(first posted 5/10/2017) These photos, posted on the CC Cohort by nifty43 (nifticus) and taken in Vancouver in March this year, confirm one thing, I suggest, and without much debate. The Citroen Ami 6 was ugly. I suggest it was also a great car, worthy of its place in the CC Roll of Honour, and justifiably covered earlier on CC in some detail. But it will always deserve another outing.
The Ami was intended to partly fill the gap in the Citroen range between the basic, utilitarian 2CV and the large, technically innovative Citroen ID and DS range, two cars which define Citroen to this day. This gap was actually very large – imagine that between a Mini and Austin Westminster, but as Citroen effectively controlled the Panhard range Citroen were really the filing the gap between the 2CV and the Panhard PL17. Panhard were also assembling 2CVs for Citroen, and Citroen, through then parent Michelin, assumed full control of Panhard in 1967. The PL17 had an 848cc air-cooled flat twin, and competed with cars such as SIMCA Aronde and Renault Dauphine.
Citroen has a wonderful history, which includes several fascinating projects and prototypes which never saw the light of day, but in this case went to a familiar source for the raw material – the 2CV. The Ami 6 was the first derivative of the 2CV to come to market. It was known internally as the 3CV, and had to meet some tight constraints from the Citroen board.
These included a large boot, seating for five, no longer than 4m (about 13ft), a saloon not hatchback format, and a strict budget. The solution was to take a 2CV chassis, including its interconnected suspension and flat twin engine format, and fit a new body over it. This was styled, as were the 2CV, DS and H van, by Flamino Bertoni who used some unusual and innovative ideas.
To meet the five passenger requirement, the rear window had a reverse rake, as seen on the 1957 Mercury Montclair and Ford Anglia for example. This effectively raised the height of the trailing edge of the roof, and also allows a longer boot lid. At the front, Bertoni used rectangular headlights, in what was the first use of such lights. The original intention was that these would be blended smoothly in to the front wing and fascia, directly above the bumper, resulting in a much sleeker front appearance. However, not for the first time in such things, the prevailing French regulations required them to be higher. For the French market, they were always fitted with yellow bulbs. Plusher Ami Club models had a four headlamp set up, also seen on the North American market cars. This signals that the feature car is some type of private import
As a direct consequence, the front profile was changed, and the distinctive dip between the headlamps appeared. Between the imposed front and the trailing edge of the roof, the styling was actually relatively tame, and the rear end itself fairly restrained, albeit with the panle gaps giving a fair idea of how the car was assembled. But the front and the roof, and the stance, dictated the look and the reaction, which usually involved an open mouth, perhaps matching the front grille. But what would you have expected from Citroen?
The Ami 6 (French for friend) came to market in late 1960. As well as the looks, many other Citroen features were there – the 2CV’s suspension and umbrella gear lever sprouting from the dash, a single spoke steering and some switchgear from the DS, on a dashboard significantly more conventional than a 2CV.
Power was 20 bhp from 602cc, compared with the contemporary 2CV’s 435cc, and 102kph (about 65 mph) was possible, if the road was long enough. But like many French cars, you didn’t have to slow much for corners, and average speeds could be deceptively high.
An estate version came in 1964, styled by Robert Opron, father of the Citroen SM, GS and CX, and later the Renault 25, 9 and 11/AMC Alliance and Encore. The estate style addressed the roof issue very successfully, even if the front was unchanged. Power was slowly rising, reaching 35 bhp in 1968.
In 1969, Citroen gave us the Ami 8, with more Opron restyling and featuring a hatchback and inboard front disc brakes, in a car that appeared to be a direct rival to the Renault 6.
The estate continued, though this was also now sold as the Ami 8.
There was one last version – the 1973 Ami Super fitted with the 55 bhp 1015cc flat four air cooled engine from the Citroen GS. This created a sort of Q car – according to my friend Tony who has a Super (one of seven left in the UK) as part of a large selection of 2CVs and Amis to choose from, you can still surprise other drivers with it. Few, it seems, expect a 2CV in its best suit to go quite like that.
In all, Citroen built 1.8 million Amis of all types, between 1961 and 1978, a number not to be ignored on its own, and in addition to 6.7 million 2CVs, vans, Dyanes and other derivatives.
When you factor in the 1.8 million examples, the comfort, the economy, the surprising real world performance and the enduring nature of the car’s appeal (you will still many examples in daily service in France), I suggest you could nominate it as a great car.
But still ugly.
I really love its ugliness. Sometimes I think French cars were different not just in looks, but in technology simply for the sake of being different than the Germans and British and Italians.
s/b “Butt still ugly.” Bud Tuggly should drive this thing.
