Real Road Test: Citroën GSA Break (estate) Spécial!

Best dashboard ever! Yes, it's personal dream car time as I drive a 1983 Citroën GSA estate, with the 1.3-litre engine and five-speed gearbox. The bad news is that I had to give it back. The good news is that it wasn't as broken as I feared it was at one point...
Yes, there does appear to be a gap between the top of the passenger door and the frame. No, I can't explain it.
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[@WWarped1]

What a lovely car, great styling, bonus points for an estate. The colour suits it so well. But overall a joyful car. It just makes you happy.

[@mattwalker4034]

Citroen really inovated back in the day. That cockpit is just breathtaking, the controls are so quirky but delightful. Cars are so boring these days. Thanks for the video, thought you were having a break.

[@millomweb]

Catching up on backlog of video !

[@HubNut]

It's the only video you'll be getting this week, so make the most of it. ;-)

[@rollingtroll]

A Citroën break!

[@bentullett6068]

I don't know the new Citroen cars are certainly going back to strange quirky looks and actually look less boring compared to other cars on the market.

[@richierex]

or a brake! HA

[@FEGTTTSDH]

Soft suspension and big tyres (not wheels!) is a key for comfort, today with many stupid 20 or 21´ wheels the ride is just stupid. Despite that, the car is lovely and very futurist.

[@wdcegtjdh]

Even small cars like 208, clio etc...have commonly 15, 16, 17' wheels which is a total non sens. I remember my first car, a peugeot 104zs , had 13' wheels, my first sport car, a Honda prelude had 13 or 14' wheels

[@Unknown-jl7mg]

having a new c3 with 195-65-15, i cant imagine that i would go for 17" ultraslims...must be pain in ass.

[@chrisredfield3240]

I had a focus and went from 195/60/15 to 195/65/15 the tyres were cheaper (Michelin energy both sizes) the ride was much improved, the tyres would last longer as they actually rotated less times and the speedometer was spot on with all my sat navs and Google maps. And those signs at the side of the road that show your speed. I'm doing the same soon with the Mondeo. I always add 5 to the profile and keed the same width

[@chrisredfield3240]

@Aussie Pom in those hilux's with the huge wheels you get smashed into the roof with every bump. £10 of fuel just to get too the petrol station.

[@Wetthewhistle]

Lovely fresh air from the open passenger door lol

[@ThomasD1962]

I don't think the door is open. It's the window frame that was bent outward (maybe to open it).

[@piperdoug428]

@@ThomasD1962 Yeah if you are of a nervous disposition don't watch a body-man fix an upper door-frame.

[@julianevans9548]

Most people have a general dislike and distrust of the unconventional. It's part of society's training.

[@jaggass]

Citroen has always been way ahead of it's time.

[@yousefbhoyroo6960]

Was was Porsche 959 punk

[@misterpisster9748]

Yousef Bhoyroo What does that even mean?

[@guillaumeromain6694]

@@misterpisster9748 Yousef Bhoyroo seems to have been terribly left behind by the education system. They say that our thumb and our ability to communicate effectively are what sets us apart from the chimps... we know where Yousef stands on this spectrum

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

Yes and know they caught up with time... I think there isn't a single current Citröen that I would want. So disappointed with the current range

[@MrTruth111]

I think the knightrider dash was based on this citroen

[@piperdoug428]

Hahaha, i thought the handbrake handle was a cup-holder at first, lol.

[@matterhorn1975]

Yes Ian the excessive road noise will ne coming from the partially open passenger door

[@nergispaul9022]

Might also explain the shaking of the camera on the dirt road.

[@graemew7001]

I noticed that but thought that the door frame might be a little twisted and they can't find another with it being such a rare car.

[@twocvbloke]

Definitely a wacky car, that's a given, and yeah, today's cars are just samey, very little incentive to be different just incase people don't like having something different, and those people are boring... :P

[@Perkelenaattori]

What a lovely car. The dashboard reminds me of Battlestar Galactica.

[@darrenwilson8042]

See a Visa and a Mk 1 FIAT Uno for similar fun times

[@Perkelenaattori]

@@darrenwilson8042 I actually had a Uno 55 S and while I loved the dash, I don't think none of the lights worked on it. Tempra dashes are also lovely.

[@twobob8585]

@@Perkelenaattori Yep, the dash were a thing of modern beauty, sham the rest of the car was utter crap.

[@Perkelenaattori]

@@twobob8585 Lol I know. My friend had the digital dash Tempra as new and it had the fiddliest electrics I've seen. There was never a day without any error lights.

[@LGaragem]

I love those French estates! I would love a video of the 504 or 505 Familiale estates. Always had a soft spot for them.

[@julienbee3467]

Renault 12 estate

[@JamieMcAlley]

I'd love to see a review of a 504 estate! My family's car in the 80s

[@DougsCars]

That dash is INSANE! Something I’d never have seen without this video. Thanks for that!!

[@arkeys74]

“So brilliantly engineered in some ways and yet so terribly engineered in others..” True!! 😃👍

[@team3383]

excellent engineering all around. _Too much cost cutting by accountants.

