The home of the classic Citroen

[@toddredfield4871]

Amazing video. I have to love Citroen from afar here in the US. I am so jealous of your trip and access to those amazing cars of the Citroen history. I too am a Bond fan, especially the Roger Moore ones so again lucky on you. The SM is also my all time favorite and a hero I'd love to meet. Unfortunately I only have a 1/43 diecast that will have to do until I win a lottery. Years ago my Dad drove a DS here in the US and told me it was the most amazing car that he ever drove and rode better than anything he'd driven even the big Cadillacs. Anyways thanks so much for this amazing video and sharing your fascinating journey. Absolutely loved this!

[@CarGurusUK]

Thank you for the kind words. One day maybe that will be you walking around the conservatoire!

[@dr.plutonus1496]

You missed the C6! One was almost in shot when you finished your tour of the collection. I had mine for five years until 2012, & contrary to the sneers of my then colleagues, it was the best car I've ever had - it behaved impeccably. After 160,000 miles it moved on; I miss it still 😢

[@stephenberry8658]

And the magnificent 😍 C6 A DS, CX, SM and XM Combined.. The last true CITROEN. I have owned 17 Citroens over 51 years in Australia.

[@CarGurusUK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jaydee4086]

I really wish there was a "love" button instead of a like button I've thoroughly enjoyed this video,watched it three times in fact,well done,this is what car videos should all be like 👍 👌 😀

[@CarGurusUK]

Wow, thank you!

[@jaydee4086]

@@CarGurusUK you're more than welcome lads and ladies!

[@chrisoncars4879]

A great video, love the enthusiasm from the second presenter too. However, the Conservatoire is open to the public now, you can book tickets online. I last visited in April this year, my third visit. I'd really recommend going, it's fascinating, but I do like a Citroen! I've owned many and currently have a C6 and a Saxo, as hobby cars.

[@CarGurusUK]

Thanks for the info!

[@markclevedon81]

Fantastic - informative, passionate and inspiring. Citroen really were ahead of their game from the beginning but it is a shame that British drivers were encouraged by the motoring press to be so prejudicial and doubtful. Bigger Citroens were considered to be unreliable and liable to incur expensive repairs until the PSA group diluted their complexity to feed profits by selling mass market cars but with a certain quirkiness hence the BX. The SM was something else. Even as a young boy I adored the DS and the SM - I still have my immaculate Corgi SM which I lusted after in a toy shop window on the way to school. 99p spent and it was mine. More of this type of coverage guys.

[@CitEnthusiast]

Very much enjoyed Ivan's response to both the TA and the SM. Having owned a 1966 DS21 Cabriolet back in '79, and a DS23, plus many CXs, a GS, BX, and SM I know full well how advanced the SM was/is. I've had my SM for 20 years, still have CXs and XM and SMs galore, love the cars. So thanks for showing us around the Conservatoire, I'd have liked to see a lot more.

[@hondamonkeyboy]

I really enjoyed that. My friend's father owned many Citroens in the 70s and 80s. He had a DS21 Pallas which I recall I almost threw up in as I was to very prone to motion sickness back then. He also borrowed a Citroen SM which I don't think I ever had a go in. His wife also drove several GS (Club) and BXs. In later life he moved up a gear with a couple of new RRs and finally a Bentley Mulsanne Turbo.

[@chriswright4252]

Back in 1991 my first car was a silver 1983 GSA Pallas - I loved it!!! It’s 1299cc air cooled engine was nippy in its day!

[@anthonystevens8683]

What a brilliant video, it really is great to be able to see the evolution and incredible innovation in the cars from the Citroen history. I've always has a soft spot not only for the 'affordable' 2CV, AMI and the Dian but the SM, DS, CX etc since I was a kid. Oddly this didn't go down well with the parents for some reason after a DS wrote off my Dads beloved Cortina MKII. Anyway this was very well done Ivan and the look and sounds of Alex were priceless driving the SM. Ivan can now honestly state that he's driven a James Bond car as well. I still want a 2CV if only I had the time, money and space to keep it.