Both Gallic and galling. And I’d rather have gallstones. C’est un question d’ merde.
Or “Still butt ugly”.
Gorgeously ugly. If I could only snap my fingers and turn every brougham into one of these . . . .
… Or vice-versa: slap a padded vinyl roof and opera lamps on one of these and then you’d have something. I’m not sure what, but something.
It is interesting how the French can bring us some of the worlds most beautiful cars and also one of the ugliest. But they are almost always fascinating.
Also interesting is that this is not “utilitarian ugly” but “stylish ugly”. Stylish ugly is always cool.
This^^^!
“Stylishly Ugly” has just entered my personal lexicon. A more apt description has never been.
Well, if you accept that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- Here’s the ‘New Beetle equivalent’
So they must have gotten something right, right?
I recall seeing these as a kid in Germany but nowhere near as often as the 2CV and since then on travels or at some shows but had NO idea that they actually made 1.8 million of them, about 20-25% as many as the 2CV. I thought the ratio was significantly smaller than that (by a factor of maybe 10) and that the car was considered a bit of a failure, but with those numbers, well, I guess I learned my thing for the day.
That being said, it’s certainly interesting, and delightfully French. I like it.
If an ugly man took his ugly family for a ride in this ugly car, that would be a whole lot of ugly. Powerful ugly.
Fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down?
You mention the yellow bulbs in French headlamps. Does anyone know what the supposed advantage was of these?
I remember taking a trip to Bermuda during the sealed-beam era in the U.S. The cars there were European spec, and they mostly had composite headlamps, some with white bulbs and some with yellow bulbs. It puzzled me then and it still puzzles me now why the heck the yellow bulbs were fitted in some of the cars.
Perhaps Daniel Stern would be glad to explain more about the advantages and disadvantages selective yellow lighting…
Per EU directives, France no longer mandates the selective yellow lightings after 1994 model year.
http://www.french-cars-in-america.com/why-did-france-have-yellow-headlights
This will be the subject of a future CC Tech piece I’m working on. adam_b, that article you link is so completely erroneous as to be useless.
I concur. Just for starters, that stupid blogger saying the yellow lights legislation was enacted “during WW2, in 1936″…
Some people are just full of it.
The French Transport Ministry back in the 1930s conducted studies which concluded that the color yellow penetrates fog significantly better than does the color white. In much of France, particularly Northern France, poor weather, and fog lying low on the road is a 8 out of 12-month life and death issue for drivers. The imposition of yellow bulb headlamps was thus enshrined in the French motor code in the years before WW2.
Indeed, there is a sound argument for using yellow bulbs, and for years, Mercedes-Benz specified yellow bulbs on cars equipped with OEM fog/driving lamps. But making their use mandatory on all French roads also conveniently served as a barrier to free trade discouraging, or at least adding to, the cost of a car imported into France.
Culturally, the French were attached to the yellow appearance as a unique feature of French roads and were many in France were sad when conforming to EU regulations ended the use of yellow bulbs.
Mostly nope, though you’ve hit on some of the mythology that grew up around the issue over the decades. It’ll be the subject of a future CC Tech piece I’m working on.
Perhaps they should’ve hired ‘Bertone’, instead of ‘Bertoni’.
I wouldn’t minded a ‘Super’ wagon, but by the mid ’70s, Citroen was fed up with American-DOT regs, and pulling out of the US – not bringing more product in.
Closest I came was my ’71 Audi Super-90 wagon. It had inboard front disc brakes and a French-made Sofica Heater.
As for the yellow headlamps, for years they were mandatory in France, as they were supposedly better in fog. I read they finally eliminated that requirement.
Happy Motoring, Mark
What about the M35?
Not that ugly??
Strange, yes. Odd, peculiar, weird, yes. But not so ugly.
And yet, of all the cars Flaminio Bertoni styled (including Traction, DS, 2CV etc) this was his favourite.
Go figure. Still like it though.
Ugly or not, I can’t help but like these. The profile has a certain windswept quality to it, giving an indication of extreme speed – totally belying the 20 horsepower of the early versions.
So ugly, its cute. With its fancy lines here and there, it reminds me of a three-year-old girl trying out things from mom’s make-up case.
The white and pale yellow make it quite cheerful, even if sorta ugly. Ford needs to consider this paint scheme for the FLEX.
+1
I loved my 1959 2CV and looked for an Ami in Los Angeles, no luck .
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French cars are different because, well, apparently they *really* like to not be anyone else .
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Once you get past the decidedly not American aspect of French cars, they’re pretty darn good .
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I’ve owned Pugs too and worked in an indie Peugeot Garage in about 1972 .
