28K. Its estimate was tween €800~I,200, yet it reached The I983 Eco 2000 Concept €6~I0K. a price of €8,960. [looking suspiciously as if it in- And a I980 FAF [steel bodied A I980 CX Pallas automat- fl uenced Honda to build their utility vehicle] sold for €2I,280 ic Series I with I5,220km made Insight hybrid] fetched €I1,760 with estimates of only €I.5~3.5K. €I3,440, again much higher than when the estimate was €3~7K. The one car we thought would the estimate of €6~I0K. The pop-up through the roof command a higher value was the The prices paid for more mod- rear seat I997 Berlingo Grand I999 Berlingo Flanerie Sbarro. It ern Citroëns were also rather Angle Sbarro fell short of its €9K was a really cute summer runa- healthy; upper expectation at €8,960. We bout that would be ideal to fer- A 2000 XM 2.5TD guess no one wanted to be that weird! And fi nally the Citroën’s mod- ern 20I0 Tubik Van concept [a non functional model with no in- terior] managed to surprise bid- ders going for €36,960, well over what we thought was a high esti- mate of €20~30K. It is heartening to see such 58 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 59 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? strong prices for Citroëns when extremely well preserved uphol- not a single 2CV, DS or SM was stery. It was sold new in Lille in the on the auction block. And the 64 North of France with the evoca- cars offered were arguably left- tive registration number 1369 DS overs from the hundreds cars 59. It then changed hands in I968 Citroën has amassed in its col- to reach the Yvelines, a region it lection. So the premium prices has never left since! This car still paid would indicate that proper- holds the registration number ly sorted classic Citroëns should 7616 HA 78 and had only two still be in demand. Time will tell if owners before being stored in a the trend continues. dry barn in the mid-‘80s. This is The 2020 Auction ture from the H vans we often the opportunity to acquire a real But PSA [or should that be see around the UK [and occa- barn fi nd of a DS21 Pallas of the ?] were at it again with sionally in Australia], working as best mileage according to con- around 50 vehicles from the ar- coffee shops or gin bars. noisseurs and with an easy to chives of Musée de l’Aventure This H van was the property maintain mechanical gearbox! A Peugeot, which also features of the French Red Cross, as evi- very nice restoration project to Citroëns, many of which were denced by the original car regis- bring this sleeping beauty back to repeats of models already held tration document, but also by the life… The 2cv to the ds’s left was in the collection, went under the maintenance booklets, the user also offered for sale in the auc- hammer on Sunday, I9 Septem- manual and various other original tion. ber 2020 to be given a chance documents delivered with it. In I983 CITROËN GSA XI of a new lease of life ~ the pro- spite of a few repaints, it comes [EST: €2.5~4.5K ACHIEVED: €7.5K] ceeds from these sales being re- to us in a nice original condition. This GSA has only just clicked invested into the acquisition and I966 CITROËN DS2I PALLAS over the 25,000km mark, so has restoration of museum pieces. [EST: €I2~22K ACHIEVED: €I1K] plenty of life left in it. Also crossing the block with The DS presented here is a Presented in good, original con- Aguttes were three cars from DS21 Pallas version with me- dition with original blue uphol- private collections, making this a chanical gearbox. First put into stery that is described as being bumper auction for French car circulation on 27 May, I966, it is ‘almost new’, it has the optional fans with 56 vehicles on offer ~ in the desirable Palladium grey tinted windows, alloy wheels and and it is the fi rst ever sale to take colour, reference AC I08 with an rear wiper/washer. Actually, from place at the Musée de l’Aventure the picture you can see that it Peugeot, in Sochaux, France. does not come with alloy wheels There’s a lot to get stuck into! but with alloy-look hub caps Here’s a selection… which conceal the entire wheel. I973 CITROËN T YPE H AMBU- I979 CITROËN MÉHARI LANCE [EST: €5~8K UNSOLD] [EST: €4.5~6.5K ACHIEVED: €I3.5K] Méharis have an everlasting The fi rst of the Citroën lots I charm, and this example is in am showcasing here is a depar- original condition with a mere 60 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 61 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? 