[@pierrechristian6767]

As I found out when my 2005 C5 HDI started to go wrong.

[@patrickbass9957]

@@pierrechristian6767 What happened to your C5 ?

[@stroopwafel6141]

You found it in Holland, I see. The Dutch collected classic Citroëns when the French wanted to get rid of them. There are more DS's in Holland than in France. Now they want them back. ;-D

[@beautgrainger147]

I saw a couple over a few days while last over there.. there was a DS safari

[@boneshaker6819]

A friend of mine back in the 70’s had a Citroen Ami. I thought it was a really ugly car, but he once took me flying down an unmade road in it. Had it been a British car it would have been a wreck in no time, but the suspension was absolutely brilliant, it soaked up the holes.

[@Ricketik65]

Lovely car again, Ian! My parents had a GS 1220 Club in the mid seventies which started my love for Citroëns. By the way: you talk about the GS being a smaller CX, but it was actually the other way around, the CX was a bigger GS, because it came later, in 1974 (and was also voted Car of the Year). In fact the prototype even had a flat four, but that was eventually replaced by the watercooled DS-unit.

[@happyhermit2022]

I did have a GSA Pallas.....the interior was a lovely woven blue cloth and most of the door panels too. White with blue interior..excellent car...and now really rare. Excellent video of a very underestimated car. Thank you

[@neilsheppard6673]

That dash is brilliant, so futuristic for the time although the more skeptical would probably call it point-of-sale gimmickry. I particularly liked the warning light diagram, based on a pcb track layout. To me, that looks like quite an exercise in ahead of its' time thinking. I've always admired Citroen's quirky design approach and loved how they always liked to do things differently.

[@atman5230]

I had a GSA special..one morning the battery had run down & the engine wouldn't turn over.I used the crank handle to turn the engine over & it started fine.You didn't show where you can hand crank the motor just under the Citroen badge on the grill.

[@peteredwards338]

I wonder if my dad has sat in the back of that car?Those holes look like cig. burns to me!

[@graemew7001]

It wasn't me....I only burn my legs and the seats!! 😂

[@VeyronBD]

Must have been a hell of a bump to get the cig to touch the roof lol

[@Dan-hq2js]

Theyre stiletto heels punctures ;)

[@peteredwards338]

@@Dan-hq2js As far as I know my dad didn't wear stilettos!

[@Pfirtzer]

@@peteredwards338 you never know what he did, when the lights went out, those dull and tough guys can have a dark side... lol

[@lifelong5425]

Loved it, that exotic French thing...I can see one in the HubNut future parade of cars, a friend for Elly...very useful. Citroen... just on another level

[@4WDIESEL1]

those new style wipers are every where, most people think the are the best but no they are cheaper to make and there is more profit for the car companies. the old style wiper had many parts to it you can figure out the rest. greats videos as always.

[@MitchGoesGym]

"That's a bit Fisher Price " . Best line so far !!

[@robinwells8879]

At the time these were about I used to discount them completely as being ridiculously clownish and needlessly avant-garde and now I want one more than I can ever put into words. Never even knew that they were air cooled. Stunning piece of lateral thinking by both interior and exterior the design teams. Thanks for sharing this delicious example!

[@colincampbell2372]

I had one of them. I brought it at Chester car auction back in 1987 for £250. A bargain for five year old car. Driving it home it became apparent why it had been sold at a auction. It wasn't charging which I became very concerned about .....An alternator back then for a Citroen could cost a months wages. Thankfully a close inspection the next day revealed that the alternator drive belt was completely missing . If I remember rightly it wasn't an easy task to replace the belt .I had too remove a large proportion of the front of the car...When I drove it into the Austin Rover garage where I worked all my fellow mechanic mates gathered round . Comments like "What the """ is that , someone gave you £250 to take it away echoed around the work shop. However I ended up with a really good family car for a year nicknamed the banana because of its bright yellow paint. It was eventually replaced with a more conventional Fiat Strada , that also received a lot of condescending comments in the work shop . Sorry to go on ,but your video brought back so many happy memories.

[@philhealey449]

Sympathy on the belt change saga! I'm still in trauma from changing the points on my 1976 Peugeot 304 estate bought in 1982 as a non-starter. The distributor was buried deep behind the engine against the bulkhead so you could either see or touch, but not at the same time. Finally getting it running revealed a knackered camshaft and my car proved to be a rare variant with no scrapyard salvage engines available. French motoring !

[@mindoza44]

hey colin chester motor auctions on bumpers lane is where i bought my old citroens from too mate! did you work at james edwards?

[@colincampbell2372]

Phil Healey .Yep been their..I used too work for the RAC. We had at home service. I used to turn out on a Sunday afternoon to someone’s house and they would hand me a set of plugs and points. They’d say “ I think these need replacing . I would reply ,I think you need to take it to a garage for a service then.

[@colincampbell2372]

mark jones Yeah I worked their for three years . 1985 to 88. And that’s where I bought my Citroen. We could of been bidding against one another.

