Real Road Test: Citroën H van! The corrugated shed on wheels
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
- The Citroën H van was incredibly advanced for 1947, and remained in production until 1981. Front-wheel drive, monocoque construction, all-independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering all feature here, as does the engine from a Traction Avant and a three-speed gearbox. But what is it like to drive? Contains a fair degree of noise this one!
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Extra ribbed for your driving pleasure. 😉
Let’s see just how many people get the implied reference to an adult product?
How very dare you sir! 😬
It hadn't occured to me but when I read it, a knowing smile filled my face.!🤣🤣🤣
@@markfryer9880
69 people
nice
☺
Nice to see one that hasn't been converted into a coffee van. The original engine didn't have an oil filter and the oil had to be changed every 1500miles. Another popular conversion is the Ford Pinto engine
This van just gets more incomprehensible!
It's s bit like owning an Austin Allegro and being in the owners club!
I suppose they band together for moral support and counselling......!!
Traction Avant test coming soon... I am genuinely excited for that one. They're beautiful.
Looking forward to that! One of my favourite vintage automobiles.
@@glennpowell3444 also my wedding car too here in Gibraltar, 3 years ago
@@glennpowell3444 Steve Southgate still exists, and I think that Imperial does, as well. Tractions- well, I have two- one's a Slough built 1939 Roadster.
@@ceke I assume you are now divorced.
@@johnross2763 😂😂
They did make 1.6 for extra-misery😄
Ignore that farting Fiesta 🤣
Just love these videos and that magnificent commentary.
The thing I like about your videos is no silly intro. Straight into the content. Great to see an original one still surviving.
Surely one of the most iconic vehicle designs of all time? So nice at last to see a proper review of one
I had one in 1978. Great van for a camper. We had iT for 8 years and drove around Europe. We had a great time with this van. We passend 100.000 kilometers with iT and painted every part to prevent it against rust. I am sorry i ever sold thee car. Greetings from the Netherlands.
I was going to ask why they never went to a four speed box, then I realised I already knew. Because Citroen!
limited room for it perhaps.. or has anyone thought to check on french speedlimits for lorries at the time? I'd not be surprised if max allowed speed was 60 kph in the 50's like it was in Sweden back then? Is the rumour true that you could buy a revlimiting distributor for these as well so you'd be able to just put your foot on in top gear and ride along? a locking hand throttle would also have been avialble on the aftermarket, like the one found in for example fiat 132 or in countless older heavy lorries - poor man's cruisecontrol.
@@grossteilfahrer I couldn't find any historical speed limits for France... but I remember these vans in France when I was on holidays with my parents back in the day, many had 2 speed limit stickers on the back indicating 60 & 80km/h.(I suppose 60 loaded, 80 unloaded)
Probably a herritag from Traction Avant, since the 2CV had a 4 speed.
@@rj7855 The first speed limits on roads (outside cities) in France appeared in the middle of the 70's. Before that you could go as fast as your car could.
Vans don't have a dedicated speed limit, they are the same than cars.
Big trucks speed limit came quite late also.
A friend of mine did have a diesel H van back in the early '90s. Even at the time it was glacially slow, he said continental drift was faster. His main family transport at the time was a London Taxi with the Land-Rover diesel engine and an automatic gearbox, which, apparently, felt like a supercar in comparison...
Instantly liked the video because of the patination! I love to see old vehicles just being used for what they were built in the first place, and not just being a museum piece.
Motor cyclists have an expression "oily rag condition". Looks like this H was restored exactly like that. You can't help but love it though even after listening to Ian's disparaging remarks.
When Ian goes for a car. I think the conversation goes like this. Seller: the car is not in a good state but there are new wipers on it. Ian: I buy it 😜😊
The screen wash and wipe demonstration is very exciting. No one else ever does that. More please.
As cool as it looks, it seems like something where the novelty will wear off very quickly. I can't even imagine doing 300 miles in one, let alone 3000
Land rover FC will do 45mph tops but with wallet bashing fuel economy. I drive locally strictly 😀 yet I love it.
