With it being below freezing outside my window right now with snow all over the place, I thought it the perfect time to remember the walk I took around Antibes-Juan-Les-Pins in the South of France this summer while my family was at the beach. I was sunburned enough so decided to get some exercise.
The first car I saw after finally finding a parking space was this delightful Citroen AX (above), with apparently a 1.0 liter engine. Note the trailer hitch, I guarantee this guy hauls more stuff than the average F-150 back in the States…
Next up is a first-generation Opel Corsa, the hatchback version of what I believe Perry recently called the saddest-looking sedan in the world. The Southern French sun has not been kind to the paint aft of the front clip. Nothing like fender blisters to try to convey sporting intent, a la Audi Quattro and later the E30 BMW M3.
I’m no Land Rover expert, all I know is that this one looked magnificent in its desert khaki color. It was fairly immaculate but I have no idea if it is a recent version or an older one. I’m sure some of you out there can educate us on how to tell its age.
This one’s for Paul, a very well kept Ford Transit chassis with full motorhome on the back. It’s got a very American look to it, the Europeans tend to do the trailer thing more than the motorhome concept. What do these things usually have engine-wise, something like a 2-liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder?
Here’s a delightful side by side shot of a late-model 190E right next to its successor, an early C-Class in the same color, no less. The 190 even has alloys, the C-class has lost its hubcaps and looks all the sadder for it. While I don’t dislike the lines of the C-Class, the 190 is the more “classic” shape with tons more character.
And just around the corner is this attractive Citroen Xantia. I remember when these debuted, I thought the shape quite fetching and I think it has aged very well. I’m not sure if the cranberry metallic color is doing it any favors but it beats white or silver I suppose. Wikipedia considers this a “large” car, I think the only Americans that would consider this “large” are the ones that are in charge of car-rental companies and are tasked with assigning the car to a size class that never seems to match up to reality.
Ooh, what do we have here? A magnificent whale among the minnows of the roads around here! I did not expect to see any W126 chassis around here and was excited to see this. I love the smaller European bumpers, the headlights and of course that oh-so-80’s touch, the headlight wipers. Let’s walk around the back and see which engine it appears to have if it isn’t debadged…but first take note of the creative parking across the street, that’s going to be tough to get back out of.
Ooh-la-la, it is the grande fromage, the 560SEL in all its gasoline powered V8 splendor. With a thirst to match, it’s not surprising I saw this several times over the week we were there, always in the same spot, never having moved. Basically all you do in the summer in the South of France is idle in constant traffic forever, at around $10/gallon for gasoline, there are much more efficient ways to get around than this.
I couldn’t believe I found an Isuzu Amigo and then realized I hadn’t, this is an Opel Frontera Sport, basically the same thing as the Amigo with new badges, one of GM’s attempts to use its relationships to fill out gaps in the local offerings. Our Amigo only came with a cloth rear top as far as I know, this halfshell is interesting. Sadly, this is about as far off-road as it is likely to go.
Here’s a great example of Europe’s version of the pickup truck, the white van. In this case a Ford Transit of a more recent vintage than the one we saw fronting the motorhome a few blocks away. Large windows, a tall roof, and an aerodynamic design makes anyone who has seen these be amazed at the antiquated offerings that were on sale in the U.S. until recently.
Here it is from the rear, look at that very squared off back end. I’m sure it would have no problem carrying the metric equivalent of our 4×8 sheet of plywood, once all the seats are taken out of course. I didn’t look but believe it seats 8 or perhaps 10, and am fairly certain there were longer wheelbase versions available as well.
And then we have this bit of teal green zoom-zoom. Yes it is a Mazda 121, the successor to the older version that we in the States know as the Ford Festiva.
Finally, an Alfa! And not just any Alfa, but an Alfa Romeo 159 WAGON! Apparently on holiday from its Belgian home, this thing is simply gorgeous.
You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging without a frontal shot, did you? The picture makes the front look a little longer than it really is, but I love the way the grille forces you to put the plate to the side. Form over function. I have also always liked the way there appear to be three headlights on either side but believe the inside one is the turn signal. Looks great, though.