[@crashbox7130]

As an owner of a 2CV I can say with certainty that the gear change is one of the best in any car, from any era. It's precise, smooth, and ultra light. I can swap cogs with just a finger. One of the World's truly great cars

[@tupolev141]

That gleaming beaming smile on Alex's face just fills me with emotion.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Amazing video with the best saved till the end. It's easier to list the Citroëns we haven't owned than have - Traction Avant, Ami, SM, XM, C6, and the current models. Loads of information inside the Conservatoire, and of course, that SM at the end. Superbe! I love Citroëns but I also love the way some people hate them. Vers l'avenir.

[@erwindewit4073]

Oh boy, I’m from a Citroen family. A GS, DS, CX, BX.. I like them a lot! Reliability Moah, but so nice and comfortable! I used to have a BX GTi.. Comfortable, 4 doors and FAST.. So nice to see them all! I’d love the Traction, Spot and, of course, the SM. But breaking the 200 km/hour in a CX 25 TRD turbo break, a car that looks like a hearse some what… Ah, thanks guys!

[@CarGurusUK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@prakashnarismulu3332]

1973 GS 1220 Club ❤had one in the family fleet till 1980 . A car ahead of it’s time

[@shaywhelan1]

A wonderful piece. Greteful to have Citroen and their passion to make truly innovative cars. Thank you for sharing their story with us.

[@CarGurusUK]

Our pleasure!

[@stephenberry1205]

Great video. We visited Citroen Conservitoire in 2015 arriving in a leased diesel Cactus. The CX Prestige 2500 turbo was the sleeper Citroen - a great driver's car / high speed missile. Steering of an SM, space ship control pods, performance & comfort, huge room, wheelbase of DS & SM - Just missing the turning headlights and brake mushroom of DS & SM...

[@newbeginnings8566]

A lovely vintage outing... Great to be taken along..

[@CarGurusUK]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@sevesellors2831]

Great video just love Citroen. My dad had a BX 1.9 TRS estate, my uncle a 1.9;DS, I’ve driven the CX, C6, 2 cv, all wonderful cars.

[@ninjasrini]

Amazing!!!!! Loved every minute of it.

[@-DC-]

Citroen pre the C5 really were an incredible company , I'd love to have another one with that level of engineering.

[@guillaumeromain6694]

Incredible journey. I'd love to visit that museum and get to drive my dream cars... wonderful video chaps. You two are brilliant

[@CarGurusUK]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@robde001]

why did ye ignore the C6 ?

[@Jack-hy1zq]

I used to drive a silver SM (ODP 591M) in the West End of London back in the late 70s. It's a wonderful car to drive and a real head turner.

[@sevensixtysteve8662]

Wonderful video and a joy to watch. So often cars are treated as disposable products by unimpressable motoring journalists or the spawn of the devil by rabid eco warriors. The unalloyed joy they can bring to a lot of us is often forgotten about but is evident in bucketfuls in this video. Alex's love and enthusiasm for the marque is palpable and one I can identify with as my first car was a 2CV. That car served me heroically through my college days as well as giving me a life long affection for the brand and ultimately ownership of a CX GTi Turbo 2 for a few years. Like Alex, my lottery win car is an SM and I wish him well and hope he gets his dream car one day - I am sure they will suit each other perfectly ! Fab video and thanks for making it.

[@MrGMawson2438]

Great video guys

[@brianfd622]

Great video guys, especially the SM. I drove a high end BMW on a 20 mile trip recently, yes it was fast and blingy but I was glad to be driving home in my 94 Xantia, the ride and handling is superior to modern cars by a long stretch.

