This is, together with the SM and DS, the pinnacle of automotive engineering for me. Incredibly ingenuous technology married to minimal, futurist styling that has never been matched. Every aspect of this car is wonderful.
Fun Fact: A few years ago, during a police raid in a dope dealer house in Rio de Janeiro, the officers found one green sphere that they identify as a hand grenade. They made a huge announcement to the press about the success of the raid, just to have in the next day realized that the sphere show was the suspension component of a Citröen Xantia. 😂 Greetings from Brazil.
I grew up in rural Portugal, and from the age of 12 my father would occasionally allow me to drive on quite back roads in our citroen visa club. One day at age 14 when out for dinner with my family we met a couple from Holland who had driven down to the Algarve in their brand new CX 25 GTi Turbo, black with orange trim. When leaving the restaurant I lingered outside staring at the CX as any 14 year old would, my dad mentioned to the dutch couple that I had been driving our car for a couple of years on and off and the the owners of the CX asked if I wanted to drive the CX, so that is how I ended up driving a brand new CX 25GTi Turbo at the age of 14, alas ,only for about 2 miles with my parents in the back seat and the owner in the passenger seat but I got her up to 50 miles an hour. Serious bragging rights at school I can tell you. it's still one of my favourite cars to this day.
I got to drive a CX when I was stationed in Iceland! The owner used it as a taxi. He trusted me with his entire livelihood when he let me take it around the block in the snow. Sveinni was one cool guy.
COVID-19: Please note, the footage for this episode was shot prior to the current UK restrictions on non-essential journeys and work coming into place, but recommended social distancing measures were observed. We hope to bring you more episodes in the near future and we are currently assessing how this may be possible whilst restrictions remain in place. We wish all our viewers the very best in these difficult times, please stay safe.
We had a station wagon version. That air suspension saved our lives on the French motorway. We hit a log, rolling across the road and hit it at 130kph. Fell off a truck along the length of the road. It smashed a full quarter out of the front left wheel. The car retracted the left front wheel at 130kph, carried on on three wheels, balancing, and smoothly allowed us to pull off the road in dense traffic! Absolutely remarkable! CX is such a statement! Thx Citroen! The suspension allowed us to get to our chalet in Verbier CH too! Good memories.
Citroen CX GTI 1982 that was Fantastic, wonderful cars ! I have owned 3 of that cars between 1982 - 1991. Good memory ! The best cars !!!! Thank you for remind me the good time in my life !
This might be my favorite eposide of this channel. Citroen cars dont get the exposure and love that they should. They are often forgot about and made fun of by alot of the ignorant mass public. It's nice to see that the community of this channel spied that car in the background and continually asked to have a video made about it. Well done Iain!
You said, "There are other cars that are more interesting." After I was finished watching this episode, I think this car was just as interesting as any car you've ever talked about. As an American Car Guy, I have always wondered what all of the fuss was about with Citroens. Now I know and I have a new appreciation for this car. You are fast becoming my most favorite UA-cam content provider. I thank Harry's Garage for unleashing your love of exotic cars on all of us.
If you ever get the chance to drive one of these ... don't miss out! It's an otherwordly experience, particularly in the older series I / chrome bumper versions that add a special interior sensation with a drumroll speedo behind magnifying glass and all kinds of awkward but well thought out little details. The ideal of ot all would be the so-called "Prestige" version as it was not only the TOTL spec but also came with a 20cm stretched wheelbase - ALL of which went into back passenger legroom. So if you ever fancy feeling like president Jacques Chirac ... here you go...
@@ralfhenke8148 Later CX models had "normal" instruments but they all had the fixed satellite switches on the side of the instruments pod. They worked so well the sticky-out stalks used on every other car feel so inferior.
@@Dave5843-d9m ... except for the high beam switch, which would burn out when used for longer periods on, for instance, unlit French secondary roads ... A cheap relay would fix that, once it got light that is :-)
@@danielsrje Headlight relays sound like a good idea. I fitted them on an old Mini 1000 back in the day. Getting full voltage to the bulbs considerably improved the headlights.
Top gear take note, this is what we want knowledge, not 3 men smashing up cars, thank you Ian for your time and sharing your knowledge with us, we learn something every time.
It doesn't hurt that Mr Tyrrell also speaks English, and in a clear and easy to listen manner, where two thirds of the Top Gear team do not. Harris, Reid, and Tyrrell,.. would make a great team of new hosts, and cover the full spectrum of age ranges for the fanbase. Mind you, the challenges would have to be a lot more difficult, as the competency level will have skyrocketed.
Having had a back injury years ago, Citroen hydropneumatic is the only car i can drive without feeling painful road bumps. Fascinating cars - a bit like travelling in a hovercraft Another excellent and informative video!
So glad you did this video. I’m a die-hard Citroën fan, but too many enthusiasts don’t fully understand the cleverness of these cars... I hope that your perfect explanation will help people appreciate more these cars.
My dad had a 1984 BX which sparked my interest in Citroens, it wasn't until many years later when I had a Xantia that I truly appreciated how not-a-gimmick and a worthy feature the suspension actually was. Replacing spheres was a whole bunch easier than shocks/springs, too. But man when those unique-sized hydraulic pipes rusted, the replacements were expensive. I still miss that car.
I was a big Citroen fanatic (partly because they have not sold in the US in decades) until I finally got a chance to test-drive a C6, twice. A little disappointing. The legendary suspension was very wavy, even in the "Sport" setting, especially around town. In fact, It almost made me seasick. The "C-sick." has been dead since 2012, and Citroen's current model lineup is a complete joke.
These videos get better and better. French car manufacturing doesn't receive the coverage and acclaim it deserves. Thank you Iain. Tyrrell's workshop and Harry's Garage are now the best motoring channels on UA-cam.
I'm a french "Citroënist" and I kneel in front of your knowledge and expertise about these cars.May you live forever to take care of these wonderful cars.
The steering system on the SM and the CX is called Diravi, in french. The steering is also speed-dependant, so that it´s get stiffer with increased speed. It´s fingertip sensitive at parking speeds, and stiff as a racecar at high speeds! A truly marvellous design!
Did the brakes still had that little squashy dimple thing as a peddle? I take it the brakes were still incorporated in the hydraulic system? We in South Africa never had the CX Only the DS and CS cars
Sir,1974 I am a skier and I leave in the foret de Rambouillet. I come four days a week in Paris,65 KMS away from my farm. When the first snow show up in Val d'Isére more or less 600 kms i jump in my automobile and go,mostly at night time.Of course I do not pay attention to the speed limits.NO radars,no police, only custom officers at the toll gates. Five hours and a half to get to the hotel.Rain or not. I was lucky in my occupations so i went to mercedes 300 sel 6.3,Ferrari 412 mecanic gearbox,and so on and on.When i think about the pleasure,the comfort ,the reliability of my cx i have a tear coming into my left eye. A magnificent automobile and more than cheap to maintain. Thank you so much to speak about this hiden well kept secret.Best regards
When my girlfriend and me were in Paris in September 1981 we were after travelling from Athens and Australia, in a queue waiting for a taxi. The next taxi was a Renault and the next a Citroen CX, so I beckoned to the French couple to take the Renault. They looked shocked that someone would allow them to jump the queue. So we travelled in the CX driven by a French woman with a very small dog on the front passenger seat. She asked me feume,smoke, Oui and offered us a Gauloise, I couldn't remember the words for too strong, so said too chaud, too hot, she and we laughed a lot. What woman and what a car.
