My Citroen "fleet"

[mnde]

I thought it was about time to show you the Citroshite I drive and adore.

 

First of all my 1982 Citroën GSA Estate, in glorious "tomato soup" red with a lovely smooth 1299cc aircooled flat four engine. It may only be endowed with 65 bhp - but with this free-revving engine and class-leading aerodynamics, it feels like it's got more punch than it actually has. It will cruise all day on the motorway (with its five speed box, pilfered from a scrapped car) and it's hard to keep it from edging over the limit! Will reach 100mph flat out, and it doesn't feel like it's about to go bang either - the horizontally opposed piston layout makes for a turbine-like smoothness. And being an aircooled boxer, it sounds great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course being a "proper Citroën" it also has deeply comfortable seats and hydropneumatic suspension and brakes, which makes for a magic carpet ride (with lots of [controlled] roll) and awesome braking power with all round discs, inboard at the front to cut down on unsprung weight. The words most often quoted in literature about the GS/A are that it was the "most technically dense car in its class" and way ahead of its time.

 

Now über rare on these shores because most of its brethren of course dissolved despite Citroën's programme of Dinitrol treatment and dealer inspections for UK market cars. Also because service items like clutches were hideously labour intensive (engine-out job). Indeed the previous owner rescued it from being sent to the scrappie!

 

When I bought it in 2001 it was the first car I'd ever purchased, and for a long while was my only car!

 

I loved it so much that I gradually had bits and pieces done to it over the years, then squandered lots of hard earned dosh on an extensive restoration at a specialist a couple of years ago, including many new panels, new floors and sills and a respray. Then got made redundant , so I'm still in a lot of debt, but I think it was worth it, even though it's a base model!

 

Bonus shite points for:

 

Vinyl roof. On an estate car. Yup this beauty was added to the car in France, while the first owners were there on holiday. Apparently a violent hailstorm damaged the roof, they took it to a Citroën garage and the garagiste said "pas de probleme" and whammed on a vinyl roof! A few years ago it was beginning to crack and come unstuck at the edges, so I had it replaced with a new one!

 

Starting handle. How many cars of the 1980s can you name (apart from the 2CV and Dyane) that can be started by handle? GR8 4 RESTARTING YR ENGINE WHEN STRANDED ON A ROUNDABOUT. Yes it happened once. The car stalled while turning right at a large roundabout, and then wouldn't restart. I knew from previous experience of abrupt stallage that it *would* start on the handle - so cue me, jumping out onto the roundabout, bonnet up, engage handle, heave-ho, vroooooom, close bonnet, jump back in.... must have looked bizarre to everyone else, but it was bloody scary for me! It turned out to be dirty/loose spade connections on the coil.

 

Povvo spec. Uncovered steel wheels with chrome centre caps, no rev counter. But upgraded by the addition of a Pallas spec passenger courtesy light in the dash and set of deep-pile carpets.

 

Single spoke steering wheel with comedy (but very ergonomic) satellite pod controls and gaily lit instrument panel with revolving drum speedo.

 

Handbrake protruding from the dashboard, looking like the handle of a Black & Decker saw. Radio between the front seats.

 

At the moment this is my daily driver, as the BX is awaiting a new wheel bearing and droplinks. The GSA has done 156,000 miles and is still going strong after nearly 7 years of ownership. Not without its foibles (funny driveshaft and gearbox noises, blowing pattern exhaust pipe joints, and suspected worn anti-rattle springs on the front calipers because the pads rattle like buggery) but I love it to pieces and at the moment I cannot see myself ever parting with it.

 

Pics of the BX next week once I'm back from my imminent jolly to Spain

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[retrogeezer]

Mark, your car is gorgeous and money well spent as far as I'm concerned.

[VWPowered]

wow looks very clean, credit where its due

[MrRegieRitmo]

That is stupendous, how (why?) have you kept it to yourself for so long? :shock:There was an identical one in Bognor a few years ago (minus vinyl roof) it was A reg.

[Mr Lobster]

That is absolutely gorgeous You must be very pleased with it!

[Hertz]

That is a credit to you! I love the dashboard in particular the speedo

[Guest]

That's brilliant! It's more French than a man in a stripey shirt riding his baguette-filled bicycle to the onion shop.Seems to have a lot of switches for a base model.

[r.welfare]

Truly beautiful. That revolving-drum speedo is just something else - I know it's a "standard" Cit feature for a model of that era, but still something I struggle to get my head around!Unfortunately my only knowledge of this model stretches back to the early 80s, when I was sometimes ferried to school by my best mate's mum in her S-reg GS C-Matic Pallas. All I can recall is the squashy brown seats.I salute you running this as a temporary daily driver!Does the tailgate open fully down to the boot floor, like the saloon GS did?

[Milford Cubicle]

Your GSA is gorgeous, well worth getting into debt for. It's a car I've lusted after for a while, but I've never been quite brave enough to take one on, even though they're supposed to be very reliable.I'm with Mr. Welfare on the revolving drum speedo, it's nuts!

[mnde]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone :) I've been wanting to do an intro post for a while but never got round to it until today! I'd quite like to do a bit of Youtube-age as well at some point.

 

Does the tailgate open fully down to the boot floor, like the saloon GS did?

Estate tailgate does this:

 

 

Great for house moves!! Yes, the other attraction of the Estate is the cavernous flat loadspace with the seats down... no suspension turrets or anything. I have moved house several times with this car chock full of stuff and a) it still handles and remains at exactly the same height as when it is empty (aerodynamics not compromised) and still has a decent amount of grunt!

 

Fantastic cars, and I think everyone should have one. Those two on eBay are lush!