[@williamegler8771]

Kinda funny looking back that a Austin Rover mechanics would be making derogatory remarks about a FIAT and a Citreon. Especially since both concerns are still in business and Austin Rover is long gone!

[@nebod1556]

Wow like Citroen brand ...the most innovative and bravest car manufacturer ever and forever...What comes as prototype car for other brands comes as a commercial everyday car and available on the market for Citroen...

[@pjcats]

Hey, I'm old enough for this. My dad bought a white GS break in 1976, it followed up our 2CV. That was a 1012cc, with black plastic seats. Quite sweaty in summer. In 1978 he bought a new GS 1220 break in light blue metallic. That was one of the greatest cars I have ever sat in. I got my licence in 1983 and was proud to drive it every time I got the chance. What a great car. GS-es were very light, only 900 kilos or so (925, I read), so they got a pretty good power to weight ratio. That's why it feels fast, it's just so light. The brakes were fantastic, once you got used to the pedal that had only minimal travel, really only millimetres. I always felt I could stop the car on a dime, from any speed. The seats were fenomenally comfortable; the only thing detracting from the ride was the engine noise, which was quite horrible over 100 kmh. The suspension was a work of art, the steering was incomprehensibly precise, that car was about the most fun to drive of any car I can remember (at 55 I've had about forty, I can't even begin to sum up brands and models). Probably the best thing about these cars was the price: in the mid eighties I picked them up for 100 gulden, that would be maybe 250 euros today. If they broke down you'd take them to a scrapyard. They'd give 50 guldens, you'd pick up a paper and another would be in there for 100 gulden. Good times. My dad's new bought GS rusted out in six years, leaving him very angry and without car. I think he got a brown GSA then. I thought it was a load of crap. The suspension had been modified to feel 'sporty', that is harder and less comfy. The brake pedal had far more travel, which took the feel away. The dash was also a downgrade to me, as it was less functional and more gimmicky than the GS one. The seats weren't as good. The car overall felt far more flimsy and thrown together than the GS, just not as good, not as balanced and not as 'of a piece'. It had more power, but felt slower. It had a different steering wheel, but not the steering feel. I didn't like the GSA and I will always feel it an inferior car to the original GS. Just adaptation to the market, just not Citroen. The GS was the real deal, that's how I feel about it. Jeez, did I just write all that? Allright, away with it.

[@kh23797]

@Johann Cats ... Being of 1951 vintage, I so agree with your comments about Citroën rather betraying its heritage, but market forces are brutal and companies have managements who get terrified of losing market share to competitors. We saw how, almost overnight, market-leader Nokia rapidly crashed and burned when the iPhone hit the marketplace. Consumers are capricious, and technology markets are particularly vulnerable to technical advances and new ideas. Citroën's suspension was once one such novelty and must have revelled in taking business from others at the time! If only we could at least have kept the older cars we liked on the road... but most fell to bits with corrosion ridiculously early in their lives and, as you say, it made owners angry. After six years, the annual roadworthiness test became as daunting as a trip to the dentist's... and similarly expensive.

[@davidkmatthews]

Yes, I considered the GSA to be a downgrade - and I wondered whether it was because PSA were actually trying to kill off Citroen's more "eccentric" models and encourage buyers to lean towards more conventional - ie cheaper to manufacture - ones, particularly those based on existing Peugeots - eg the Citroen LNA essentially being a Pug 104. The GSA's dashboard just seems utterly bonkers - and, frankly, hideous - rather than charmingly different.

[@richardcallison1637]

I’d really love to drive one of those! It’s fantastic and the interior is unbelievably crazy (in a good way!). It must have blown minds when it was revealed to the public! I love it👍👍👍

[@HowardLeVert]

Curse you, Seabrook! Thanks to this video I have now gone from thinking "A GS would be a nice car to have" to "I *NEED* a GS in my life, NOW!" I love the dash of the GSA but I never liked the _styling_ of the GSA; I thought the GS was more 'pure', if that makes any sense. Now I suppose I'd better start saving up for one...

[@Stevieweevietv]

I love citroens especially from this time period. The styling is just so unique. Gorgeous looking cars!

[@thebrosgaming7959]

Now that's thinking outside the box and some. It's a shame that Citroën only tinker with being different these days. But can't blame them really as people wouldn't buy them. Everything is just a clone of everything else now. 😵

[@drdoolittle5724]

Brilliant, many many memories of my GS but its not truly correct about Sierra/Cavalier, if Citroen had made wacky cars with the quality of Ford their demise would have taken a little longer!

[@richdelgado3405]

6:54 "Does the light work? No, because French." Priceless.

[@kenreeve6549]

trust me its true,i live in France !!

[@jamalduweik6465]

I have one 1976 GS with white color

[@onesandzeroes]

"a little bit of wind noise, " says a man driving a car with a huge gap between the door and the body 😀

[@drd6416]

What you on about? That's eco friendly aircon! 😁

[@MrBonnuus]

My first car, same model and colour, and also Dutch, bought it 11 years old for 400 euros. Still have the instrument panel as a souvenir. When boys next to me made noise with their Golfs and Escorts I would look at them, pull the handle in the middle and lift my whole car, that gave some amazed looks. Great memories, thanks for posting this.

