Citroen CX Aerowing Coupé Concept (year unknown — but I suspect it’s from the future)
Citroen CX GTi Turbo (1984)
Most likely influenced by Clarkson and his mates, petrolheads often state that Alfa Romeos are the only cars to own, if you love wheels. I sort of agree, of course, for some reason I post Alfas more than any other brand on this blog. They are passionate, often lack logical reasoning and let’s admit it, 60’s and 70’s Alfas are as gorgeous as their electrical’s unreliability.
But I find this unfair. Citroen has demonstrated the same amount of passion for years, the same philosophy that says “we do whatever the hell we want and you’ll love it” that is often associated with the Italians. The french, during the 70’s and 80’s, have built properly mad cars, which had features that made absolutely no sense at all, and some designs that you either love or hate, not allowing a single molecule of middle ground.
Then, they often fit them with Turbos, and relase them into the wild.
And while Alfa was more concerned with design and general aesthetics, Citroen has always found room for engineering improvements, worthy of German-applauses. Just look at the Activa, for example.
Give the french an opportunity. They know what they’re doing, even if that means your glovebox compartment will open itself everytime you hit a speed bump.
Citroen CX (1974)
In 1974 British Car magazine described the CX’s driving as “hovering over over road irregularities, much like a ship traversing above the ocean floor”. The suspension it used was also fitted to some Rolls Royce models (Silver Shadow) and the 450 SEL Mercedes.
Despite its shear size, earlier models had a tiny engine bay that didn’t allow the use of bigger engines. Series 1 CXs suffered from a handful of issues that were slowly being solved throughout the following years of production.
1979 Citroën CX Prestige
Robert Opron designed the CX, which was released to the public in 1974, and a bunch of other cars for Citroen and Renault. He’s widely regarded as a particularly fine designer and all of his cars have a restrained elegance and a timeless beauty.
Eventually, though, every car designer hands over to the engineers and the marketing people who have their own ideas about what’s right and good. The disc hubcaps were Opron’s work. The stainless-clad C-pillar, too. I like to imagine Opron would have approved of the very fine metalic brown that this example wears, even though it was probably chosen by the marketing department.
But who should we blame for the black vinyl roof?
(Pic via CitroënNët)
Citroen CX GTi Turbo (1984)
168bhp out of a very comfortable Grand Tourer. And with those looks too.
