Citroën GS – a very advanced family car

It had streamlined bodywork, hydraulic suspension and an air-cooled boxer engine produced from lightweight metal with overhead camshafts.

French cars were known for elegance and forward-looking technology right from the car's infancy. One of the car brands that contributed to this was Citroën.

Early history

The story began in 1919 when André Citroën started his own car factory. With good experience from other industrial production and several study visits to other car manufacturers in the USA, everything fell into place and the first model was launched in 1919. It was very well received as it was both solid and well equipped and gave car buyers good value for money. New models were launched at the same time that Citroën, as one of the first car manufacturers, built out a large dealer network. The result was that the factory became France's largest car manufacturer already 10 years after its start, but the expansion came at a cost and new capital-strong owners had to step in to remedy the critical situation. It helped and the newly developed Traction Avant model could be put into production. The model was in production right up to 1957. In 1948, the new small model 2 CV came out which became a favorite among those who wanted an affordable and uncomplicated car. The DS19 was a car which, when it arrived in 1955, was way ahead of its time. In 1960, the small model Ami 6 came on the market. It was a small family car with a rather peculiar appearance thanks to the slanted rear window.

Created a new model range

A well-known Citroën model was the GS, which was launched in 1970. A very advanced family car that was supposed to fill the void in a model range where medium-sized family cars were missing. The new GS model was very advanced technically and with a streamlined body it was head and shoulders above its competitors. But a small air-cooled engine gave neither high speed nor a pleasant climate inside the car. The engine was very advanced and manufactured from light metal with overhead camshafts. The car was awarded the title of "car of the year" in 1971. One of the reasons for this award was an extremely streamlined body which placed the car at the very top when it came to low drag. The advanced hydraulic suspension was something completely new and ensured a comfortable ride regardless of road conditions. In addition to standard versions, there were several lavish variants. Eventually, larger engines were also added to the program. 1979 was the year when major changes took place with this model. The most important ones were probably that it got a door at the back and became a proper 5-door with a combi solution. In 1986, the Citröen GS was replaced by the Citröen BX.

Data Citroën GS 1015

Length: 412 cm
Width: 160 cm
Height: 135 cm
Top speed: 147 km/h
Engine: 1015 ccm, 55 hp

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