Well, hello, here is a third generation Ford Fiesta in lovely (if dirty) condition. Like the Golf, the Fiesta has generally stayed very recognizable over its generations with very evolutionary styling.
My favorite part of the whole design is the way in which the rear taillight is integrated with A) the hatch cutline and B) the character line along the flank. Very nice bit of design in my opinion.
While this looks similar to a Renault Espace, it isn’t. Instead it is the Citroen Evasion, a competitor with, if anything, an even better name. With Czech registration, the large driving lights suggest long drives late at night across Europe to get to the beach. I have no idea what the deal is with the shark or whatever fish it is sticker on the front, that appears to be another owner-installed accessory. Europe had more than just the Espace to choose from in regards to minivans, the Evasion was built in conjunction with the Peugeot 806, Lancia Zeta and Fiat Ulysse, all of which were produced in the same factory.
Minivans are just more fun in red. I think the only red (really red, not dark red metallic) minivan ever on sale in the U.S. were the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan, right? I do not recall the Japanese ever offering one.
Somehow the CC effect struck while I was on my walk. I never expected to see ANOTHER Opel Frontera, also in black. That is quite the extension on the hitch to clear the spare tire. It has the same rear topper as the other one, is the rear hatch side-hinged or is the handle on the right only due to the spare? I can’t quite work out how the back opens with the spare and the apparently frameless rear glass along with the side-mounted handle.
I believe this is the same as what our own KiwiBryce drives, no? A Citroen Xsara. Or do I have that wrong? According to him, these are apparently one of the best-handling cars available anywhere. I’m sure it rides very well also, that wheelbase looks quite long relative to the length of the car.
Yes, the French got these too, the Chevrolet Aveo. Actually I saw them in surprising quantity and was baffled. They are pretty much universally derided and with France pretty much being Super-Mini heaven, how do these get sold there? Not really a CC, I know, but an unexpected find. In front of it is the car I really should have photographed, it’s a Dacia Sandero.
Oui, monsieur, un Citroen XM avec V6! In black! Straight out of Ronin, this is about as French as it gets.
The front (as opposed to the side) view is much more conventional looking, bordering on boring, really.
The rear is definitely more interesting than the front. Note the rear sunshades, there is a lot of glass on this car, along with it being black, I’m sure it’s quite an oven in there. Parked right in front is an early Audi A3 3-door.
Hey, a Renault Medallion! Oops, no, over here in France that’s a Renault 21 Wagon. It’s certainly seen better days, and probably a lot of rough nights.
He’s certainly using a lot of padlocks on his safety chains (3 visible). But the chain is hanging way too low. Also, what’s the deal with that shock-looking thing in front of the trailer wheel? I don’t get it. That’s a nice little locking trailer though.
This here is one of my all-time favorite Ford designs. A Ford Escort XR3i, I think it’s an early one judging by the wheels. It looks so right. Close to the American version, but better executed. I think it’s the black trim that I like. And maybe the tight little bumpers.
Look at that rear! The lights look great, and that is a fairly large rear rubber spoiler, one of Ford’s larger ones until that huge double-decker debuted on the Sierra XR4i a few years later. The white paint really shows off the contract to full effect and the font on the logo stickers is very well done as well.
Oh look, the spoiler kind of IS a double-decker as well! These were all over the place in the 80’s, along with the Golf GTI and the Peugeot 205GTI, they kind of formed the hot hatch triumvirate.
Yes, I’m kind of dwelling on this one. It’s my walk, it’s very hot outside, I don’t have a drink with me, and I’m geeking out over this car. The one thing it is missing that I always associate with XR3’s are the large round driving lights mounted above the bumper (Kind of like on the Citroen van we saw earlier). I thought they were part of the package but maybe not or they were removed at some point over the last thirty years.