Lovely car! My grandfather drove his last CX 25 TRI over 375.000 km without engine, suspension and/or transmission problems. Just a beautiful piece of car history. Excellent channel. Excellent content. Thanks Iain!
Logos...not just the double chevron, but even the name and the trema on the E in Citroën have their history. André Citroën was a Dutchman actually called Limoenman - Limeman. When he moved to France, he adopted the name Citron (from citron vert, a green lemon, better known as a lime) but kept the Dutch spelling of the word - citroen. It was one of his professors who suggested he put the trema on the E to distinguish him from the fruit!
That is genuinely interesting, thanks. Many times I have heard people say that the name sounds like French for lemon and I never realised that they are actually connected. Merci beaucoup.
@@eknaap8800 The purpose in the French language of the diaeresis (or tréma in French) was established long before the professor's intervention. Unlike the umlaut in German, its main purpose is to indicate that two successive vowels should be pronounced separately, eg « Joyeux Noël ». Citroën is correctly pronounced as three syllables not as the two syllables of « citron ».
Spot on, it takes a true mechanic to explain (and make me understand) technology. Your program is a perfect mix. When I was a youngster here in New Jersey my uncle was a mechanic and car buff he liked the new and unusual there was a DS in the yard that would rise up on a hot sunny day he loved talking about it back in the early 1970's thanks for the memories.
That was fantastic and informative. Still smiling at the question "I hope that wasn't too nerdy?" from the last video. That's why we're here and whether it's a million pound Miura or the equally wonderful CX (Famile Safari would be in my fantasy garage) doesn't matter. Just thankful there are engineers who have taken their time to learn their craft and keep these cars on the road.
I was lucky to drive a Citroen CX (I think the 2.2 version) twice in 2004. And it was such a great experience. Like a car from different planet! Designwise and the way it drives is something special. And I clearly remember the "taking off" acceleration. Few years later I owned Citroen C5 2004 with newer version of this Hydro suspension. It was so comfy and reliable car... After 20 mins of a drive everyone in back seats fell asleep 😁. My friend owns C5 and XM and he says: You don't drive these Citroens, you sail them 🙂. Thanks Citroen for your hydro-genial suspension. And many thanks to Ian for another great video.
Once a week ,I ask. .Why did I sell my ..XM ..but I now drive a ( 2007) C5 estate.. I exit my work onto a steep river valley slope ( in Ireland ) and traffic lights ;, and then there's that reassuring background 'music'.. called 'hydraulics'
I'm the same. I have been lucky enough to not only have a brother who was 100% a Citroen fanatic but to have driven 6 different models ended up with a 2005 facelift C5 2.2 HDI as my latest. C6 is next on the wish list.
They might feel like they are floating, but they stick to the road like nothing else. A reasonably well driven CX or BX will leave pretty much everything behind and the driver will hardly notice.
but its no longer Citroen as they have dropped the Hydro Suspension on cost grounds so now only make tin boxes. I still own my C5 and intend to keep it .
Hi Citroen in those days with that suspension were very under rated .I had a BX 2LTR DIESEL and an ex Hartwell Engineer to service it who advised if you change the oil every 5000 miles it will do 250,000 miles before you have to think of doing any thing to the engine ,purchased it for hauling my tools around for work .I spoke to a taxi driver in Bounemouth and his had 500,000 on the clock and never had to touch the engine .thanks Mr TYRRELL for a wonderful video .
My father, a committed Ford man always described Citroens as being built by a race of French cold iron blacksmiths who hated the English! Then he saw one of these at the Motor Show and bought it. He would drive nothing but Citroens for the next 35 years. I remember it very clearly and lovely to see one still running. Great video Ian - more please.
I love your videos, no screaming introductions, just a classy "lets get into it" beginning and your knowledge and explanations are outstanding. And you cover awesome vehicles that are "restored" or "preserved." cars. I am tired of watching "restorations" that open a replacement part catalogue and a cheque book. Keep them coming!
Don't let the current restrictions stop you. I'm sure there's many like me that would be quite happy just to listen to you sharing your knowledge from your workshop without need of watching you driving the car.
Agreed. Mr Tyrrell's vast knowledge and story telling abilities would make for fascinating viewing. His re-telling of the design process of the Muira in an earlier video left me begging for more.
What a fantastic video Iain, one of the best so far. We could enjoy listening to you talk about a toaster, to be honest, you are simply very engaging to watch. What a pleasure, thank you for taking the time!
Be careful what you wish for. If the lockdown lasts for 6 months or more. toaster videos maybe the _only_ subject available to car channels due to only essential travel!😷🤯😆
I find it quite refreshing to feature cars like this...non-hyper-exotica. Still immensely interesting to car nerds such as myself. Interesting history, interesting car all around. Thanks!
Excellent video! My first Citroen was a CX 2400 Pallas C-matic, then an Xantia Activa turbo and now the final big Citroen with the hydraulic suspension the C6.
UA-cam,why didn't You reccomend this earlier to Me?! Thanks for the great video! Really enjoyed it! As a Citroen die-hard fan,I've got a very rare C5 2.2Hdi 2007 but that's not what's important. 2 Weeks ago,I was at a traffic light and one girl at around 20 Was behind Me in a Toyota or something along thoose lines. So I raised up and Looked up in the Mirror. She seemed to be interested and raised her eyebrows. Quickly after that,I pushed the button and the car went down. She removed her glasses and had her mouth opened. I might be 20 Years old,but Citroen is the only brand I want to drive. Never ever I will get such attention with any other boring brand.
This guys is a freakin natural!! Have you presented TV shows in a past life? I would struggle to change a tire but i love cars and hearing Mr Tyrell to talk about them is just so interesting
I've had a soft spot for Citroën cars since I was a wee boy. Always loved that elongated, sleek CX silhouette, and was fascinated with the (then) futuristic dash design and switchgear.
Wonderful car! Thanks for the video. My father and his brothers were Citroën fans, I grew up in and around 2CV, CX, DS, even an 11BL, XM and so on. I became a car mechanic and have been working in a Citroën Garage for a few years and always loved it when we had a customer with an old hydropneumatic Citroën, the engineering and ideas Citroën had are just great. I also loved the C6 my boss had and did quite a bit of work on it over the years. Sadly I don't own a CX (it's my personal dream car) but at least my 2002 C5 Break Diesel has a modern version of the hydropneumatic suspension, and it's a great, reliable family car. 240.000k and nothing but regular service and a few minor issues so far :) Greets from germany, thanks for giving me something to watch during quarantine and stay safe!