 

Until recently I had this GSA hatchback too:

 

 

The picture doesn't show it, but it's a fetching shade of lemony yellow, called "Beige" on the V5... with the lovely C-Matic semi-auto gearbox and, being an early GSA, it has the swoopy GS dashboard, similar to this:

 

 

It's being looked after by a friend at the moment, cos it needs a bit of work before it can achieve its next MOT. But once done, it may *well* be up 4 grabs.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[r.welfare]

Excuse my Citignorance...but did all UK-market GS's get a conventional-dial dash, only for it to revert to CitExcellence on the revolving drum front for the GSA?I am confused.I do, however, recall that my mate's mum replaced the GS with a Mk1 BX - possibly an A-plate 14E or RE, deffo relatively basic - and that had revolving drummery too. Most excellent.

[michiel]

Quelle beauté! I'm forever trying to talk myself out of wanting a GS(A), but this reminds me of my parents GS Break and niow I want one again...

[pompei]

You've got me hankering for my old GS which SWMBO "persuaded" me to sell last year. Truly lovely.

[mnde]

Excuse my Citignorance...but did all UK-market GS's get a conventional-dial dash, only for it to revert to CitExcellence on the revolving drum front for the GSA?

 

I am confused.

 

I do, however, recall that my mate's mum replaced the GS with a Mk1 BX - possibly an A-plate 14E or RE, deffo relatively basic - and that had revolving drummery too. Most excellent.

Yes, all UK market cars got a conventional dials dash, presumably to cater to presumed British conservative tastes. Sales were coincidentally slow to begin with, as this was a very quirky machine for British tastes!

 

The early GS got this beaut of a dashboard on the continent:

 

 

Later French/continental cars got a more conventional dials dash like this:

 

 

I believe the early LHD GSAs got the UK style dashboard... then in 1982 all GSAs everywhere got the new citexcellent dashboard with satellite pods and revolving drum speedo.... plus on Pallas models a drum revcounter as well.

 

 

I'm glad I'm stirring some nostalgia. These cars really need more recognition inside and outside the Citroen Car Club! There really aren't many left in this country.

 

Back to dashboards, the BX Mk1 indeed had a most excellent setup:

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Adrian_pt]

YUM

 

Amazign cars, love the styling and Citroen dashboards are always top-notch weird. Pretty much the most normal 80s one was I think the Citroen Axel/Oltcit:

 

[andrew e]

Scuse the thread drift Mark, but those snaps are sooper sharp - was this a point a squirt or somthing flasher? I'm after a new point and squirt you see

[Milford Cubicle]

With my psychic EXIF data powers I can tell you the photos were taken with a Kodak CX7330

[Richard]

Here's what it looks like. I think it's probably an obsolete model now being sold by a chancer, the newest review is early 2006 and I'd be surprised if any of the reviewers paid over £100 for it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kodak-EasyShare-CX7330-Digital-Optical/dp/B0002BRJDI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1221298869&sr=8-4

[Mash]

Always liked the GS, would love one someday funds and space permitting (so about 2050 probably...).I almost bought one about 7 years ago but it scared me off when I started looking round it. Wasn't the best of examples and could have led to untold financial ruin!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'd like to bosh up a pic of my old GS but the imagecave bastards have seemingly closed my account, what a shower of late-night fudge purchasers.

[r.welfare]

Thanks for the clarification on the dashboards Mark. The Mk1 BX layout is SUPA HOT! I want to buy one and then capture the look on my wife's face when I tell her I've sold her Accord to fund it, so she has to drive it and learn the control layout...

[j-j]

Didn't I ever share a pic of my CX with ya'll?

 

The coolness of old Shitroens continues:

 

 

Here's what CX ers get for laffs inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Jus love dem Citroens...

[andrew e]

Fantastique I feel kinda guilty killing an XM now Mind you I have just stumbled on this bizarre fact du jour:

The Company in 1985March sees the introduction of a new corporate image programme for the dealer network. The colour scheme of blue and yellow is replaced by red and white.In July, Citroën takes part in the first Chinese motor show in Shanghai and signs a contract for the delivery of 250 CXs.

Are they still there?

[Ross_K]

Mind you I have just stumbled on this bizarre fact du jour:

In July, Citroën takes part in the first Chinese motor show in Shanghai and signs a contract for the delivery of 250 CXs.

Are they still there?

They are. And not doing too bad either...Fancy a new ZX (or should I say Fukang)?http://www.citroen.com.cn/Models/Newcar ... sentation/

[andrew e]

The CX's, I knew about the Fukangs!

[Richard]

Should the CX radio not be vertical?

[wuvvum]

Think the CX radio was only vertical in the Series 2s, wasn't it? Neither of my Series 1s had a radio though so can't be 100% certain, but I seem to remember they have all the suspension and heating controls between the seats and the radio in the dash, and the Series 2 has them t'other way round. I'd forgotten about that superb ashtray though. That GSA wagon is truly a thing of beauty. One of those cars that I wish I'd owned ten years ago when there were still a few about and they weren't really worth anything. Having said that, after seeing that dashboard pic I don't think I'd throw a Mk1 BX out of bed either.

[pompei]

My GS ...

 

 

and CX ...

 

 

 

Ah, happy days, as a single lad with a load of old cars B4 The Fuhrer came onto the scene

[wuvvum]

My GS ...

 

 

and CX ...

 

 

 

Ah, happy days, as a single lad with a load of old cars B4 The Fuhrer came onto the scene

Nice! Love that colour on the GS.

 

Was the 127 yours as well?

[wuvvum]

Here's two of my CX's.