Hello Darkness, Citroen's Old Ami: The Complex History of the Citroen Ami

"Spridget" (dustbustervans) 07/03/2016 at 11:16 • Filed to: Citroen, History, Citroen Ami

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[Repost, because the original post came out on a holiday weekend.] We all have bad ideas sometimes. That’s okay if we don’t affect much. But when an huge car company manages to dramatically misjudges what the public wants by releasing a very bad idea upon the public, then it’s a bigger problem.

Citroen Ami 6 sedan. Photo credit: autodata1.com

The Citroen Ami is one of my favorite cars, and many of you other Opponauts love it as well. However, as much as we love it, it was a bad idea. Not only that, it was a failure. To understand why, you need to know the history of the Citroen brand.

Citroen Traction Avant 7CV. Photo credit: Lane Motor Museum

The main roots of the Ami, and Citroen as a brand itself, can be traced back to 1934. Citroen was nearly bankrupt as they strained under the cost of developing the Traction Avant, so named for it’s front wheel drive configuration, which was very unusual for the the 1930s (in fact, it was the first mass produced front wheel drive car- 25 years before the original Mini), as was its unibody construction. Citroen had been founded in 1919, but in the 15 years before had made fairly simple cars- nothing like the Traction Avant. This meant an all new factory, developing new tooling, etc, as well as the extensive marketing costs associated with the all new model- Andre Citroen even used the Eiffel Tower as a marketing tool! Because of all of these costs, Citroen filed for bankruptcy, but their largest creditor, Michelin, stepped in and took control of the company. The Traction Avant was a success, not just in sales, where is exceeded its goals, but also in achieving acclaim for Citroen and Michelin and winning awards, and creating the Citroen identity of advanced engineering. But this post isn’t about the Traction Avant.

Citroen 2CV. Photo credit: author

The surplus of capital from the Traction Avant, achieved mainly by it’s lllooonnnggg production run (1934-1957) meant that Citroen had money to develop their next car. Since they had large and midsize cars (The Traction Avant, which was still in production), the obvious choice was to go small. This led to the 2CV, which had much of the same success as the Traction Avant; not only did it win awards and sell in large amounts (3.8 million for the original model), but, just as the Traction Avant had brought technological sophistication to the upper classes, the 2CV brought it to the lower classes. There hasn’t been another car that brought this kind of a technological update to the masses, excluding, though it’s hated around these parts, the Toyota Prius.

The 2CV suspension. Photo credit: Curbside Classic

The 2CV suspension in action. Photo credit: entmontage.de

The 2CV was powered by a boxer two cylinder, the basis for the engine that would be found in the Ami. The original engine had only 375cc, but it was enough to power the super light 2CV. The 2CV’s main party trick was it’s suspension; basically, the suspension design featured two long coil springs inside of a cylinder mounted horizontally (below the doors of the car), linked to the independently suspended wheels via a system of moving cranks and rods. On top of that, the cylinder which housed the springs ALSO had springs attached to it, allowing for it to move. Basically, the springs would move inside the cylinder, sending movement through the cranks and rods system, providing suspension movement. BUT the cylinder which housed these springs was also mobile, allowing for even greater suspension movement. In fact, the 2CV had the first active suspension of any car. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist.

Renault 4. Photo credit: automobilesreview.com

But, despite all of these advancements, a problem was arising. In 1960, Renault introduced a new car, called the 4. It was a blatant rip off of the 2CV, but featured a stylish new body and a bigger engine. It not only appealed to the lower end of the market like the 2CV, but to the middle class. At the start of 1961, Citroen didn’t have a midrange car; their only models were the high end DS, the low end 2CV, the HY van, and the sales flop UK -only Bijou. Fortunately, Citroen had also realized their Achilles heel, at the same time as Renault. They got to work on a midrange car, and got there four months ahead of the 4.

You know the song “Lean on Me”, by Bill Withers? One of the main lyrics is “sometimes in our life, we all need a friend/we all need somebody to lean on.” Well, Citroen REALLY needed someone to lean on. If the niche wasn’t covered, they could lose a crapton of sales to Renault, who had a bigger range, a larger production capacity, a larger target audience, and more capital. If Citroen didn’t cover the niche, they were FUCKED. Thus, they made a friend: The Ami. Contrary to popular belief, the Ami wasn’t created to replace the 2CV; that was the Dyane. The 2CV was still selling well, and Citroen only wanted to create a midrange car. And the Ami wasn’t in response to the Renault 4, it was released four months ahead of it. But you have to wonder if Citroen could have created a more market appealing car if they had taken those four extra months.

