My kind of Citroëns

Yet again it is the era, the cars and their colour that tugged at my emotions - most definitely a case of nostalgia, subject and “Because …” factors all combining. And so, with the arrival of OttOmobile’s Citroën GS Break, came the desire to pull out its now long obsolete Dyane for a duo photo.

Ottomobile’s early series, 1968 Citroën Dyane (OT132) dates back to August 2014, so is one of its earlier models. In the classic light blue, seen so often in early Dyane sales brochures, I still rate it as one of OttOmobile’s best ever models and, yet, sadly never (as yet) allowed to be the subject of a subsequent colour change reissue.

OttOmobile Citroën GS Break - 1973 (OT401)

Technically advanced, with good aerodynamics and a lot of safety features, the GS was introduced in 1970 as a saloon. Winning the prestigious Car of the Year Award in 1971, it was supplemented that same year by the even more successful estate body style - the ‘Break’. With a development of the Ami’s more powerful 1,015cc engine supplemented by a 1,220 cc version, the GS continued and marked the end, at the same time, of Citroën’s model development era with front mounted, flat, air-cooled engines. Given a facelift as the GSA in 1980, production lasted until 1989, making it one of the five best-selling models in Citroën's history.

Finished in one of the most popular early GS paint colours - Bleu Camargue - combined with tan nylon-cloth upholstery, it represents a French home-market model with some quintessential period correct details. I love the addition of the oval international recognition “F” plate, the yellow headlight bulbs and orange reversing light lenses in the lowest section of the rear light cluster. Another nice evocative detail is the “TOTAL” sticker in the rear window that, from memory, all new GS carried.  Modelling quality, finish and attention to detail is well up to that we expect from OttOmobile, but, very unusually, I have two small observations to make. Firstly the shade of grey of the painted wheels is, from memory, too dark. Secondly, the black surrounds to all the side windows seem to me to be too prominent – again, from memory, the stainless steel brightwork surrounds to the windows with minimal rubber showing were one of the GS’s trim hallmarks. Notwithstanding those two small observations, this GS Break definitely is my kind of Citroën, and I would love to see it reissued in the not too distant future in Rio Red with export specification white reversing light lenses.