Hey, a Renault 5, the supercinq! Very similar to the one I saw for sale at the supermarket. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/used-car-classique-peugeot-205-vs-renault-supercinq/
You don’t see many of the black plates in France anymore, especially on cars this (relatively) new. Another hitch for towing a camper or utility trailer…
Of course as soon as I say something about the black plates, here is another one…This time on an early Renault Trafic van. This one sports the high roof but looks to be a short wheelbase version. Well used, but probably lots of life left in it.
Not very pretty, is it? Very utilitarian and still somehow very French. That whole front end is a bit of a dog’s breakfast, very much function over form.
Oh, a Honda Prelude, the only one I saw on the entire vacation. Come to think of it, I rarely see them at home anymore either. This is a post-facelift version, and as with most Hondas, I severely dislike the “improvements” that come with the mid-cycle refresh. Visually the pre-facelift version works much better for me. There is one other thing about this that makes it even more rare…
Yes, it is one of the quite rare 4-wheel-steering versions.
And then I stumbled on this, an early Rav4 2-door. Like the Rodeo (Frontera) I believe in the U.S. we only got a cloth top and back end, but here it is a solid roof with a fiberglass (or plastic) rear topper. Those wheels mark it as a top of the line model, but wow, that thing has a short wheelbase. I suppose for running around town here it’s fine but I wouldn’t want to drive it for a long trip to Paris.
Towards the end of the walk I stumbled on this Ford Sierra. I think the large rear side window marks it as a later model. It looks fairly plain and these are somewhat rare as 2-doors but I know NZSkyliner will like it…
Hey, it’s actually an XR4i! I didn’t realize these looked a bit more watered down as the model run went on. When I think XR4i I think of the larger spoiler, bigger wheels and contrasting body/bumper paint with a stripe, more like our Merkur XR4Ti.
Well, that concludes my walk, time to go back to the beach to pick up the family. I hope you enjoyed the sunshine and the sights!
We in the US did indeed get the 2 door hardtop RAV4, and it actually has a full solid steel roof, not a topper over the back. You could get them with dual removable metal sunroofs that would store in the rear door. There is a second generation RAV4 2 door in the Opel Corsa photo parked in front of it (that one we didn’t get).
Also, the Citroen Evasion is not a rebadged Espace, but rather part of the “eurovan” family including the Fiat Ulysse, Lancia Zeta, and Peugeot 806.
Thank re: the Evasion, text has been updated. For some reason I just assumed it was the same, duh. Now I realize that the Evasion was one of four totally other nameplates, all built together in one factory.
Yep, the Evasion and its brothers were all part of the Sevel joint venture. Sevelnord, where it came from, also produced vans on the same basis as the Eurovans, and hence, the Sevelnord MPVs were a lot more van-like than the Espace.
All of them are pretty thin on the ground here in NW Europe since they’re fairly old, but just yesterday I spotted the rarest of them all just around the corner: the Lancia Zeta. The CC effect works even here!
Nice find! I thought I was seeing things when I saw a Chrysler Town and Country badged as a Lancia Minivan over the summer as well, but apparently there is precedent! I just don’t think of Lancia when I think minivan. Although I guess I should, the MegaGamma concept really was a mini-minivan study.
Great Jim, there’s almost too much to look at !
That Ford Transit motorhome is a 1978-1986 Mk2. They were available with several gasoline engines back then, but I’ve only seen that gen with a naturally aspirated inline 4 diesel, 2.5 liter displacement. Later on that engine got direct injection.
The Citroen Evasion is not based on the Renault Espace . Instead it was a joint project with Peugeot and Fiat called the U3 project.
The vans were called the Peugeot 806, Fiat Ullyse (Useless),Lancia Zeta and the aforementioned Evasion.
Ironically Matra offered the Espace concept to both Citroen,based on the BX(Projet P20), and Peugeot(Projet P18) unknown base.Then they offered it to Renault and the rest is history.
Great stuff, it reminds me of all of those CAR magazines I read in the 80s and 90s.
Help me with my ignorance, what is the European perception of Ford – domestic, foreign or somewhere in between? If I’m being too general with “European”, what is the perception by country or region.