Citroen Ami 6. Yes, that’s an actual press photo! Photo credit: Curbside Classic

There were two versions of the original Ami; the 6 sedan and the wagon, known as a break. Both had . . . unique styling. The front end had some interesting things going on, but that wasn’t originally planned. The Ami was the first car with rectangular headlights, but French safety authorities though they were too low on the prototype, so the front end was restyled to meet safety standards. Thanks, socialism!

These women seem to be contemplating the rear window. Another Citroen press photo. Photo credit: Curbside Classic

On the 6 break, the styling eccentricities ended at the front, relatively speaking; after all, it was still a Citroen. However, the sedan had one major unique design feature: the famous raked rear window, which was purely a misjudging of the market on Citroen’s part. The styling had become popular, namely being shown on the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and the Ford Anglia, but Citroen didn’t anticipate how quickly it would become passe. You would think some good polling would’ve stopped that, but trends are hard to predict. It also served to maximize both interior room and trunk space on a small (midsize by Euro standards on the time) car, but the same could’ve been done with a hatchback, which Citroen ruled against with the Ami.

The booth babes look a little embarrassed, and very baffled. Photo credit: Curbside Classic

On the 6, there were originally two different trim levels: the base trim Ami, and the upscale Club model. The Club’s main differences were an upgraded interior, different grille, and the round lights you see above. Yep, that’s actually a French domestic market version, which doubled as an US spec car. Ah, the good old days of work -arounds and cost cutting. Round headlights had been the mainstay in automotive design for close to 60 years when the Ami was introduced, and Citroen wanted a fallback plan in case their new rectangle lights were perceived as ugly. They shouldn’t have worried; as the booth babes in the picture above convey, the round lights left a little to be desired on the aesthetic front when compared to the standard rectangle lights.

Citroen 602CC flat twin, this one in a 2CV. Photo credit: author

The Ami was originally powered by a larger version of the 2CV boxer twin, with a grand 602cc! These made acceleration . . . leisurely, as the little 2 cylinder air cooled motor had to push 1,389 pounds unloaded. Top speed was an optimistic 76 mph, with a zero to FIFTY time of 27.1 seconds! Despite its leisurely acceleration, the 602cc was one of the major strides forward for Citroen the Ami made; when placed in the 1,200 pounds unloaded 2CV, it was able to push the lighter car up to freeway speeds (75 mph claimed top speed, which may have been Citroen just carrying over the stat from the Ami), though both the 2CV and the Ami were more comfortable cruising at 50. However, this larger engine was able to buy the 2CV twenty extra years of production, which helped secure its place as an icon with the special edition Charleston and Dolly models, which helped turn the 2CV’s image as a farmer’s car, but that’s a story for another day.

The Ami cornering. Photo credit: Pinterest

The famous 2CV suspension was featured in the Ami, which wasn’t surprising considering that the Ami was essentially a 2CV in a suit. Citroen determined the main problem with the 2CV was it’s styling and lack of options, so they determined that putting a new, slightly larger (three inches to be precise) body with an upgraded interior would fill the midrange gap. The Ami even had the same wheelbase as the 2CV! And it worked! Well, sort of.

Rolling off of the line. Photo credit: Curbside Classic

The Citroen Ami was produced from 1961-1979. Citroen sold 1.5 million Amis, which is a successful car by most standards. But it wasn’t. Remember how much I emphasized that the Ami was supposed to be Citroen’s midrange car? That was truly important, and the Ami failed at it. Dramatically. The Ami did nothing to sap away the sales of the Renault 4, and later the Renault 16. The Ami mostly sold to people who would’ve bought 2CV’s, but wanted more power. Or comfort. Or space. So, Citroen was right a 2CV in a suit being marketable, but not to the right people.

