We have seen cars stored under porches, from the rafters, and even inside a grocery store, but we have never seen anything like this. Normally people stick cars in storage containers, not on top of them! These ones have been sitting for 15 years, but the seller doesn’t mention if they were in their current position that whole time. We guess it did keep them out of the dirt. The seller is hanging on to the beige wagon, but there appears to be another one included to make a grand total of 5 cars for $3,000. Find them here on craigslist out of Banks, Oregon. Just be sure to bring a forklift… Sorry, couldn’t resist.
We assume the fifth car is the one shown on the ground. Sure, the styling is not be for everyone, but there is no denying that these Citroens are unique inside and out. Many modern cars owe much to these awkward looking trendsetters. The fancy headlights on the new Audi A8 look pretty trick until you realize that these old cars could be had with directional lights that turned as you did. Self-leveling suspension may be a common feature today, but it was a revelation when Citroen released their smooth riding hydropneumatic setup in 1952. The engineers at Citroen thought outside of the box and we are sure it takes a similar type of thinker to appreciate these today. Perhaps the same type that would park their cars on top of a storage container instead of in it?
I was going to make a snide comment, like -put them all together, and what have you got? But I won’t. Somebody will love them and be thrilled to get them.
I have to admit, that’s the oddest storage system I’ve seen. I guess he had a reason for doing that. Bet his neighbors love him!
3,000 Citroens for $5.00 reads better
I think there’s a good chance that they can bee made in to at least one working and roadworthy car.
I am in my 70’s but I once worked at a Citroen dealer and I have owned several of these wonderful cars. These would be sitting in my garage right now if I were a few years younger believe me. Just beautiful and awesome cars. Thanks for the post. I hope someone saves them all.
Well at least they are not slowly sinking into mud and providing easy nesting places for generations of little creatures, or being driven around on salty roads in the rust belt. I’ll take a bunch of cars stored up high off the ground in Oregon to a lot of other much worse scenarios.
This definitely needs the exact right buyer, but if he can be found this would be a good deal for him. More exposure than CL would be better. Being on BarnFinds will be a big help. So would eBay and Citroen web clubs/chat groups. I hope they are saved.
Jesse said “Just be sure to bring a forklift… Sorry, couldn’t resist.”
CHEEKY!
I once knew of an early Corvair that sat on top of semi trailer for decades. It was right off the interstate and it was fun to check on it every time I rode by it. Sadly, the area has been redeveloped and both the Corvair and its trailer are long gone.
I like to think that these cars were placed on top of the containers because they were already full of other Cits and parts to keep them all going. I always liked these cars, even if they have a sort of “four wheeled roach” look; however, I wouldn’t be up to the challange of keep one roadworthy without major modification of the GM type. Searching for Cit parts doesn’t sound like much fun to me. You might need the other four to insure a steady source of parts!
These were wonderful cars & very complex, I hope they find a home.
it looks like they are on wooden pallets, do not know if that helps them or not. if they are complete and someone is close then might be able to make the numbers work. i love the first picture , it would make a great poster. i wonder what else is in the yard and storage container. great finds
Buy them and start your own Citroen yard, there must be more than $3000 worth of parts on those cars. Problem is, where do you locate the yard; Europe or Hipsterville USA?
A friend of my mum had a wagon and saloon, they are so graceful on the road I hope they find their way back there.
How useful these are will all depend on how rusty they are. With 40+ year old seam sealer, it is possible that the bodies have started to rot out from the inside out, so a thorough inspection would be needed. Fortunately though, there are reproduction parts for these cars in Europe, and some of them may even be available in English speaking…well, England (OK, the not-so-United Kingdom if you want to be pedantic). The issue though will be one of cost as it could get pricey shipping all those parts from across the pond. So, it will be imperative that a lot of the basic mechanical package can be salvaged from at least one of the cars. I wouldn’t expect the hydraulics to all be working, but finding at least one functional engine and transmission would make the project viable. The hard part will be getting the hydraulics to work. English language service manuals must exist as these cars were sold in English speaking countries for many years. From what I have heard, the hydraulic pump is similar to a power steering pump, so I imagine you could find a set of seals for it and rebuild it yourself. The hoses could be rebuilt by a local hose shop that deals in heavy equipment hydraulics and is willing to tackle automotive work (I found out that many of them do not like to do automotive work when building a A/C system for an engine swap). New spheres are available for $39 from Rock Auto (I did a quick check of their site), if needed. The rest of the system is probably baffling as a whole but could be figured out on a piece by piece basis.
Now, depending on how solid the other cars are, you could easily recoup your investment by putting one or two together to the point of running and selling them on E-Bay for around $1500+ each (Rock Auto also had basic tune up parts). The others could be parted out as I imagine that finding parts for a DS in the US is difficult and these parts probably command a good premium.
Re: English language manuals. Citroens including the Goddess were built in Slough, England for a period – I’m guessing CKD – so there may be even more comprehensive literature out there. And for Rusty, they made the delicious little Bijou.
Yikes!!! You would have to pay me to take them. But I know they are special and interesting cars. Like all cars they are fun to see at a car show but French styling……
This deal will sit there for a while.
As already pointed out by Jesse these will need a forklift to bring down, as I assume the container not to be included , neither can it be transported like that…
The logistics here will cost you another $500-1000 before you even leave the yard, unless seller is throwing that in (which he would have mentioned ?)
Nice find for the right buyer!
Odd that one, that on the ground has European spec headlights. Always amuses me that the inboard moving headlights used nothing more sophisticated than a cable to move! Restoration of several may actually be quite feasible, especially if the corrosive red hydraulic fluid has been removed. Like the Rover P6 they can look ok on the outside and be very crusty underneath owing to the removable panels having been replaced.
Interesting cars, I always get a thrill out if seeing a live one, its the engine which if anything puts me off, a silent 6 really should have been de rigeur.
These are late models from `69 or later. And use greeen LHM hydrolic fluid
I still have a few Citroens, all running and clean. Only one is not cherry and it is the DS I drive year round. The others come out for show.