Images posted at the Cohort by Robadr1
(first posted 7/8/2014) Most Citroën fans will recognize this car, but to those for whom the brand is associated only with big, space age cruisers and tiny, post-war people’s cars, the GS may be a bit obscure. Introduced in 1970, it was an attempt to gain some mass market sales in the compact family car segment, and while never imported to North America, a few examples have been featured on our pages already.
Conceived in the same ambitious mold as the fabulous Alfasud and infamous Austin Allegro, it’s best that it remained across the Atlantic, but if I could get a hold of a classic Citroën today, this would be near the top of my list. That’s because it was a unique attempt to bridge the gap between rustic models like the Ami and 2CV and sumptuous, space age hovercraft like the late DS and especially the SM. To that end, it did without those latter cars’ fully hydraulic steering systems and high-pressure hydraulic brakes but still benefited from a full hydropneumatic suspension. It also inaugurated the kammback styling theme which would be used to full effect on the upcoming CX, my other favorite Citroën.
Along with that car, the GS was designed in large part around a Wankel engine, with which only about 850 examples were built between 1973 and 1975. Unlike the CX, with its ancient straight-four, the GS’s alternative to the failure of the rotary powertrain collaboration with NSU (which contributed to the bankruptcy of that company) was a free-revving air-cooled flat-four. But while the engine in the CX benefited from a larger displacement, fuel-injection, eventual turbocharging and all-out replacement by the Douvrin unit in naturally aspirated versions, the GS remained saddled with its small displacement unit, which topped out at about 1300cc and 66 horsepower, until the end of its life in 1985. Not so terrible in markets with a high displacement tax, but difficult to justify in other contexts.
That hasn’t stopped this New Zealand enthusiast from turbocharging the car, which is the most logical solution to the lack of power as it gives the GS torque to match its soft, effortless ride. I haven’t seen another example, so this guy deserves some more recognition. I’ll use this opportunity to submit my answer to Jason’s QOTD from yesterday: I think a Citroën GS with a turbocharged Subaru EJ engine would be a difficult combination to beat, even if it’d require a fair degree of fabrication (and having to figure out what to do with the radiator).
The powertrain question didn’t hurt its sales on the continent, where it sold about 2,500,000 French-built units over fifteen years, in addition to versions made in Belgium, Spain, Chile, Portugal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Thailand and Yugoslavia, but the money spent on the GS, the CX, the SM and rotary engine development meant there was little money left to update its small-car lineup which remained somewhat of a mess after Peugeot’s acquisition of the company in 1974.
Aside from some slightly tweaked panel fitment in front (likely the result of a low-speed shunt) and a tarp which possibly covers a broken window, this car looks to be in quite good condition, as the clean, uncracked, matte-finish interior plastics show. Robadr1, who uploaded these quintessentially Curbside Classic shots, seems to have found an earlier model. Proper round dashboard dials came in 1977 and the GSA model, with blackout trim and a proper full hatchback arrived in 1979. If the tarp is indeed covering a broken right-side window, it shows how replacing a simple shattered pane can turn into a royal headache. It’s obviously much easier in these days of constant global connectivity, but nevertheless remains a chore. I wonder how many of these are left in its European homeland.
Undoubtedly, more Renault 5s remain, and understandably so, as that car, with its more straightforward interior and less complex engineering, had the style and dynamic capability to stand up to the GS’s finesse for less money and, as one of the first B-segment superminis, was able to meet the needs of families nearly as well with its hatchback. With the arrival of cars like the Golf, the writing was on the wall, even though the GS remained in production long after the VW’s me-too successors sealed the its fate. The partnership with Peugeot luckily allowed for a unique interpretation of PSA’s upcoming new-age SIMCA-influence mid-sized chassis in the BX, but the lack of international mass market presence which hurt Citroën during the GS’s life continues to haunt the company today (versus Renault which has managed to weather the Eurozone recession due to their tie-up with Nissan).
I’d bet good money that there’d be a lot for me to discuss with this car’s current owner, whose ownership of this less famous Michelin-era Citroën is a labor of love which will go unnoticed by most non-enthusiasts (maybe it’s different in British Columbia). She or he gets their fair share of “cute car” and other similar comments to which it’d be a real challenge not to respond with a condescending harangue, but genuine appreciation is likely rare. As a mechanically-unconventional car built with a practical, family friendly mission, a lot of people don’t “get” the GS and the challenges presented by that ignorance and the need to comb through overseas parts supplies makes this CC a true nerd’s delight.
Another creatively engineered but poorly developed design from our French friends. I’ve only known one person who owned a DS from new and he said it was the best car he ever owned until the shine wore off. Then it was the worst. They just didn’t design things for harsh environments over the long haul, but a tip of the cap for the creativity and hubris. Also they needed an aircraft mechanic to work on it. I’ve never seen this model but I have seen a CX.
Actually, they assembled GS’s in Rhodesia in the 70s when I was growing up. They were very popular, and proved pretty reliable. The suspension was a boon on the plentiful uneven dirt roads, as well! Never beat the mighty Peugeot 404 and 504 for utter indestructability, however.
