Our Classics
Keith’s deeply in love with his latest regal acquisition
OWNED SINCE March 2017 MILEAGE SINCE LAST REPORT First report TOTAL MILEAGE 92,855 LATEST COSTS £50 (MoT etc)
Hello, remember me? It’s good to be back in the pages of CCW, especially as I’m writing about my new classic. I fulfilled one of my life’s ambitions back in March by picking up a Citroën GS – one of the most heroic, underrated saloons ever made.
In a typical case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’, I bought the car, sight unseen, over the phone, based on a few grainy internet photos.
The GS in question was owned by Chris Salter, probably the world’s most prolific GS pervert, and one thing I was confident of was that, however it looked upon close inspection, it would be mechanically sound – Chris was forever taking it on adventures to France and as far as I could recall, it never once let him down.
And that’s why I found myself in Aldershot on a sunny March morning with products editor Richard Kilpatrick and our good friend Andrew Freeman, casting our eyes over my new GS for the very first time. Chris wasn’t there for the handover, so we had a great chance to look over the car, and decided that it seemed solid and ready to go, despite a couple of bits of cosmetic rust. Good job. The run from Aldershot back to my home in Rutland meant attacking the M25 and M1 in rush hour – in an unfamiliar classic car. Luckily for me, it never missed a beat from the moment it fired up and rose on its suspension, despite horrendous traffic. After spending a couple of months happily pottering around and enjoying trouble-free driving, the dreaded MoT popped up on my radar. As always, I put it in for the test with my favourite tester, Ken Perrin, who runs Citycall Garage in Burton Latimer (01536 723577). As always, I ended up pacing around like a nervous father.
As it happened, I needn’t have worried. After much sucking of air through teeth, and a number of lengthy conversations underneath the car, it failed. I knew it was coming, but it wasn’t as bad as it might have been with a 38-year-old Citroen… It took an age to get it through the emissions test (the choke was stuck on), the rear number plate lamps weren’t working, the CV boot was unsecured, the front seatbelt mount was loose and the front indicators were not lighting orange. Yes, I should have checked these things before driving the car away, but thankfully Ken fixed the issues within half an hour, and retested the car to a pass. I was a happy boy. To me, this clearly demonstrates just how important it is to find a tester you trust, and who understands the unique needs of classic cars.
Since then, I’ve been spending my time enjoying driving the GS. And I can tell you this – it’s an absolute joy in every way. The ride is composed at all times, but what surprises me after years of BX and CX experience is just how flat it is in the corners. It doesn’t roll – it just turns, grips and steers. The brakes are wonderful, too, inspiring a great deal of confidence.
The engine? It’s amazing! Once you get used to the fuel consumption (28-32mpg so far) and short gearing (4500rpm at 70mph), it’ll happily keep up with the moderns, and pull at astronomical revs all day long.
Criticisms? The dashboard layout is a joke (why on earth have two sets of heater controls and such weirdlyarranged stalks?), and I wish it had the GSA’s hatchback.
Best small saloon of the 1970s? Oh yes, by a country mile. Sorry, Alfasud and Allegro fans. I tend to chop and change my classics, but this one does feel like a keeper – it’s great to drive, solid, and once the bodywork is tidied up, should be pretty much perfect.
I’ll keep you posted about whether it remains reliable – and how the bodywork and interior repairs (I’ll detail that later) pan out.
Oh, and does anyone have a spare wheel I could buy for it, please?