"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
10/11/2014 at 17:33 • Filed to: Wankel
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"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
10/11/2014 at 17:33 • Filed to: Wankel | 0
| 6 |
Some of us know the Citroen GS. Small, fwd and (being a Citroen) weird, with a flat four, oleopneumatic suspension, non self cancelling indicators and all that.
Less of us know that during a brief moment of extra madness in the early 1970s Citroen decided that what they really, really needed was a GS with a Wankel. Sadly the oil crisis intervened but they nonetheless went on to make 800 before the unfortunate buyers found that they had bought what amounted to a piece of merde and so the company ended up buying back and scrapping most of them. But not all. Here and there in isolated corners of la France profonde a treasured few have escaped the crusher and now you too can have one. Just go !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and all is revealed. However, Monsieur is looking for €9,000 and no offers. For this you get either a cheap piece of history or an expensive, not very good car with a dodgy rotary and zero spares availability. To save looking up Google Translate, the ad says that the bodywork is in a good state and rust free, it's mechanically good, starts hot and cold (a big issue with rotaries) and has recent tyres and good electrics. The upholstery needs attention, you'll need to look at the exhaust and the plastic has faded, but then it is forty years old.
Nice price or crack pipe? Yours to decide!
kanadanmajava1
> Cé hé sin
10/11/2014 at 17:56 |
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It is rather expensive for a GS but being with a Wankel engine it might be a quite good deal. If remember correctly the engine is pretty much identical to NSU Ro80s engine. But all spare parts have been used long time ago. But if the engine still operates and you aren't going to drive much that should be a big problem. I think that 30,000 km is already a bit high number for that engine but that depends how it has been used.
There a nice green Ro80 in Finland that supposedly has the last new replacement engine that existed. I have no idea where they found that one. The car has been a common visitor in our car gatherings with its brand new engine.
I wonder if Mazda's 13B would fit in GS...
The hydraulic system isn't totally trouble free in GS but at least spares for that are still available. Birotor might still have some own parts for the hydraulic system too. For example the hydraulic tank is closer to the firewall in 4 cylinder model as the air filter seems to take its place in Birotor.
Jonee
> Cé hé sin
10/11/2014 at 18:54 |
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If you only want to look at it and drive it once in a blue moon, nice price. It's rare, brown, and French; perfect jalop combo. As a daily driver, it's crack pipe all the way. I'd buy it if it were next to me. I love that thing.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Cé hé sin
10/11/2014 at 22:48 |
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It was called the "Birotor".
Iheartmy365kHonda - Car enthusiasts do like FWD
> Cé hé sin
10/12/2014 at 03:58 |
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NP because Citroen.
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Cé hé sin
> kanadanmajava1
10/12/2014 at 08:54 |
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Yes, according to Wiki both NSU and Citroen co operated on the Comotor engine and it broke both of them. I understand you can still get all of the parts for the engine except the rotor housing so when that's gone you're done. You can find sad looking Ro80s for sale for parts having run out of engines. It might in fact pay to buy a Birotor just to get a running engine.
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kanadanmajava1
> Cé hé sin
10/12/2014 at 09:21 |
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I remember that Saab/Ford V4 was the most common engine to replace the Ro80's engines as it fits in the same place. There is some fitment problem to solve but I don'r remember what it was. The Lancia V4 should fit well too but it might be harder to find and keep running. But for a GS there is still the a bit more boring option to go back to the standard 4 cylinder...
In Mazda engines you can get away with replacing only the seals if you overhaul the engine when it still operates perfectly. But if you do it after it already has some running issues you probably need to swap the housings too.
My friend rebuilt his 13B from an RX-4 and he was already too late and had to switch the housings. Engine was still quite good but mileage was a bit in the high side.