► Classic Citroen collection going under the hammer
► Rarities, homologation specials and projects among the lots
► And everything’s very reasonably priced
A classic car auction being held later this month is sure to have Francophile car enthusiasts – including several members of the CAR team – hunting down the back of the sofa. French auction house Interencheres has been tasked with dispersing a collection of over 100 classic Citroens and there are some fascinating cars among the lots.
The Citroen auction is led by a gorgeous 1935 Traction Avant Cabriolet (below), which is estimated to sell for €95-115,000. Other cars likely to go for large amounts include a 1950 ‘ripple bonnet’ Citroen 2CV that’s been beautifully restored (€30-45,000), and a 1970 Citroen SM that’s resplendent in gold and fitted with a carburettor-fed Maserati V6 engine that no doubt sounds glorious (€30-35,000).
There are some real rarities among the cars on offer, as well. Among them are two examples of the Citroen GS Birotor, one a project (€4-6000) and the other ready-to-go (€12-18,000); a 1964 Citroen Bijou (below), a glassfibre-bodied, 2CV-based coupe built in tiny numbers in Slough (€12-18,000); a limited-edition 1986 Citroen BX Sport complete with period-perfect bodykit and 126bp twin-carb 1.9 engine (€6-8000); and a project 1970 Citroen M35, a rotary-powered coupe of which 267 were sold as a sort of technology beta test (€3-4000). There’s also a 1992 Citroen AX 4×4, a factory-built special with a GT-spec 1.4 engine and four-wheel-drive system supplied by Dangel (€2-3000).
There are a few lots to interest fans of rare-groove Group B rally cars. The Citroen BX 4TC (below) may have been a catastrophic failure in competition, but the road-going version is a fascinating car complete with a 200bhp, 2.1-litre turbo engine and bonkers bodykit. The example that’s up for auction looks like very good value at €30-45,000. Rather more successful in the smaller-engined classes of Group B rallying were the front-wheel-drive Citroen Visa Chrono and four-wheel-drive Citroen Visa Mille Pistes. Interencheres has road-going examples of both, estimated at €12-15,000 and €30-40,000 respectively.
Other high-performance cars in the sale include a 1985 Citroen BX 19 GT (€8-12,000), 1990 Citroen BX GTi 4×4 (€5-7000) and a 1985 Citroen Visa GTi (€2500-3500).
Several dozen project cars are also in the catalogue. Highlights among them include a three-axle Citroen CX van built by Tissier (below) that’s been rather crudely converted into a camper van (€10-18,000), plus various temptingly cheap 2CVs, DSs, and H vans. But we’re hung up on the Citroen XM V6 24v (bottom) fitted with the super-rare manual gearbox. It needs recommissioning but carries a very low estimate of €1-2000.
The Interencheres Citroen sale takes place on 28 September in Fleury-sur-Andelle, a small town in Normandy on the road between Rouen and Paris. Lovely part of the world, it is.
Images courtesy of Interencheres