Yes, you’re probably right, but like a lot of things (old Airstream Trailers, Series Land Rovers, 60s VW Type IIs) such a pleasure to just look upon.
or, in fact, 3 miles....
Or, if it could possibly be avoided, 300 metres!
@@blacksquirrel4008 it's taken me 5 years to do just over 700 miles in my Land Rover 😀
@@edgarbeat275 I had a 1969 Jeep CJ5 (which like the series Rover is basically an agricultural implement with a road tax) that I used solely for errands 6 months of the year. I have a 98 Discovery I use for those purposes now, gets about the same gas mileage but can go over 50 mph & has AC. In Woodcote Green, I get enjoyment from just looking at it, and it cost just 1/2 what I got for the Jeep.
Good choice of location. That church square looks very like those found in villages across northern France. We do appreciate these little details!
I'll have a Large, Iced, Decaf, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte With Almond Milk please.
No!😉
I’ll keep it tea! 😉
You forgot a flake and sprinkles
I'll have a double-double on the double
Brian it's a French van ! Cafe Merci !
The shift pattern makes sense when you think of them as being used in sets .
First opposite reverse as your going most apt to be using one or the other at low speed , then second and third as a set when moving at speed on the road you only need one or the other .
Renault 4s had the same pattern. Must be an old French thing
Maybe early ones, but most 4s have a convention H pattern, albeit via that push-pull lever.
@@HubNut the two 1970s ones I had had reverse where first should be etcetera. Incidentally my Massey Ferguson tractor has the same pattern.
I would bet the pattern is just because they reversed a Traction Avant gearbox and so it was backward but oh well it's utility vehicle, who cares.
The pattern is exactly the same as a Traction Avant.
Watched Edd China revamp one of these, think he got a conversion kit for a 2 litre Ford Pinto engine from a Sierra because the stock unit had no oil filter and needed an oil change every 3,000 miles
I wonder if an oldskool Audi 100 5cil engine/gbox can be made to fit. You know, FWD, block in front of front axel layout. You would have decent power, 5sp, power steering and fuel injection.
I suspect length might be an issue with the Audi lump. I do know of one with Audi diesel power though.
@@HubNut Hmm, an HY-TDI, sounds fast to me :)
BTW, I guess changing the end reduction with front wheel drive is not that easy. That would have been the easiest way to calm down the HY a bit and make it faster at the same time.
Now you know what it was like to be a tramper in the 50's and 60's, all commercial vehicles were slow and noisy. An heater was unknown, two wipers an absolute luxury. The split screen ones often a single wiper. One soon knew if it was overheating, the cab filled with water vapour. Hazard warning lights also unknown as standard in commercials until the 70's. Any commercial was often many years behind cars in innovations and design. Fleet owners did not like change as it was expensive in stocking parts if things changed often. When buying a new vehicle they wanted it the same as the others they owned.
Yes, that might explain why the kept making the Viva HA vans for so long.
And that’s why the original Ford Transit was such a success. More like a car to drive.
Love how even HubNut roasts Fiestas
These vans are great, I especially love the patina on this example. Great video!
You can transplant the engine in the H van to a ford 2.0l pinto (fits straight on the subframe) and transit gearbox, it gives you 3,000 more RPM and more gears, also extends the service interval from 3000 miles (no filter on the traction avant engine) to 6000 miles.
And vice versa presumably? 😀
@@caw25sha why would you lol
Wobbly lines on the speedo look like the album cover for Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures. It could almost be intentional except the H van pre-dates it slightly.
I thought exactly the same then came looking for your comment 😂
@@ceke Me too!!
In a word......GLORIOUS! 😍
I love that description "Corrugated shed on wheels"!
I had a long wheelbase Bedford CF with a 202 Holden 6 that had very low gearing and I remedied it with a 9 inch diff conversion. It revved at 5000 rpm at 100 kph (60mph) before and about 3500 rpm after. Made a massive difference to fuel consumption and extended the top speed to over a 100 mph.
If anything screamed “FRENCH” it would be this!