Good write up on a cool car.
Sweet looking car. I’ve always liked Citroens of the 1970s. It’s a shame they didn’t sell very well here in the United States.
A very long time since i saw one in the UK.Apart from main dealers there were few mechanics willing to work on Citroens and quite a few became lawn ornaments due to faults which would have been easily and cheaply fixed in other cars.
It was probably as unsuitable for America as a full size big block gas guzzler was for Europe,Definitely a better car than an Allegro and more dependable than an Alfasud but not quite as good looking.
I drive around Vancouver all the time and I have never seen this car and I sure would have noticed.
I love Citroen cars of this era, there is simply nothing comparable. There is a DS19 around Vancouver that has a very elderly lady driving it. I have seen it twice in a decade.
I remember seeing a DS in Seattle for sale. Even if I wanted the car, there’s no way I would’ve been able to afford the maintenance.
It had been a very famous car in addition to 2CV4-Spaček, Diana 6, Ami 6, Ami 8, Ami Supér, ID, DS, CX… Manufactured in the Republic of Slovenia (at that time part of Yugoslavian Federation) by the factory CIMOS. After the famous GS some other siblings got appeared like the GA, GSX, GSA.
http://www.avto-magazin.si/avtomobilski-testi/cimos-citroen-ga/
http://www.origo.hu/auto/20111103-nyugati-kocsik-a-keleti-blokkbol-1.html?pIdx=1
http://www.citroenet.org.uk/foreign/jugoslavija/cimos.html
My experience was that the Citroen D-series held up well, at least in mild climates. The ’58 Citroen ID19 that I co-owned with another starving college student gave good service. The hydraulic system leaked slightly, but we watched it and never let it become a concern. Ultimately we sold it to a girl who just loved it, and about a year afterward I saw it near her house, apparently still floating along.
the CC effect strikes again! saw a beige GS just a few days ago. but didn’t have the time to take pictures.
apparently, these have the smoothest ride of all Citroens ever, including both the DS and the CX.
the blue wagon looks EXACTLY like the one my dad had for about a year. why, you ask? he had always driven large Citroens, and I remember a maroon CX Athena and a thistle-green CX GTI – I absolutely loved these cars, always sitting on the passenger side rear-seat to be able to look at the fantastic space age dash. but when he wanted to trade-in the GTI, the dealer offered him about 35% of what he paid when he picked up the car new just 2 years earlier. talk about depreciation! my father first went to the Mercedes dealer across the street, learned that the S123 he wanted had a waiting list of about a year (imagine that today!) and figured he’d need a ride for the time inbetween. so he got the GSA Break that was priced just below the resale price of the GTI. the Citroen dealer was not pleased. The GSA stayed with us for one year, being rather unloved by all family members (though it had a super-funky dash as well!) and dubbed “the rattlebox” in the family. the Benz was nowhere near exciting as any of the Citroens, but it stayed with us for 12 years, 300k km and no flaws whatsoever along the way. despite two stupid teenage boys learning to drive in it (way before driving school, I might add).
A friend of mine bought a Citroen GS. One major motivation was immediate delivery when even Opel and Ford had waiting lists for their offerings. I believe a good many Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and Simca found buyers this way. In the end the automotive consumer looks for a trouble free long lasting means of transportation, not exciting technology and flashy design.
Way ahead of the competetion when released, and winner of European Car of the Year for 1971. Amazingly, the GS was a rush job, initiated in April 1967. Originally, Citroen had been working on a car for this sector, known as “Project F”. Development continued up to the introduction of the very similar Renault 16. Citroen suspected, but was unable to prove industrial espionage, so the whole car was scrapped at a very large financial loss. As a result, the GS program ran off a very limited budget. Looking back, it was nothing short of a miracle how well the GS turned out in the end.
Interesting, never heard of project F. Have to dig around for some pics. Given the GS was a rush job, they pulled a great solution out of it. Great evolution of the DS, and when the CX was introduced, the perfect marque identity. They both looked similar enough, and different enough. Great article Perry.
Hi Don,
Here is a page at Citroenet about the projet G that led to the GS.
Also about the Projet F that proceeded it.
http://www.citroenet.org.uk/prototypes/projet-g/projet-g.html
http://www.citroenet.org.uk/prototypes/projet-f/projet-f.html
Before the F, there was the C60… This is the GS for 1960. Good thing it stayed in prototype form. Same for the F – it would have looked pretty awful compared to what R. Opron managed to do with large Citroens (CX, GS, SM).
To be fair to the C60 the Ami 6 / Anglia 105E like rear does look unappealing, OTOH am of the view the C60’s rear was salvageable had it featured the Ami 8’s or even the M35’s fastback rear ends (leaving just the front end being tidied up a bit more).
Lots of Citroën DS (visit Amsterdam and you see more classic DS models than new Citroëns) and CX models for sale, but I found only 8 GS and GSA models. This one was the “top-dog”, as in most expensive, a 1975 GS Pallas for € 3,950. Several of them less than € 1,000. (Photo: Citroën specialist Jan van Gompel)
Nice article on a beautifull car. I relly like the picture with the girl.
