Citroën CX GTI Turbo
Exactly one year from rescue, CX heads to the paint shop
Arestoration never quite feels real until the moment it gets painted, does it? As I write, the car is at Nene Valley Body Repairs having been stripped and gutted in the past few weeks. When it was delivered, the silver shell was still covered in a thick layer of dust and muck – the result of 24 years dormant in an Aberdeen garage.
Having dropped by a few days later, I saw the car briefly – as you see it here - prepped and ready for primer, with manager Tom Krugerdean dressed up as a spaceman and wielding his spray gun in the booth. He and his colleagues are a busy bunch, surrounded by all kinds of exotica ready for restoration including a few E-types, a Mustang and a Ferrari. ‘All cars present their own unique challenges’ he admits. ‘Your bonnet is huge, for starters, but we have ways of finding a suitable solution to every kind of problem.’
Nevertheless, in case an intimate knowledge of the CX was required, I gave Tom the number of a friend and Citroën enthusiast, Stan Platts – a man who knows every nut, bolt and washer of these cars. I’ve known Stan for many years, but I was in contact with him quite a lot more during the course of my CX restoration. With only 160 of these ‘metal bumper’ GTI Turbos sold for less than a year, there are certain unique aspects to it – including those comfy sofa-like seats. And mine were, as it turned out, rather tired. The driver’s seat base springs had snapped, while the passenger seatback mechanism had broken. Despite the rarity of the model, Stan announced that he had spare parts for them in his loft. I borrowed a Berlingo long-term test car from our sister publication Parkerõs Guide, filled it with the chairs and drove north to Stan’s place, in West Yorkshire.
Many cups of tea later, he had worked his magic and I had learned a few things along the way. The man is a legend for we CX folk, holding as he does numerous workshops
each year to teach us how best to maintain our cars. When you own a rare beast not of this land, as you may know, the wisdom of people like Stan becomes utterly priceless.
Next day, I came home not only with the repaired items (see opposite page), but a lengthy list of obsolete parts – anything from a new rear spoiler and side rubbing strips, original, unused and still in their Citroën packaging. I also returned with a new water pump, a pair of front brake discs, a replacement rear brake caliper (mine had lost a nipple – don’t you just hate that?) and a replacement radiator.
Ticking the boxes
With the car at the paint shop and destined for a trip to Rustbuster straight after, I gave myself a day at the Practical Classics workshop, where I spilled all the parts across the floor for a re-organisation session. Each component was labelled and re-boxed in order of where and when it would be re-attached. In anticipation of its return, I booked a day with my Citroën Car Club pals Barry and Pete to help flush the hydraulic system.
Sphere renewal is a reasonably simple job but for those little green balls at the rear which, in fairness, are more of a challenge as they’re tucked up inside the CX’S ‘second chassis’ – a subframe-type structure underneath the car which carries all of the hydraulics. Once done, the big Citroën would be primed and ready to deliver its trademark comfy ride.
The car was due to have been reassembled and MOTD in time for the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show but, alas, it was not to be this time. Fingers crossed for the rescheduled event!