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For odd looking (I don’t consider the Ami ugly) , look for a Citroen Bijou .
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-Nate
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. Given the design specifications – 4m long, seats 5, has a trunk – certainly some aspects of the design could have been made prettier, but this one makes you stop and look, and evokes some sort of emotion, and isn’t that what art should do?
By contrast, the modern Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan is the shortest sedan sold in the US today. It is 4305mm long, about a foot longer than this. Whether or not it’s prettier than the AMI6 is subjective, but it is objectively less interesting to look at.
I used to love seeing Ami of any kind when I was a kid and would visit my relatives in Germany. There were quite a few in/around the sleepy little town I visited many times.
They were so unusual compared to anything on American roads.
But alas I never rode in one.
My one cousin’s husband was/still is a Renault fan and I rode in many variations of 16-5-20-Clio etc etc.
My uncle [and his sons] were die hard Opel fans and there were many Kadetts, Asconas and Rekords to sample.
Didn’t anyone notice the nifty use of Citroën taillamp as the centre high-mounted third brake lamp in the rear windscreen?
By the way, Ami is also affectionately used in Germany for Americans for a several decades.
I would prefer an ugly car to one that is so mundane and boring. At least these were never mere appliances, bland and made to never offend. An Accord or Camry may be a better car, but you rarely remember them.
It could be the camera angle, but in the IP shot the steering wheel seems to be set almost horizontally, as on a bus. Is this really the case? How on earth did people drive these things in traffic?
Surprisingly briskly.
if you look at the picture above that one, you’ll see the actual angle of the wheel. it is relatively more horizontal than some, but that was not unusual in Europe. All the Issigonis FWD cars (Mini, etc.) had a similar angle, as well as others. These 2CV based cars had an upright and tall seating position that worked quite well with a flatter steering angle.
Thanks, Paul.
From memory a lot of Fiats had a very flat steering wheel angle, even the sportier versions like the 124 spider and coupe; it’s counterintuitive but it doesn’t hinder their use.
Concur. My Mini can be steered quite briskly, despite the bus-like steering wheel angle.
French interpretation of a Mercury Breezeway.
So French, so ugly, so delightful! I’d love to take one out for a trip for croissants and coffee on a sidewalk café. Though it is not conventionally attractive to my American eyes, I have to appreciate it, if for no other reason than it is a reminder of the era when each country’s cars had a very distinct style. American, English, French, Italian, German, Japanese. During this car’s lifetime, there was no mistaking one country’s cars for another, especially the French. Today, the differences are very subtle, except for the French, whose cars still manage to look kind of unique.
The backwards angled rear window is obviously the most distinctive and noticeable styling cue on this car. They could have at least had the decency to take advantage of the feature by having the window be able to open, like on the Mercury
I saw one of these up a side street in Osaka in 2012 – it’s no uglier and a lot more distinctive than any modern car.
Jon7190 described it as “not conventionally attractive to my American eyes”, and I think that’s fair. Ugly? No. An early 2000s Buick LeSabre looks ugly. It looks as if the designer couldn’t be bothered to make it look decent, so it looks like some sea creature that died on a beach somewhere.
The Ami *mostly* looks as if it was intended to look like that. It works.
I agree, the 2000’s LeSabre design doesn’t work very well. Which is funny because I think the same era Park Avenue is very nice looking, as is the previous generation LeSabre.
You can definitely see the 2CV bones in the Ami, but they did a good job of making it look “magnifique”. I liked J P Cavanaugh’s term Stylish Ugly. The look was definitely intentional, not accidental.
Yeah, I like the Park Avenue too. The LeSabre looks saggy.
Anyone remember AmiPro software? I’ll bet many of you use it on a day to day basis, in it successor tool format.
I designed the packaging and documentation for both (Samna) Amí and Amí Pro, up through v1.2. Heady days, as we were the first pro-grade word processor out for Windows. The UI was heavily based on Mac word processors of the day. Left for “other opportunities” after Lotus acquired Samna.
Very cool Ed! I visited Samna in Atlanta and they trained me on Ami Pro. I kept a copy of Ami Pro for the longest time until I ran out of bookshelf space. I used to love the style templates you could use for memos, training guides, etc.
The front end has the appropriately Gallic appearance of a melted cheese slice.
The hood looks like a big sheet of rolled pastry was draped over the engine and left to sag between the headlights.
I like a lot of the “quirky” French car designs, but this is just repulsively ugly with a nasty cheapness and lack of care in the details, like a Trabant.
