Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

[Citroening]

The very last - only ever seen one other 52 Plate which I thought was the only one and that's here...

[citroenxm]

Spotted this weekend on my travels, on the way to North Wirral, a Champainge 605 ..

Then today on the way home on the A55, going the same way, a STUNNING beautifull J reg Executive TXE Renault 25 in Grey... OOOOOOOO HHHHHHHHHHH amazing!

[Fake Concern]

Yesterday, I saw a dark green XM joining the A21 from the A25 near Sevenoaks (sorry no photo, I was going past on the outside). It's so long since I'd seen one on the road that I'd forgotten how good they look & what presence they have. This one was driven by what looked like an old lady (hard to tell though). One thing that stood out was very bright chrome quarterlight trims. I just had a look on How Many Left & about 700 are on the road with 500 on SORN. I'm suprised how many there are & how little you see them. As a comparison, there are about 450 C4 VTS 180s on the road. If I needed a big car again, I would love to have one. Just another idle thought, how difficult to position are they, given the size & what looks like a fairly shallow glass area?

[Deanxm]

very easy but you have to watch the long sloping bonnet as you cant see it at all from the drivers seat.

D

[CitroJim]

very easy but you have to watch the long sloping bonnet as you cant see it at all from the drivers seat.

Funny you should say that Dean. I actually find the XM easier to position and judge than the Xantia...

Fake, you'd love one. Every Citroenist should try an XM at some point in their careers...

[Fake Concern]

very easy but you have to watch the long sloping bonnet as you cant see it at all from the drivers seat.

Funny you should say that Dean. I actually find the XM easier to position and judge than the Xantia...

Fake, you'd love one. Every Citroenist should try an XM at some point in their careers...

I would love to try one. Although I've only actually owned Citroens (both C4 VTSs) since February last year, I have driven CX Familiale, a GSA Club Estate & a BX, all when they were new. My bosses at the time had them & were big Citroen fans.

[citroenxm]

Pleanty of rallies to goto that have them..

But the one to seek out with an owner is the Series one 24v Manual model... Two active rally goers have one, though theres a few (around 25) around the uk all together...

V6 90 deg, single cam chain drive 24 valves.
200bhp (with three cats too)
Manual gearbox, with no such thing as limited slip ESP or anything crap like that.
Only Brakes and ABS to stop you.
0-60 in 7.5 seconds, AND IT IS 7.5 seconds, I tell you!
Top speed, well, somewhere in excess of 150mph!!!

[Deanxm]

Yes its not a problem at all really once your used to it and the extra glass in the xm does give good all round visability.
500 XMs are sorn!!? makes me feel rather guilty about mine being off the road, im in no rush to get it back on the road though, its got to be done right. I know of 13 XM's here on the isle of wight, 7 are sorn never to see the road again, then there is mine on sorn for the moment, a 2.5 estate which is sat on a driveway sorn, a 2.5 estate which is in daily use, a 2.1 hatch which is in daily use a black mk2 16v hatch which is in daily use and also a mk2 V6 hatch in silver with under 15k on the clock which has been one owner garaged from new that i have discovered in the last few weeks.

D

[Fake Concern]

This is the reason that the XM is such a rare sight on the road, everyone who owns one has another 2 at home!
I would like to get to the X Rally this year, but not sure if it will be possible. Last year my daughters came to FCS with me as they both have Renault Clios & my wife came as well rather than be left at home on her own, but not sure I can get any of them to show any interest in a load of oldish Citroens!

[Citroening]

I would like to get to the X Rally this year, but not sure if it will be possible. Last year my daughters came to FCS with me as they both have Renault Clios & my wife came as well rather than be left at home on her own, but not sure I can get any of them to show any interest in a load of oldish Citroëns!

Well there's the attraction of Burghley House and it's Gardens, the Fine Food Market etc so lots for all the family - one of the reasons we choose to hold it there!

Also there's the National Rally at Wicksteed Park, if that's more of their sort of thing!

[CitroJim]

I'd say, having been to both, that there's a world of difference between an FCS and a CCC meet

I went to one FCS when I had my 205GTi. Note the emphasis on one.... Not really my can of LHM...

You know Fake, I'm sure there's someone local to you who'd be more than happy to show you XM-shaped delights...

And I'm an exception - I only have one XM....

[Fake Concern]

We all (well except for my wife) enjoyed the FCS, there were hundreds of Clios for the girls to look at and we all got a ride around the circuit in a DS3R which was fun, but we would have liked some older cars to see as well, so I may have to come to the X Rally even if it's on my own!

PS saw a really clean looking Xantia estate in silver, but didn't have my camera!

[CitroJim]

You won't regret a visit to the X rally and as Franklin says, the old house there offers some retail therapy and activities for the family. Last year they had some sensational home-made burgers and specialist coffee on the go there.

I'm wondering if the burgers had horse as their secret ingredient... Whatever they did taste good...

[myglaren]

There was a curious lack of horses in that locale if I remember correctly.

[CitroJim]

There was a curious lack of horses in that locale if I remember correctly.

That makes it even more likely then...

Neigh lad, you can't beat a bit of horse in your burger... Guess the butcher got saddled with a load of horse meat and found an inventive way of using it...

Brings a whole new meaning to the expression 'flogging a dead horse...'