You have to remember that Ford used to have separate operations and model ranges in UK, Germany etc. Growing up in the UK in the 80s, Ford was the biggest seller and was essentially considered British, although I think most people would know it was American owned. They have built cars in England since the Model T and had unique British models since the 30s. I think there is a similar perception in Australia, having lived there. I would be surprised if anyone in Germany considers it German but I’ve no idea.
You are definitely being too general 🙂 . I really don’t think there is such a thing as a “European perception”.
German perception of Ford is definitely less nationalistic than it is in the UK, although still sufficiently German to be used in great numbers by the police and other fleets that almost exclusively Buy German. The lines get very blurry anyway, its European cars are mostly designed in Germany, built in Belgium/Germany/UK/Spain/Romania/Turkey/Russia, and if they are seen as American, then only because of the name. Compare Opel/Vauxhall, although owned by GM since the ’30s, but not American.
Ford don’t build cars in the UK any more, though they do have engine plants here. The former Ford Escort Halewood (Merseyside) factory is now Jaguar Land Rover. Never seen an XR4i like that in the UK; there’s normally a division in the rear window. The plain 2-door hatch style was used for some base models early on, soon dropped, but briefly revived for the Ford Cosworth, though later ones of those were five-door and saloons.
The Land Rover Defender is a recent 2012 model with the raised bonnet top for the Euro V compliant diesel engines.
The ‘fast front’ Transit is a low roof, short wheelbase 1995 (oval grille) model. There were three roof heights and three body lengths up to the LWB Hi-cube model, plus chassis cabs as well. Most had two rear hinged doors, but the rarest are probably the medium height roof van with tailgate. The only ones of these I’ve seen were in London Transport service (not as buses!).
The European perception of Ford is domestic, just like GM’s Opel. In my youth (the seventies) we always called Ford a German car, since ours were built in Cologne. Cars like the Fiesta and Taunus of course, not the Mustang…
That XM is unbelievably clean. Love it!
The Transit camper probably would have a 2 litre Ford petrol or a 2.5 normally aspirated Peugeot diesel. The other Transit you photographed almost certainly will have the Peugeot Indenor. I think the earlier ones (ie 1970s) had a Perkins diesel. SWB Transit minibus generally has nine seats, there is a posher one which only has eight.
I can’t speak for France, but Chevrolets in the UK sell through ex Daewoo dealers, and sometimes dealers whose roots go back to Yugo or Lada and operate on the same “we’ll give crippling finance to anyone!” basis they always did. They aren’t necessarily going toe to toe with Vauxhall/Opel or Renault etc.
The Ford York diesel came from Peugeot ?
No, but didn’t the later Transits have the 2.5 Peugeot diesel, or was that only used in the Granada/Scorpio? I always just assumed they used the same engine. If not, I wonder why they felt the need to have two different units of similar capacity. The Ford engine wasn’t refined enough for car use? I don’t remember the Granada engine being particularly refined.
Tonito, I remember driving a Transit Mk3 (the first Transit with the sloping front) in the late eighties and it had the 2.5 liter DI York diesel.
Back then it was powerful and pretty fast for a diesel van but it was also rather loud. A pure workhorse diesel, so as you say it might be not refined enough for a Granada / Scorpio. Ford’s European car top model.
Peugeot diesels (non-turbo and turbo, both 2.5 liter) were in the Granada / Scorpio and were later replaced by 2.5 liter VM Motori turbo diesels. But IMO a 4 cylinder diesel with that kind of displacement can never be refined enough to be under the hood of an E-segment car, certainly not 30 years ago.
Yeah, I also had a sloping front Transit as a works vehicle and laboured under the misapprehension that it was Peugeot powered. D’oh!
It was a great truck though, rusty but felt unstoppable.
Speaking of the 1986 Ford Transit Mk3 with its sloping front, this must be one of the biggest back then. Long wheelbase, high roof, dual rear tires.