Greetings from Ireland, Jan. .Yes , I have a 2007 Break diesel, and no problems ..I still dream about my old XM..It is like an old girlfriend. .Where is she now ?
As you i have a 2002 HDI C5 estate with near 280,000 --- never let me down in 20 years and never touched the engine although i think the crank pully needs changing now. Even on the original brake calipers
I have fond memories of the CX as a student. The cylindrical speedometer, dashboard switches, soggy comfy seats and the suspension!! On the motorway it felt like going downwind over waves in a sailboat. Brilliant!
Best new channel on UA-cam. As a car enthusiast, I love hot rods, Kustoms, sports cars, exotics, off-roaders, trucks, and classics. Many of the UA-cam presenters who focus on those cars are full of "personality". Not hating, just saying that I usually turn the volume down to quiet shout. Iain's calm, clear, intelligent demeanor is fantastic. Like a good professor, he explains his subject in a way that makes others want to follow. Keep up the good work. Your workshop will need expanding soon...just watch.
"Many of the UA-cam presenters who focus on those cars are full of "personality". Funny, I was thinking of Doug Demuro when reading this ! What a self conscious dork this guy is ! Yes, I despise him.
This brings back some happy memories. As a teenager my father had a DS and my mother had one of these CXs. She was quite surprised to find herself going down the M2 at 125 one day, she hadn't realised until then quite much power it had :)
My uncle had one of these. Cost him a lot of speeding tickets. I loved how soft the seats were and of course the design which was way ahead of its time.
This brought back memories for me. as I was a mechanic years ago and worked on Citroens for a few years. I didn't see many CXs, but plenty of BXs etc. They were the natural successors to the CX in a volume production car. Also, the BX was the first successful diesel car, and I used to achieve nearly 70 mpg with mine.
I was very happy to watch this presentation, because decades ago I got to drive the DS models and the fabulous SM. Other expensive, well regarded cars seemed so crude in comparison - an impression that has remained with me to this day.
Hi Tyrrell, In the book about Borgward, Carl Borgward bought a Pallas DS19, they strip it down and studied it to the bone. Carl Borgward was developing the air suspension of the Borgward bix six with a 2.3l six cylinder engine at the time. He called the car a swing! :)
Back in 1976. I was driving a Fiat 130 V6 sedan from Paris to Marseille via the Autoroute. It was a night drive and I needed to get to the south of Spain in a relative hurry. At one stage I was following 3 Citroen CX wagons at very high speed. We pulled into a fuel stop on the auto route. It turned out the three CX's were carrying the latest Paris newspapers to Marseille and had to be there before sunup. The wagons were chock-a-block full of news paper bundles. I couldn't keep up with them. They were averaging 170KMH+ One of the drivers told me they did this every night.
A lovely video. Thank you. I had a Turbo 2 many years ago, and remember the horrendously expensive Michelin tyres, only made for that model, I believe. I think it also had the most powerful production four-cylinder engine at the time. The handling was astonishing. I’d love another !
Really interesting. Love Citroen. So different to anything else. When I was 9 years old in the late 70s my dad took me camping to France. I remember eating an icecream and walking past a Citroen. It lowered on its own and I was hooked on cars from then on.
What a nice episode. It's not always the most expensive cars, there are the most fascinating. Petty Citroen just has gone 'normal' these days ... And thanks again for giving us this great channel 👍🙂
A lovely piece by someone who is here because he wants to be around interesting machines. How utterly, utterly wacky that Citroën were able to blithely produce the V6 SM with all its trickery and panache and in the same showrooms have a 435cc 2CV4 (not UK). With today's obsessive focus on brand identity and range integrity that would never happen. And bizarrely, that brake compensator on the Cx Safari was also fitted (not identical) to the Acadiane light commercial. Thanks for these videos... They bring a smile.
I was in the motor trade in the 80's, the CX was the most comfortable car I have ever driven, it also had fantastic headlamps, I loved its idiosyncrasies, such as the "gold fish bowl revolving speedo and rev counter, the weird round ashtray and the C-Matic transmission with no clutch.
I love this car, I grew up adoring the GTI, never knew it had a DS engine! When you mention the CX, I always think of the CX vans shooting along French motorways with tomorrow´s papers. They were quick!
I saw the CX in the background of your last video and hoped that you would include it sometime, so glad you did. My family had DS and CX Safaris, GSs and even an Ami 8, wonderful cars, we drove the length of Europe in the '60s, dinghy on the roof, trailer hitched behind, mother and father at the wheel overtaking everyone as me and my siblings cheered them on, bought back great memories, thank you :-)
And as a result of Johnsm100 dad's cars and riding in and driving them my first car was a CX 2400 gti. I'll never forget racing an Opel Monza on the UK M4 motorway and having the cylindrical speedo going all the way round back to zero at it's top speed. Fabulous memories of my youth. I just wish I'd kept it but I became scared of the costs as it got older and my father offered me a cheap Toyota corolla. Which I took. Thanks Dad. ( NOT)
"The smaller the hole, the stiffer the ride is. The bigger the hole, smoother the ride is. So simple!" I don't know why he smirks when he says it... Great video!
The spheres has both compression and return damping that are tuned by a couple of canals inside the damper and shims that block the canal. The center hole is in use at slow suspension travels, when the wheel hits a bump the shims on the compression side opens up the canal and dampens the wheel. The sphere in his hands is not a suspension sphere.
@@cittroman He was close though. On my early D's, you can unbolt the shim pack in the head of the sphere and change the ride charactoristics readily. The sphere he displayed from memory is a Xantia rear brake accumulator. The only sphere I know of with a hydraulic line connector onto it. This is what a CX wheel valve looks like ... cdn.myonlinestore.eu/940fb243-6be1-11e9-a722-44a8421b9960/images/Spheres%20Citroen-eng.jpg If you drill the center hole out, the car gets more "floaty" and very boat like as so much fluid can move in/out of the sphere. The outer slots I think are a valve. So if the wheel hits a large bump, the valve opens and allows rapid fluid movement into the sphere.
@@sophieleviston6973 Also wrongly called the "antisink" sphere. Early DS spheres are great and as you say easy to adjust to your liking. When you drill the center hole you loose some control at higher speed, but good for cruising. Have you seen this beauty? ua-cam.com/video/bJ5jTMJDH_k/v-deo.html
I spent a wonderful day in Northern France as a passenger in one of these in 2001. Being a Yank with long experience with European sports cars I wasn’t too impressed initially. The proud owner’s enthusiasm was infectious however. It was probably the most comfortable ride of my life. The lunch in Dole and camaraderie was just icing on the cake.
I’ve been waiting for this video, my dad has had a GTI Turbo for 18 years that used to belong to my grandad when it was new. I would love it to be as good as this one.
It could be again. But you will need to learn to weld. I dont mean that to be negative. all cars of that era were rust buckets. CX with sun roof are best avoided as water leaks rot out the roof panel and can even destroy the A pillars. Spare parts? Yeah right.