[@affenqld4856]

It also was my first car , a 1977 GS 1220 , they were fun to drive on our Australian road , not fast per say , but so comfortable on our corrugated road .. The fact you could raise the hypdropneumatic suspension was a plus on outback trail The motor was very reliable as long as you keep an eye on the oil ( air cooled engine ) Suspension was very reliable as well .. One of the best car i have driven in my life

[@griffog2001]

As a young teen I desperately wanted a GS, they were so different and futuristic to anything else available. Sadly my Dad went with a Fiat 131 estate :(

[@unixnerd23]

I had a GSA, your dad was a clever man.

[@andyfield7397]

"It just went French" 😂😂😂 I am going to use that for my wifes C4 if/when it does weird stuff !

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

I am still waiting to say that about my C4, after 10 years of use...

[@andyfield7397]

@@TheAllMightyGodofCod currently in for repairs.... again 😲

[@jamesduke4957]

growing up in South Africa in the 70s , my Mother had a brand new 1976 GS club 1220 white hatch , she loved that car , many happy memories , going to tea at the Rob Roy Hotel in the valley of 1000 hills , with my brother and Mom .

[@railtrolley]

I would call that dashboard an Atari. It's like a video game machine from that era.

[@olivermacke838]

Dear Mr. H. Nut, Thanks for another great video. You've never said that you take requests, but you also never said that you don't, so here we go: If you'd ever get the chance to test one of the following cars, I'd be delighted: VW Phaeton Renault Safrane with Volvo R5 Nissan Patrol 160/260 MB A-Class W168 (widely misunderstood car!) Mazda 121 (the egg-shaped one) Cheers

[@rollingtroll]

Well there you go Ian, you should've also driven the A-class I offered, then :D. I think it's an oversold piece of horribleness with a mercedes badge on it, but some people seem to like it it turns out :D.

[@olivermacke838]

@@rollingtroll the badge is the problem indeed. MB should have sold the car under the Smart brand if you ask me.

[@owensteele1274]

A Mazda 121 test would be really cool, if Ian could find one. I actually quite like those little cars.

[@brianiswrong]

Only the ' " starship" civic's interior has come even close to the GSA/CX interiors.

[@kh23797]

Ian is so right about the BX and Xantia suspensions being less bump-absorbing than previous Citroëns, and about the company's slide towards conventionality. Was it influenced by their Peugeot partnership? An erstwhile BX GTi and a Xantia owner, I travelled in a DS as a teen and was deflated to find I couldn't get that magic-carpet ride in the 80s/90s models. I suppose the designers reduced body roll and made handling 'sharper' both to satisfy motoring writers (a conservative bunch) and to appeal to a target market who relished speed and detested roll. So they opted for a harder sphere setup, sacrificing the marque's traditional comfort for 'handling'. Why couldn't the GSA's steering. or another device. sense it was experiencing a sideways thrust on a bend or roundabout and stiffen the suspension accordingly _just during that manoeuvre?_ I know some BX drivers did fit softer spheres and presumably put up with a bit more lateral movement. Rolls-Royce and even Maserati used Citroen-licensed hydro-pneumatic technology but maybe they tweaked it somehow.

[@fgsaramago]

What you propose is called the "Activa" system which some versions of the Xantia had

[@kh23797]

@@fgsaramago Thanks, I do recall that now. I had a Xantia 90bhp SX but not the sportier 110bhp variant, so _Activa_ was absent on mine. The 90bhp model wasn't exactly underpowered -- but the extra 20 horsepower would have been useful at times, certainly, especially when fully laden.

[@fgsaramago]

@@kh23797 my father had the 1.6 liter. That thing was definitely underpowered!

[@kh23797]

​@@toqtoq3361 Thanks for the information. I wish I'd known this when I owned a BX GTi 4x4 as it really needed softer suspension -- but In those days, the internet was not available to me to help solve car problems. I presume the part you mean is the valve concentrically within the big screw thread on the base of the sphere. I didn't know they differed according to model, nor that one could change it to vary the softness of the ride. At a dealership (or online), replacement spheres are sold _for a particular model_ with the default parts already installed, of course.

[@Jablonski277]

Its completely gone now here in Denmark. Would be nice if Citroen would produce a real hydraulic small/mid size car today. Imagine the Cactus with real hydraulics.

[@obelic71]

There are strong rumors PSA will produce a REAL Citroen version with updated hydropneumatic suspension on the new platform base of the Peugeot 308. The new Opel/Vauxhall Astra. Peugeot 308 and Citroen are in development and while having the same platform and engines they will al be different. If they pul it of PSA will have a German/Anglosaxic pragmatic, French conservative and extravagance car. historic core brand value models for sale Even if the Citroen model does not sell so much as the Peugeot Opel/Vauxhall version they could stil economical produce and sell them

[@Jablonski277]

@@obelic71 thank you very much for the information Richard. Hopefully Citroen understand that they can not completely remove the core DNA and still be Citroen.