Putting auto-captions on, it tells you that this is a Citron Age van. But it's no lemon! The wear and tear on that is absolutely gorgeous. There must have been some real artist at Citroen who painted those lines on the speedo.
* 11:43 captions say "you just chuck it in the Benz". Probably best not to.
I have had two HY campers! The first one was, sadly, a bit of a running heap similar to yours!
My second one is an Extra-Long camper conversion. We stripped it down, body off chassis. Media blasted the bad bits off, reconstructed missing bits with metal, and when the chassis was 'better than new' powder coated then added a sealant to prevent rust from EVER appearing!
After gently refurbishing the body panels with aluminum (not fiberglass as is the new trend), we then restored the finish using aircraft techniques. It's beautifully polished!
Simultaneously, we had 3 Citroën master technicians swap out the tired and pitiful DuckMobile engine and transmission, the radiator and cooling system, and the pathetic drum brakes (drum roll please🥁) with all of the workings of an Citroën SM that had been in a rear-end crash! That's right - the 1.4 liter i4 was replaced with a V6 with a 5 speed tranny! The SM car-nage cost us only €250! After the mechanicals were sorted (and THAT PART was astronomical), all body panels and engine bay coal shuttle were sound deadened, the inside of the of the body was further insulated against the European climate extremes. We installed a queen sized bed, a self-contained wet shower/sink/composting toilet combo, a 2 burner cooktop, a convection oven/microwave combo, a half size fridge/freezer, a large kitchen sink, a 100 gallon fresh water tank, a 50 gallon gray water tank, and 2 solar panels, a satellite TV radome, and a 5000 BTU A/C and heater combo. Total expenditure was £25K for the van, €250 for the wrecked Citroën SM, €5800 for the mechanical labor, and a further (gulp) €65K for the kitting out of the camper! Not too bad for the most #badass Citroën HY Camper in the world!
It's our commemorative 24 Hours of Lemans tribute car, and we 'unofficially' camp free of charge at the circuit!
Loved this video, I can just imagine her heavily loaded with breads cheese and wines, a lil unshaven Frenchman tooling up the road to make a delivery on a frosty morning, every word would be a French swear word, cigarette dangling between his lips. What a beautiful old vehicle, a Tesla owner could never imagine the the ancient sounds she makes or the wonderful smell of petrol, oil and exhaust constantly assaulting your senses, thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful vehicle with us.I would have gladly made the trip with you guys to Norway in my younger days!!!
So that's why rear hinged doors are 'Suicide Doors', cheers for that little nugget Ian
Nice heavy duty van. It has some much potential. Amazing it's still running. Viva LA France !
It's remarkable that they never added that fourth gear in all those years. The drive seemed quite civilised in the video and the engine sounds good - I was expecting more crashing and lurching somehow. One thing: I always thought they used a beam axle at the rear like the Traction did. It was remarkable at the time just to have independent front suspension on a van, and even more so to have torsion bars all round instead of leafs, but I didn't think it was independent. I could be wrong!
Oh, I do remember my father took this van from his work in the weekends in summertime, loaded my brothers, our friends (and me...) and drove to the IJsselmeer (NL) where we had great summer days...those late 60's and early 70's. Another plusside; can't recall the noise...maybe because we were more loud...damn hippies...hahaa. Great video!
There is one of these vans, slightly modified into a coffee van and I have seen it a couple of times on a Freeway here in Melbourne Australia.
Ah, sweet memories! My father had one for a short period of time when I was a wee lad ☺️
You need one that is a so cool you could put Hub Nut on the side of it free advertising 👍👍👍👍👍
It was always featured on the American TV show mission impossible. Now it's featured on HUBNUT! But it's a cool old classic. Just I could see it up close.
A charming little van. So Citroën! Says it all really. So far ahead of its time in some ways, so agricultural in others. Great video, 👍
I went on a school trip in the late 60's to France and when we saw these we thought exactly the same as you Ian, That they looked like a corrugated shed on wheels ! We all thought they looked so funny !
The 1980-1997 Renault Master had the same quality of being an enormous box with low floor and high ceiling that just swallowed loads and asked for more.