David Elliott It would probably be cheaper putting a new body on it, the rust that’s visible is on the sunroof, scuttle panel and rear quarters so probably the a pillars and a lot of other places are rust as well, in an ideal world I would send it to Ian to get restored but until I’ll have to manage it.
Had one in the eightys bought it with a duf clutch for £600 used it for weekly work travel cornwall to Bristol weekly for three years piece of cake to work on, sold it later for £3000 ,good car !
Great video and I very much enjoyed it. However two things you failed to mention; Firstly the self leveling suspension, which worked incredibly well and allowed the soft suspension to carry heavy loads carry heavy loads without dragging along the ground. At this point I think it's worth mentioning that the highest position was not for actually driving along, as the pressure in the spheres is at their maximum, and there is virtually no suspension movement - it's rock hard. The second worth making is that one of the idiosyncrasies of the CX was that the indicators didn't self cancel. I worked at a Citroen main dealer and we had more than one customer who complained after they had bought one! Smashing video and excellent. Thanks
Won’t lie was actually a little more excited seeing this “lowly” Citroen being featured even next to the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini. Just goes to show true professionals aren’t just one trick ponies. What a great start to your channel Ian. Thoroughly enjoying your no nonsense engineering insights and the background you give to the cars and the work you do on them.
kinetic energy turns into thermal energy! Great video, I remember CXs. The days when ordinary cars were truly beautiful (and Citroens were special, not just clones of other products in the group)
I sat in a brand new unregistered CX GTi Turbo in the 1980's. That lovely new car smell and spaceship dashboard. It was in a Citroën dealership called David Higham in Kingsbury, Birmingham.
Another fascinating video Iain - brought back fond memories of my Dad’s CX 2200 which we thought was like a spaceship when we were kids! Great suspension but always remember my Dad praying it never went wrong because he was worried about the repair bill!
Snap, we had a CX familie safari when we were children and some of my happiest memories are of heading off to the seaside on holiday in it. Dad was always worried about the suspension even though he loved it too. The suspension did finally fail in an uneconomical repairable way 😟
Your video is great and made me aware of the self-centerting steering. Another clever engineering idea in a Citroen. This automobile is perhaps the most comfortable of the whole lot. I really am a Citroen admirer since I am teaching mechatronics engineering and this car sums many achievements and is the epitome of advanced design. In Montreal, where I come from, my dentist had a Citroen SM and I felt this was coming from a sci-fi movie.
This motoring content is excellent quality. As a life long car person, it's great to see some nuanced and intelligent films about motor cars.Keep up the good work!
I had one of these in the late 70’s. Absolutely loved it. I had to rush from Calais to Barcelona overnight. 125mph was showing on the speedo all the way down. It was one if those trips that you never forget and which has stayed in my memory bank all my life. I’m 72 now and fully intend buying another. A most extraordinary car.....
I never knew that about the remote steering. My dad had a bx estate and I had a couple of Xantia's (one with the computer controlled hydractive). Brilliantly comfortable and actually quite easy to work on.
What an interesting video. I have owned half a dozen Citroen's including a CX Pallas C-matic. Even so, I learned new things watching this !!! I loved the CX so much as nothing else on the planet felt as cool, stylish and comfortable. Then had an AX GT which just made my 3 boys burst into joyous laughter around corners. My last was a Xantia Activa and that had an even better suspension system with virtually no body roll through corners. Thank you Ian.
Great video, thanks. I love learning about French cars. It's a bit trite to say they're quirky; I think they just take a different approach, which is really interesting to understand. Keep up the great work, your channel has become a staple of must-see content.
Thank you, that was great. If this video is anything to go by, I will certainly be watching more of your channel. The CX is one of my absolute favorites and you have shown a lot of people just how special it is.
It may not be the most exotic car in your workshop (depending on how you define "exotic"), but it certainly is very interesting, and Citroen's engineering is just clever and original. Great stuff again!
God, how refreshing. No idiotic music, no gimmicks, straight to the point. Less is so much more.
what i like about this channel.
very interesting review
indeed
And no stupid music.
I agree!
This is, together with the SM and DS, the pinnacle of automotive engineering for me. Incredibly ingenuous technology married to minimal, futurist styling that has never been matched. Every aspect of this car is wonderful.
+1 Mate.
Well, except for that junk Maserati V6 in the SM.
@@ml.2770 that was only a small part in the dustribution chain the tensioner.
you forget the 2cv. 😁
Fun Fact: A few years ago, during a police raid in a dope dealer house in Rio de Janeiro, the officers found one green sphere that they identify as a hand grenade. They made a huge announcement to the press about the success of the raid, just to have in the next day realized that the sphere show was the suspension component of a Citröen Xantia. 😂 Greetings from Brazil.
That is hilarious 🤣😂😆😆
Actually mine was a hand grenade, disguised as a supension sphere...
@@iain_tyrrell Ho ho, but April 4 not 1.
Excellent, great little story lol 😂
@@andyfry1970 I had a Zantia. It was anything but explosive..
I grew up in rural Portugal, and from the age of 12 my father would occasionally allow me to drive on quite back roads in our citroen visa club. One day at age 14 when out for dinner with my family we met a couple from Holland who had driven down to the Algarve in their brand new CX 25 GTi Turbo, black with orange trim. When leaving the restaurant I lingered outside staring at the CX as any 14 year old would, my dad mentioned to the dutch couple that I had been driving our car for a couple of years on and off and the the owners of the CX asked if I wanted to drive the CX, so that is how I ended up driving a brand new CX 25GTi Turbo at the age of 14, alas ,only for about 2 miles with my parents in the back seat and the owner in the passenger seat but I got her up to 50 miles an hour. Serious bragging rights at school I can tell you. it's still one of my favourite cars to this day.
Haha great story And memories, thanks for sharing.
Just awesome story honestly!
I got to drive a CX when I was stationed in Iceland! The owner used it as a taxi. He trusted me with his entire livelihood when he let me take it around the block in the snow. Sveinni was one cool guy.
Amazing.....great story
COVID-19: Please note, the footage for this episode was shot prior to the current UK restrictions on non-essential journeys and work coming into place, but recommended social distancing measures were observed. We hope to bring you more episodes in the near future and we are currently assessing how this may be possible whilst restrictions remain in place. We wish all our viewers the very best in these difficult times, please stay safe.
Tyrrell's Classic Workshop this the video I have been waiting for. Love Citroen
Thank you
Thanks for your efforts, stay safe all.
Love watching Tyrells workshop vids learn so much thank you be safe 👍
Just sit on a chair in the middle of the shop and tell us some of the many stories you must have fixing those exotic cars.
And you. I love your videos. They're so relaxed and informative
We had a station wagon version. That air suspension saved our lives on the French motorway. We hit a log, rolling across the road and hit it at 130kph. Fell off a truck along the length of the road. It smashed a full quarter out of the front left wheel. The car retracted the left front wheel at 130kph, carried on on three wheels, balancing, and smoothly allowed us to pull off the road in dense traffic! Absolutely remarkable! CX is such a statement! Thx Citroen! The suspension allowed us to get to our chalet in Verbier CH too! Good memories.