[@obelic71]

@@Jablonski277 Citroen is one of that historic brands that people like not because they are premium upmarket, but of their well thought enginering solutions. Just look at the HY van. No other manufacturer had standard a commercial van with a low walk in enterance ! (designed to roll in a wine barrel with ease) And only on Special order/conversion you can have it today. Also a nice story how the Citroen Berlingo was born. In North west europe Citroen sold historicly a lot of commercial cars/vans. There were no successors planed by PSA in the Citroen brand. Because sale nosedived they just rebadged the Peugeot cars/vans to Citroen's. Therefore you see way more Citroens then Peugeots commercial vans here.

[@TheBurningsofa]

I drive a 2004 C5. Have had many odd cars from all over the world. This one is by far the best ride. As a fellow nut, like Hubnut. Beeing a carnut is just having the love for cars. And this have had me thinking. The moment Tesla produces an all electric with Citroens suspension. That would for me being the only time I would consider buying new. Then there is Citroen itself. What if they produced an all electric but put in their suspension? I would consider buying a new car. But until then. what is really the point. Recycling is important :)

[@obelic71]

@@TheBurningsofa PSA is good and big in building small engines and drivetrains and sells them also to other car manufacturers wordlwide. Because they where "behind"in electric cars they bought Opel/Vauxhall from GM. PSA once build the mitsubishi I-miev full electric in licence en that was not a succes! Opel/Vauxhall already had sucesfull electric vehicles so they will launch the new models first under those brands. Just have patient there will be a electric / hybrid Citroen with old Citroen DNA in the future. PSA just has to develop the 10% change to make it a real citroen. The other 90% of the development cost is spread over all the brands.

[@nevermore891]

Got to love the Speedo . I love Citroens, I bought a 72 Ds and I’ve been told to scrap it! I really want to keep it not crush it

[@AndreiTupolev]

DS did you say? Scrap it? Whoever told you that?

[@nevermore891]

AndreiTupolev . A garage that restores them. North west uk. He said he would take it off my hands for cash!! I’m restoring it. Slowly but looking good. Have you got one ??

[@harrybrown4815]

next door neighbour had one of these and a reliant fox way back in the day. Very Space 1999 or maybe UFO nuff said i think.

[@unixnerd23]

Can just see Ed Straker in a CX :-)

[@matthewgodwin3050]

From the days when Citroens were mad, complicated, and scary to behold. And all the better for it. Come back crazy Citroen engineers, we need you now.

[@LonidaLeon]

When I was 18, she was the car of my dreams even though she had been on the market for many years

[@chrisredfield3240]

Think a neighbour had a D reg one of these in 1989 when I was 9 years old I thought it looked good must have been one of the last as the bx was around on a Areg/b reg.

[@edmondocerza4292]

What a great car, character galore, if only modern cars could reward with such...Nice :-)

[@moschops2002]

Dad bought a GS Pallas new in 76, OYM611R ferried us back and forth across Europe as he was in the Forces (Forces plate was MU556B iirc). I'd sleep on the floor in the back, and my sister got the back seat. Utterly bonkers car, but so very comfortable. It didn't like the Berlin winters - had to be taken in by Citroën one particularly cold year to be defrosted over 3 days. It was sold on in 1985 when rust was getting a bloody good hold of it, and my Dad bought a Moggie Traveller, which he still has.

[@SharkoonBln]

I remember the days when this car ( and the infamous Alfasud ) were actually daily drivers. The owners were extremely unhappy, because it corroded away in less than 3 or 4 years. A common saying over here was: When it rains overnight, a GS driver will only find a brown heap of rust in the morning of what was left of the car. They were so terrible concerning corrosion owners of other cars actually had sympathy with them. And back in the 70s corrosion was a major issue on all cars.

[@mfbfreak]

It only lacks one of those little gramphones telling you the door is ajar!

[@millomweb]

In class of quirkiness, no warning for door open but perhaps one for door missing.

[@jennydonne8946]

Such an amazing car and nice to see one. I never understood why these were not as popular as they deserved to be, majority of car of the time were so old and this was so futuristic. If I was buying then I would definitely would have got one of these. I love the sound of a Citroen flat two but the flat four is amazing. Also that the best suspension system in the world has now gone, shame on you Citroen.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Smashing little car. A friend had a GS in the late 70s and it was like driving a Parker Knoll, very comfy.

[@colinp2238]

Quieter than a 2CV? My dear boy EVERYTHING is quieter than a 2CV.

[@flemmingsorensen5470]

My father had a GS Pallas - fantastic cars! Several BX and Xanthias followed, but the GS was the greatest of the lot!

[@serenatyvfr]

Flemming Sorensen my dad had the same semiautomatic would love one

[@chucku00]

Xantias yes. Xanthias no. www.supercars.net/blog/1986-citroen-xanthia/

[@yousefbhoyroo6960]

Rust bucket. Oil leaks on air cooled engine

[@chucku00]

@@yousefbhoyroo6960 In almost 50 years it has been largely enhanced by 3rd party spare parts manufacturers. BMW or Porsche weren't better with their air-cooled engine. If you didn't do the basic preventive maintenance on a car (proper car wash, checking the bodywork and chassis for rust...), every car of the era was a rust bucket.