Very strange quality of appearing to be lacking performance when empty but no amount of load affected it's speed in any appreciable manner.
One summer in the 1990s I worked as a delivery driver where the company's vans were all high top Transit 190s which were very good. But I loved trying the variety of hire vans we always had during the summer.
There were a few memorable options around then from the forward control VW L35 and LDV models, which both had their charms. This Master was incredible.
We could squeeze just about 2.5 pallets of water bottles in most vans (technically overloading, probably), but the Master could swallow 3 pallets without even vaguely being half full and cared not about the 3 tonnes of freight.
Mate at work has just spent 4 months doing one up with a new engine and auto box.put it up for sale,and buyer is going to trailer it to shows selling coffee ect.he was so disappointed he offered a price reduction ,and was going to take out the engine and gearbox.but no he wanted it as it was.the engine was a large 6 cylinder with a quality gearbox.nice to see one being used on road as intended.🐯
At least if they’re selling coffee, they’re not getting scrapped. Think of it that way. Better to see them being used in some form than rotting away or cubed 😊
Totally agree - both the Ford Transit and Bedford CF were light years ahead of the models they replaced!
I somehow missed this when it came out a year ago but thoroughly enjoyed it with a continuous smile on my face (aided by the palpable excitement and enjoyment that you clearly had when you reviewed this van). Thanks :)
So beautiful. I hope the van is kept in its current condition. The world doesn't need another crepe van.
I see these all over Japan as little food vans. I instantly thought of the Ford trimotor and the Junkers 52 when I saw one for the first time. Super cool design really.
So quirky, ahead of its time in many ways, love the description “Farting Fiesta” 😂
🤦♂️..Don't even know how you managed that trip Ian , miracles can happen 🙂👍
I’ve always loved/hated these hideous things. Thank you for this!
Most enjoyable HubNut vid. always wondered about the characteristics of the H van. As you mentioned much like other commercial vehicles of the era in terms of progress; 0 to 50 in half a fortnight and top speed 60mph, over a cliff with a following wind! 🇦🇺
I’ve often wondered where the ‘H’ in ‘H van’ comes from. Perhaps it’s H for HubNut. 😂
Horrifique?
Look at the middle of the dash. There is a huge H there ( the gear diagram )
The irony being that in French H is generally silent in speech.
According to Wikipedia:
“Citroën's teams worked on 8 projects and only the last one was developed, giving it its name : "H". Most Type H vans were sold as model HY. Other models include H (early versions), HX (lesser load capacity), HP (flat-bed pick-up), HZ, and HW (greater load capacity). For a time they were also sold as model 1600. When used by the police, it was called "panier à salade" ("salad basket").”
@@Ian-Steele I liked my folk etymology better but you came in with reality. Spoilsport.
the louder the van gets the biger smile i get. i love noise machines. =)
most of those coffee wagons are fibreglass replicas and they're actually trailers with steering front wheels using an A frame like those motorhome tow cars.
You know you're getting old when you are happy to preserve the rust as 'character' and 'patternation'!
The epitome of staying in a rural French market town and getting your fresh bread and produce from the local farmers on market day. Absolutely love these
Hello Ian, what memories these "H's", even if I knew the Renault "Estafettes" better (to test one day, believe me, it's even more fun when braking for example).
A friend's grandparents had a diesel "H" converted into a motorhome and went all the way to Sicily from Lyon and back with my friend sitting on a stool just behind the gear lever. This in the 70s, so going through "St Bernard's pass" or the Côte d'Azur before the motorway was built.. They were not jailed for mistreatment but almost ^^.
Reminds me of when I started work for the Post Office and being taken out for deliveries sitting on mail bags in the back of a Leyland EA Van in the early 1980's. The Citroën looks more poverty spec than the Leyland Mr HubNut.
ah the EA, yes sat in the back of a few of them with multiple bikes, bags and other posties. I always remember the gaps between side and floor after the rust had separated
the two on a two or three year old van,
Great video! I used to have a 1979 VW LT van with the 6-cylinder diesel (none-turbo). Painfully slow and loud as well. We did take it on long trips in Europe but not on highways. Over 60km/h talking or listening to radio were not an option. But gave up in the end and bought a Citroen Jumper instead.
