Once A Bring A Trailer Darling, This Dilapidated 1973 Citroën Gs 1220 Club Now Actually Needs A Trailer

Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik

In a hopeless effort to cultivate immoderate serotonin I took a locomotion yesterday evening aft work, and I decided to return a caller way to spot thing new. Given you know, nan authorities of nan world correct now, I was pondering life and started emotion a lump emergence successful my pharynx and immoderate tears good up successful my eyes. That's erstwhile I turned a area and caught a glimpse of a slammed tan hatchback pinch a European plate, and my woes instantly subsided. All I knew astatine first glimpse was that it was a Citroën, judging by its fender skirts, and that it appeared to beryllium tethered to nan actual by a patchwork of spiderwebs and different vicinity detritus, truthful I crossed nan thoroughfare to analyse further.

I didn't want to trespass, truthful I only peeked astatine nan rear and broadside of nan timeworn wagon, but that was capable to make maine grin and threat a fewer pictures. The first excitement of stumbling crossed specified a uncommon car paled successful comparison to nan emotion I sewage erstwhile I Googled nan model, and recovered a Bring A Trailer advertisement for a 1973 Citroën GS 1220 Club that turned retired to be this nonstop car.

The Bring A Trailer listing is from 2018 and shows a nicer car than nan 1 that I stumbled across. Back past it was a mighty clean, high-riding hatchback pinch all-original parts, bodywork, and paint. The advertisement noted that nan OEM muffler had a spread successful it that needed replacing, and it seems for illustration that occupation was done because nan exhaust tube now exits connected nan rider broadside of nan car. But beyond that, nan 1 I spotted has nan aforesaid French licence sheet and vintage stickers mounted successful nan bottommost correct of nan wacky curved rear glass, truthful it must be nan aforesaid car.

I mean nary shadiness by calling it dilapidated; I cognize that life tin get successful nan measurement of passion projects for illustration keeping a 50-year-old Citroën connected nan road. Considering that I unrecorded successful Southern California, nan sun is really nan only point that mightiness beryllium doing harm to nan car. Thankfully it's not sitting successful brackish aliases thing actively terrible. It is reliable to spot really it has aged, but aging is simply a difficult reality to judge sometimes. Though its rusty spots person started dripping a bit, they were preexisting and documented successful nan ad; each successful all, it still looks for illustration it could beryllium returned to its erstwhile glory pinch a bully lavation and wax.

There are immoderate earnestly funky aspects to this small Citroën, for illustration its sliding bubble speedometer. I didn't get to inspect it erstwhile I saw nan car successful person, but it's specified a cool feature, and 1 that I person ne'er seen before. Being an aged Citroën, it people has nan brand's iconic hydropneumatic suspension strategy that raises and lowers nan car astatine nan flick of a lever. Seeing it raised successful nan advertisement makes it look much ungainly than it looks successful its debased position, which I deliberation looks beautiful mean moreover pinch nan cloak of dirt.

Another instantly evident characteristic that snagged my attraction was nan rear model solid that curves into nan roofline astatine nan top. The advertisement illustrates this creation quirk too, arsenic good arsenic nan thoroughly elastic interior abstraction successful this small wagon. It looks to person a load level that's little and flatter than immoderate that I've ever seen before. The halfway information of nan rear bumper moreover lifts up pinch nan trunk lid, which admittedly isn't perfect for functioning arsenic a bumper, but it seems for illustration a boon for easy loading and unloading.

I can't opportunity that I had ever seen a Citroën GS successful personification anterior to uncovering this example, but it's achingly cool. The tan-over-brown colour strategy screams 1970s, arsenic do nan embossed brownish vinyl doorway panels. Beyond that, nan dashboard looks sufficiently space-age arsenic classical French dashes are known to, and of people it has Citroën's signature single-spoke steering instrumentality that adds to nan salien allure.

The 1973 Citroën GS 1220 Club was powered by a 1.2-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder motor that primitively sent 60 horsepower and 64 lb-ft of torque to nan beforehand wheels done a four-speed manual transmission. An excerpt from a vintage Autocar roadworthy test recovered that nan GS 1220 Club had a 0-to-60-mph clip of 14.9 seconds, which isn't arsenic bad arsenic I expected. There are immoderate awesome drive-by videos connected nan Bring A Trailer ad wherever it seems for illustration nan seller was not acrophobic to push nan limits of nan ancient engine; I implore you to watch them.

In nan 2018 Bring A Trailer ad, nan brownish Citroën indicated conscionable 83,873 kilometers, which equates to astir 52,000 miles — beautiful debased mileage for specified an aged car. The car was imported from England to nan U.S. successful 2001, and it had a cleanable California title. By nan looks of it, nan car hasn't done overmuch driving since it was purchased, truthful I americium near to wonderment what nan mileage is now. It sold connected December 24, 2018, which successful different unusual confluence, happens to person been my birthday.

I'm not judge of nan communicative down this French clip capsule, but if nan existent proprietor happens to find this blog, please cognize that your car is wildly cool and seeing it brought maine immense joy. I'm definite it will bring plentifulness of different group a spark of joy, too.