Throw a few mattresses in the cargo compartment and there’s your fully-blinded integral motorhome.
Strange, that Escort XR3i Mk3 seems to have the full-plastic front and rear bumpers of a late eighties Mk4.
Ford Escort XR3i Mk3.
A rare sighting of a once common car.British XR3s had a short and brutal life,thrashed to death or wrapped around a lamppost.
What I remember from the seventies and eighties is the wide range of sporty and fast models that Ford and Opel offered throughout all those years. Even sedans (Opel Ascona B).
Often with fuel injection, magic words for us young guys !
That Escort reminds me of the biggest styling flaw of the ’81 US version: its thick B-pillar covered in aluminum trim, per Toyota Celica. I wanted to pull that off to at least get it back to body color, but feared what would have to be cleaned up underneath.
It also had a huge dash, no doubt an attempt to soften the blow for barge-oriented buyers. Overall I’d say it was underengineered, made me wish I got a Mazda GLC (323) instead. Handling improved once I replaced its bargy struts.
At the introduction of the 1981 Escort Mk3 its most powerful engine was the 96 hp 1.6 liter CVH engine. More than enough, since these cars weighed around 2,000 lbs or less. Of course you filled it up with leaded premium gas, 35 years ago.
I guess it’s the same engine as in the USA Ford Escort SS as presented on CC the other day. The difference in power (96 vs 69 hp) due to smog regulations and -equipment ?
Must be. BTW, the 1.3 CVH was mentioned in early PR but was deleted by the time they hit the showrooms, no wonder given how much the pollution controls derated the 1.6. Maybe someone can shed more light on how this occurred.
The Escort got the same treatment as the earlier Omnirizon: a Michigan makeover. I think the Escort suffered more.
I wish the Escorts we got “over here” were more like the Euro ones, at least in the engine compartment. I had an 84 EXP (think “2-door Escort minus the back seat”) and the 1.6 engine was a total dog. A friend had a 2.2 Horizon that felt easily twice as fast, and don’t even bother comparing it to an Asian import-the Prelude I got after the EXP felt like a race-car. Oh, and the EXP engine blew head gaskets repeatedly, warping the head twice, and then the timing belt broke bending all the valves. Of course I got the head gasket recall notice AFTER I junked the car…
The Escorts of this era look really clean and well styled, though and the interior of my EXP was very comfortable, even if it was hard to see out the back.
Great collection! There are a number of those cars I’d very happily drive every single day.
That Citroen is in fact a Xsara, and when its very similar looking predecessor, the ZX, debuted, it was indeed praised for its excellent handling. The press called the ZX a surprisingly mainstream design for Citroen but lauded it for its combination of great handling and ride, while dismissing the barely-changed Xsara as incredibly dull. I don’t know what’s dull about a car with nearly class-leading dynamics; who cares about grey plastic and generic looks when using the gas pedal to adjust the cornering angle while feeling bumps register through the front wheels and into your fingertips? I’d easily choose one over a Mk3 or Mk4 Golf.
Also, I never thought the C-class unattractive, but next to the W201, it’s surprising how much better its forebear’s styling was. The C-class was a 190 with better engines, a passenger airbag, and a slightly melted styling theme. What a disappointing car.
And good going finding an early Erika Escort. Now how hard would it have been to build that car over here, saving money on all the engineering?
How soon ’til another round of Francs Pour Clunkeurs takes these off the road? Is there a good Youngtimer scene in France?
Thats a later Xsara than mine I have a 98 TDI Irish motoring writers voted the Xsara car of the year so not everyone ignored them Sebatian loeb got his first WRC crown in the 98 model, the changes from the ZX were mostly to tone down the rear wheel steering its known to scare people as it will suddenly forklift you around a sharp corner before your expecting it,
huge fun to drive too fast for the conditions
Très bien fait mon ami!
It sounds like you had a pleasant walk through Juan-les-Pins. The south of France along with Monaco is on my bucket list. Other than the sunburn, I hope it was an enjoyable vacation.
