After yesterday’s DS5 used by François Hollande, here’s a car that corresponds much more closely to most people’s notion of a presidential Citroën. This 1968 DS-based limousine by Chapron was commissioned under Charles de Gaulle but mainly used by his successor Georges Pompidou. Photo from a visit to Citroën’s Conservatoire in 2012.
They've got an SM which I don't normally like the look of but it's in a really nice blue.
https://www.ddclassics.com/used/cars/citroen/sm/automatic-3-litre-261
@serichards @craigmorgan @davidwilkins I have a sort of love/hate of the SM.
I love the hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, the Diravi steering with “monobranche” wheel, the oval dashboard instrumentation, the brake “mushroom” pedal, the fact that it is a big 2 door GT tourer, the enclosed front lights with corner illumination.
The overall shape I find somewhat underwhelming, and as a Citroën enthusiast, this is very troubling.
@adrianco @ZeKik @serichards @davidwilkins makes perfect sense, there's still one or two specialists here in UK. I think sadly this is the fate of many of the more niche specialists, lack of new "apprenticed" workers/owners and small volumes are the death-knell for many, only the larger volume (ie. Porsche/Jaguar) or higher value (Ferrari/Lamb. etc) attract investment.
Lets celebrate and support the odd-ball specialists that are solo keeping some of the greatest old metal operational …
@craigmorgan @adrianco @serichards @davidwilkins probably varies by country. In France, they could be around for a while yet.
OEM manufacturer restomod is also becoming a bit of a thing, which might spread to other marques. The restored cars are very expensive though.
@davidwilkins @craigmorgan @adrianco @serichards wow! 🤩
Who wouldn’t want to own that gem today?! 😱
@craigmorgan @adrianco @davidwilkins @serichards I’ve driven a BX G2 diesel automatic (4-speed).
My abiding memory is of something extremely capable, especially on B-roads in Donegal 🇮🇪 (the roads are bumpy because of the bogs, which cause sagging etc).
The engine was unstoppable. An automatic made it feel much more like a long distance cruiser that could go forever while sipping fuel.
@craigmorgan @adrianco @davidwilkins @serichards
As a G2, most of the quirkiness was gone — no control pods around the steering wheel.
Some of the interior finishes were lowish quality, especially the seat adjustments — they moved in big increments with inconvenient to use adjuster wheels.
The trunk (boot) was very rectangular, large, and very usable — with no intrusions on the sides.
Overall, a great automobile for the 💰.
David Wilkins
Craig Morgan
Suzy Richards
💐 🏖 🌺 𝕂𝕚𝕂𝕚
Adrian Cockcroft