I wish girls (and cars) still looked that good!
No wonder you’re in this gig, Perry.; the GS has a very special place in my heart. Its combination of comfort, room and efficiency was unparalleled, IMHO. I see it as a precursor to the Prius: four can ride comfortable at some 40 mpg. The GS did that 20 years before the Prius, but as you said, with too many trade-offs for American consumption.
Thanks for this; it made my day. I shot one on the streets in Portland five years ago, but never wrote it up. I was waiting for you to. 🙂
They’re so cool. And unlike with the Prius, Citroen took vehicle dynamics much more seriously. I’ll admit to the Prius holding a special place in my heart, though, since it’s right-sized, with a progressive approach to engineering lacking in today’s Camry and Accord (or many other mainstream models).
The GS and CX are some of my favorite cars and without the crazy brakes and steering of the more expensive models and wider availability of a regular manual transmission, the smaller of the two offered that amazing ride without the wonky control inputs of the others. I’m just surprised more people haven’t modified the engine as the guy in the video did!
Hi Perry,
As to the turbo version by the New Zealand guy,Citroen apparently played about with a turbo version of the GS. If I can find the information I will post it here.
By the way I learnt to drive in a GS that my dad owned.Spoiled for life as no other car rides like it, not even Rolls Royces I have driven.Automakers R & D departments should have one of these to show them what a good riding car feels like. We don’t all want to drive hard riding German facsimiles.
Indeed these cars were (are) very advanced. They were present during the oil embargo and recession when everyone was scrambling to improve fuel economy with better aerodynamics and so on. People (motor journalists and folks) were so focused on the cw coefficient. Citroen proofed that it takes multiple prongs to come up with fuel efficient platform: low cw coefficient, small A =frontal area, low rolling resistance and low total mass. They had a winner coming of the assembly lines.
They were the perfect accessory to bell bottom pants.
And the rust ate them up.
Very cool little cars. I didn’t know about these until a few years ago, as they weren’t imported here, but I rather like them–they have that legendary Citroen quirkiness, appealing styling, and of course that fantastic ride. Too bad there are so few in this country.
The only Citroens I’ve ever seen here have been a handful of DS’s. The most recent was about a month ago, when I was on my way to look at a Volvo; a silver DS appeared behind me on the road. It only stayed with me a few blocks before turning off, and though I slowed down it declined to pass me, but what an unmistakable face (one of the later quad-lamp cars.) Sort of an automotive good omen.
Sort of looks like a four door original Honda Insight. The styling is way ahead of it’s time. Cool find. And although the Wankel engine was a dead end, it was conceived with what was thought to be the powerplant of the future at the time. Nice find and writeup on another car I never knew about.
I’m going to a French car wrecking yard today hunting some bits for my Xsara so its nice to see a Citroen post this and the Pilot make a nice change from the broughams
I had a GS Club, light metallic blue, when I was at University. Exceptionally comfortable car with a great ride and wonderful seats. It was totally different from the Fiat 124 Sport I had before it. Two places in Brisbane could service it – the then-dealer, Maxim Motors and an independent guy who still makes a living servicing the surviving Citroens of this city.
It was a great car with only two faults. It had a manual choke but the dash choke would not pull out far enough to fully engage, so you had to lift the bonnet and place a bent spoon (!!!) under the linkage, start the car, then run back and take the spoon out! Thankfully this only happened on cold mornings. The other issue was a lack of power – it was painfully slow on any hill, no matter how slight the gradient.
So a bigger engine and a choke that worked would have made my GS Club the perfect car!
Lol, bought my AX from Maxims, and got it serviced up in Red Hill. Small world…that blue GS wouldn’t have lived in New Farm?
A neighbour had one of these. Lovely little car. I longed for one, but they were way outside my price range – wound up getting a Mark 3 Cortina instead 🙁 . Meanwhile the neighbour upgraded to a CX…..
Saw a somewhat rare frenchy near home yesterday.
Alistair
Theres a light 15 rental car in Hawkes Bay I kid you not google Hooters classic car rentals, Just filled my car after a 320km run 14.5 Litres calculates to 60mpg imperial, I need a Prius why
I want to bring it home and name it Jacques. It’ll take me to the farmer’s market and the countryside to buy cheese.
It truly does seem like a perfect compromise Citroen, given that I’m thinking pie in the sky and thinking of the virtually non-existent maintenance support (probably a problem then as much as now), but I think of how efficient and comfortably it could gobble up miles of driving.
I’m embarrassed to even think about how much better Laurence’s pictures of this car would be than mine :).
Her name is Gigi, and she helps with laundry, and she has already been to the farmer’s market for seasonal vegetables and the stinkiest brie. The spongy bucket seats will still make for a great ride…this was the car for “The family man with the bad back.”
I got around tonight to looking thru some old magazine articles about the GS I have, and according to the Jannuary 2012 issue of Classic & Sports Car, only 18 GS and 29 GSA remain licensed in the UK. It makes me wonder how few are left in France!
