1982 Renault Le Car
The bland Le Car from Renault-owned AMC dotted US roadways for a time in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. But French cars never caught on in America. The number of proper French luxury cars on our shores was always negligible.
That’s a shame. The smooth and easy ride quality of a car like this 1979 Citroën CX, recently offered on eBay, is reminiscent of the pillowy ride found on American luxury cars of the ’70s.
Hydropneumatique? Magnifique!
The killer app of a large Citroën is the hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension. Built for the war-torn roads of France beginning in the 1950s, the unique hydraulic suspension allows the car’s body to remain virtually level at all times—no matter what potholes or bomb craters the wheels encounter.
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The CX model was meant to replace the iconic Citroën DS model, a tough act to follow. Citroën initially tried to develop a Wankel-style rotary engine for the CX. But plans for the Wankel fell apart due to the 1973 oil embargo. Rotary engines burn more fuel and have higher emissions. So instead, the French automaker used a compact transverse four-cylinder engine that fits into the car’s small engine bay.
Read this: The Weirdest Oddball Car Engines of All Time
The CX, which debuted in 1974, was offered until 1991.
La Marseillaise on the Thames
This 1979 CX is a rare right-hand-drive example. The car recently offered on eBay was used by the French embassy in the UK. Diplomats need a posh ride, and this long-wheelbase Prestige model provides limousine-like rear legroom.
Slide into the well-padded driver’s seat to enter a different world. While well-appointed, the interior lacks leather upholstery. Nonetheless, the tan cloth and deep-pile carpets are in good shape.
The single-spoke steering wheel is covered with an aftermarket leather wrap, one of the few deviations from stock. While your left hand will find a manual-style gear lever, only two pedals are on the floor.
Citroën, recovering from bankruptcy in 1974 (partially due to the failed rotary engine), hadn’t developed an automatic transmission for the CX. Instead, a semi-automatic transmission uses hydraulics to automatically operate the clutch while the driver shifts the lever. Citroën used the unusual setup until 1980.
The Citroën CX Is a Rare Sight Here
Citroën created the CX with the US in mind. But the hydropneumatic suspension—integral to the design—did not comply with US safety laws introduced in 1974. New bumper-height laws outlawed a height-adjustable suspension.
A few private importers reworked the CX for sale here in the US through the 1980s, but they were too odd (and French) to catch on.
That’s unfortunate. This low, long, lithe tourer is a brilliant piece of French technology, and its design was ideal for laid-back American drivers. But in a case of déjà vu, the Citroën CX is back via the collector market, in which rarity and oddity add to the car’s intrigue. Unfortunately, very few of these splendid vehicles survived the last-century import gray market. But the Gallic greatness of this 1979 Citroën CX somehow survived its time in London and an overseas journey to the US.
