The Citroën BX was one of the most striking newcomers in 1982

What did the start-up process look like?

In 1982 Citroën was ready for something new in the middle class. After all, the GS/GSA had been around since 1970. Since Citroën belonged to the PSA group, the LN and Visa were already based on the Peugeot 104. The BX was the first truly new model to be developed under PSA direction. The platform also had to be suitable for the later Peugeot 405 and it is thanks to Citroën’s diligent Bureau d’Études that the rear axle was quickly redesigned to allow for hydropneumatic suspension. It didn’t go very smoothly with the design. The studies strongly resembled further developments of the CX and GSA, while Citroën was looking for a new design language. Subsequently, for the first time in the history of the brand, a designer was recruited from outside. The winning design was by Bertone, or rather by Marcello Gandini, who was chief designer there at the time.

Planing the clay model of the Citroën BX.

How revolutionary was the BX?

Gandini’s design may have been innovative for Citroën, but in the years before he had already shown several designs that closely resembled the BX. So the BX was not revolutionary. And we had known a mid-sized car with spring bulbs since 1970. The 1.4-liter engine from the new Citroën was already known from the Peugeot 104, Citroën Visa and Talbot Samba. The 1.6-litre debuted in the BX and has since been used in many, many other Peugeot and Citroën models. What was progressive was the amount of plastic that was used on the BX. The bumpers, hood, windshield surround, body panels, and even the fuel cap were made of composite material, colloquially referred to as plastic. Citroën kept consumption within limits and performance up to standard by using these lightweight materials.

How was the BX received?

The new French pride was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1982. There, the public was introduced to the BX on September 30. In the following month, more than a thousand BXs were sold every day. So a great success. After the largest BX hunger had been satisfied in France, the Netherlands was the first export country for the new model. Here too, after the presentation at the AutoRAI of 1983, it was impossible to get hold of it and considerable delivery times arose. It was clear that the Citroën public was ready for something new after twelve years of GS/GSA. Regular customers did criticize the new design, which was seen as conservative. On the other hand, it ensured that many foreign brand drivers managed to find the Citroën showroom. Compared to the GSA, the BX was an expensive car, but not in the Netherlands. With some effort, Citroën Netherlands managed to negotiate a starting price of 19,990 guilders in Paris. That concerned the entry-level model, the BX 14. That the simplest BX 16 already had to cost 27,500 guilders, we are not talking about that.

What were the choices during the market launch?

First of all, there was of course the price breaker: the BX 14 was the only one with an engine with 62 hp. In practice, it has been sold very little. A step higher on the ladder was the BX 14 E, which had an extra 10 hp and was more fully equipped. The 14 RE was the topper among the one-point fours with, among other things, a radio connection and a digital clock. The BX 16 had a 1.6-liter with 94 hp and was optionally available with an automatic transmission. For its time, the BX 16 was a downright fast car. These versions have gone down in history mainly because of their great thirst. Fortunately, there was still the BX 19 D with a 65 hp diesel engine, which drove 1:17.2 according to the brochure.

What were its competitors?

Like its predecessor, the BX cannot be clearly classified in the C or D segment; he falls a bit in between. Its low starting price and friendly road tax rate due to the frequent use of plastic made it possible for many Dutch people to drive a class higher with a BX. In that respect it was a competitor in the class of Opel Kadett, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Escort. However, the BX also competed with the higher segment. Then you end up with the Opel Ascona, Volkswagen Passat and of course the brand new Ford Sierra in 1982.

Any details during his life?

The first significant addition to the BX program was the Break in 1985. Initially, Citroën had no plans to make a station wagon of the BX. Fortunately, the production of the GSA continued as usual and there was a break. Coachbuilder Heuliez came up with a ready-made plan. The company took care of the design, development and production of the BX Break. Furthermore, the many sporty models should not go unmentioned. This also started in 1984 with the arrival of the BX 19 GT with a 105 hp 1.9-liter with a double carburettor. This was followed in 1985 by the BX Sport with wide body panels and a 1.9-litre with two twin carburettors and 126 hp. In the Netherlands he is engraved in the national memory because he was dealt with in the film ‘Flodder’ with ‘Polaroid’. After the Sport, many GTI variants followed, with the arrival of catalytic converters and sixteen-valve technology over the years resulting in decreases and increases in power. Around the middle of 1986, the BX was given its major facelift and became Phase II. It lost its sharpest edges, got white blinkers and the dashboard was normalized. The conspicuous satellites on the side of the steering wheel were dropped and normal levers for operating lights and windscreen wipers returned.

Which version appeals the most to the imagination?

The most desirable BX was without a doubt the 4TC. And not because it was the strongest of its kind with its 200 horsepower, but more because it was surrounded by an almost unbelievable story. With the 4TC, Citroën wanted to participate in the perilous Group B rally championship in 1985. Two hundred of these had to be built for customers to meet the homologation requirements. A 2.1-liter longitudinal turbo engine was installed. The regular BX had its engine mounted transversely, which is why the 4TC got an unusually long bow. That 2.1 was linked to the five-speed gearbox from the Citroën SM. The spring ball system was also just on it.

The 4TC competed three times with very moderate success in Group B. Then this rally class was banned due to some serious and fatal accidents. At that time Citroën had managed to deliver only about sixty 4TC road cars to customers. After stopping Group B, an attempt was made to buy it back from the owners. Citroën was afraid of the obligations of supplying the many unique parts for the 4TC. The rest of the production was destroyed. A number of owners refused to return the car. So there are still a handful of 4TCs in circulation. You sometimes come across them at fairs and auction houses. There we see prices of around €200,000.

How many were built and how many are left?

Between 1982 and 1994, Citroen built 2,337,016 BXs, of which 124,158 were sold in the Netherlands. There are now 1,830 units left with a valid license plate. Divided over the different years of construction, the list looks as follows: 1982 21983 431984 811985 1791986 2881987 1561988 1581989 154

1990 164

1991 260

1992 214

1993 114

1994 17

source: Vinacles

What has been the impact of the BX?

If you look at the international career of the BX, you can only conclude that it continued the success of its predecessor. 2,473,499 units of the GS/GSA were built between 1970 and 1986. It goes without saying that the sales of these in the last three years, when the BX was already widely available, hardly amounted to anything. 2,337,016 copies of the BX were made. That is hardly less. If we look at the Dutch market, we can imagine that at the headquarters of what is now Stellantis they sometimes think back with nostalgia to their angular friend. With a number of 124,158 units, it is still by far the best-selling Citroën in the Netherlands. We have a dark brown suspicion that this will remain the case for a while. Due to its low price and low weight, you could just drive a much more spacious car than that Kadett, Golf or Escort you were used to all those years. And that is an offer that the average Dutch person is enthusiastic about.