A big smile 🙂 for this writeup! My rather eccentric father (ok, quite eccentric) bought one, I believe a ’64, in blue (one of 3 Citroens we owned, the other two being a ’63 DS19 Cabriolet [oh, did I LOVE that car] and a ’71 DS21sedan). I have foggy memories of that car as I was quite young and I don’t think we owned it for all that long. Really stood out in our lily white s.w Cleveland ‘burb of Brook Park 😀 !
I feel like this has been brought up before here on Curbside, but it bears repeating again; the fastback Ami “8” reshape is not a hatchback. Why do people persist on this myth?
You’re right, I remember the original discussion…
The Ami 8 and Ami 6 both had a nearly identical “Break” variant, with a longer roofline and a rear hatch (hinges on the roof). But the “Berline” versions did not have a hatch — the Ami 6 was a notchback and the Ami 8 a fastback.
Look at the picture of the grey Ami 6 and white Ami 8 next to each other at a petrol station. The white car is the Ami 8 saloon: short quarterlight, short roof. Those have a fixed rear windscreen; the bootlid is hinged below it, not unlike the GS or the CX.
My first (and only) exposure to one of these was in a car book in the school library. I kept coming back to stare at the photo, and just couldn’t get over the look of the thing. Nothing in the caption spoke as though there was anything unusual about its styling – obviously whatever part of the world the author came from regarded cars that looked like this one as normal! I remember thinking it didn’t have to look like that – but someone obviously thought it did. This would certainly stand out against the Dauphines and Arondes!
The older I get, the more I find myself coming to appreciate the design. Make mine a mix of the early styling and Ami Super power.
I must be really weird, between the 2CV and ID/DS I actually would call the Ami the least ugly.
This is the first time I’ve seen one of these in a picture that wasn’t period correct.
I didn’t think they were that bad but now….
They are really ugly… aren’t they?
It`s ALL in the eye of the beholder.
I would happily give a left appendage for a nice one. No boring appliance cars for me please.
Great reading Roger. Thank you.
Would someone write something on the BX19 GTi 16V. A car that I think is/was fairly common in Europe but never see in the US. Not as eccentric (actually rather conventional looking) as the Ami, 2CV, or the ID/DS models but managed to retain the “frog juice” hydraulics of it’s ancestors. I have an SM, a DS21, and 2CV Charleston and I call them my “Trifecta Imperfecta” because not one of them is in working order.
I quite like em but I’m used to french cars, though at present I dont need more.
An Ami Super hatchback fitted with a slightly tuned GSA engine (75 hp is easily attainable from those) would make a perfect everyday car.
It just occured to me… the swept back look of the Ami sedan reminds me of that ’70s cassette tape ad, who was it??? Oh yea!!! Maybe the Ami was styled using a high end HiFi and Maxell tapes 😀 !
It’s always a pleasant surprise to see yourself appear on the Book of Face in an article just for going for quick run to the Canadian Tire ( big box auto parts store)!!
My name is John MacGregor and I’m the proud owner of this 1963 Citroen Ami 6 berline, affectionately known as “Lulu”
She spent most of her life just north of Paris and was owned by a lady before being purchased by a British A-series ( 2CV/Dyane/Ami) enthusiast, who painstakingly took her all apart including the body off the chassis, and a full engine rebuild.
Her chassis was perfect, and her front floors and trunk area needed some welding. After that she was primed and painted and put back together.
He took apart the 2 cylinder early 602cc engine and replaced the two pistons, only to find minimal wear, so it’s believed LULU only really does has 57,000 Km on her from new.
I purchased the car in the fall of 2016, after being told by many that the 1963 Ami 6 that I had and had been gathering parts for was beyond salvageable due to extensive rust of the body….
Lulu arrived in November 2016 and was serviced by Citroen specialist Lionel Hondier who is our beloved Citroen AutoClub Canada local mechanic and keeps all of our babies running smoothly and on the road.
I am part of Citroen AutoClub Canada here in Vancouver, BC, and we do car events throughout the year.
If you like French cars in general, or like seeing something that is not a Toyota or Hyundai, you should come to our Italian-French Car Show, held every year on Father’s Day Sunday (this year June 18th) at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver BC.
Last year, we achieved over 50 French vehicles, and I’m aiming higher this year with a goal of 60!!
Lulu is one of 10 Citroens I own in Vancouver’s Yaletown. I also have a Traction Avant, Dyane, 2CV, and several D series ( DS) cars both restored and unrestored.
I always loved the Ami 6 since a kid. The reverse rake window and the funny front really do it for me. The wagon version just doesn’t have the same magic, and neither does the Ami8.