I’m taking a wild guess here but on the basis of what I just read on some French GS-related links I’d say not more than a few hundred GSs and GSAs are left in France. They have a real cult following and are viewed as a cool alternative to the CX which was a more expensive car from the start and has a better survival rate (BTW I just saw a fantastic CX estate on the highway between Luxemburg and Brussels, with a trailer and a dented but oh so attractive Traction 11 on it. It had Dutch plates of course :-))
I’ll bite, what is the handle thing to the right of the steering wheel?
That is the parking brake. Pull out to actuate the brake.
Great write-up Perry. The aerodynamics of this car are quite striking for its era, especially that lowered nose – and I believe there’s even a spare tire mounted under the hood.
If I catch it with the tarp off this (very sunny) week, I’ll post another shot. I may even leave a note on the windshield suggesting the owner peruse this post and tell us something about the car’s story.
I do hope I answered some questions on my post at the bottom…I welcome any and all comments or suggestions! Awesome photos by the way…Thanks!
This car has almost vanished from Spanish roads.
I do remember a beige one parked in my grandmother’s apartment complex. Since my father had a very classic Seat 850, seeing a Citroën GS raising from the ground with the hydropneumatic suspension was extremely shocking to me.
As some people mention here, these cars were maligned because of the complex and fragile mechanics. My father would have never considered a Citroën because of that.
They don’t have many fans among the classic car fans. Some cars like the GS, Seat 131, Seat 132 are very much forgotten in Spain, compared to other cars from the same era.
Beautiful cars. My uncle had a GSA (the hatchback version) when I was a kid, and my brother and I were amazed at this vision of the future (compared to my Dad’s Audi 80). The dashboard and satellite pods for the minor controls were crazy. I later owned a CX, the most comfortable car I’ve ever been in, lovely soft seats, wonderfully compliant suspension, but it could handle too. Why did I sell it?!! Oh yes, the electrics…… The last time I saw a GS was about eight years ago, queuing to get on the M4 at Brentford, West London, me in the CX stuck in traffic going the opposite way. Suffice to say I was surprised, I think he was too!
…it had a very free-revving engine (1200cc?from memory) ..nice to drive !
I dont understand the love for these. A friends Dad had one – it was like being transported round in a spin dryer.
One for anoraks?
Surely, this one for scholars.
Spacious, comfortable, great to drive, economical, distinctive – what more do you need?
This is surely one of the best cars Europe built in the 60/70/80s. With the Alfasud, it showed that compact cars didn’t have to be dull dreary boxes but could good to drive as well – this was a huge wake up call to most European manufacturers, from Austin to VW.
The 1220 actually drove like a bat out of hell, but you needed to kick it in its underbelly.
Great advantage was cornering could be done at great speed, they were quite neutral in their handling so you’d lose relatively little speed when cornering.
The poor 1220 cc engine could not hold a candle against its major French rival : the R16 by Renault, this had the advantage of a watercooled 160 cc four cylinder and the R16 was a hatch, much more practical.
Citroën tried to bridge that gap with the Break (estate version) of the GS, which had the nice feature that the rear bumper middle section would lift with the tailgate.
I had one as a company car, when I drove pin ball machines and one arm bandits around in Holland to diners, snackbars, bars and other places.
I choose a GS because of the tailgate feature, collegues who drove more “powerfull “Opel or Ford stationwagons Always struggled with suspension and lifting the darn thing in.
I lowered the GS and tipped the machine right in the back.
And drove of, as I said like a bat out of hell, hydraulic suspension, you know.
And another feature : the headlights on the GS were GREAT, better then on my Boss’es Merc 450.
Here’s what I meant about the bumper :
Ow, I thought the Boss would buy me a van, a two door cheap version, less nice, but he’d bought me a four door station wagon, coz the darn thing was so cheap as he told me.
Well, being in the gambling business, he printed his own money I guess…
I recall looking at a Break at a Citroen dealer. The dealer made a point of showing me the hatch opening and how it would make a great perch for fishing.
I asked him about tightening the belt for the engine cooling fan. He said: “that’s easy. I take a special tool……..” I don’t think I let him finish that sentence. I was gone.
Thanks for the picture, Rammstein. Today I would would love to have Citroen GS.
Perry, as a Francophile of long standing I could echo the many commendations of your post. I could salute your subject matter, or praise your obviously diligent research–but no, not today. This day, and on behalf of Andre Citroën, I thank you for your most welcome and gloriously proper use of the umlaut!
Ahem, that’s André Citroën. The ë came later BTW, as the original name of the family was Citroen. Dutch for lemon. So every single Citroën is a lemon, no doubt about that.
My father always called them “Zitrone” (lemon, in German), when we lived in Austria, and I’ve had a hard time letting go of that ever since.
In the early 19th century the family name was Limoenman (lime man), indeed, the man was a fruit and vegetable trader. Later on that last name became Citroen (lemon) and the family went to France. It was André’s school teacher in France who changed the name into Citroën. So I’ve read.