[@aaaabababa]

@@chucku00 yes, that is very true, just look at Mercedes, the W114/115, the W123, w116 and so on all rusted a ton a lot of them were completely rusted through after 5-8 Years.

[@DarrenVelSatis]

"Why have I not owned one of these?" Fast forward 6 months.... could be a t-shirt slogan

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

"What’s that sound? It’s my GS rusting outside". A friend had one. Lovely car, when it worked. And when the parts stayed together. But: I had a Sud! I guess, even worse. BTW, 16:43, the Sud had a simple beam back axle, not independent. But with such a good location/control system. Fantastic to drive. Until it broke down ... again.

[@team3383]

I owned both Alfasud and a GS when living in Italy. The italians would drool over the Alfa and pee on the GS but the Alfa just rusted away in places where it NEVER got wet ??? The GS was a super car and engine. Flat four aircooled excellence. The Alfa always overheated, the Citroen just kept going. Alfa was a definite let down on build quality. I don't think thare are any AlfaSuds left today and if there are they can't be one original body panel left.

[@vvp1002]

I has been own 1981 1.3 Special hachback white body and blue interior as those one...1991-1993.....Masterpiece of engineering when it work.... And wheels with 3 bolts 145R 15......

[@Le_Rennais]

when i was a kid, my parents had a CITROEN GS special, then a CITROEN GS 1220 Club before they got a CX 2000 Super

[@KiltedGreen]

I managed to convince my mum and dad, who’d driven nothing but English cars (and had a Marina!) that they needed a GS. Amazingly, they bought one. The final straw was when they had to have the exhaust manifold replaced which I think required engine removal … Until that point though, we all loved it. Mum and dad said it was the best car they’d ever had and to this day remains the best I’ve driven (I had an lovely Alfasud too). They are everything that hubnut says - utterly wonderful & intelligently designed cars. You knew this had been made with a guiding purpose, not just to make money. Not forgetting that, blissfully, Citroën’s quirkiness extended to non-self cancelling indicators. As ever, they were alone in this, and correct. Self-cancelling indicators were rubbish then and they are still rubbish 50 years later. On new cars they cancel when going round roundabouts or doing something else. They are a pain. It seems a small thing, but when the entire other car had self-cancelling indicators, it takes determination to go the other direction. Citroën always did and the GS is the shining example of that vision.

[@timhancock6626]

The GS and GSA are one of the finest designs Citroen or indeed anybody ever came up with, but its quality was not so good, they rusted and the seat fabrics and interiors dissolved in the sun. My brother had a GSA and a Renault 6...another odd one that came and went in a cloud of rust

[@Rjhs001]

Another tremendously enjoyable vid Ian. There seems to be a fair old ventilation gap around the top of the passenger door. Apologies if this has been previously pointed out by many other correspondents.

[@williamross2579]

SUCH an iconic look, sooo French... now THAT’S a dash! Fabulous headlining

[@davidfarmer2049]

Wiliam what on earth is an "iconic" look? What's one of them?

[@williamross2579]

The moment you see it, those design lines, it’s so obviously French, akin to the ‘moody teenagers lip’ that was the front bumper on the SAAB 99... it influenced the marque for a rather long time... the half cover rear wheels by the wing. I think Bertone design house came on board with the BX, but kept the heritage... even up to the XM... the AX was designed in house, yet still if you look at the side profile you can see the influence, generations later from the DS.

[@davidfarmer2049]

@@williamross2579 well said.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

How wonderful was Citroen whilst still independent. Shame they blew money with the Wankel distraction ( I think it went into the GS for a bit). Traction Avant, DS, GS...... truly innovative motoring.

[@kimkiriniki9433]

Marvellous cars, I ran a Zimbabwe assembled GS 1220 Club for years. So smooth and comfortable, it soaked up the corrugated/ rutted dirt roads and potholes brilliantly. It came to an end on a business trip in Northern Zambia (Ndola), engine seized.

[@kimkiriniki9433]

My Citroen GS had a far more conventional instrument panel.

[@alexispieltin9379]

This particular GSA has apparently a right door geometry problem, or was left ajar. The odometer can normally be replaced or serviced, but I can bet it's probably a gearbox or a cable issue. The direction lights timer relay can easily be replaced, the timing is too slow. Most important: no apparent rust problems, but you have to check the rear suspension passageway and berm, and always keep the doors drainage holes open. Another problem comes from the rubber water exhaust pipes coming from the wiping front motor and mechanism bay: they can clog or glue easily resulting in ventilation motor to splash water everywhere on your feet! You have to press regularly to open these exhaust in the wheels passageways, left and right. And don't forget the only heating you get comes from electricity. You can start and use these air cooled motors in very low, freezing temperatures, as far as you keep the battery hot enough to start, help the motor with appropriate lubricant and use a few hand manifold pressurizing turns. I've experienced with -35°C, it works! Anyway, don't take any chance with this blue beauty, and keep it dry in a garage! The clicking sound of the ''conjoncteur disjoncteur’' with a sphere near the motor is normal, as far as it doesn't click more than once every 30s. If you hear repetitive clicking, with no change in suspension or brake, you have a faulty sphere somewhere, a leak or a pump problem. I've also seen valve problem on the regulator,( if you unscrew it for maintenance, always check it's seriously closed and tightened after that). Remember LHM has to be changed regularly and brakes bled as in a classic car. You can also clean the filters in the green jar on the right. These hydraulics are not too complicated, but can be fragile and require special attention. Always remember of extreme high pressures involved. Never mix LHM with any other fluid! LHM is also paint corrosive.