Which, if I remember correctly, now has an aftermarket kit to skin it as a smaller H.
Every time you test an old Citroen the engineering brilliance stands out, just the low floor alone should have been a game changer. "access to the engine is terrible" but as you point out, it's 4 bolts, so out it comes and easy to work on. I guess the replacement was the Relay joint venture that carried various badges and was from memory a big van for the time - haven't seen a non-camper for ages but would be an interesting comparison. If Citroen started upcycling their older products with the latest EV tech they might do rather well.
Brilliant video Ian 👍 what a lovely old van
A scenic drive from Letchworth, out to the A1 and back to Letchworth, with a couple of cut scenes in Hitchin.
I like it big time. Im in awe of it. The character is massive. History oozing out of it. Total class. I would put a new engine in with 6 speed box.
Im buying one. No mot. Great. And these can only hold value. Every other car and van looses value whilst looking bland at it. Your sign writing on a new van is lost because your van looks like everyone elses. White and boring. This attracts looks everywhere it rolls
so much personality in a single vehicle
That was an adventure Ian, with an H-van to Scandinavia. Luckily I made such a trip with a Transit MK1 1.7 V4.
Paris, 50 years ago I still remember, an H van with a German Shepard dog hanging out of the side window barking at another Shepard dog that was sitting in a cycle car with the drive sitting on the motorcycle, True story !
Dad rented one in France, had to because a drunk guy in an AMi 6 totalled himself and my dad's Volkswagen van (I hated that thing) , he loved the H van because the thing did 90 km/h flat out but also did 90 km/h uphill, but most important you could stand up in it while loading and unloading.
The Dutch Gendarmerie had them and the Dutch red cross had these as ambulances.
And yes they also built them with Indenor (Peugeot) Diesels I believe, perhaps because you could get the Peugeot J7 with a Diesel engine, the J7 was a better copy of the H van, more like the Renault 4 was a better copy of the 2CV.
This one looks really lovely !
Thnx for the ride!
What a cool looking machine 😎
Growing up, my grandparents had very old toy versions of an H-Van and a 2CV Fourgonnette for us to play with. Which was odd, because we live in Canada! To this day, no one remembers where they came from.
For design and mechanics from the 40s it's amazing that those vans still run after sitting in a farmer's field for years.
Growing up I remember seeing these on Hogan's Heros on TV. At first I wasn't sure if they were a real vehicle or just a military vehicle.
But the 'shed on wheels' is pretty cool. 👍
Thanks Hubnut. I now know a great deal more about these than I did. As far as I know, none came to Australia when new, but there's at least one here now that I've seen - recent import, very prettied up, and yes, being a coffee van!
Peter are you in Melbourne?
Mark from Melbourne Australia
@@markfryer9880 Yes I am.
I always wanted one of these; the getaway vehicle of choice for the Mission Impossible team in the 60's TV show!
Absolutely love this van so very bonkers so very French.
Fascinating video, really great to see what the H van is like to drive and to be with in practice. Amazing to see a real one, with not many mods.
The H van and in sublime patinated condition as well, how wonderful!
Lovely van, thanks for showing it off to us Ian.
This really is the ancestor of modern vans. It was available in a lot of combinations of height, wheelbase and openings, thanks to the immense stiffness of the monocoque chassis.
Notice how all the hinges are along perfectly straight lines: they are „Yoder“ hinges, formed by rolled-in panel edges tucked into each other. The same hinges are found on 2CV bonnet, boot lid and rear door (also front door on pre-1964 suicide door models). Every bit of the body is rational, economical and purposeful. The H was designed by Pierre Franchiset, chief bodywork engineer at the time. Bertoni wasn’t even looking (he would eventually design a Citroën industrial vehicle, the wonderful „Belphegor“ with windows in the footwells for the driver to see through while manoeuvring in tight spaces).
Since you talk of locking rear brakes, it was allegedly from a device that he was conceiving to prevent such lock-ups from happening on the H that Paul Magès started developing the hydropneumatic suspension. So the H van has inspired both the 2CV and the DS.