Panhard PL24. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Citroen - Panhard P60. Photo credit: Citroenet

Citroen tried several more times to build a midrange car. Panhard, who had been building 2CV vans under contract for several years out of desperation, was bought by Citroen in 1963 for a) their capacity to build even more vans and b) their expertise in building midsize cars. But the Panhard route was fruitless; the PL24, Panhard’s only modern car, wasn’t offered as a sedan for fear of stealing sales from the DS. And the PL17 was too outdated to be competitive. Citroen did produce a Panhard based prototype called the P60 to slot between the Ami and ID, but it was another dead end. Meanwhile, the Renault 4 was selling like hotcakes, and spreading its hatchback design around the midrange segment. Soon, the BMC 1100 cars were introduced, with hatchback. And guess which car company pioneered the hatchback way back in 1938, and introduced to the small car segment in 1958? Citroen, with the Traction Commerciale and 2CV, respectively, though the 2CV didn’t have a full hatchback like the 4.

Citroen Ami 8 hatchback. Photo credit is obviously SimonCars.

Citroen Project F. Photo credit Citroenet

The Ami 8's new face. Photo credit: SimonCars.

In 1968, Citroen introduced an update to the Ami 6, known as the Ami 8. The 6 sedan’s unique roof, was replaced with a fastback . . . . with a hatchback trunk, a concession to the Renault 16, which had won the European Car of the Year award two years earlier. The R16 displays many similar characteristics to the Ami 8, and that may not be a coincidence. In 1963, when the R16 (debuting in 1965) was in development, Citroen was still working on it’s midrange car. After the dead end of the Citroen - Panhard P60, Citroen apparently went to work on a fastback - hatchback, called the Project F. Then, Citroen saw the Renault 16 at it’s debut, and the similarities were . . . noticeable. Citroen cancelled the Project F, presumably for fear of being accused of cribbing the R16. However, they must have run out of ideas, as the Ami 8 hatchback was fairly similar to the R16 in styling. The front end was revised on the Ami 8, creating it presumably as Citroen had intended it. The wagon remained, pretty much the same as ever, as it would until 1974.

Citroen Ami 8 Super Break. Yes, that’s technically the name. Photo credit: Lane Motor Museum

Citroen GS. This is a Citroen press photo. Photo credit: autoindex.com

In 1973, Citroen introduced the final upgrade to the Ami, a four cylinder engine. The new motor was a flat four based off of the old 2CV twin, a testament to Citroen’s financial troubles. With the new engine came a new trim level, called the Super, which was the top of the line Ami model. Thanks to the four, the Ami was finally distinctly above the 2CV and the Dyane (which had been introduced in 1967.) However, it had been beaten to the punch. The Ami’s new motor had been around for two years- in a new midrange car called the GS. It won the European Car of the Year award in 1971.

Citroen M35. Photo credit: hiclassiccar.com

Citroen press photo of a GS Birotor. Photo credit: Citroenet

The Ami was made until 1979, but it’s true swan song happened 10 years earlier. Flashback to 1965- the hatchback Renault 16 is sweeping Europe, the Project F had just derailed, and a Panhard based solution had failed for Citroen. At the same time as all of this, Citroen had partnered with NSU to develop a rotary wankel engine, creating a rotary engine design company called Comotor. Citroen actually made a rotary engine car, producing the M35, an Ami based coupe with unique Heuliez bodywork, hydraulics from the big Citroens, and a 995cc single rotor rotary engine. Citroen originally planned to produce 500 M35s, but, in a classic Citroen manner, only produced either 267 or 274- no one really knows. Production was slowly and ineffiant, so, rather than making 500 cars, Citroen just skipped serial numbers to make it look like they made 500 cars!

Citroen actually lent M35s to loyal customers for real - life testing, on the condition that they a) reported all flaws back to Citroen b) drove the cars at least 30,000 kilometers per year and c) had all maintenance done by a specialist. But the cost of producing the engine was too much, especially combined with the high costs Citroen had put into developing it. So Citroen gave M35 owners two options: they could either trade in their cars to Citroen in exchange for a new car, and have the M35s crushed, or keep the cars, but Citroen wouldn’t supply them parts and the warranty would be void. Surprising, many people kept their rotary Citroen’s- it appears half of the approximately 270 cars produced survived.