[@k1ckyscotland988]

The Croatia adventure never stops giving,this stuff will keep us going until you get your breath back. I'm assuming this road test is from the big adventure and you have'nt kidknapped and stolen a car from some random Dutchman who was touring Wales.

[@HubNut]

Correct. Still quite a few cars to come from that trip too...

[@MattisUrskog]

Fun fact: GSA's 1.3 engines were 1299 cc except in Italy. They got an 1301 cc engine because a rule said engines had to match or be above advertised volume to get sold as said volume. So buying an import from Italy will get you in all sorts of trouble when rebuilding the engine..

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

HubNut + Citroën = thumbs up.

[@alanhuntley347]

I had an 1980 GSA estate just like this it back in the early ninety's. I bought it for $50 Canadian. I too liked this car because it was so different than North American cars having an air cooled flat 4 with inboard brakes and the hydraulic suspension (oh it had a hand crank for starting too). But, I hated it because it was so buckshee being held together only by glue, every winter the drivers side window would just fall down because the glass was only held in place to the window regulator by epoxy glue which broke in the cold weather.

[@Landshark928]

Great car, wonderful it has the original series licenceplate of '83

[@brixtonsaint]

There are cars that you drive that stay with you however fleeting the journey. I once had to pick up a friend’s parents from Gatwick in their GSA and recall it being one of the most comfortable and beguiling drives I’ve ever experienced.

[@jonathanbliss3708]

Love it !! Lovely gap between passenger door and roof though lol

[@gosportjamie]

Even for early '80s Citroen I'm not sure that level of panel wonkiness would have passed inspection so I would guess that's a legacy of its past life, maybe the previous owners were elderly and leaned on the door while getting in and out...

[@millomweb]

Are we sure the door was actually shut properly ? Apart from the fact either way, it clearly wasn't ! :)

[@gosportjamie]

@@millomweb The rest of the door seemed to fit pretty well, but not the window frame so that suggests something was out of shape somewhat...

[@millomweb]

@@gosportjamie I'm out of shape, somewhat. Does that count ?

[@gosportjamie]

@@millomweb I think most of us are once we get past a "certain" age...

[@scabbycatcat4202]

The French built some truly hideous creations which sold surprisingly well. We had a Citroen AMI in about 1975. I believe it was only a 600 cc engine ( ? ) yet as a kid i thought it seemed to go like a bomb. It failed to start one morning and we approached a little garage at the corner of the street . The mechanic was more than willing to come and have a look until we happened to mention it was a CITROEN. Sorry, can't help you. I never touch or have anything to do with citroens. That engine made a fantastic noise though as I recall. and as with other citroens it was a very smooth ride.

[@TheThomas888]

Love Citroen Made In France. Quality.

[@AndySnap]

Peak Frenchness..?? The French really knew how to make interesting cars, the GS/GSA are especially marvellous. (edit; I wrote my comment before the end of the video, so we agree on 'peakness'!)

[@michaelsanderson6968]

It's nice to know it isn't just us that have crap drivers.

[@niallsommerville9941]

Lovely machines, if not so lovely to work on. I remember buying an exhaust system for my GSX2. Bloke behind the counter asked how long it took me to get the engine out, didn't and I'm not going to, oh you have to, to replace the one piece down pipe. Sod that, 10 mins with a hacksaw and it was fitted with a short flexy section, some exhaust sealant and two pipe clamps on the crossover. That said, if I was offered a half decent one now, you'd be missing an arm in short order.

[@johnrgoodman]

I owned a Citroen GS Pallas in the 70s and I loved it

[@wingtang1180]

Me too. It replaced the Morris Marina. Lol.

[@sgkontos]

Hate to tell you the bad news man, but this is not a GSA. That is a GS Break transformed into GSA, as many GS owners (including me) had done back in the day. It's obvious from the cut-out rear bumper, as GSAs hadn't had the rear bumper fixed on the door and the door didn't go that low as GS. Another GS feature is the rear lights (GSA had different) and the metal decorative panel above the rear lights, all the way across the rear door. GSAs didn't have that. All these are the tell tale signs that this is a GS. Other than that it's a great car!

[@gwynnromano5881]

Love the switchgear and instrument cluster. All would be illegal in today’s Europe controlled by Belgium.

[@fgsaramago]

Pretty sure Belgium doesn't control much of anything. Not even themselves

[@MrGyftario]

My uncles sound. I love this car and its feeling

[@robertodaggis7244]

I guess I'm a "Special" too then :)

[@rollingtroll]

Slightly wonky and completely baffled by hard braking?

