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.
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.