Citroen CX GTI 1982 that was Fantastic, wonderful cars ! I have owned 3 of that cars between 1982 - 1991. Good memory ! The best cars !!!! Thank you for remind me the good time in my life !
This might be my favorite eposide of this channel. Citroen cars dont get the exposure and love that they should. They are often forgot about and made fun of by alot of the ignorant mass public. It's nice to see that the community of this channel spied that car in the background and continually asked to have a video made about it. Well done Iain!
The CX is absolutely worthy of a video. Thanks for doing this.
I owned its little sister, 2x Citroën GS and 1 GSA. Both with the hydropneumatic suspension. By far the most comfy cars I ever had.
This and Harry’s Garage are the best car channels on the internet now 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Now that is a double act I'd like to see !
Correct
With Petrolicious and Davide Cironi's English subtitled vids.
Don't forget Harry's Farm and the Binky Boys
Paul Parker I’m with you, both excellent viewing.
You said, "There are other cars that are more interesting." After I was finished watching this episode, I think this car was just as interesting as any car you've ever talked about. As an American Car Guy, I have always wondered what all of the fuss was about with Citroens. Now I know and I have a new appreciation for this car. You are fast becoming my most favorite UA-cam content provider. I thank Harry's Garage for unleashing your love of exotic cars on all of us.
If you ever get the chance to drive one of these ... don't miss out! It's an otherwordly experience, particularly in the older series I / chrome bumper versions that add a special interior sensation with a drumroll speedo behind magnifying glass and all kinds of awkward but well thought out little details. The ideal of ot all would be the so-called "Prestige" version as it was not only the TOTL spec but also came with a 20cm stretched wheelbase - ALL of which went into back passenger legroom. So if you ever fancy feeling like president Jacques Chirac ... here you go...
@@ralfhenke8148 Later CX models had "normal" instruments but they all had the fixed satellite switches on the side of the instruments pod. They worked so well the sticky-out stalks used on every other car feel so inferior.
@@Dave5843-d9m ... except for the high beam switch, which would burn out when used for longer periods on, for instance, unlit French secondary roads ... A cheap relay would fix that, once it got light that is :-)
The CX was very popular with cab drivers. I rode in one many times. Very smooth ride.
@@danielsrje Headlight relays sound like a good idea. I fitted them on an old Mini 1000 back in the day. Getting full voltage to the bulbs considerably improved the headlights.
Top gear take note, this is what we want knowledge, not 3 men smashing up cars, thank you Ian for your time and sharing your knowledge with us, we learn something every time.
It doesn't hurt that Mr Tyrrell also speaks English, and in a clear and easy to listen manner, where two thirds of the Top Gear team do not.
Harris, Reid, and Tyrrell,.. would make a great team of new hosts, and cover the full spectrum of age ranges for the fanbase.
Mind you, the challenges would have to be a lot more difficult, as the competency level will have skyrocketed.
@@PiDsPagePrototypes harry & Ian would be great and focus on classics
Although it's about cars (sort of...) Top Gear is made for another type of audience I think.
Oh , what we would give now in 2024 with war looming to have the boys back.
Having had a back injury years ago, Citroen hydropneumatic is the only car i can drive without feeling painful road bumps. Fascinating cars - a bit like travelling in a hovercraft
Another excellent and informative video!
So glad you did this video. I’m a die-hard Citroën fan, but too many enthusiasts don’t fully understand the cleverness of these cars... I hope that your perfect explanation will help people appreciate more these cars.
My dad had a 1984 BX which sparked my interest in Citroens, it wasn't until many years later when I had a Xantia that I truly appreciated how not-a-gimmick and a worthy feature the suspension actually was. Replacing spheres was a whole bunch easier than shocks/springs, too. But man when those unique-sized hydraulic pipes rusted, the replacements were expensive. I still miss that car.
I was a big Citroen fanatic (partly because they have not sold in the US in decades) until I finally got a chance to test-drive a C6, twice. A little disappointing. The legendary suspension was very wavy, even in the "Sport" setting, especially around town. In fact, It almost made me seasick. The "C-sick." has been dead since 2012, and Citroen's current model lineup is a complete joke.
paulparoma The C6 can be very wavy when the ride height is not properly adjusted. Did you drive the V6 Diesel?
@@macmanipowermacbookprair4110 I did. Both cars were 2010 3L V6 HDI. I had wanted to buy one, but after those test-drives...Whew...I am glad I didn't.
@@paulparoma The older C5, XM, and CX all drive very different to each other
Seventeen minutes 39 second of pure pleasure and education.....Thanks again Mr Tyrrell.
It looks as if you've been doing this for a very long time even though you've only just started, great job!
I guess he's been explaining things like this to all his customers and so that's now being done in front on a camera. He's really good!
the in-car audio is a lot better than on many channels that have millions of subscribers
@@tommihommi1 that's because Tyrrell doesn't mess around
You have to be a good talker to get money from rich folk, the old saying "those that have money know how to hold onto it",
So it's good for business.
It probably helps to have Harry from Harry's Garage involved in the production.
These videos get better and better. French car manufacturing doesn't receive the coverage and acclaim it deserves. Thank you Iain. Tyrrell's workshop and Harry's Garage are now the best motoring channels on UA-cam.
I had a BX 16v GTi and whilst not in the same league as this, was a fantastic car. The suspension was just amazing.
My Dad had the CX. My first car was an E Reg BX 16v. I loved that car. Very fast for the time.
I'm a french "Citroënist" and I kneel in front of your knowledge and expertise about these cars.May you live forever to take care of these wonderful cars.
The steering system on the SM and the CX is called Diravi, in french. The steering is also speed-dependant, so that it´s get stiffer with increased speed. It´s fingertip sensitive at parking speeds, and stiff as a racecar at high speeds! A truly marvellous design!
Did the brakes still had that little squashy dimple thing as a peddle? I take it the brakes were still incorporated in the hydraulic system?
We in South Africa never had the CX Only the DS and CS cars
Sir,1974 I am a skier and I leave in the foret de Rambouillet.
I come four days a week in Paris,65 KMS away from my farm.
When the first snow show up in Val d'Isére more or less 600 kms
i jump in my automobile and go,mostly at night time.Of course
I do not pay attention to the speed limits.NO radars,no police,
only custom officers at the toll gates.
Five hours and a half to get to the hotel.Rain or not.
I was lucky in my occupations so i went to mercedes 300 sel 6.3,Ferrari 412 mecanic gearbox,and so on and on.When i think about the pleasure,the comfort ,the reliability of my cx i have a tear coming into my left eye.
A magnificent automobile and more than cheap to maintain.