838km on its odometer as it was I977 CITROËN LN used only to travel to the Vélizy [EST: €2~4K ACHIEVED: €8.7] Technical Center site. This car One more dinky lot, but this with an interesting provenance Citroën is in much fi ner condi- and low mileage is an excellent tion than the Peugeot I04 I have base for restoration. shown. The I04 achieved just It is being offered for sale from €4.5K. the Sochaux museum’s collection Restored by employees at Cit- and is surely an enticing prospect roën’s Rennes La Janais plant for any enthusiast of the model. and thereafter stored in the mu- I927 CITROËN BI4 seum’s reserve collection, it is [EST: €4.5~6.5K ACHIEVED €6.3K] in apparently as-new condition, This impressive-looking Dou- and boasts a super-‘70s hound- ble Chevron is a model that stooth-trimmed interior. The es- made its debut at the I926 show timate for its Peugeot sibling was scene. €I.5~3.5K. It is being sold as a restoration I972 CITROËN DYANE 6 project, previous work now be- [EST: €3~5K ACHIEVED €9.9K] ing tired, although the engine is Another classic that has ben- said to run. efi ted from a restoration by an I966 CITROËN DS2I CABRIOLET in-house force of volunteers, it [EST: €I60~200K ACHIEVED: €246.3K] is described as having ‘beautiful’ Not all the lots in this sale are in bodywork and a ‘perfect’ interior. need of work, as this magnifi cent It has done fewer than DS proves. One of the fi rstDS 2I I5,000km, too. Cabriolets, it has been restored I986 CITROËN BX SPORT to a high level, its body stripped [EST: €5~8K ACHIEVED: €I1.IK] and repainted in its original hue. Here is a serious dose of ‘80s Work also extended to the nostalgia that might get you mechanical elements and its inte- thinking of placing a bid. rior, plus it received a new soft- Our BX Sport was registered top. on April 16, 1986. It’s in a very Accordingly, it is said to be in nice condition both regarding the ‘near concours condition’ ~ with outside and the upholstery. Re- a price-tag to match, and comes stored by the employees of the with a good stack of paperwork. Rennes factory when it entered Delivered new in France, this the conservatory in 2006, it now DS21 was fi rst regis- has just over 126,000 km on the tered on 23 December, I965. It is clock. Equipped with a non-orig- therefore a I966 model equipped inal sunroof, it is sold with all its with a semi-automatic gearbox. user, warranty and maintenance 62 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 63 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? manuals in their original pockets. advertising campaign of the fi rst It is therefore a great opportu- Visa catalogue ~ or at least the nity for all those nostalgic for the European version. In the UK ver- 80s. sion the Club that was depict- 20I1 CITROËN DS3 WRC ed was Rouge Geranium rather [POA UNSOLD] than silver. It is today in its strict Okay, so this isn’t very classic ~ original condition, very well pre- but we couldn’t resist! served, its odometer shows only This is the car in which record- 500 km. breaking champions Sébastien A Visa I1RE with an estimate of Loeb and Daniel Elena won 80 €2.5 to €5K even beat its esti- stages en route to their ninth and mate attaining €6,300. fi nal title, in 20I2. I957 SABATIER ‘LE PRATIQUE’ In all, this car contested 32 ral- TYPE 49 lies between 20I2 and 20I6, with [EST: €2.5~5K ACHIEVED: €3.3K] I1 wins, I6 podiums and just four Classic tractors are increasingly retirements. cool products and often crop up Chassis number I7 today wears in classic car sales. its 20I3 French Rally livery and is Fewer than 300 Sabatier trac- said to be in perfect working or- tors are thought to be registered der. in Europe and this one has been I984 CITROËN V ISA V6 DANGEL restored. Power comes from a PROTOTYPE 25bhp, four-cylinder Citroën en- [EST: €35~45K ACHIEVED €40K] gine ~ and we love how its col- This is a unique prototype rally ours pop. car, built by Henry Dangel in as- I969 CITROËN DS2I PRESTIGE sociation with Citroën. Mid-en- [EST: €25~35K ACHIEVED €56.7K] gined, it has four-wheel drive, a We return to more conven- I75bhp V6 and a fi ve-speed gear- tional classic fare with an unusual box ~ plus, it is a featherweight version of the hallowed Citroën at just 800kg. DS. The vehicle presented is a However, with the Visa six DS21 Prestige manufactured on years old and the BX just two, the 23 September, 1969. It was used latter was selected as the better While the estimate for the as a model for a series of pho- commercial bet for rallying, leav- Dangel Prototype might make it tographs accompanying a press ing this a case of ‘what if’. the most expensive Visa ever to release addressed to dealers, in The museum’s specialists have be sold, the estimate