STRUTTING ITS STUFF IN STYLE
1979 CITROËN GS PALLAS
If you’d told me, at the start of 2019, that my Citroën GS and I would have parted company, I’d have laughed in your face. It really got under my skin and was one of a very select group that I’d jump in and drive to the ends of the earth without worrying. More than that, I loved it and said that I’d never be parted from it. So why has it left me?
I still don’t actually know, truth be told.
But logic never plays a part in my classic car machinations. Rewind to the New Year, and my lovely GS and I were ready to celebrate the Citroën centenary year in style. And star it did – first in the Grand Avenue of the London
Classic Car Show, which I was proud to be a part of. Citroën UK needed a selection of its greatest hits to feature at the show – and I was happy to oblige. It behaved impeccably during the weekend, strutting its stuff like a supermodel before battling the London traffic home. We were inseparable.
Later in 2019, the GS starred in an industry gathering of classics at the top secret testing facility at Millbrook Proving Ground. It was part of a display of classics laid on by the car manufacturers that had turned up to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) annual test day. And my plucky little GS didn’t look out of place despite being paraded alongside some very rare and wonderful cars.
These are two snapshots of what was a busy year for us both. So why on earth did I sell it to another dyed-in-the-wool Citroën enthusiast?
I guess I felt that I’d lived the dream with this one, so when a very pretty 1982 Audi 80 fell into my lap a few weeks ago, the GS needed to move aside, having served with honours. I’m still very sad that it’s gone, but the Audi is already going some way to filling the sleek hole it left in my life. You can read more about that in the coming weeks.