Thank you so much to speak about this hiden well kept secret.Best regards
When my girlfriend and me were in Paris in September 1981 we were after travelling from Athens and Australia, in a queue waiting for a taxi. The next taxi was a Renault and the next a Citroen CX, so I beckoned to the French couple to take the Renault. They looked shocked that someone would allow them to jump the queue. So we travelled in the CX driven by a French woman with a very small dog on the front passenger seat. She asked me feume,smoke, Oui and offered us a Gauloise, I couldn't remember the words for too strong, so said too chaud, too hot, she and we laughed a lot. What woman and what a car.
Lovely car! My grandfather drove his last CX 25 TRI over 375.000 km without engine, suspension and/or transmission problems. Just a beautiful piece of car history. Excellent channel. Excellent content. Thanks Iain!
Logos...not just the double chevron, but even the name and the trema on the E in Citroën have their history. André Citroën was a Dutchman actually called Limoenman - Limeman. When he moved to France, he adopted the name Citron (from citron vert, a green lemon, better known as a lime) but kept the Dutch spelling of the word - citroen. It was one of his professors who suggested he put the trema on the E to distinguish him from the fruit!
That is genuinely interesting, thanks. Many times I have heard people say that the name sounds like French for lemon and I never realised that they are actually connected. Merci beaucoup.
That's a first, thank you.
A trema on an E is not indigenous to the French language... (but you're spot on with the story.)
Thank you very much!
@@eknaap8800 The purpose in the French language of the diaeresis (or tréma in French) was established long before the professor's intervention. Unlike the umlaut in German, its main purpose is to indicate that two successive vowels should be pronounced separately, eg « Joyeux Noël ». Citroën is correctly pronounced as three syllables not as the two syllables of « citron ».
A wonderfull car! I owned a CX 2400 GTI from 1980 to 1986...it was just a dream car!
Spot on, it takes a true mechanic to explain (and make me understand) technology. Your program is a perfect mix. When I was a youngster here in New Jersey my uncle was a mechanic and car buff he liked the new and unusual there was a DS in the yard that would rise up on a hot sunny day he loved talking about it back in the early 1970's thanks for the memories.
That was fantastic and informative. Still smiling at the question "I hope that wasn't too nerdy?" from the last video. That's why we're here and whether it's a million pound Miura or the equally wonderful CX (Famile Safari would be in my fantasy garage) doesn't matter. Just thankful there are engineers who have taken their time to learn their craft and keep these cars on the road.
You're not suggesting we're all nerds are you? 😜 watching videos of a Citroen hydropnumatic system on a 1985 CX GTI Turbo surely that's mainstream? 😂
@@GB-vn1tf Good point well made😂👍
I was lucky to drive a Citroen CX (I think the 2.2 version) twice in 2004. And it was such a great experience. Like a car from different planet! Designwise and the way it drives is something special. And I clearly remember the "taking off" acceleration. Few years later I owned Citroen C5 2004 with newer version of this Hydro suspension. It was so comfy and reliable car... After 20 mins of a drive everyone in back seats fell asleep 😁. My friend owns C5 and XM and he says: You don't drive these Citroens, you sail them 🙂. Thanks Citroen for your hydro-genial suspension. And many thanks to Ian for another great video.
Once a week ,I ask. .Why did I sell my ..XM ..but I now drive a ( 2007) C5 estate.. I exit my work onto a steep river valley slope ( in Ireland ) and traffic lights ;, and then there's that reassuring background 'music'.. called 'hydraulics'
I'm the same. I have been lucky enough to not only have a brother who was 100% a Citroen fanatic but to have driven 6 different models ended up with a 2005 facelift C5 2.2 HDI as my latest. C6 is next on the wish list.
They might feel like they are floating, but they stick to the road like nothing else. A reasonably well driven CX or BX will leave pretty much everything behind and the driver will hardly notice.
but its no longer Citroen as they have dropped the Hydro Suspension on cost grounds so now only make tin boxes. I still own my C5 and intend to keep it .
One of my favourite cars ever: truly a beautiful car, one to cherish. I’d drive this every day!
The behaviour of the car and suspension when you engage the turbo is something else. It's one of the things I love in my C5.
One of my absolute all time favourite cars I adored the CX so elegant Thank-you for posting this
Hi Citroen in those days with that suspension were very under rated .I had a BX 2LTR DIESEL and an ex Hartwell Engineer to service it who advised if you change the oil every 5000 miles it will do 250,000 miles before you have to think of doing any thing to the engine ,purchased it for hauling my tools around for work .I spoke to a taxi driver in Bounemouth and his had 500,000 on the clock and never had to touch the engine .thanks Mr TYRRELL for a wonderful video .
My father, a committed Ford man always described Citroens as being built by a race of French cold iron blacksmiths who hated the English! Then he saw one of these at the Motor Show and bought it. He would drive nothing but Citroens for the next 35 years. I remember it very clearly and lovely to see one still running. Great video Ian - more please.
I love your videos, no screaming introductions, just a classy "lets get into it" beginning and your knowledge and explanations are outstanding. And you cover awesome vehicles that are "restored" or "preserved." cars. I am tired of watching "restorations" that open a replacement part catalogue and a cheque book.
Keep them coming!
Don't let the current restrictions stop you. I'm sure there's many like me that would be quite happy just to listen to you sharing your knowledge from your workshop without need of watching you driving the car.
Agreed. Mr Tyrrell's vast knowledge and story telling abilities would make for fascinating viewing. His re-telling of the design process of the Muira in an earlier video left me begging for more.
@Tyrrell's Classic Workshop Live stream! ;)
Out of all those beautiful cars in the garage, I would have the Citroen every time.
I had one .A GTi Turbo in light blue. But i was young and dumb and sold it.
Couldn't agree more!
What a fantastic video Iain, one of the best so far. We could enjoy listening to you talk about a toaster, to be honest, you are simply very engaging to watch. What a pleasure, thank you for taking the time!
Ha! You are quite right - if Iain Tyrrell popped up with an in depth look at a Dualit or Breville toaster, we would all enjoy watching it!
Be careful what you wish for.
If the lockdown lasts for 6 months or more. toaster videos maybe the _only_ subject available to car channels due to only essential travel!😷🤯😆
Both the interior and exterior design was incredibly ahead of its time!
Lol exterior is insane ugly.
Perhaps the most comfortable car I have ever driven, not just the hydro system but also the seats that are very comfortable for long trips.
I find it quite refreshing to feature cars like this...non-hyper-exotica. Still immensely interesting to car nerds such as myself. Interesting history, interesting car all around. Thanks!
These make staying inside worthwhile!
Excellent video! My first Citroen was a CX 2400 Pallas C-matic, then an Xantia Activa turbo and now the final big Citroen with the hydraulic suspension the C6.
On the first day I got my driving licence I borrowed my dad' CX to visit friends. Still remember that day in 1979.
UA-cam,why didn't You reccomend this earlier to Me?!
Thanks for the great video! Really enjoyed it!
As a Citroen die-hard fan,I've got a very rare C5 2.2Hdi 2007 but that's not what's important.
2 Weeks ago,I was at a traffic light and one girl at around 20 Was behind Me in a Toyota or something along thoose lines. So I raised up and Looked up in the Mirror. She seemed to be interested and raised her eyebrows. Quickly after that,I pushed the button and the car went down. She removed her glasses and had her mouth opened. I might be 20 Years old,but Citroen is the only brand I want to drive. Never ever I will get such attention with any other boring brand.