Here’s another model beside a Citroen, but she doesn’t look as embarrassed. Photo credit: performanceforums.com

Peugeot 204. Peugeot’s press photo displays their drab style. Photo credit: autodata1.com

Citroen had purchased Maserati in 1968, and was hampered with costs relating to the upcoming SM and GS. All of these costs were too much for Citroen, and they went under in 1974. Citroen were bought by Peugeot, a French company that produced mostly upscale cars which had never really crossed over into Citroen’s customer base. However, that was changing; After the introduction of the 204 and 304, Peugeot had begun to move downmarket. They would dominate the French market in the ‘80’s with their solid, conservative, and successful lineup. The Citroen rotary engine lived on in the Citroen GS Birotor, introduced in 1974. The GS Birotor cost as much as a DS23, and had horrible fuel economy at the height of the gas crisis. Only 847 were made, and Citroen recalled most of them to be scrapped.

Citroen Ami 8 Break street parked in the Netherlands. Photo credit: Jobjoris.

Citroen Ami Break action shot. Photo credit: Jobjoris

So, where does the Ami sit today? Is it regarded as a failure, a laughingstock for its bad styling and its large role in bankrupting an amazing company? On the contrary, the Ami has an enthusiastic following, particularly in Europe. It makes sense; they’re cheap on fuel, cost little to buy, and are common; 1.5 million Amis were produced (as I said earlier), out of 8.8 million Citroen 2CV derivatives. However, it still fails in this statistic; 8 to 9 million Renaut 4s were produced, making it the third most produced vehicle of a single bodystyle, after the VW Beetle and Ford Model T.

Jonee’s Citroen Ami 6 Sedan project car . Photo credit: Jonee.

You may wonder what an Ami is like to own. Fortunately, fellow Opponaut Jonee had owned an US Spec Ami 6 Sedan, and he has some insight on that:

“Well, it drives like a 2CV and 2CV’s are just a hoot. Glacially slow, but once you get going it’s like you’re flying and that suspension is like nothing else the way it rocks back and forth. I didn’t do a lot of driving in mine. I got it running and stopping ok, but it looked like it had been through battle. It was pretty practical for something so small. 4 people fit relatively comfortably. Not a lot of legroom in back, but you don’t need to be an amputee. The trunk is completely reasonable thanks to the rake. And it sure looks like no other car ever. It’s really homely with the American headlights. No one ever knew what it was, but people would guess Citroën which definitely says something.”

Ami 6 Sedan cornering. Photo credit: Pinterest.

EDIT: The information about the M35 was incorrect; only 267 were produced, not 1500. Thanks Jobjoris and Ce He Sin for calling me out!

Sources:

http://www.citroenet.org.uk/passenger-cars…

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http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/car…

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http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/car…

http://citroenet.org.uk/

http://simoncars.co.uk/

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S65 > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 11:26

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This is great Oppo

Spridget > S65 07/03/2016 at 11:30

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Thanks!

Cé hé sin > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 12:22

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Top trivia: they didn’t actually make 1500 M35s, it was 250 odd, numbered 1 to 500. Yes, they wanted the production run to seem bigger.

You still see the Birotor for sale occasionally. I saw one on the internets for €7,000 a couple of years ago. I was tempted for a moment.

Spridget > Cé hé sin 07/03/2016 at 12:27

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Thanks for the info! I’ll work that into the article if I have time (on mobile now.)

I pretty sure the only birotor in the US is in the Lane Motor Museum. I caught a terrible picture of it the background behind this CX on the basement tour:

It’s like finding bigfoot, only harder. €7,000 doesn’t sound like that bad a price.

Jobjoris > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 12:47

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Great write-up, again ;-)

Should have used the info of my M35 post on LaLD, there’s slightly over 250 M35's built (some sources say 267, others 274), of the 500 planned. Too bad as the M35 was the real was gem here!

Spridget > Jobjoris 07/03/2016 at 12:50

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Yep, Ce He Sin pointed that out to me. I’m going to update the post as soon as I get to a real computer, because fuck Kinja mobile.

Jobjoris > Cé hé sin 07/03/2016 at 12:50

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Not entirely true, yes 500 were planned, the odd-numbering is not true. Otherwise this one would be fake (which it isn’t):

They simply skipped from 175 to 376. And ended at 473. Same reason though ;-)

Jobjoris > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 12:54

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Yeah, saw that after I posted it. Don’t mention the odd-numbering, that ain’t true. They simply skipped from 175 to 376. Probably the same reason though. Check out this site for all numbers .

Spridget > Jobjoris 07/03/2016 at 13:05

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Thanks! Editing it now.

Spridget > Jobjoris 07/03/2016 at 13:24

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Updated!