Thank you for the nice and detailed article. I’ll share it on our Facebook group “Citroens of Cascadia” 🙂
Citroenthusiastically yours
Johnny Mac
Citroen AutoClub Canada
Events Coordinator
:>
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Hi Johnny,
thanks for sharing the history of your car – it was clear from the photos that it was a very well cared for example, and I was puzzled how it got to Canada.
And I’m glad you enjoyed the piece too – these cars evoke a lot of differing opinions but so many admire them in many ways it is always enjoyable to share them.
Just so French, and that is a good thing.
Several DS? You are a very lucky man.Please, tell us more about them on CC!
Hi John;
I am glad I always go back and re-read the comments after I add one. It just gave me a reminder of why you should always think before making a flip comment such as I did about your car.
My apologies. your pride in your car is obvious and it made me realize I didn’t follow one of the golden rules of CC. ALWAYS be respectful.
Sorry again, Bill.
Hi Bill!
No problem and no offense taken. Ami 6’s are definitely an odd looking car, and yes, they are ugly to many. But so again is the Citroen 2CV…affectionately known as the ugly duckling!
I grew up with my dad having a 1967 Citroen DS since 1970. I’m used to people saying his car was ugly, and apparently I still loved it so much I now have so many Citroens in my collection, go to events around the world, and most importantly have met a wonderful kind group of people globally who also share my passion and are unique, forward thinking, kind people. Not a bad deal for just owning a car. 🙂 >>
I am proud to say that my first car was an Ami 8, estate version, in the UK in 1979. I loved that car. Going downhill, with a brisk following wind, top speed hovered at around a rather hair-raising 80 mph. Uphill was a different matter entirely, but fun all the same.
I’ve always loved these cars, but then my first car was an AMC Pacer which was followed by a VW Thing if that says anything about me…LOL What always amazed me about Citroen cars of this era was how primitive their interiors and their manufacturing was for pretty much any model below the DS. The 2CV, the Ami, Dyane, mehari, all looked more like kit cars than something coming out of a modern factory. I think my favorite is the Dyane, I love how it looks like a 2CV when it grew up.
Dyane you say? Well it turns out LULU sleeps with one every night! I can fit the Ami 6 and the Dyane 6 in one parking spot in my building…..and the Strata Council even like these cars so much they haven’t even made a complaint! Amazing eh! 🙂 >>
Ahhh, I’m so jealous. One day I hope to have a french blue Dyane 6 in my parking spot. You have a beautiful girl, that LULU.
Loved reading through these posts. I worked on most of the models mentioned here and have the bad back to prove it (lifting 2CV engines in and out over the years.!!)
If any of you would like to come and see LULU in person, or any of my other Citroens, we will be holding Bastille Day Vancouver 2017 at Roundhouse Community Centre on Friday July 14th in the afternoon and evening. Come on down for some great French cuisine, culture, and of course, CARS! 🙂 >>
http://www.bastilledayfestival.ca/
Here’s the link for more info. There are also some displays from the last couple of years!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hys7SXb_s3g
We will do a “Tour de Ville” leaving the Roundhouse around 530 pm, and then a nice drive along Beach Avenue, and then around Stanley Park and back! 🙂
I almost forgot! I have added some touches to this 1963 Ami 6 and here is the result!
Tres Magnifique ! (SP) .
-Nate
vive la différence
Well, there ARE uglier. Think 61` Rambler Ambassador front cip.
I have always been a fan. To me the design is a statement: “It suits me and I really don’t care what your opinion is”.
Being a 2CV owner I do know a couple of people who own Amis and I have been tempted myself over the years, but I have never succumbed. Mechanically they are as easy as 2CVs but I believe body and trim parts are more difficult. If I did get one it would be almost exactly like this one. It is perfect. It has the European headlights that I prefer and the later Ami 8 is a bit too sleek.
Well, here’s a twist on my Ami 6 “Lulu” It’s an Ami 6 “USA”! “Ziva is from Santa Monica and was purchased new in 1965. She is fully restored to a standard even higher than Lulu was and is a wonderful car, and 12 volts instead of 6 volts. At the time the US Government rule makers made all kinds of requests…no demands…..to allow these into the US market. So round headlights, front turn signals that protrude instead of integral to the body, bumper overriders ( about as solid as a garden hose!), speedometer in mph, and it must have a rheostat! ( that guy got a gold star in the office I think!)
Not weird, just ahead of its time. These days all cars look that bad. Look at the Ami Supers then the Yaris Cross. Does that headlights/grille combo look familiar?
Your friend is still alive …L’Ami est encore vivante sous la forme d’Ami ”2” électrique . Porte gauche / droite interchangeable ainsi que le facies avant et arrière .