17 minutes and 39 seconds of bliss. Thank you.
This guys is a freakin natural!! Have you presented TV shows in a past life? I would struggle to change a tire but i love cars and hearing Mr Tyrell to talk about them is just so interesting
I've had a soft spot for Citroën cars since I was a wee boy. Always loved that elongated, sleek CX silhouette, and was fascinated with the (then) futuristic dash design and switchgear.
Thank you so much Ian for taking the time 😊 Keep Well
Wonderful car! Thanks for the video.
My father and his brothers were Citroën fans, I grew up in and around 2CV, CX, DS, even an 11BL, XM and so on.
I became a car mechanic and have been working in a Citroën Garage for a few years and always loved it when we had a customer with an old hydropneumatic Citroën, the engineering and ideas Citroën had are just great. I also loved the C6 my boss had and did quite a bit of work on it over the years.
Sadly I don't own a CX (it's my personal dream car) but at least my 2002 C5 Break Diesel has a modern version of the hydropneumatic suspension, and it's a great, reliable family car. 240.000k and nothing but regular service and a few minor issues so far :)
Greets from germany, thanks for giving me something to watch during quarantine and stay safe!
Greetings from Ireland, Jan. .Yes , I have a 2007 Break diesel, and no problems ..I still dream about my old XM..It is like an old girlfriend. .Where is she now ?
As you i have a 2002 HDI C5 estate with near 280,000 --- never let me down in 20 years and never touched the engine although i think the crank pully needs changing now. Even on the original brake calipers
I have fond memories of the CX as a student. The cylindrical speedometer, dashboard switches, soggy comfy seats and the suspension!! On the motorway it felt like going downwind over waves in a sailboat. Brilliant!
I owned the turbo2 variant many years ago. Marvellous car. You could drive over speed bumps at 100mph without noticing them.
Thanks for taking the time to make a video of something different in the automotive history... Thums up from here...
Kind regards from Denmark
Best new channel on UA-cam. As a car enthusiast, I love hot rods, Kustoms, sports cars, exotics, off-roaders, trucks, and classics. Many of the UA-cam presenters who focus on those cars are full of "personality". Not hating, just saying that I usually turn the volume down to quiet shout.
Iain's calm, clear, intelligent demeanor is fantastic. Like a good professor, he explains his subject in a way that makes others want to follow. Keep up the good work. Your workshop will need expanding soon...just watch.
Totally agree.
"Many of the UA-cam presenters who focus on those cars are full of "personality".
Funny, I was thinking of Doug Demuro when reading this ! What a self conscious dork this guy is ! Yes, I despise him.
This brings back some happy memories. As a teenager my father had a DS and my mother had one of these CXs. She was quite surprised to find herself going down the M2 at 125 one day, she hadn't realised until then quite much power it had :)
Citroen CX 22 TRS was my first car in the ninties, an absolute dream to drive and own. Really enjoyed the show thanks😊
My uncle had one of these. Cost him a lot of speeding tickets. I loved how soft the seats were and of course the design which was way ahead of its time.
I love hidraulic Citroëns! I had a Citroën GSA 1.4 Pallas in 1992 and I loved it!
This brought back memories for me. as I was a mechanic years ago and worked on Citroens for a few years. I didn't see many CXs, but plenty of BXs etc. They were the natural successors to the CX in a volume production car. Also, the BX was the first successful diesel car, and I used to achieve nearly 70 mpg with mine.
I was very happy to watch this presentation, because decades ago I got to drive the DS models and the fabulous SM. Other expensive, well regarded cars seemed so crude in comparison - an impression that has remained with me to this day.
Hi Tyrrell, In the book about Borgward, Carl Borgward bought a Pallas DS19, they strip it down and studied it to the bone. Carl Borgward was developing the air suspension of the Borgward bix six with a 2.3l six cylinder engine at the time. He called the car a swing! :)
Always loved those single spoke steering wheels
Back in 1976. I was driving a Fiat 130 V6 sedan from Paris to Marseille via the Autoroute. It was a night drive and I needed to get to the south of Spain in a relative hurry.
At one stage I was following 3 Citroen CX wagons at very high speed. We pulled into a fuel stop on the auto route. It turned out the three CX's were carrying the latest Paris newspapers to Marseille and had to be there before sunup. The wagons were chock-a-block full of news paper bundles. I couldn't keep up with them. They were averaging 170KMH+
One of the drivers told me they did this every night.
A lovely video. Thank you. I had a Turbo 2 many years ago, and remember the horrendously expensive Michelin tyres, only made for that model, I believe. I think it also had the most powerful production four-cylinder engine at the time. The handling was astonishing. I’d love another !
Really interesting. Love Citroen. So different to anything else. When I was 9 years old in the late 70s my dad took me camping to France. I remember eating an icecream and walking past a Citroen. It lowered on its own and I was hooked on cars from then on.
What a nice episode. It's not always the most expensive cars, there are the most fascinating. Petty Citroen just has gone 'normal' these days ...
And thanks again for giving us this great channel 👍🙂
Drove the cx25 gti 2 was an incredible car and never failed to put a smile on my face
This is a lovely looking CX - nice to see one being cherished
Thanks Iain. Always good to watch someone with a genuine passion for motor vehicles and not just a "personality"
My dad had a CX Prestige, that was an amazing car. Thanks for the great video.
A lovely piece by someone who is here because he wants to be around interesting machines.
How utterly, utterly wacky that Citroën were able to blithely produce the V6 SM with all its trickery and panache and in the same showrooms have a 435cc 2CV4 (not UK). With today's obsessive focus on brand identity and range integrity that would never happen.
And bizarrely, that brake compensator on the Cx Safari was also fitted (not identical) to the Acadiane light commercial.
Thanks for these videos... They bring a smile.
View out of it is incredible. So airy! I love the design too. Great video, im really glad i found out about turbo too
I was in the motor trade in the 80's, the CX was the most comfortable car I have ever driven, it also had fantastic headlamps, I loved its idiosyncrasies, such as the "gold fish bowl revolving speedo and rev counter, the weird round ashtray and the C-Matic transmission with no clutch.
I love this car, I grew up adoring the GTI, never knew it had a DS engine! When you mention the CX, I always think of the CX vans shooting along French motorways with tomorrow´s papers. They were quick!
Thank you so much for brightening up my stuck at home boring life when i have such wonderful motors parked outside
Fantastic. You were born to do this, please keep them coming.