The comparison shot of the 190E and C-Class is great! I’m a big fan of the 190E, but not so much of the 1st generation C-Class. The baby S-Class look has worked well on some C-Classes, but this one never really pushed the right buttons for me.
The Citroen Xantia is also a great find. I’ve seen pictures before, but naturally have never seen one in person, as the Caribbean is the farthest from the continental U.S. I’ve travelled so far. It has great lines; too bad they never sold it here.
It looks like a trailing arm and suspension link, like the rear of a motorcyle. It just looks unusual, as the linkage is mounted on the outside of the wheel instead of on the inside. It’s a pretty simple set up, and genius in a very French way, as the linkage takes up less space this way, the shock tower would have intruded into the load area otherwise. It’s very unusal for trailers like that to even have a suspension, even less so with a trailer that small.
French cars are known for their cushy rides, so I suppose it would be consistent for their trailers as well.
Ha!
I really like that Citroen XM. To me that design is as French as Cognac, baguette, Chateau Neuf du Pape et Camembert.
I had a little black Citroen AX three door like the first pic, except it was a GTi. Very rare in Oz, mostly for good reasons, but I loved mine until the little barstard tried to kill me.
Total brake failure was not uncommon, apparently.
I think I had gotten the idea that the Xantia was bigger than that, somehow. A nice-looking car, at any rate.
Same floorpan as the 406 same rear steer setup just with hydropneumatic suspension its what I’ll change my Xsara for eventually a HDI Xantia.
Also, notice how almost all the cars are dented, in true French fashion…
+1 If you have seen how they park in Paris, you would know why black plastic bumpers were so popular. I saw a guy park in a space shorter than his car by bumping the car in front forward until he fitted!
I don’t know for sure about France, but in Italy you do not pull the parking brake for that reason.
Same in Valencia, Spain.
In other parts of the country, we also park “à la française”
Wonder why the 560 SEL is missing the front two letters of its license plate? My family had one of those Poppy/Racing Red Voyagers from Chrysler Motors and I have only seen 2nd and 3rd generation Minivans in that color. Dad and I ended up installing Hellas since it is dark in the countryside and there is a bunch of wildlife (Deer) to watch out for. Looks like someone from Czech was thinking along the same lines. Nice set of photos.
Very nice collection of CCs. Yes, I do like that Ford motorhome; I’d gladly give it a home. The European size of these suits me just fine, and the diesels get quite decent mileage.
The XR3 is a find; so clean. I see that it has the same alloys that were used on US versions too.
I’ve always found the Sierra coupe with the single rear side window a bit odd, as if they were using the same glass from the front door windows to save money. No wonder they also had the divided-window version.
The Renault Traffic found its way to the US, in the form of the Winnebago LeSharo motorhome: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1985-winnebago-lesharo-turbo-diesel-23-mpg-if-it-still-has-the-original-renault-engine/
Ah yes, I do recall the Trafic Winnebago now, thanks for the reminder!
I am fairly sure the large rear side window Sierra was from later in the model run and the divided version was from early on. The divided one is far more attractive I agree but I wonder if it made a huge blind spot?
Actually, the divided rear window style was only used on the XR4i, but only on the first series,. In 1990 a substantially decontented XR4i appeared, with a 120 hp NA four instead of the 160 hp 2.8 L V6 (we’re talking strictly Euro versions here).
The single rear window was used on all other Sierra coupes, including the Sierra Cosworth.
No Citroen Deux Cheveau ?
Love that XM. Love it love it love it. I really do with Citroen had survived over here long enough for us to get them, but we didn’t even get the CX except through an importer who federalized them. Looks fantastic in black and I actually prefer the first series, bland front styling or not. The second series had some odd (and not in a good way) details. Alfa 159 sportwagon is another very lust-worthy find.
The side-by-side C-class and 190E is a nice find as well!
REALLY nice selection there, looks like their cars last quite well. Love that XM to bits.
My dad had a Renault 21 estate, identical to that one but in blue. A really good drive, felt like a very modern car at the time. I have a feeling it would stand up well even now.