[@adamtoms2726]

It's a shame that Citroen had to conform in the 1990's with the loss of the 2CV and soon after BX. Cars like this GSA CX etc just had so much charm. unfortunately the modern Citroen's have lost that.

[@neilthomas9244]

Bizarre French configuration, insane dash layout, way too many switches. Comfortable madness.

[@rheinerftvideo2647]

Huha, in 1988 I had the chance to buy this in orange color in condition "NEW" because it was parked in an underground car park for years. 600 Euro which was 1200 German Mark. Unfortunately, the owner suddenly decided to keep it :-) This car is nowhere to see over here in Germany today, unlike the big brother CX - getting pretty rare as well. The "green eggs" for hydraulic suspension like seen here under the bonnet can cause serious trouble and you won´t find someone fixing that unless you live in France, Belgium or the Netherlands. My neighbour gave up on his Citroen SM restoration for multiple reasons.... Cheers from Germany, Bernd

[@HubNut]

The spheres cause very little trouble. If they lose gas, you replace them, which is not dissimilar to replacing an oil filter (remembering to turn the one bolt that removes suspension system pressure first). Easy!

[@tonysargent1699]

Citroen peaked for myself with my 1998 Xantia estate 1.9 diesel automatic. The suspension was perfect, engine was brilliant, seats were amazing, the looks for me, were perfection and the gearbox meant that technically, you could have a top speed that was intimate, depending on engine revs and length of road. I do however, appreciate the importance of the gs and gsa in the history of Citroen and , after a friend owning a pale blue gs years ago and then an orange gsa, I kinda got the Citroen bug from him. For which I thank him for. Anyway, great video as ever and thankyou for sharing.

[@stephenberry1205]

We leased a GSA X1 5 speed 1299 cc for 3 weeks in 1982. Superb car. Cruised happily at 140-150 kph with a max of 165 kph. Loved the control switchgear including to rocker blinker switch. So logical, so French. Headed down to visit the Lambourgini factory and Pisa. So much fun to throw around once off the autoroutes. In Australia we got Citroen addicted. My first GS (after 2 x IDs & 2 x DSs) was a 1015 C matic, followed by a 1220 manual sedan and later a 1220 GS C matic wagon. On secondary Aussie roads it was so chuckable. My parents were so impressed with mine they sold their Holden and bought a GS 1220 sedan C matic. Comfort, brakes, ride, handling, huge boot. Even with 4 up and luggage it was still magnificent. Saved their life overtaking a bus and a car one because it was so stable, they recovered after being forced onto the opposite shoulder. A close friend had a GS 1220 Pallas and another a 1220 Club. Citroens are rare in Australia, but terrible addicative. I currently have a 1990 2CV6 Charleston and a 2018 C4 Cactus 1.2 turbo 6 speed auto.

[@andrewpreston4127]

Nice. Thank you. Thinking back to the mid 70's, I seem to recall that the GS sold well in the UK.

[@cambs0181]

The 1300 engine was way underpowered for this car, even when it came out.

[@davehitchman5171]

you should try the cmatic one day... not to mention the pallas version. But in answer to the what is the service setting on the suspension, its for changing the wheels. Jack it up fully, put the jack under, lower the suspension, the car will wedge on the jack one side, tip and lift the wheel for you, with no effort on your side

[@Unknown-jl7mg]

new cactus will be based on GS........... i guess no hydra/boxer/wankel ! shame, big time

[@merttopel595]

Roads in Europe continuously got better and better ever since the 50's and today we do not actually need a lot of absorption capacity from contemporary car suspensions. Instead, today people want stiffer rides as their everyday cars are being loaded with unnecessarily powerful engines. I think that brought an inevitable end to the delightful hydropneumatic suspension.

[@KiltedGreen]

Not in Britain! And the benefits of Hydropneumatic suspension went beyond a gloriously comfortable ride …

[@IOWPCV]

Remember them from when i was a kid,a friend of the family had one. I thought the uk version had a different dash with round dials ! It’s a great looking car very pleasant lines. Good vid Ian !

[@HubNut]

GS had round dials in the UK. GSA did not.

[@philiplindley7384]

Why do the Dutch ride silly bikes from the 1950's? Is it a statement or something?

[@HubNut]

Because riding like that is really comfortable I think.

[@rollingtroll]

Do we?

[@51StPi]

Did not like to say because I thought we were weird but seem to be in similar company here :), so we had: a GS Confort 1015 Estate, GS 1220 Club Estate, G Special 1130 Estate and a GS Pallas, oh yeah and a Dyane 6, DS23 EFI Pallas and a CX 2000 Safari. The GS were my favs. Brilliant short thanks.

[@florentmenichon1114]

Couciu de la France..J'adore cette voiture,j'en ai eu 3.Le freinage, la tenue de route et le confort sont extraordinaires..Citroën faisait des voitures uniques à cette époque..👍

[@carlbretr6822]

Ian can you please stop making such interesting videos your making me late for work and I can t stop watching them 👍