I saw the CX in the background of your last video and hoped that you would include it sometime, so glad you did. My family had DS and CX Safaris, GSs and even an Ami 8, wonderful cars, we drove the length of Europe in the '60s, dinghy on the roof, trailer hitched behind, mother and father at the wheel overtaking everyone as me and my siblings cheered them on, bought back great memories, thank you :-)
And as a result of Johnsm100 dad's cars and riding in and driving them my first car was a CX 2400 gti. I'll never forget racing an Opel Monza on the UK M4 motorway and having the cylindrical speedo going all the way round back to zero at it's top speed. Fabulous memories of my youth. I just wish I'd kept it but I became scared of the costs as it got older and my father offered me a cheap Toyota corolla. Which I took. Thanks Dad. ( NOT)
"The smaller the hole, the stiffer the ride is. The bigger the hole, smoother the ride is. So simple!" I don't know why he smirks when he says it... Great video!
The spheres has both compression and return damping that are tuned by a couple of canals inside the damper and shims that block the canal. The center hole is in use at slow suspension travels, when the wheel hits a bump the shims on the compression side opens up the canal and dampens the wheel. The sphere in his hands is not a suspension sphere.
@@cittroman He was close though. On my early D's, you can unbolt the shim pack in the head of the sphere and change the ride charactoristics readily. The sphere he displayed from memory is a Xantia rear brake accumulator. The only sphere I know of with a hydraulic line connector onto it. This is what a CX wheel valve looks like ... cdn.myonlinestore.eu/940fb243-6be1-11e9-a722-44a8421b9960/images/Spheres%20Citroen-eng.jpg If you drill the center hole out, the car gets more "floaty" and very boat like as so much fluid can move in/out of the sphere. The outer slots I think are a valve. So if the wheel hits a large bump, the valve opens and allows rapid fluid movement into the sphere.
@@sophieleviston6973 Also wrongly called the "antisink" sphere. Early DS spheres are great and as you say easy to adjust to your liking. When you drill the center hole you loose some control at higher speed, but good for cruising. Have you seen this beauty? ua-cam.com/video/bJ5jTMJDH_k/v-deo.html
I spent a wonderful day in Northern France as a passenger in one of these in 2001. Being a Yank with long experience with European sports cars I wasn’t too impressed initially. The proud owner’s enthusiasm was infectious however. It was probably the most comfortable ride of my life. The lunch in Dole and camaraderie was just icing on the cake.
I’ve been waiting for this video, my dad has had a GTI Turbo for 18 years that used to belong to my grandad when it was new. I would love it to be as good as this one.
It could be again. But you will need to learn to weld.
I dont mean that to be negative. all cars of that era were rust buckets. CX with sun roof are best avoided as water leaks rot out the roof panel and can even destroy the A pillars. Spare parts? Yeah right.
David Elliott It would probably be cheaper putting a new body on it, the rust that’s visible is on the sunroof, scuttle panel and rear quarters so probably the a pillars and a lot of other places are rust as well, in an ideal world I would send it to Ian to get restored but until I’ll have to manage it.
Had one in the eightys bought it with a duf clutch for £600 used it for weekly work travel cornwall to Bristol weekly for three years piece of cake to work on, sold it later for £3000 ,good car !
Citroen CX, BX, XM are my favourites. Thank you for this one !
Great video and I very much enjoyed it. However two things you failed to mention;
Firstly the self leveling suspension, which worked incredibly well and allowed the soft suspension to carry heavy loads carry heavy loads without dragging along the ground. At this point I think it's worth mentioning that the highest position was not for actually driving along, as the pressure in the spheres is at their maximum, and there is virtually no suspension movement - it's rock hard.
The second worth making is that one of the idiosyncrasies of the CX was that the indicators didn't self cancel. I worked at a Citroen main dealer and we had more than one customer who complained after they had bought one!
Smashing video and excellent. Thanks
Won’t lie was actually a little more excited seeing this “lowly” Citroen being featured even next to the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini. Just goes to show true professionals aren’t just one trick ponies. What a great start to your channel Ian. Thoroughly enjoying your no nonsense engineering insights and the background you give to the cars and the work you do on them.
Understated class. Brilliant. Please keep them coming.
kinetic energy turns into thermal energy! Great video, I remember CXs. The days when ordinary cars were truly beautiful (and Citroens were special, not just clones of other products in the group)
Thank you Mr. Tyrrell for bringing this piece of engineering! Great fan of Citroen!
My uncle had the cx palas edition ! Brings back so many memories. It had this amazing manual gear box, without a clutch.
I sat in a brand new unregistered CX GTi Turbo in the 1980's. That lovely new car smell and spaceship dashboard. It was in a Citroën dealership called David Higham in Kingsbury, Birmingham.
Edit: it was David Hiam
Another fascinating video Iain - brought back fond memories of my Dad’s CX 2200 which we thought was like a spaceship when we were kids! Great suspension but always remember my Dad praying it never went wrong because he was worried about the repair bill!
Snap, we had a CX familie safari when we were children and some of my happiest memories are of heading off to the seaside on holiday in it. Dad was always worried about the suspension even though he loved it too. The suspension did finally fail in an uneconomical repairable way 😟
I adore all the Italian exotica, but please keep keep us posted on the weirder stuff from time to time as well. Really loved this one.
Your video is great and made me aware of the self-centerting steering. Another clever engineering idea in a Citroen. This automobile is perhaps the most comfortable of the whole lot. I really am a Citroen admirer since I am teaching mechatronics engineering and this car sums many achievements and is the epitome of advanced design. In Montreal, where I come from, my dentist had a Citroen SM and I felt this was coming from a sci-fi movie.
Thanks for the great content! Here in the US Citroen has always been a forbidden fruit, these are such cool cars. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
This motoring content is excellent quality. As a life long car person, it's great to see some nuanced and intelligent films about motor cars.Keep up the good work!
I had one of these in the late 70’s. Absolutely loved it. I had to rush from Calais to Barcelona overnight. 125mph was showing on the speedo all the way down. It was one if those trips that you never forget and which has stayed in my memory bank all my life. I’m 72 now and fully intend buying another. A most extraordinary car.....
I never knew that about the remote steering. My dad had a bx estate and I had a couple of Xantia's (one with the computer controlled hydractive). Brilliantly comfortable and actually quite easy to work on.
I had the exact same cars..my god the bx estate would swallow up luggage.
What an interesting video. I have owned half a dozen Citroen's including a CX Pallas C-matic. Even so, I learned new things watching this !!! I loved the CX so much as nothing else on the planet felt as cool, stylish and comfortable. Then had an AX GT which just made my 3 boys burst into joyous laughter around corners. My last was a Xantia Activa and that had an even better suspension system with virtually no body roll through corners. Thank you Ian.
Great video, thanks. I love learning about French cars. It's a bit trite to say they're quirky; I think they just take a different approach, which is really interesting to understand.
Keep up the great work, your channel has become a staple of must-see content.
Thank you, that was great. If this video is anything to go by, I will certainly be watching more of your channel. The CX is one of my absolute favorites and you have shown a lot of people just how special it is.
Thanks for the great video...just love Citroen DS my personal favourite. Recently purchaded a '81 CX Prestige 2.4 auto. Thanks again.
It may not be the most exotic car in your workshop (depending on how you define "exotic"), but it certainly is very interesting, and Citroen's engineering is just clever and original. Great stuff again!