I once drove a Trafic for work. Compared to the Bedford CF2s and Transits I had been driving, it felt enormous.
The US market version of the 2-door Isuzu SUV was called the Amigo. Rodeos all had 5 doors.
The Sierra XR4i shown is an interesting car. It was sold in some markets to capitalize on the reputation of the short-lived 3 side window, biplane spoilered, V6 powered Sierra XR4i of 1983-1985. The Merkur XR4ti wasn’t so much a companion to the real XR4i as it was a continuation of a car that had been canceled in Europe. For ’86, the 3 door, rear wheel drive XR4i was replaced by the 5-door, AWD Sierra XR4x4, without bold wings or busy styling. The Sierra XR4i shown above was essentially a fake that was made by Ford. It sold in 2nd tier markets using the base Sierra’s simple hatch shell and a 118 hp 2.0 liter 8 valve 4 cylinder. It wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t distinctively styled, but it was called a Sierra XR4i by Ford.
CJ, you are absolutely correct, I was thinking Amigo the whole time and then wrote Rodeo. Sheesh. I will correct the text now. And thanks for the history of the XR4i. For a little bit I even thought it was fake, since the script on the back was a different font than they used earlier (and how the XR3’s looks). After finding more images on the web I figured it was just a running change. Interesting about the engine etc., thanks!
Funny, almost any car on those pictures can be found in a radius of 1km from my home, here in a suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark.
The only one I don’t see anymore, are the XM.
The Escort (here) isn’t an XR3i, it’s the brazilian ratteling one, it always gives me a smile on my face.
My favourites have to be the Alfa sedan and the Citroen. So sad that they can’t be had here!
The Landrover is probably a Ninety from 86-89 or a very early Defender based on the Rostyle wheels and pushbutton door handles. The white Transit is interesting because it is the generation immediately after the motorhome and full window and liftgate body is distinctly Southern European since UK and Northern European tax laws meant most of their transits had no windows and conventional doors to work with loading docks.
I don’t know about Northern Europe but similar Transits were sold in the UK, plus a whole range of different Transit minibuses. From memory available in 8,9,12,15 seater versions with differing wheelbases and roof heights.
There were “crewbus” versions available which would be illegal now – they just had side-facing benches down both sides, no seatbelts but room for more people and cargo than the ones with proper seats.
What a great trip down memory lane! Thank-you!
I remember that for the AX, Citroën made sure the all-important launch was noticed by all. The campaign was master class example on how advertising should be used to support the launch of a new model in many countries similtaneously. They utilized a highly coördinated and well thought out campaign in TV, radio, print and outdoor that cleverly used strong graphics to express a single idea exemplified using just one word nearly universal in every market (“Revolutionary!”) combined with just the right amount of exoticism, a dab of somewhat racist humour (as seen today, at least) and a series of strong graphic visual interests. The visuals even managed to subtley add-in a key Citroën USP: a superior suspension giving passengers supreme comfort over rough or cobbled roads. Above all, it possessed that very hard to isolate element of a “hook” — two Chinese peasant farmers laughing as they shout: “Revolutionnaire!” Here’s the TV spot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAsPUIEZU-g
The campaign was unsurprisingly very effective. It was shot on location on a section of the Great Wall of China. Julien Clerc was chosen to be the pop singer crooned: “J’aime! J’aime!…”. It was seen all over Europe, the Middle East, South America and Africa. The Chinese peasant’s smiles were splashed on billboards and could be found in large spreads in magazines. Most Europeans of a certain age will tell you they remember the ads, especially the peasant’s big smiles and their large, conical Asian “paddy” hats. The headline read: “Revolutionnaire!” and there was almost always the mention of the first year interest payments totalling zero. One could not fail but to notice it.
Cheap to acquire and cheap to operate, combined with a memorable ad campaign and Citroën found itself with a worthy rival to the Renault Super Cinq and Peugeot 205. In this, and in many other ways, the 1980s were a golden era for the French automobile industry.