Then again, what’s in a name, Johannes? Despite its name, this vehicle, from Pella, Iowa, could not be less Dutch. 🙂
I’ve always wondered where the descendants of the famous painter went. Now I know.
When I was a kid in France not a few elderly guys (including my grandpa who was among the first to buy a GS but never forgot the ID19 he had before – story of many Citroen drivers’ lives…) would call Citroens “citrons”. Easier to pronounce I guess…
(sorry, can’t do diacritics on this lousy keyboard)
Apparently, the “citron” for Citroen dates back to the 5CV Type C “Trefle” (1922-1926), a small, cheap and extremely popular car (over 80 000 sold). They were initially all painted in bright yellow, so they quickly became the “petite citron” when they hit the streets. They had 3 seats (some 2), an 850cc straight-four and only 11BHP. They remained common on French country roads until the late 50s.
Dare I compare this Citroen with Detroit’s pony cars such as the Ford Maverick which was marketed as a model in competition with the VW.
The Citroen GS engine was used in a motorcycle for the French Police a rather ugly looking thing though I’m sure someone likes them.I’m probably a bit biased here as I’ve been looking at a beautiful Moto Guzzi V twin before seeing the French bike
Oh my goodness ..yes ! ..back in ’77 a Canadian tourist here in NZ on holiday (with his bike, a black and gold-trimmed ’73 Guzzi V7 Sport) sold that beautiful two-wheeled sculpture to me for a song, rather than ship it back to Canada with him.
That particular model with the twin leading shoe front braking is now a highly sought after classic .. ..
The transverse vee twin engine you like a lot (as I did) is/was taken from a small NATO military vehicle of some description I was told .. .. ..
Moto Guzzi offered me the NZ agency for their product after I wrote to them around that time praising their machinery .. lol
There was a kind of junior Citroen SM look a like based on the GS called the Camargue but the money was running out by then and I don’t think it got past the prototype stage.A pity as it was a real beauty and would have been a lot cheaper and easier to live with than an SM
Wow, my uncle had a red GS just like that. It was actually his wife who used it as he always had a big Mercedes too, but for travelling to warmer climes in the winter, they always used the GS for the five-six hour drive to the airport, and he always boasted avout driving it generally at full (!) speed for hours, how comfortable it sat on the motorway, and how great it was to leave it instead of the Merc on the snowy airport parking lot for weeks, I remember it was a GS Special, written GSpecial on the trunk badge.
At the same time, my dad ran a magnificient 1982 CX GTi, white with blue interior and the 2400 cc four, a very comfortable and rapid motorway cruiser, but also a complicated beast. Both the GS and the CX turn up as dream classics from time to time.
How’dy!
The whole thing about these Citroën things in general, and the hydropneumatics
in particular, being … who hoo hoo ,,sooo troublesome and rocket-science
complicated is nothing but a myth. Heey, it’s just a few brake-line-like
thingies extra.
I have owned as daily cars one D-model, 3 CX’es and one Xantia.
Not ONE single problem with the hydropneumatic.
As for owning a GS today, it is like 12,5 % as complicated to work on as a modern car.
Nothing, except maybe funnymoney cars, beats an old Citroën.
Here’s my present one:
…and pics:
…
,.—
My neighbor has his diesel GS wagon for sale – in Northern California – if anyone is interested. It’s been his daily driver for a year or two, replacing his DS21. It seems to run fine when it clatters by my house. It’s CA registered which I suspect means it could be registered anywhere in the US.
EDIT: brain fade alert! My neighbor’s is a CX, not GS.
Viking- is your CX the model named “Prestige” with the longer wheelbase? Black really suits your fine looking car.
Thank you Roderick. Yes indeed it’s a ‘Presige’
The 25cm longer wheelbase , and slightly higher roof-line,
is more obvious with this sideview
Nice looking car. I’ve always liked the styling of the Citroen of the 70s, particularly the GS and the CX model.
‘Presige’ ..don’t theys dum frogs know ‘ow to spell english ..lol
That is a superb vehicle, Viking. Many jealous emoticons from me. Are they the original wheels?
I may be wrong but I think these wheels were standard on Series 2 Turbo CXs from the late 1980s, not many of which were made and mostly with the short wheelbase. In which case Viking’s car is one of these ultra-rare long-wheelbase Prestige Turbo 2s. Now I’m seriously jealous.
Congratulations Mr. Viking ! Your car shows exactly where the word “limousine” comes from. Personally I’ve always liked the CX more than the DS and luckily plenty of (very) good ones are still around.
Gorgeous car! Respect!
Oh yes they do. It’s just that I don’t
.-)
There is one of these that lives on 28th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.
Not exactly the sort of car you would expect to see in Manhattan.
Apparently some Citroens did make it to the USA. 🙂
My previous comment was for Craig.
Jason and Don; Thanks !
The whells show there are actually for the Turbo as Oliver points out.
Thanks Oliver.
Thanks Johannes !
Jason: there was a ‘grey’ import:
http://www.citroenet.org.uk/foreign/usa/88-01.html
…and I guess a few slipped in from Canada (?)
