Going fast in a Citroen - 1979

[Richard_C]

I have been digitising loads of old 35mm slides, and came across these from the 1979 RAC rally. I think this was stage 1, Knowsley Safari Park

To get the context right, in 1979 the top cars were Escort RS 1800s, Fiat 131s, works TR7, SAAB 96, the mighty Lancia Stratos. Clubmen rallied sensible things like Escorts, the occasional Chevette, Opel Kadette, Talbot Sunbeam.

Some like their comfort on the forest gravel: The entry list shows Car 100 Luc, Jean-Paul, Prud'Homme, Michel Citroen CX2400, and Car 119 Odinet, Michel Odinet,Bernard Citroen GS

Car 100 retired (clutch) before stage 2, Car 119 made it to deepest Wales and stage 57 retired - unknown. Maybe being French they just couldn't face another sandwich made from sliced white bread and headed for home ....

Here they are, hope it works not posted images here before.

[citronut]

see i was right hydraulic citroens can run on three legs/wheels,
that G certainly looks like it is anyway

[Citroening]

Excellent! Thanks for posting up... Can't beat the old Rally Cars...

Don't forgot that two years earlier in '77 there were 6 CXs competing in the London to Syndey rally...

The highest place achieved was 3rd...

[lexi]

It was great when you seen all sorts of cars competing and the different skill and technique used to get them round circuits.

[red_dwarfers]

Excellent photos Richard! I'd love to see the G one in the G column of the Citroen Car Club magazine if you are happy with that? I'd want a copy of the original file that was scanned in so the resolution is high enough for print if you're up for it.

[oscar]

Hi in those days the RAC was a real rally went on for a week in some of the most inhabitable of places then they went to Kiedler forest for any that had survived that long that sorted them out.
The RS1800's where a bit later and MK2's most where 16's/mexico type single cam and RS2000's single cam pinto's.Kadett was same as chevette apart from flat front like manta/ascona-Cavilear.
They did use DS's also but bit earlier and few others inc BX's.
Those days where so much easier remember when John Haugland bent a push rod in the Skoda and they radioed him to say there was a scrap yard(those old places of yester year when you could find what you needed/wanted?) @X then replaced it and on he went.try doing that in loeb's C4.
We did have some good things still in those days Janspeed had a Datsun 100A on dyno running telecamit jackson mechanical fuel injection doing 100+ BHP @flywheel "@11.000"!RPM on standard rods and pistons!!! try that with a mini and you'd have been out with the brush and pan sweeping up the bits before half those revs.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

see i was right hydraulic Citroëns can run on three legs/wheels,
that G certainly looks like it is anyway

Malcolm,

we were trundling up the motorway one day when I was little my Father driving un beknown to use we had lost a rear wheel on the GSA
and it took a passing driver waving frantically at us to make us realise we were minus a wheel.
stopping however is a totally different kettle of fish.
But yes a G does run perfectly well even at motorway/rally speeds on 3 wheels.

By the way Excellent Pictures Richard even fit for framing those.
regards Nigel.

[Rhothgar]

Like an idiot, I turned down (after not properly giving consideration) an RS1800 Escort. Instead I purchased a one owner RS2000 for a mere £1500 less than the RS2000.

Only 109 RS1800 were ever made.

This was back in 1989. still got that RS! worth a bit more now though!

[oscar]

Like an idiot, I turned down (after not properly giving consideration) an RS1800 Escort. Instead I purchased a one owner RS2000 for a mere £1500 less than the RS2000.

Only 109 RS1800 were ever made.

This was back in 1989. still got that RS! worth a bit more now though!

Hi yes if only you could go back! RS1800 worth a small fortune now esp if original i think they came Grp 5'd as standard if not was Grp 4 mind fords did some weird things over the years with specs.
The 1800 needed lots of spannering as quite highly strung unlike pinto in RS2000.
They came with trailing arms/coil springs and panhard rods and ditched leaf springs as the GM cars and fiat 131 where giving them hell who both used trailing arm/coil sprung rear ends.
Someone i knew had a couple of RR merlin engines in crates bought as surplus sold them in the end many years back as didnt have space anymore to store how much for them now.

[Rhothgar]

Certainly are.

RS2000's fetch anywhere from £3000 for a ditched one up to £30,000.

RS1800 was an 1800 Twin Cam BDC or BDT engine from memory. Most the ones you ever see on Ebay have been raced and rallied as the cars produced were purely for homologation purposes from memory.

Once had a go in an RS200! That was quick to say the least.

[Rhothgar]

In fact, there is a replica RS1800 Mk 1 in Completed listings on Ebay at the moment for £65,000 (Reserve not Met) though I don't believe they did an RS1800 Mark 1 (RS1600 Twin Cam for sure) and a genuine Mark 2 RS1800 for £50,000 (Start Bid - Reserve not met).

In the right market, it would readily achieve £75,000 - £100,000 I would reckon.

[citronut]

i know citroen used to run a fleet of works rally CX's and they had the front spheres in extensions, poking out through the bonnet with cooling fins attached,
bit like but without the scoops over them



how about this you tube link

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[Citroening]

i know citroen used to run a fleet of works rally CX's and they had the front spheres in extensions, poking out through the bonnet with cooling fins attached,
bit like but without the scoops over them

Indeed Malcolm, that car is one of the London to Sydney Rally Cars that our replica is based on...

Here's quite a good picture that shows how high they sit sans bonnet...



According to research, the damper valve was removed from the sphere and mounted in the lower end of the coolers so as to keep the sphere diaphragms as far away as possible from the heat generated by the damper valves...

In the future we plan to get some front sphere extensions made up and fitted as it wouldn't be too difficult of a job...

http://www.cxrallycar.webs.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rhothgar]

Cool!

[citronut]

Franklin cant you just use DS suspension cylinder extention tubes, im sure you could also double them up if they werent tall enough,

also the Citroen works rally fleet the spheres were completely above the bonnet, with cooling fins attached to the sphere body's/globe