It reminds me of another FWD marvel of that era: the 2 stroke DKW Schnellaster. That's my favourite van!
OMG, the 'Truck'!!!! Amazing catch. So so iconic!
I used to have one of these which I used for driving around vineyards with spraying equipment and fertilizer etc. Would often have 1.5 load in the back and drive up steep tracks no problems. These vans are geared for load carrying and excel at it but as a result have no top end speed. It drank petrol however! I also had a couple of Renault Estafette vans which again are geared for load carrying and lack top end speed and are brilliant little vans.
It's successor the C25 was a huge leap forward.
One of the finest machines ever manufactured what a production run ❤️
Love these vintage motors 😙
why doesn't this channel have 500k+ subscribers !!
HUBNUT says it all
It probably will eventually.
I think that nostalgia applied to non-exotic old cars is something of a minority sport. Edd china has a lot of support but he had a captive audience from WD. People rebuilding, modding or just buying selling modern vehicles have a larger (and younger) demographic. The owner of that farting fiesta may well have 100K followers!
Because millennials
Grow slow, grow great...
Cool! Only ever done Norwegian mountains in an old Toyota, so naturally we were fine lol. Until the heater matrix exploded....
Very interesting. I never realised they made a RHD version. Here in Brighton I often see H vans used as coffee/hot dog/whatever sales.
Mummy I just saw a man driving an air raid shelter.
No dear….. That’s just HubNut!
The only H4's I've seen in London were at Greenwich near the Cutty Sark as snack and Icecream cars.We loved them :D
A strangely alluring lil van. 👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🏴
It has got an excellent character of its own......! It is handsome looking too......Greeting from the Far East....
From a time when cars had character…we’ve lost so much☹️
But kept our hearing.
I don't know I think the French are starting to come back with more characterful cars now with the new EV Citroen's and DS models. I looked at the interior shots of the new DS3 SUV EV thing the other day and it made everyone else's car interiors look bland and boring.
@@bentullett6068 Ah yes, the Ami. Not sure about the others yet.
@@grayfool the Cactus models are strange on design compared to everything else on the market.
I once overheard someone at Waterloo Station point to the nearby Citroen H coffee van and say to his friend, "Are those real vans, or just mock-ups?" Which sounds bizarre, but you can understand it. Citroen H coffee/burger/artisan pizza vans are everywhere in London these days, but you never see them moving about. They're always just parked up, serving grub. If you're not particularly interested in classic vans they do look like some sort of theatrical set dressing, as if they're novelty catering booths got up as stylised 'olde worlde' vans.
Aye. There are some trailers and 'dummy' vans out there.
That was awesome! And great to see there are more classic Citroën videos coming soon! (In a related matter - I did some part of my job today at a breakers yard, putting sponsor decals on a rally-cross car of one of the employees. On my way back, a saw a gorgeous silver CX Break circa 1980 in their yard for new arrivals. Was heartbroken to see it there - first CX Break I have seen in ages. I wish I had the possibility to save it... :(... )
I know two of those in my region here
One is a coffee van, the other sells "Kässpatzen" (a special food from this region, the Allgäu, Bavaria)
Brilliant as usual Mr HubNut. Always loved those vans when I saw them in France, now ive had a "drive" in one. Thanks Captain.
Nice review, I have seen lots of them but never seen them go. I never thought these vans were so crude and why Citroën never put a four speed gearbox in is beyond me. Many of these have been put to use as food truck, that's probably the reason why they are so high priced. There are loads of companies who build trailers which look like H vans.
Such a cool van... you found a pretty good example by the looks of things.
Love your enthusiasm Mr. Hubnut. To coin a phrase not heard in Australia.....Lovely Jubbly. 😀
Hello Ian,
There was a very popular French TV series called Louis la Brocante, featuring heavily the H van....
Aaah Nostalgia...
Cordialement,
Now listening to Joy Division after looking at the dashboard pattern ;)
Lol. Pretty much said the same thing! The unknown pleasures of Citroen ownership.