I’m looking at this car and can’t believe it’s 36 years old! I remember seeing pictures of the Citroen CX when it was new and being completely blown away; it was as if all other cars were immediately visually obsolete. Think about this shape next to a 1980 Chevrolet, Ford or Plymouth! This 1980 CX TRD Turbo II has been imported to Casselberry, Florida and is available for sale here on eBay. Bidding is currently under $1,000 but of course the reserve is higher. If you want to compare, here’s a link to the last time we featured one with a nice write up by Jeff.
Despite the hatchbackish shape, the CX actually has a trunk; the shape is for aerodynamic efficiency. It’s wearing it’s original paint, and is only on it’s third owner, with the first one keeping the car for 26 years and putting most of the 115,160 miles (note, the indicator is in km but it appears the owner has done the conversion in the listing) on the car.
It’s hard to believe the car has been driven that far, considering how nice things look in these pictures. There are under body pictures as well that look just as nice.
Citroens are known for their quirky but exquisitely comfortable interiors, and this one with the “VIP” option appears to be no exception, with power windows and “ice cold” R12 air conditioning. The seats manage to look both ergonomic and futuristic, and the steering wheel is extremely unique. Again, the condition of the car belies its age. It should be noted that the seller has included videos of the car being driven and viewed from the side, as well as a walk around.
This is the upmarket TRD model with a turbo diesel, delivering up to 33 mpg and 120 mph (not at the same time!) through driving the front wheels. There has been a huge amount of maintenance work done within the last 2,600 miles ranging from a timing belt replacement to new CV joints. There are also four new tires on the car. However you look at this Gallic streamliner, you’ve got to see how advanced this car was at the time it was introduced. I’m sure it will sell for a pretty penny (or should I say fabulous franc?) and I for one would be more than happy to drive it! Have any of you driven a CX on American highways, or have experience with one overseas? Be sure to tell us what it’s like to drive in the comments!
If you read the ad further, the seller says that this is a 1989 model, 27 years old.
Series 2 CX. We used them as delivery cars for newspapers. i ran the largest press transportation company in Europe for many years, we had 16 modified CX’s and an additional 6 XM’s. We’ buy rear end collisions and graft a modified ambulance body to it from Pierre Tissier with dual rear axles and 18 suspension spheres. The cars could go 200 kph carrying 1.4 tons of cargo and duck under the barrier at the electronic tolls. Our competitiom had to stop and pay. Each car did 60,000 miles every 2 months and all racked up over a million km’s during their service life. Most drivers preferred the CX to the XM. We designed a prototype wth 2 engines and AWD that articulaed at slow speeds and had an auger to bring the trailer rigid at highway speeds. Never had any suspension problems but the 2.5 liter diesel engine always broke the crank between the third and forth pistons. If you up Hollander, Highway Press International, or Pierre Tissier there may be pictures of the cars.
Thanks for the awesome comment! Here’s a link. http://www.thepetrolstop.com/2011/05/tissier-citroen.html?m=1
I have an ’85 CX Estate (the last of the first series cars) which I drive regularly here in Ohio. There’s not a better car on earth with which to cruise our American highways.
I thought it was newer than an ’80 by the trim and model designation. But heck, these came out in ’73. Now imagine it parked next to a ’74 domestic offering!
I had a 73 Citroen SM for a while when the car was new. It was an amazing car (when the rubber flange wasn’t tearing apart). It was an engineers dream, and a mechanic’s nightmare. But they are amazing cars.
As aerodynamic as that little diesel is, it only gets 33 mpg?? I had an ’84 Mercedes190D that would regularly deliver 39 mpg @ 80 mph! Well, at least on flat ground with no headwind$
I have a 1982 CX 2500 D (normally aspirated diesel) which I ordered through a dealership in the Netherlands and have driven on the German autobahn at 200 km/h (124 mph) and consumed the equivalent of 47 miles per US gallon. This car has been driven through every country in Europe (with the exception of the USSR) and across the US and Canada multiple times and as far south as Guatemala. The current milage is slightly under 300,000 miles and the only major repairs have been the replacement of the clutch disc/ pressure plate, three water pumps and motor mounts.
The turbo version of this engine came out in 1983 and a significantly improved fuel consumption (50%) was claimed. Unfortunately, Citroen not only added a turbo, they changed from a gear driven injection pump to a belt drive version. The injection timing was never stable after this. These units are now virtual give-aways in France.