[@CarGurusUK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@malcolmherbert5127]

Citroen are possibly the brand with the widest spread of opinion in the car world. They go from utter devotees, who’d consider no other, and those who can’t seem to find an opinion low enough to express their absolute loathing. I think the first category find most of their inspiration from the products of the pre Peugeot era, while the haters are more prevalent in the later models, where, interestingly, the real essence of Citroen’s philosophy has been slowly but surely eroded. I still don’t understand why the oleo pneumatic suspension was discontinued, but it could be that the various, so called, improvements made it both more expensive and, strangely, not quite as impressive as he earlier versions.

[@chrisperyagh]

That SM is something else! I've still yet to drive an SM. The nearest I've had to owning anything like that was a 1987 CX 25 GTi Turbo 2 (the same type that Grace Jones advertised) which was the best and most fun to drive car I've ever owned and enjoyed every single mile I drove in it. Sadly it got written off and I replaced it with a 1990 XM 3.0 V6 Si which was the more practical car being a hatchback, but the noisy engine, constant hydraulic leaks and a variety of electrical problems made it a massive disappointment, as well as the general feel of it being much firmer and more 'German' compared to the CX and also the D Special (ID 19B) I had before the CX. The DS/ID was by far the most comfy of the big Citroens I've had.

[@thomash2806]

What a great video. It should have been 3 hours long. You didn’t stop for the Hermès-trimmed 2CV! And no mention of my first car, an AX 10E, either! ;o)

[@CarGurusUK]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rabbitpie2384]

Fabulous video. Light 15 has to be the definition of a usable classic. Can I suggest a follow up video at the Saab museum in Trollhattan?

[@notsofast3226]

What an awesome film. Now I want a Citroen!

[@harlandgiles8612]

Hi, great video, I'm thinking of buying my first Citroen,this certainly has helped!

[@alecfromminnenowhere2089]

Take us on more rides like this video had.

[@toyotaprius79]

Don't forget the C-Zero!

[@CarGurusUK]

I don't think they had one!!!

[@stephenberry1205]

My Life of Hero Citroens over 52 years... 2 x ID 1 x D Safari 4 x DS 3 x GS (1 new) 3 x 2CV6 (From new) 1 x CX Prestige (new) 1 x Xantia 1 x C4 Cactus (new) Eurolease - 1 x GSA. 1 x C4 Cactus Driven & lusted after - 2 x SM - Right Hand Drive I believe Australia was the only place in the world that converted SMs to RHD.. Around 15 of them... (Mostly used SMs from the US - by Racing Car Driver - Peter McLeod) Parents - 1 x GS (new) 1 x CX 2400 Pallas (new) Brother - 2 x ID 1 x Xantia 3 favourites - 1972 DS21 EFI 5 speed Pallas with Leather 1978 CX2400 EFI Prestige 5 speed with leather 1982 2CV6 Charleston Lusted after - DS cabriolet C6 Addicted to comfort and character and blasting through the countryside. Vivre La Difference.

[@thomash2806]

I’ve got a 1983 CX GTi to sell you! I also have an Airmatic 2002 S-Class that rides like a jalopy in comparison…

[@kyled121]

Brilliant!

[@TimRodieDrivesStuff]

Bon! J'aime messieurs Alex et Ivan

[@erwindewit4073]

Jaime Jaime ta vie!

[@MarkSmith-io3qd]

If Alex would like to have a go in my BX 16 Valve sometime, he’s more than welcome. 😎

[@jamiep61]

I enjoyed watching the Video 😀

[@CarGurusUK]

Glad you enjoyed

[@classlessbozo317]

Anyone would think they were standing on top of Everest.

[@picardlouis2653]

ma dad is french jUst LiKe mE and cAuSe hE is AcIenT hE wOuLd lOvE THiS

[@MrGMawson2438]

2 CV

[@Tamneyy]

Beautiful 🥰

[@MarkSmith-io3qd]

Shame the PSA/Stellantis have auctioned off so much of their Conservatoire collection in recent years.

[@stephenport4768]

I think we're being out horsepowered

[@dungbetel]

How many gendarmes did it take to prise Alex out of that SM?

[@gabriell6512]

👏👏👏👏🤝👏👏👏