There are very few things in the automotive world which are quite as fabulously retro-futuristic as the Citroën CX. Flowing and aerodynamic spaceship-esque lines despite a total lack of Stateside tailfin gimmicks and the like. Hydropneumatic suspension. And that dashboard is pure sci-fi.
Having just spent this whole week in Paris with my family, I can conclude that there are sadly not many classics to be spotted in the City of L’Amour. It’s certainly not like strolling through Amsterdam where you will inevitably be met by a wide variety of classics scattered throughout the city. Nonetheless, a very early Espace caught my attention, a late Autobianchi A112 and a Peugeot 104 battling through rush hour was a welcome contrast to the often beat-up 205’s, second-generation R5’s and AX’s which still work dutifully as cheap daily drivers, and a red seventies Beetle on German numberplates driving past the Eiffel Tower immediately kickstarted fantasies of new roadtrips to be undertaken this coming summer. However, very few things could have been more fitting than the early light blue metallic CX which floated effortlessly through Paris, leaving me gawking with amazement and envy. No doubt helped by the setting, it was simply perfect! Needless to say, in between Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame and walking the streets of Montmartre, I subsequently found myself trawling the internet for cool CX’s.
Personally, I think the earliest CX’s are the purest – with their stainless steel bumpers and preferably with those full-size smooth disc plate wheel trims in polished stainless steel. So unbelievably stylish and just oozing early seventies high-tech. But then you have put up with the asthmatic 102hp of the 2-litre 4-cylinder engine. That’s not a lot for a big and relatively heavy car. Let’s face it – we all crave a little more power, especially when buying an executive saloon. The introduction of the 2.2-litre engine did little to address this, and even the Bosch fuel injected CX25 GTi of 1977 only managed 128hp leading to… well, let’s call it adequate power. So really, if you want proper performance combined with those outlandish design virtues, you need to seek out a force-feed CX25 GTi Turbo. And guess what, that’s exactly what I managed to find!
Of course, the majority of the GTi Turbos where the later facelifted series 2 cars with plastic bumpers. However, one of the few series 1 CX25 GTi Turbos produced during its 9 month lifespan from October 1984 until the introduction of the facelifted cars in July 1985 is currently for sale in Spain. The description is fairly short and to the point, but the vendor claims that the big Citroën is rustfree and in very good condition due to the dry Spanish climate. It’s only a two owner car with a very reasonable 133,000 km on the clock (equating to approximately 82,000 miles). The CX has aircondition, and a manual gearbox to extract the most out of that 168hp turbo engine. Pictures in the advert aren’t amazing, but the French executive spaceship appears to be highly original both inside and out. It even retains those funky factory alloy wheels. While a proper pre-purchase inspection is always essential, I must say that it looks fantastique in those pictures. Here are a few for you to sample:
To be perfectly honest, much as I have always admired the design of the big CX, I’ve never really seen myself as a potential CX-owner. Clearly, all the croissants and crêpes have affected my ability to think rationally. Probably best if I return home and give it at least a few weeks before I act on this sudden desire to own such a fabulous French designer spaceship. In the meantime, that’s of course the perfect excuse for me to share the link to the advert with you: 1985 Citroën CX 25 GTi Turbo
They’re asking Euro 15,500 (which is currently £ 13,600) for this rare top-of-the-range version of the elegant CX. It’s for sale from Torrevieja near Alicante on the southeast coast of Spain, so you could even fly down to pick it up, potentially treat yourself to a few days in the sun (which is a lot more than Paris gave us during this past week), and then embark on an epic – and no doubt very comfortable – roadtrip back home. Do that, and despite my jealousy, I promise we’ll publish your story from that roadtrip right here on ViaRETRO…
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk