THE CITROEN GS AT 50
11th September, 2020
On 24th August 1970, Citroën unveiled a car that redefined mass-motoring – the GS. Here are 20 facts concerning this most remarkable of cars:
1. The technical specification was little short of incredible for 1970 - with hydropneumatic suspension (a “first” for a car in this class) that offered a choice of three height settings, and inboard disc brakes fore and aft.
2. Robert Orpon was responsible for the GS coachwork. The “two-box” styling seemed ideal for a hatchback, but the CEO Pierre Bercot regarded such a feature as too utilitarian.
3. The 1,015cc “Boxer” unit powering the early GS was a logical response to French road conditions of that time. Not only did the government levy tax according to a car’s engine capacity, petrol was expensive and highways were not always in the best state of repair.
4. The GS was proclaimed Car Of The Year 1971 ahead of the Volkswagen K70 and the Citroën’s own SM.
5. At one stage, the GS was the best-selling car in France.
6. The Estate and the three-door van made their bows in 1971, and UK sales commenced in that same year. The well-appointed Club version was priced at £1230.32, and British models featured more conventional instrumentation than their French counterparts.
7. UK customers were promised ‘The GS will shake your neighbours – but not your family’ and it was ‘a car which gets noticed. Its lines are trim and sleek, like those of an aircraft or ship’. Furthermore, ‘You’d never guess one of the designers was a computer’.
8. The press response was one of vast enthusiasm. Car magazine stated, ‘There is something special that shines through the whole design’ and ‘the GS could rate as car of the decade’. William Boddy of Motor Sport believed ‘the logical engineers who have conceived this brilliant, not easily faulted, little car will have achieved another motoring millennium’.
9. Further praise for the GS came from Motor, who rather brilliantly encapsulated its appeal:
‘Citroen fans who have been waiting for this model, which bridges the gap between luxury cars for the well-to-do, and corrugated iron devices for the less well heeled, will not be disappointed. Once again, common sense has been the guiding force behind the company’s apparently eccentric attitude. To the driver who laments the conformity of the modern box automobile the GS must represent a successful denial of the conformist attitude.’
10. Overseas assembly and manufacture of the GS took place in Indonesia, Portugal, South Africa and the former Yugoslavia.
11. Citroën introduced a 1,222cc engine option in September 1972. For £1,373 you gained a top speed of 96 mph, and Autocar noted ‘the increase in engine size has done the GS a lot of good. In its original form, it was just too much of a French taxation special’. Motor compared the GS with the Alfasud and concluded ‘it’s cornering versus comfort. But whichever one you chose will involve little sacrifice of the other’. Car, in a test alongside the Fiat 128 and the Renault 12TS, complained of the ‘noisy, sometimes snatchy, transmission and the gear whine’ but otherwise it was ‘hurrah to Citroen!’. And when Motor Sport evaluated the GS “1220 Club” in 1974 they remarked that the ‘ride and seating comfort is superior to any other small car in the world’.
12. The 1.2-litre models were also available with “C-matic” semi-automatic transmission.
13. By October 1973 you could order the quite incredible GS Birotor, which boasted a Wankel rotary engine. The new model was the result of the Citroen-NSU “Comotor SA” joint-venture, but sales inevitably suffered from a high price and the OPEC Fuel Criss. The company produced just 847 examples of ‘the car of tomorrow – today’ until 1975.
14. The mid-1970s saw three upmarket models augment the line-up. The GS-X of October 1974 offered “performance” decorations such as long-range driving lamps but an untuned 1,015cc engine. However, four months later, you could order the GS-X2 with its 65 bhp version of the 1,222cc plant. The UK list price was £2,079, and Autocar found the ‘cross-country performance’ to be ‘definitely better than any other GS that we have so far sample’. Finally, the ultra-suave Pallas was the ideal vehicle to induce envy in one’s Ford Escort 1300E driving neighbours for £1,953.90.
15. In 1978 Citroën produced a limited run of 5,000 Basalte special editions. This very exclusive form of the GS was immediately recognisable via its black and red trim inside and out, auxiliary lamps, radio-cassette player, sunroof and Pallas wheel trims.
16. The five-door GSA made its bow in 1979 (slightly confusingly, the Estate was so-badged) and here was also a new fascia, similar to the Visa, and plastic bumpers. When Motor tested the Pallas, they complained of ‘disappointing’ performance, but much appreciated the ride, five-speed transmission, economy, comfort and equipment levels. Meanwhile, Autocar thought the GSA represented a ‘very attractive package’. However, they suggested that on a test run a driver would need a reasonably long journey ‘to become familiar with its distinctive behaviour’. Incidentally, their list of Citroën rivals included the Ford Capri 1300L Mk. III!
17. Perhaps one of the finest testaments to the GSA was in the 1981 Car report comparing the Club Estate, the Peugeot 305 and the Vauxhall Astra station wagons. The Citroën was still the choice of the writer when ‘Faced with a long cross-country journey, four up with luggage. For comfort, it’s in a class of its own with a marvellous ride and four good seats’. Moreover ‘to us it’s still the car’s strong, highly individualistic and - once you’ve got used to it - very rewarding character that remains its greatest attraction’ – praise indeed for an 11-year-old design.
18. French production of the GSA ended in 1986, and the limited-edition Chic was its European swansong. Citroen made some 1,200 examples, and the specification included alloy wheels, metallic pearl grey paintwork augmented by “go-faster’ stripes”, tinted glass and tartan upholstery.
19. As a postscript, PT Alun of Indonesia is believed to have offered the GS until as recently as 1994.
20. Citroën made a total of 1,896,742 of the GS and 576,757 of the GSA
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