Vintage R&T Review: Chevrolet Citation X-11 and GM X-Bodies Technical Analysis – “This May Be The Best Car To Ever Come Out Of Detroit”

Untitled-1

(first posted 10/21/2015)     This post is a combination of two articles from R&T’s May 1979 issue, featuring “the best ever car out of Detroit”.

Hay, I didn’t say it- they did. R&T thought it was important enough to give it the cover:

img672

 

Ok, first read the Road Test:

img404

img405

img406

 

Following the road test was an in-depth analysis of the GM X-Bodies. This was a very interesting read, and I guess it was even more interesting back in 1979, when the outcome of these cars was still unknown:

img407

011

022

033

044

img412

 

And now to a personal note: My Dad had one of these Citations, he bought one of the very few examples to arrive to Israel at the time. It was a 1980 model, and he got it second-hand in 1982. Sadly, not the X-11 or even the V6- it was the 4IL lump that was, er, down on power.

Dad passed away little over two years ago, and whilst rummaging through the family’s slides collection, I found this- probably the only photo of the car:

img487

 

I had a soft spot for this car, because it’s the first one I ever drove- Dad took me to a disused airfield, stuck a pillow on the seat (I was 13 and not the 185 cm I am today), and I drove! Yeah, it was easy-does-it, but still- I did drive.

Predictably, Dad was never impressed with the Citation. After years of driving American made cars, sadly that Car managed to taint them forever- and he never bought another American car ever again. It was duly replaced with a Peugeot 505, Dad loved its extremely comfortable seats…