Citroën CX GTI (1986) – Bell Round Classic

The CX may not have caused as big a shock when it debuted in 1974 as the DS did in 1955, but it is at least as exceptional in almost every respect. The perfect car for someone who likes to stand out from the crowd, like Ralph Nijhuis, for whom an everyday car doesn’t stand a chance. We understand it when we stand together next to the stately CX and realize that you rarely see it in black. The wheels – with Michelin’s expensive TRX tires – are decorated slightly differently than original; then they are silver colored. “This is my second CX. The first was a Prestige Turbo II, pretty much the top version. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be a good copy, which caused a lot of annoyance. When I saw this GTI at Gert de Jong, where I have been going for maintenance for years, I decided to say goodbye to the Prestige. The children did not thank me for that. They sat royally in the back of that extended CX.”

What makes the story extra fun is that Ralph already drove this exact CX in 2010. “We lived next to an advertising agency where the then owner of this CX worked. I got to talking to him, we shared our enthusiasm about Citroën and I was allowed to go around the block. Nine years later I bought that car. I have had DS twice in the past. The last one was a 23 Pallas. Still, I think the CX is a nicer, more modern car for daily use and long holiday trips. At home I grew up with my mother’s Dyane and GS, my father rode DS and later CX. My brother is really the absolute Citroën king in our family. He has already had three DS’s built and is the proud owner of a DS Cabriolet. But I can say that Johan Cruijff once looked at my DS with admiration.”

Getting used to Diravi: the special power steering CX

The high mileage is mainly due to the age of the CX. With an annual average of approximately 18,000 kilometers, Ralph is not much of a mileage eater himself. “The longest rides are to Twente, where I grew up and still have family. The previous owner did not enjoy it for very long. She couldn’t stand still. Because yes, I stand still on average once or twice a year. This confirms all the prejudices that some have had, but I attribute it to age. It is a 37 year old car, something breaks sometimes. It’s never dramatic, usually a hose that breaks or a bad contact somewhere. In addition, you have to calculate that you will spend a few thousand euros on maintenance every year. I’d like to talk about it. In my opinion, the biggest disadvantage of this car is the three-speed automatic transmission, which makes the speed on the highway quite high. If you let others drive, you must first teach them how to use the power steering and the brake pedal. And tell them that you have to reset the turn signal yourself after the bend.”

Ralph is right, the power steering is very special. The system is called Diravi and debuted on SM in 1970. The abbreviation stands for Direction Rappel Asservi. Ingenious and above all complicated, developed for a front-wheel drive car with a lot of power, such as the SM with its Maserati engine. Due to the lack of a mechanical connection, there is no feedback and you have to get used to the high speed and sensitivity with which the system responds. Then there is the extreme self-centering effect. The steering wheel goes back to the straight ahead position like crazy, almost to the point of being dangerous.

Chaotic pipework

We know from our own experience that steering (and braking) does indeed require getting used to, but in no time you will get used to it and steer with your fingers and brake with your big toe. Judge Dennis Koldewijn from Carrec Technocenter is also enthusiastic after his renewed acquaintance with the CX and together we are amazed by the special technology, which is particularly visible at the bottom. The self-supporting body stands on a kind of ladder frame, to which the front axle and rear suspension are mounted. There are pipes and hoses everywhere, it looks quite chaotic. We see a lot of new parts, a sign that the car is well taken care of.

However, Dennis also comes across a leak, of which Ralph immediately takes a photo and sends it to his garage. If we look in the engine room, we notice that the large four-cylinder is tilted forward and that there is even room for a full-size spare wheel. The radiator looks quite new and appears to have been recently installed and the hood was repainted during the same garage visit. In the interior, not only the eccentric dashboard attracts attention, the seats are also anything but average. “I particularly like the center console of the CX Type II and the exterior looks more like that of the first series,” says Ralph. “Still, I understand that there are people who like the early CX best. Overall my CX is in good condition and if there is an issue it goes straight to the dealer. It must remain in good condition, because there will not be another car for a while and certainly not another brand. What I find so special about Citroën: there is no other brand with such a cult surrounding it. That’s just not the reason to drive a CX, because it is a unique and idiosyncratic car in every respect.”

The history of the Citroën CX

Just imagine: designing a car that is at least as sensational and controversial as the DS, the iconic predecessor of the CX. Yet that was exactly the task given to grandmaster Robert Opron’s team in the 1960s. Then there was the streamlined BMC 1800, a study model designed by Pininfarina for the British Motor Company (BMC) that Austin had never done anything with. We may see something of it in the Rover SD1, but certainly also in the Citroën GS and CX. Yes, Monsieur Opron was clearly inspired by the futuristic design of his Italian colleague and even made low air resistance the main theme, compared to the hydropneumatic suspension system in the DS and front-wheel drive in the Traction Avant. Once again Citroën managed to surprise the world with a revolutionary car.

The CX was introduced in 1974, but the DS remained in production for a while. And if you didn’t think the outside was special enough, the interior completely amazed you almost fifty years ago. A dashboard like no one had ever seen before, perhaps a bit like the Tesla of the 1970s. Behind the steering wheel floated a kind of UFO containing all the controls and the so-called ‘lunules’ in which you could read the speed and engine speed. Everything could be operated with the fingertips. With the facelift in 1985, this science fiction instrumentation disappeared and the CX received regular clocks. It was visually recognizable by its plastic bumpers. The Break had the same wheelbase as the Prestige (almost 3.10 meters) and was almost 27 centimeters longer than the limousine. The fastest versions were the GTI Turbo and the then spectacular 2500 TRD Turbo 2 with a top speed of 195 km/h. In 1989 the CX made way for the XM, the CX Break remained in production until 1991.

Maintenance history

This CX has always been meticulously maintained at Citroën Aalsmeer. Originally it was a manual 22 TRS, but in the early 1990s it was converted into a 25 GTI automatic by Citroën Aalsmeer. The mileage corresponds to the transmission, not the engine. The score is actually 150,000 kilometers higher.

The opinion of Carrec Technocenter

Dennis: “I have a bit of a strange relationship with Citroën. The modern stuff doesn’t do anything for me and I always find models like this CX a bit strange. The difference in track width at the front and rear, the hydraulic-pneumatic suspension system, the Diravi power steering, the control switches: it is all slightly different and also quite complicated for the mechanic who does not know everything about it. But when you do take it on the road again, it is always a magnificent experience. What comfort! My compliments also for the conversion to GTI. I thought I was on the way with a real one.”