PS: the wheels in question: they wore different types originally
and mine wears these now. A set of originals that I have modified slightly:
It’s too bad Citroen pulled out of the US market. Why do you reckon that happened? I’ve been told somewhere that the French aren’t very good at building anything of good quality, and that’s especially true with cars. Is he right or wrong?
He’s wrong.
I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never driven a Peugeot, Renault, or even a Citroen. That’s why I asked.
Here is a picture of Citroens prototype for a North American version of the GS.I think the nose is a bit longer than the European version. Other than this picture I have no other information about the car.
Jason: this probably explains things:
“…In 1974, the final nail in the coffin of Citroën selling autos in North America was delivered—the decision by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to prohibit passenger vehicles with height-adjustable suspension. Citroën actually built 1974-model-year cars for the U.S., but was barred from selling them.[16] For many years, Citroën had been running into issues where U.S. design legislation fixed older technologies in place, and prohibited certain engineering innovations “not invented here”, including items in many automobile designs today, like mineral oil brake fluid, aerodynamic headlights, and directional headlights. The wisdom of these regulations has since been reconsidered and most have been repealed in the light of developing technology.
Since the height-adjustable suspension was an integral feature of the CX design, there was no way to engineer around it. Even financially powerful Mercedes-Benz had to remove the height adjustment switch from its flagship 6.9 while retaining the hydropneumatic suspension in the U.S.
A few CXs came to North America under unclear circumstances (some related to diplomatic immunity) during the 1970s, but the situation was eased when U.S. Government repealed the ban on height-adjustable suspension in 1981….”
Wingroad: that’s an interesting picture. Yep, that one weird big nose.
Where did you find that picture ?
Viking,
I found that picture in a couple of PDF documents about the birth and history of the GS. I downloaded a few years ago,
The docs are dated 2010. Unfortunately they are in French, which I can only vaguely understand.
Interesting pictures and text if I could fully understand it . LOL
“…I’ve been told somewhere that the French aren’t very good at building anything of good quality…”
Cooooome on ! Compared to what ? American cars ?
Imagine an American car winning a rally like this in the late seventies
like the CX did:
CLICK:
http://youtu.be/nt07ma2_Y_0?t=8m18s
CLICK::
http://youtu.be/nt07ma2_Y_0?t=3m29s
Vive La France !
.-)
BTW: I’m Danish
I wouldn’t know, as I’ve never owned or driven a Renault, a Peugeot, or a Citroen, that’s why I asked. A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) said that he drove a Renault and he felt as though he were driving a soda pop can. It felt flimsy to him.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/jeep-wagoneer-icm-competition-limited-124-gene-henderson-moby-dick-i-1972.335303/
The first 4WD competition car to win an FIA rally was an American car. It took Europe another decade to admit that the US had better technology and ideas than they did and follow suit.
I have owned a 1975 Renault 16TS, 1965 Citroen ID19,many fine Peugeot 404 sedans and two 404 utes and a Peugeot 505 Grand Rallye.Have driven several Citroen GS and CX and DS and there is no other car which rides and handles like they do.Renaults,Peugeots and Citroens have won major rallies across the globe for more than 60 years.In 1980 I was tempted to purchase a 1977 Citroen GS Pallas,deep metallic blue with blue interior,immaculate,but I chickened out.The GS had an aircooled horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engine and when started would blow lots of smoke out the exhaust.To increase the longevity of such a small and high revving motor,the tops of the pistons had a lip in them which retained some oil,so when started the cylinder and piston was lubricated immediately,hence the startup smoke as the oil was burnt off.Out of the many makes of cars I owned,the Peugeot 404s are the ones I miss the most,simple,rugged,superb steering,ride,handling,comfort and quietness.
Thanks for your insights. I have not had anywhere the extensive experience you had, but have driven or ridden in some of those cars. But I did own a number of 404s too, and loved them dearly. I can’t decide whether I liked the sedan or wagon better.
I’ve written too articles on the 404:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/the-worlds-greatest-wagons-peugeot-203-403-404-504-505-an-illustrated-history/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-1969-peugeot-404-the-cc-holy-grail-found/
We’ve done a number of other Peugeot posts. You can find them in the “European Brands” Portal on the right, or use the “search by Google” feature.
So they were great cars.
Well YES!! …in fact the French back in the ’50’s and ’60’s (’70’s?) were generally designing their automotive machinery with hard use in mind a la North Africa (Algeria) and other slightly less hard case overseas territories such as New Caledonia and Tahiti.. so the cars were designed to handle often unformed road surfaces and frequently hot, dry conditions.. and the rides tended to be notably ‘supple’ on the medium and larger saloons of each if the major French car manufacturers.. even the little light weight Dauphine was superb on the commonplace shockingly rough metalled back country roads we had here all over the place in New Zealand back then.
That makes sense that a car be built that way. If only our American cars were built that rugged. The problem I’ve heard about Citroens were that not very many were sold here in the USA or Canada, so spare parts aren’t readily available when you need them.
