Let me get this out of the way for those that don’t know already; I love oddball cars. I am instantly drawn towards the weird, wacky and wonderful automobiles that defy common assumptions and conventions of what a car should be. The Ami 6 is just that sort of car. This scaled size classic is very nicely detailed and captures the Ami 6 essence rather well.
In the late 1950s Citroen had the bottom end of the market well covered with their excellent and economical 2CV. The higher end was also well serviced with the fabulous ID/DS. If you wanted to move up market from the 2CV but couldn’t quite stretch your budget to an ID then Citroen had nothing to offer you. Drawing heavily on existing components (2CV mechanical bits and a few ID/DS interior bits) Citroen came up with the Ami 6 or 3CV as it was known on the home market.
The styling is, in a word, unique. With a face perhaps only a mother could love the Ami 6, along with the also new for 1961 Ford Taunus 17M, pioneered the use of square headlamps. Except in North America where we sadly got a set of round sealed beams instead due to restrictive lighting regulations. Around the back the reverse rake rear window is immediately obvious. While it had been seen before on the “Breezeway” Fords as well as the British Anglia here it played a somewhat practical role as the rear trunk could be secured open to the top of the window frame (but not on this smaller version).
The interior had its share of interesting features as well. The DS sourced single spoke steering wheel gives it Citroen character. The gear shifter is an umbrella type bent rod and gives it an unmistakable French character. The interior on this model is nicely detailed right down to the instrument binnacle.
The 1:1 scale Ami 6 cars were powered by a 22hp air cooled two cylinder engine sourced from, like most of the mechanical bits, the 2CV. While 22hp seems laughable it is actually more than the 2CV thanks to a useful displacement increase to 602cc. The spare tire stored under the hood is a feature shared with more than a few other quirky cars.
The model itself is by a company called Norev which was formed in 1946 by two brothers in France. Their last name was Veron which was reversed to get the company name. I hadn’t previously heard of them but they offer a massive range of Citroen models as well as various other, mostly European, cars. This particular one is a 1964 Citroen Ami 6 in Typhon Grey at 1/18 scale.
Here’s a French bulldog of a car!We had an exchange French teacher with one of these when I was at school.
The side view is dashing, and the reverse rake rear window makes for rear seat headroom and a full-size trunk lid. But oh my goddess that hideous face.
This French Photoshopper has made some nice improvements.
This is totally within the spirit of Bonneville. I hope to see it there this year.
Ami’s swept-back eyebrows remind me of the ’57-58 Plymouth. A grille like that would make the Ami a sharp-looking car. Any of you Photoshop artists game to try it?
I like your taste in cars David unusual is great. Ive not seen many of these. European cars attracted more duty than British so small French cars of the time cost far more than their British counterpart and subsequently are quite rare. Thousands of 105E Anglias sold here though and a few Consul Classics were sold here so the reverse rake window is very familiar. Common practice here for racing Anglias was to fastback them for better aerodynamics removing the wrong way window.
One of my favorite scale collectibles are of Citroens, particularly 2CVs. Sitting here at my computer I have an unobstructed view of three 2CVs, and one Citroen truck, all 1/43, all by different makers. I’ve got more Citroens tucked away in storage, as well as some of the Ami 6s. As an aspiring car designer in the 1960s, I was totally perplexed by the Ami 6. What inspiration did the designer have? Large sheets of soft dough that could be draped on a form to see what would happen? Only the French could have created a car such as this, and I say that in admiration.
I had to Google for a look at the verision with the quad sealed beams – I’ve never come across that before and I wasn’t aware these were ever available in North America. Regardless, IMHO the ugliest mass production car ever.
I’m quite fond of the eccentric design of other Citroens (the CX was one of my favorite cars in the 70s) but I have to say the Ami 6 is the ugliest car in history.
It’s so ugly it’s cute like a French bulldog or a pug
I don’t recall ever seeing one in the flesh, but I certainly remember the Ami 6 as a featured character in my Tintin books.
A perfect cartoon car, then.
And I just found a Miniature CC version that even comes with a miniature ‘Professeur Tournesol’. (‘Professor Calculus’ in English, I believe.) Even the plate number matches!
I remember being fascinated by these (or their 1:1 scale counterparts) as a kid on familiy vacations to the south of France in the eighties. They were both so unbelievably ugly and at the same time so… so… improbable. But quintessentially French. Anyway, they sure stand out, and that’s probably a good thing. I remember there was a wagon version too which didn’t look quite as wild though (more conventional rear).
They had an article on the head designer of these things in “Oldtimer Markt” recently, a German enthusiast magazine. Don’t remember the name or much of the details, but what stuck in my head was that he didn’t think they were odd-looking at all. A face only a father could love?
A friend of mine has one of these. I actually have a little photo gallery of it here: http://j-karr.com/auto/ami6.php
It’s really quite comfortable and riding in it feels kind of… drunken. It’s lovely.
Everything about this car is weird , even the sound of the engine which is the same one in the 2cv. I can still hear the sound of those Citroens buzzing around European camp grounds, looking for a perfect tent spot.