Here’s the deal: I’ll drive my beloved old F-100 to The Gambia and donate to charity there, IF I can find one of these in France to take home as a replacement for it. Seriously 😉
Trabantusa found and posted this very rare (in the US anyway) HY truck, at what appears to be a Citroen specialist shop, in east Philadelphia.
I’ve been complaining forever about pickup beds being too high, and getting more so with time. Here’s the ultimate in a low bed (can’t even see it), thanks to the Citroen’s front wheel drive. Yes , a Corvair Rampside would a nice alternative–and a long desired one–but the ‘Vair doesn’t have a continuous flat bed all the way back, thanks to that pesky rear engine. FWD to the rescue.
It’s even got some modern seats to make the ride to the lumberyard or dump more comfortable than the old park bench in my Ford. And the wiper motor would be easy to replace if it ever craps out, eh?
So how hard can it be to find one?
What a superb find. I love the van, but this is something else.
Well, there’s the phone number on the sign in the last photo. What are you waiting for? Call!
Only simplicity will remain when all else has gone extinct.
Very cool. I’ve never seen one of these before, and in Europe (or France, at least) they likely gave the VW Transporter a run for its money – more power, a flat load space and front wheel drive to boot. Not bad shape, either – I can imagine some business looking for a unique vehicle would snap it up. Tres bien!
Worst case it looks like all you need is an H-Van, a recip saw and a lot of courage. Otherwise, how’s your French, and what is the Provencal equivalent of Craigslist? Maybe Bill Lonseth can hook you up.
Way cool Paul not something Ive ever seen in the metal but a great old truck a bit underpowered compared to your 240 6 but no doubt quite capable with the appropriate gearing just dont try pulling 7000lb trailers and you’ll be fine.
They both have corrugated bodies for strength…
What would you feel safer going cross-country in? The Citroen or a Ford Tri-Motor?
Think I’d take my chances on the Tri-Motor. : )
I thought the same thing before I even scrolled down to your comment. “Looks like the love-child of a 60s Econoline PU and a Tri-Motor”
Haha… Instead of a seat belt, I think I’d wear a parachute in both the Citroen and Tri-Motor, to ensure a safe landing in either… : )
That’s an easy question to answer – you can’t pull over to the side of the sky and wait for the AAA!
What a cool bizarre find Thanks for posting this.
As soon as I saw the location, I said “south or east Philadelphia”. Lotsa memories from the New Year’s Day I was mumming.
Oh, Dem Golden Slippers! With Chief Halftown on Channel 6. Among the most vivid horrors of my childhood.
Somehow I doubt that this could really replace the F100. Gonna be a short honeymoon.
how can something be so ugly and yet so beautiful? I’d take one any day!
alistair
Not quite the ultimate low bed floor Paul, I posted a VW Transporter with a Razorback body to the Cohort a little while back – the bed can be lowered to the ground, just roll anything you need right in!
Just google “Citroen HY a vendre”, buy it and have it shipped to the US.
Here’s the very first hit I got: http://www.anciennes.net/lecture.php?search=citroen%20hy
And there is a HY pick-up on the list.
Mmmm, “Très belle Citroen DS 21 Injection Electronique”, just €15000.
For a DS I might as well look in my own country. Anything between 4,000 and 144,500 euro. http://www.gaspedaal.nl/Citroen/DS/?srt=pr
Citroën got it right with hte H-series vans.
They’d put the power and drivetrain in the front to drive the front wheels and were able to give a low loading floor and much more room for stuff to be loaded in the cargo area because there was no diff nor a propshaft.
60 years after its appearance (the van called the Tub) was its short lived pre-decessor
they are still right and most European built vans have this configuration, with the exeception of ‘ze Germans’ of course.
But even the ultra reactionary Volkswagen company went for FWD on their VW bus sucessor and it does make sense.
Low loading platform, lots of room and a light corrugated metal shell so no precious loading capacity is lost, these are the ingredients for a brilliant van.
Apart from that, you can change the chassis into many configurations.
You’d think anything heavy enough to need that hoist to get it in the bed would tax the powertrain. Heck, the HOIST’s weights would tax the powertrain.
Fascinating vehicle.
What a great classic Citroën duo !
(Source: http://citroenclubduperche.free.fr/Retromobile2006.htm)
lovely rear window! Now my favorite H-van version…
Cool van… I still would rather have a vw transporter, but this thing is seriously cool.
Paul, you are so wierd! Between this and your love of Peugeots, do you have some hidden French heritage? I do love the corrugation, speaks to the practical in me. But, with that horrible lack of vision to the right rear, how could you ever merge right? You would be forever relegated to the right lane, and never again have the opportunity to take pictures while being passed on the right. Small price to pay for something this wierd, however; you would definitely have pride of place at the transfer station, or the big box store.
If Paul bought that, no one would ever pass him on the right again.
C’est magnifique!
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