Three things about the GS stood out among all the other things noted about it. I had 2 friends who had them, one a ’72 with a 1015cc (later replaced with a 1220cc) and the other a somewhat later Break.
1) Chassis rigidity, torsional rigidity in particular. It was simply a very stiff car. This stood out since the 72 was brought to North America new for a photo op by Citroen cars NA and magically remained with the dealership in Cleveland. Since they drove the car rather than displayed it, it was exposed to Cleveland’s harsh winters and the road salt. So this car had significant “missing metal” in structural areas. Yet you could jack it up from one corner with absolutely no flex. If you tried that with a rusty D it would just twist like a wet cardboard box. [I know because a bought a rusted ID for parts that I ultimately drove as a winter car. Reminded me of the Flexible Flyer sled I had, only looser]
2) The suspension foreshadowed the CX. The front configuration was quite different from the D’s equal length leading arms. Although it was not as “cloud-like” in its ride quality, I thought the dynamics were better, particularly over rises and dips in the road that could “trip up” a D. If the hump in the road had just the right rise and length (at a particular road speed) a D would begin to correct for the float about the time you needed the pressure for the landing. The GS didn’t do this and could even be taken airborne without bottoming out on the landing. Don’t ask how I know this. 😉
3) Aerodynamic refinement. The only clue I had was an observation made while caravanning along with my friend with the GS sedan after a heavy rain. I was in my 604 V6 SL, he in the GS. We were on a freeway that produced heavy road spray. The pattern left in the road spray by the GS was absolutely orderly and linear, with two subtle tall and narrow fields of slowly rotating vortices in the road spray behind the car. It was the strangest thing to see. The one trailing behind the right flank of the car was slowly rotating counter clockwise, the one trailing behind the left flank of the car rotated slowly clockwise. I had never seen that before, and not seen it on another car since.
Definitely a car more special than most realized.
Right now I’m the present owner of this car in question. I was quite excited to see what’s going on here, behind my back!
Some history:
This vehicle was obtained locally at the Vancouver dealership back in 1971. At that time only two GS Clubs were imported to the dealership. It seems that they received orders for dozens of this model, but had to cancel, handing back deposits due to this model not meeting all road specifications in Canada. Leaving me to assume this car was brought home by one of the salesmen. The only other ’71 GS Club I can find on this side of the pond is in San Francisco.
From there I was only able to trace about 10 years ago…Here is a link to a site the car appeared in previously:
http://bringatrailer.com/2011/09/28/cool-french-econo-sedan-1971-citroen-gs-club/
If you scroll down the comments you will find some information from the person who did the abysmal bodywork.
In March of this year, the keys were handed over to me which means it’s my turn to be the caretaker. The first job my Citroën addict friend and I tackled was a major hydraulic leak, which really was an easy fix, once the entire front end was pulled off. Let me explain the blue tarp (disappointment you didn’t get her on a sunny day!), the fellow that did the previous body work left some major gaps in the passenger side door and the gasket around the frame was installed incorrectly. All of the windows are fine and in really good shape! So the major water leak is about to be fixed, and then the interior will be tackled. I found this site while looking at examples of period fabrics! I am however dreading what is coming up in the short term, the lower head gasket covers need new seals, and I figure if I have to pull the whole front end off again, I might as well do the entire engine. So the clean-up begins, I do expect this to be an educational experience. The longer term will include: getting the proper honeycomb grille, the proper wheel rims and a complete redo of the body with a new paint job.
For the record, this car is a blast to drive, handles like a dream…gutless going up hills, smooth as silk ride, I had a ’83 Parisienne with its boat like ride can’t even compare, I was amazed the first time I took it over some speed bumps, the hydraulic suspension made them disappear. It also corners without losing speed and keeps level. I have been using it for a daily driver, and I sense that if it starts in the colder weather, it is going to be a very reliable car for many years to come. However the hand crank may come in handy on the cool Vancouver winter nights. Oh, and yes..I do hear “cute car” a lot! Except the old toothless mechanics that run into street to ask where I find parts…
This is a picture of one of the two GS Clubs at the Vancouver dealership taken in 1971
Another angle..I reckon of the other car…
[Puts anorak on, A / C to the max]
How about the things this car didn’t do so right?
1. The initial 1015cc flat-four was painfully underpowered (only 55 DIN). The aerodynamic shape allowed a respectable top speed of about 145 KPH (90 MPH)…
2. But at that speed, you’re guzzling gas at an alarming rate of 12.4 L / 100km (19MPG). On anything but a flat highway, the little engine is thirsty. Median gas mileage (about 10.5 L / 100km (22 MPG) was pretty lousy for 1970.
3. No hatchback. Just like the CX. Five years after the Renault 16. If a large vehicle parks too close, you can’t open the damn boot. All because Pierre Bercot, the CEO, thought hatchbacks to be slightly vulgar, only called for on station wagons. It took the GS 10 years to get the hatchback it was obviously born to have from the start.