for this Visa order to present this model to a recently put it back on the road, Club must make it the second wealthy clientele. so it is raring to go. most expensive example. So, of It was used as a company ve- I978 CITROËN V ISA CLUB course it had to be included. hicle by Pierre Bercot, Citroën’s [EST: €7.5~I0K ACHIEVED: €I5.9K] But, it was car was used for the number one from I958 to I97I. 64 Australia’s National Internet Magazine for Citroën Owners and Enthusiasts 65 SSellingelling tthehe FamilyFamily Jewels?Jewels? FForor SaleSale The registration certifi cate, up- Cabriolet that ‘failed’ by the larg- UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED ALL PRICES SHOWN dated in I983, is still held by Au- est margin. It was one of ten built EXCLUDE RELEVANT GOVERNMENT tomobiles Citroën and is still in Switzerland by Warblaufen in TAXES AND CHARGES. registered in the name of Auto- I95I, prior to Peugeot commenc- ID 19 mobiles Citroën. ing production of their cabriolet. Andrew Johnson has an ID I9 for sale This model in Comfort fi nish, It sold for almost €I1K less than • Aussie-built [C&G Series 6I03. Pleasingly, the engine No soberly equipped, humble and in- the €70K estimate. matches too!] novative at the same time, is in The full listing, with the results, • Whole [save for spare wheel/door card and a broken rear the image of Pierre Bercot. This can be found here: www.aguttes. indicator lens.] Would like it to go to someone genuinely interested in such man and this car are inseparable. com/catalogue/106316? vehicle who will do something with it. Floor is stuffed and to Today, this model is in its strict some fair extent the side rails of frame. For an enthusiastic original condition, having never talent, it is worth the look. Garth Foxwell has some 30 been restored, its exceptional photos if someone wants to see, otherwise the fellow’s history alone justifi es the most details are: Andrew Johnson, Ph: 0432 539 992 and asking $1,500. If anyone calls him, don’t rely on leaving message beautiful restoration. and being heard and do reference the Car Club ad! Garth Surprises for PSA on the Day Foxwell 0427 971 488 [44/03A] The PSA car that beat the es- timate by the largest percent- 1958 BERINI MOPED BICYCLE 28” Malvern Star gent’s bicycle with original green pin- age was a I993 Peugeot 306 stripe paint. Has 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub gears. Cabriolet that was the prototype Bought for £15 in Feb I958, it is fi tted with a 32cc Dutch used by the Colour & Material Berini M-I3 2-stroke motor that drives onto front tyre. Department. The upper estimate Back-pedal brake. Good tyres. Mudguards & rear packrack. was €6K and it sold for €25.5k, Rare machine. Family heirloom. Owners handbook and magazine articles. Goes well. Good condition. No reg’n beating the estimate by 325%. required. [Some parts still available ~ see Berini website. On the same basis the best- Nearest agent is in Rotterdam] $2,000. Contact: Warwick performing Citroën was the LN, Spinaze, Tootgarook, Vic. 0407 016 719 [44/3] ahead by I18%. 1950 CITROËN 11B In terms of actual money in the My I950 Citroën BI1 Normale [209030] project is sadly for pocket the biggest earner was sale, as I’m no longer able to get back into restoring it. The Pierre Bercot’s DS Prestige which car used to be another member’s car [Peter Fitzgerald] and beat the upper estimate by was named ‘Moriarty’. It is complete, although the interior €21,700. The Peugeot that gen- is a bit of a mess, partly disassembled interior by previous owner ~ and I kept it the way I got it… The crown wheel erated the largest ‘profi t’ was also and pinion are worn beyond repair and would need to be the 306 Cabriolet which beat the replaced if restored to original. I have acquired an ID I9 upper estimate by almost €20K. engine and 4-speed gearbox with the intention of fi tting There were ten vehicles that that to facilitate better maintenance and drivability. There failed to sell and of them four is also a spare rough boot lid and a second spare wheel. Comes with original parts list and workshop manual and a were Rally cars. Indeed of the six complete photocopy and PDF. I have a few photos of it out Rally cars offered, only two sold. of the ‘barn’ taken a couple of years ago… $I0,000 ONO. Apart from the cars that were Contact Details: E-mail [email protected] or 0499 050 passed in, it was a 609. Joe Hovel, Bendigo. [44/02] CCITROËNITROËN CLASSICCLASSIC OOWNERS’WNERS’ CCLUBL U B OFO F AUSTRALIAA U S T R A L I A AAustralia’sustralia’s NationalNational CCitroënitroën CCarar CClublub