A Citroën that lies flat on its stomach is a real Citroën of the old school. The stretched-out Citroën GSA that Techzle reader René Borggreve sent in, is a perfect example of a characterful family car as we hardly know it in 2020.
None other than the drawing master responsible for cars such as the Citroën SM and DS successor CX put the lines of the GS introduced in 1970 on paper. The GS drawn by Robert Opron turned out to have a long life. Citroën’s little brother of the DS went through the first nine years of its existence with chrome bumpers, but was presented in a renewed form in 1979 as the GSA as seen in these photos.
The launch of the GSA brought the GS design to the 1980s in one fell swoop, as the updated model came in a hatchback body. The old GS still had a small tailgate, but the GSA had a huge fifth door and therefore offered considerably more ease of use. The GSA was further able to distinguish itself from the pre-facelift GS with its new plastic bumpers, revised all-round lighting, new door handles and renewed grille. The GSA, pictured by Techzle reader René Borggreve, dates from 1984 and is therefore a copy of one of the last years of the model’s life. Under the hood of the 900 kilo Citroën is the most powerful machine with which the GSA was available: a four-cylinder boxer engine with a displacement of 1,299 cc. That petrol engine sent 65 hp and 94 Nm to the front wheels, good for a 0-100 sprint in about 14 seconds and a top speed of 160 km / h. This beige GSA is an X1 version, the equipment level that was nestled between the Spécial and Pallas.
The copy in the pictures looks nicely lived. The plastic bumpers are weathered, the front bumper does not look completely fresh and the left front screen has been hit sometime during the 36-year existence of this GSA. We are happy that the car is still there. The GSA itself disappeared from the Dutch market in 1985. The BX presented in 1982 under the Eiffel Tower and thanks to Bertone design much more angularly designed would take over from 1985 onwards, although you could also see a descendant of the GSA in the ZX launched in 1990. A total of 1,896,742 GS’s and 576,757 GSAs were produced.