Spridget > Cé hé sin 07/03/2016 at 13:24

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Fixed it!

Jobjoris > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 13:47

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Ah, I see you somewhat more info on the M35, perfecto!

Otto has an amazing M35 in 1/18 btw.

Cé hé sin > Jobjoris 07/03/2016 at 16:06

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250 odd means “about 250", not “odd numbers only”.

Cé hé sin > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 16:13

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More trivia: there’s a CX (with the aesthetically challenged American spec lights) in front of the Birotor.

The CX was originally intended to have a Wankel, but given that that turned out to be a commercial disaster they went with improved DS engines. They did however make the three speed semi automatic from the Birotor and Ro80 available as an option for a few years.

Spridget > Cé hé sin 07/03/2016 at 16:22

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Citroen’s rotary program deserves a write up in itself. Maybe I’ll do that next.

RT > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 16:59

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Wonderful write-up, very well researched. ^_^

I thought I was the only person who knew about the M35. xD

Spridget > RT 07/03/2016 at 17:01

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Thanks!

The M35 is actually quite popular on here; Oppo likes its Citroen fix.

RT > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 17:06

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Most people forget it favour of the more well known DS, SM and 2CV etc.

But yeah, Oppo is cool when it comes to Citroën.

Jonee > Spridget 07/03/2016 at 22:05

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Awesome job again. One thing I forgot to mention is that those body panels are extremely hard to work with. But, easy to replace of you have replacements, which I guess was the idea.

AMC almost bought that rotary for the Pacer when the GM rotary was scrapped. Fortunately for them, they decided importing engines was too expensive.

Spridget > Jonee 07/03/2016 at 22:33

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AMC didn’t exactly got it right; (as I’m sure you know) the end of the I6 stuck under the firewall because the bay was designed for a much smaller engine, making maintenance a chore. But, the cost of a rotary would have bankrupted AMC, so not using it bought them a few more years until they were bought by Renault. I really should’ve written a comprehensive history of Renault instead; there’s way more stuff there than people realize.

Jonee > Spridget 07/04/2016 at 02:46

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Oh, I know. I’ve owned a bunch of Pacers, too. Getting those back plugs out is a pain. As is changing the exhaust manifolds which is a common chore on them. I love Renault. I own a Le Car now. I actually did my own Le Car and Pacer posts a while back.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/renault-le-car…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/40-years-of-th…

Brian, The Life of > Spridget 07/06/2016 at 18:17

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I just love how charmingly “jaunty” this thing is!

Also: great read, man. This is good Oppo :)

RallyWrench > Spridget 07/06/2016 at 19:34

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Excellend work, and thanks for reposting this. I missed it the first time around on the weekend and it’s great to get the expanded story from your LALD post. I certainly wouldn’t mind owning an Ami someday, just for the hell of it.

Spridget > Jobjoris 07/11/2016 at 18:36

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Another annoying request, but can I use your photos in a Curbside Classic write up?

Spridget > Jonee 07/11/2016 at 18:37

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Another photo request: can I use the photo of your car in a Curbside Classic write up?

Jobjoris > Spridget 07/11/2016 at 20:32

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Mais oui! Don’t forget to inform me if you’re putting it online as I’m curious what you’ll put together! What’s it gonna be about? The M35?

Spridget > Jobjoris 07/11/2016 at 20:38

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Nope, it’s just this piece again. I had a lot of fun writing this, and wanted to do more long winded historical pieces on French cars, and decided that Curbside Classic was the perfect place. I used this as my submission piece, and it’ll be the first thing I run. The next thing will be about the Traction Avant, which will debut over there.

Jobjoris > Spridget 07/12/2016 at 02:11

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It is fun writing these, I can fully understand. I have no CC-account so mentioning jobjoris as a source won’t tell much to anyone though ;-)

The TA was one of my first subjects on LaLD come to think of it. But I doubt you get much new info from that one...

Jonee > Spridget 07/12/2016 at 21:02

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Yeah, absolutely. I was actually at a micro-minicar show in Boston this past weekend and saw several Amis. I took some photos which I was going to post to Oppo when I get back home to L.A. tomorrow.

Spridget > Jonee 07/12/2016 at 21:19

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FYI, it didn’t make it in because the picture and the Kinja italics kept screwing with the Wordpress format, but thank you for allowing me to use it. Were the Amis 6's or 8's?