4. The Birotor — a tragic loss… Citroen got those ready just in time for the oil crisis. Gas mileage was worse than the SM. In 74, Citroen goes bankrupt, gets married to Peugeot shot-gun style and after 14 months, with fewer than 1000 cars sold, the Wankel gets the axe in January 75. Citroen spent the remainder of the 70s buying all the GS Birotor it could get its hands on and destroying them.
The GS is considered to be the hydropneumatic Citroen offering the best ride comfort by a large number of followers.
It came to the market with the air cooled boxer engine first, the Wankel engined version came a lot later. The very same Wankel engine was intended for use in the CX, by the way. A neighbour of my parents owned a Birotor for a short time before Citroen bought them all back to scrap them.
You have to either admire the bravery or shake your head over the stubbornness of offering a car with a brand new air cooled engine in the early Seventies. This was something like Panhard’s engineers’ revenge for the Citroen takeover of their company. This engine and its lack of power always was the achilles heel of the car. You had to rev the living daylight out of them to make any real progress on the road, they refused to start in damp weather and the first series of engines didn’t last for more than 20,000 miles on average. Changing the spark plugs needed an engineer’s degree, adjusting the contact breakers a mirror and five joints in the arms and replacing the clutch meant dismantling the whole front oft he car, taking off the lights, grille, bumper, front valance and some more until you could pull out the engine to the front to get access to the clutch.
This made the GS a true Citroen: if you fell for its idiosyncrasies, it was the greatest thing on earth. If you simply looked at its numerous faults, it was a hopeless case.
Good handling car were the GS.
qwirky but held the road well especially if the road was rough like many of the country roads in NZ..
with the addition of that turbo though, It just made the car such a pleasure to drive, no more stressing about merging into fast moving motorway traffic or down changing for a hill.
unfortunately the car in the video was written off when I T boned a van that had pulled out of a side road infront of me.
I am in the process of aquiring another though for the purpose of re creating the gem,Turbocharging and fuel injection just makes the car what it should have been but never could be without use of cheap turbocharger and EFI technology which didnt show up untill the late 80’s
if anyone knows of a GS for sale in NZ, speak now.
My parents owned a GS, as did my uncle. Both were the facelifted version with the rearlights in the photo below, the round dials in the dashboard and the 1129 cc engine. This engine had replaced the 1015 cc engine in order to deliver more torque and bring the car’s performance up to par with the competition. Not! It still needed lots of revs for a decent acceleration, and shifting down a gear, or two, frequently. The air cooled engine didn’t mind revving and made a typical ‘Hoover’ sound. With the air-cooled engine came a heating/ventilation system with two separate interior fans: one for cold air, one for hot air.
Nice features were of course the floating ride characteristics and the magnificent brakes (discs all around, on the front axle centrally placed against the gearbox), which gave more stopping power than any other car from its class with minimal pedal travel and pedal force.
One day, my aunt’s car had a flat battery and my uncle said he’d tow her so she could start the car by releasing the clutch when in second gear (manual). So he attached a rope to his rear bumper and to her car, got into the GS and drove off slowly. When the rope was under tension, my aunt’s car did not start moving, but there was a big bang. Together with the bumper, the whole luggage hatch (see pic below) had come off the GS…
I forgot to mention that, when on the freeway, I never was able to get it to top speed. Simply because it kept on going faster and faster. Be it at a slow pace, but still… I think it was due to its very good aerodynamics
If you go to YouTube and search for “Humain, trop humain” you will find a documentary by Lois Malle on the production and sale of the Citroen GS. It is cut up into 5 parts.
Great videos. The hand leading of body panel seams is something I’ve never seen before. Mid-70s: lots of paisley clothing.
Given the styling for what became the Alfa Romeo Alfasud was originally considered for the Citroen GS, the idea of there being more commonality between the Alfasud and GS to both making use of the Alfa Romeo Flat-Four would have also made for an appealing GS with the bonus of a turbo kit being developed for the 1.5-litre Alfasud allowing it to put out 130 hp.
https://ranwhenparked.net/2012/09/02/sunday-classic-alfa-romeo-alfasud-ti-turbo-wainer/
Appear to be nearly flush side windows, long before Audi or Taurus … although it still has rain gutters.
Great write up. I’m a bit of a Francophile and Citroen fan and have always like the GS. The GS had the best drag coefficient up to that time and looked a bit like my futuristic Matchbox Pininfarina BMC 1800 Berlina Aerodinamica. I love that matte finish dashboard and single spoke steering wheel.
My dad bought a brand new one in 1979 in Spain, a Pallas version. It was one of the last models before the GS would evolve to the hatchback style called GSA.
It was a very comfortable ride but my dad still has nightmares after owning it: Oil leaks, bad gas mileage, electrical failures… the only thing that worked perfectly fine all the time was the suspension.
I learned to drive in that car and I loved the style and the comfortable ride, but we were very happy to see it go to the junkyard with only 120k kilometers, around 75k miles.
He replaced it with a Ford Orión in 1993 and he was very happy about it. My dad was very surprised that finally a car could be considered reliable, after owning the GS and a rusty Renault 8 in the 70s). The Ford Orion is still running today in 2020 driven by a friend.