Loading ...A 1976 Citroën GS 1220 cc engine – air cooled , about the same size as A Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine . This photo is one I found online , but that was the body style and same color as mine . It was purchased in Brussels . Most Belgians were low key , and preferred grey or beige cars , but I wanted visibility to avoid accidents . When I ordered it , and said I wanted ‘Jaune’ (yellow) , the salesman looked at me with unbelief , pulled out the pamphlet with the color chips , pointed out the yellow , and said “ But THIS is ‘Jaune’ !!! “ . I replied “Yes , that is what I want .” LOL! He just shrugged and rolled his eyes .
It was a great little car , with the Citroën hydro-pneumatic suspension , which , as light as the car was , still smoothed out the ride over cobblestones , and permitted three ride heights , normal (low) , firm ( if loaded heavily ) and ultra high ( for rutted farm lanes , to avoid high centering and rocks ). The engine was designed about two decades earlier by the then-defunct French manufacturer Panhard , and was an amazing performer . I once was on the German Autobahn and late for an appointment , and had to run it for an hour above the tach redline without a problem . For an air-cooled engine that is incredible . An air-cooled VW beetle would spit valves under that abuse !
BTW – The 1220 engine was the big engine option – most came with a 1000 cc engine . I was still getting close to 40 mpg on the highway (at 70-80 mph) pretty amazing for that era .