Jonee > Spridget 07/12/2016 at 23:54

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Did the article make it, though? There were two 6's, a Euro spec sedan and a U.S. Break, and an 8 Break. At one point I was following the sedan in a Goggomobil and it was awesome watching that thing take the turns.

Spridget > Jonee 07/13/2016 at 00:03

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The article did make it, but it’s pretty much just the same as this. It’s tentatively going up on Friday. What type of Goggo was it?

Jonee > Spridget 07/13/2016 at 15:47

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It was a German spec 250 Coupe. A nice car. I had driven it before. They're really fun. Really solidly built for a vintage micro.

Spridget > Jonee 07/13/2016 at 16:47

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I feel like the Goggo is in a weird space between the less usable microcars, like an Isetta or Heinkel, but not quite at the level of the 2CV, Beetle, and the like. It really seems closer to the Kei cars in spirit than most other European microcars (Fiat 500 excluded.)

Jonee > Spridget 07/14/2016 at 00:17

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Yeah, I’d agree with that assessment for the most part. It was by far the best selling non-kei microcar. And you could get it with a 400cc engine which made it relatively capable. But I’ve driven the small engined ones all over and they’re just as drivable, just a little slower. I’d say Goggos feel better put together than a lot of the keis even though Glas was a much more rinky-dink company than, say, Subaru or Mazda.

Spridget > Jonee 07/14/2016 at 00:53

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The fact that they made them until 1969 is one of the craziest things- when the Goggo was introduced, highways were still new, and when they stopped making it, there was a man on the moon. I wish they sold more here; I’d love to get a cheap beater one. It’s probably tied with the Subaru 360, Suzuki Fronte, and Heinkel Trojan for my favorite microcar.

Jonee > Spridget 07/14/2016 at 03:23

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Yeah, it is nuts. And, of course, it was BMW building them for the last few years. The reason they did keep building them was for people who couldn’t get a proper driver’s license. That was still a decent market. Fuldamobils, too, were built until ‘69 and that was a much more primitive car. Unfortunately, the days of beater Goggos is long gone. I’ve always wondered how many they sold here. I know of a few U.S. spec ones with the big bug eyes still around, but not many. I had a U.S. sedan for a while. All ours had that crazy pre-select gear shift.

Spridget > Jonee 07/14/2016 at 11:45

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Yup, the market was similar to the one in late ‘70's France, with the KV Mini, Mini Comtesse, Duponts, etc. I’d imagine there weren’t many Goggos sold here; I could see BMW Motorcycle dealers carrying them in small numbers.

Jonee > Spridget 07/15/2016 at 00:00

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I think some motorcycle dealers did sell Isettas. Goggos, I think, went to weird import car dealerships that would take pretty much anything foreign.

Spridget > Jonee 07/15/2016 at 00:06

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Many of those dealers also carried 2CVs as well. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t some NSU scooter/bike dealers carry the Prinz?

Jonee > Spridget 07/15/2016 at 00:15

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I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Some of the smaller microcar marques were sold here in all sorts of weird places. There was a motorcycle shop in Louisiana that somehow ended up with a dozen Zundapp Januses, the only ones ever imported into America back then. I think he sold 2. Repair shops would sell little cars. There were importers in New York that would do anything to move their stock.

torque > Spridget 09/18/2016 at 07:28

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Great read! You captured quite an amount of Citroen history telling the story of just one car. Also excellent 2CV / Ami suspension animation. Given the amazing suspension travel, you’d think it would be more common for off-road focused vehicles

RT > Spridget 11/29/2016 at 06:13

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Awesome, I found your post on CC, love that website.

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-hello-darkness-citroens-old-ami-the-surprisingly-complex-history-of-the-citroen-ami/

stephen huggett > Spridget 09/05/2018 at 16:19

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Small correctio n - the Panhard PL24 may not have been ‘offered as a sedan’ in USA, but it certainly sold well in Europe, although sadly there we re few right-han d drive made and they are v. rare (and expensive). L HD are more available but still dear. Prone to rusting and ;small engine wear-out, I remember visiting a ‘scrapyard’ near Les Mans in 1984 and there must have been at least 200 Panhards, tightly parked-up in a field.  M ostly there were 24s but about 40 17s, I estimate. All undamaged, but rotting underneath I would think -quelle dommage!