Citroën Ami Super : le monstre à moteur de GS que Citroën a tué
Garage du Passé
38,938 views
Citroën Ami Super: the GS-powered monster that Citroën killed. This is the crazy story of the most misunderstood Citroën of the 1970s, born by accident in a cupboard of unsold engines. When Citroën launched the GS in 1970, its 1015cc flat-four engine producing 55 horsepower was quickly deemed too weak, and by 1972 the hatchback was receiving a 1222cc engine. This left a whole stock of 1015cc engines that nobody wanted anymore. The brilliant and crazy idea of the double-chevron brand: to slip this modern engine under the body of the ugliest car in France, the old Ami. Thus, on January 10, 1973, the Ami Super was born, the fastest of all the Amis, capable of reaching nearly 140 km/h and putting even the GS itself to shame in the standing-start kilometer. Disc brakes, floor-mounted gearbox, anti-roll bars: everything came from the GS. Sales of the range soared to 107,339 units in 1973. And yet, this little rocket was doomed from the start. Too close in price to the GS, poorly positioned, and hit hard by the oil crisis of autumn 1973, it was quietly withdrawn in 1976 after only 44,820 units were produced. The cruelest part? This car wasn't killed by the market, but by its own factory. Discover the tragic and fascinating fate of a monster that Citroën scuttled with its own hands.
Music: Eyes of Glory - Aakash Gandhi, When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Cooper Cannell. All photos are from archive.org and are royalty-free.
20 Comments
J'en ai gardé un beau souvenir, cette voiture était d'une grande fiabilité, et elle passait partout.
Mes parents avaient un break AMI 6 et j’ai presque été déçu quand ils l’ont remplacé par une GS au lieu de cette AMi Super.
Finalement ils avaient eu bien raison, leur 1220 Club pour faire Paris Marseille était souveraine sur l’autoroute.
J'en ai de bons souvenirs.
Pour l'époque, Elle était surprenante de vivacité, d'efficacité.
Je me rappelle, avec un de mes oncles, dans de bonnes conditions, nous avions atteint les 160 km/h compteur...
On n'en revenait pas.
Elle cachait bien son jeu. 😅
Je n'y comprends rien
Confortable, elle démarrait par n'importe quel temps, consommait peu et adorait la rouille... Mais quel jeu de conduire ça en tant que débutant... A 70kms/h sur la nationale !! 🤣🤗
Citroën Ami Super : le monstre à moteur de GS que Citroën a tué
Garage du Passé
38,938 views
Citroën Ami Super: the GS-powered monster that Citroën killed. This is the crazy story of the most misunderstood Citroën of the 1970s, born by accident in a cupboard of unsold engines. When Citroën launched the GS in 1970, its 1015cc flat-four engine producing 55 horsepower was quickly deemed too weak, and by 1972 the hatchback was receiving a 1222cc engine. This left a whole stock of 1015cc engines that nobody wanted anymore. The brilliant and crazy idea of the double-chevron brand: to slip this modern engine under the body of the ugliest car in France, the old Ami. Thus, on January 10, 1973, the Ami Super was born, the fastest of all the Amis, capable of reaching nearly 140 km/h and putting even the GS itself to shame in the standing-start kilometer. Disc brakes, floor-mounted gearbox, anti-roll bars: everything came from the GS. Sales of the range soared to 107,339 units in 1973. And yet, this little rocket was doomed from the start. Too close in price to the GS, poorly positioned, and hit hard by the oil crisis of autumn 1973, it was quietly withdrawn in 1976 after only 44,820 units were produced. The cruelest part? This car wasn't killed by the market, but by its own factory. Discover the tragic and fascinating fate of a monster that Citroën scuttled with its own hands.
Music: Eyes of Glory - Aakash Gandhi, When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Cooper Cannell. All photos are from archive.org and are royalty-free.
Et vous, connaissiez-vous cette Ami pas comme les autres ? En avez-vous déjà croisé une sur les routes de France ? Racontez-nous en commentaire, et n'oubliez pas de liker et de vous abonner pour d'autres histoires oubliées de l'automobile française.