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The spotted specimen

The other day, we had our first taste of the new DS N°8. You can read how we liked that car here. During the test drive in beautiful Switzerland, we came across one of its relatives from the past: a beautiful Citroën GSA Club Break. Both gray, both with a sloping roofline (well, in the case of the spotted Break that’s not so bad), time for a quick photo stop.

The Citroën GS(A)

The Citroën GSA began its career as the Citroën GS. It entered the market in 1970. At the time, Citroën still had a fairly limited model lineup and the GS was a welcome addition. It filled the gap between the inexpensive 2CV and Ami and the luxury ID/DS models. An important market segment that Citroën had ignored for too long.

However, the Citroën GS impressed immediately, first of all with its distinctive but beautiful design, which was also very aerodynamic. Also, thanks to its hydropneumatic suspension, the car delivered above-average driving comfort, especially for this segment. Other technology and safety were also at a high level for the time. No wonder the car was named 1971 Car of the Year.

Variants of the Citroën GS

The GS was available as a four-door sedan with sharply sloping roofline and as a more conventional five-door station wagon, the Break. A two-door version of the latter also existed for the commercial vehicle market. A coupe and three-door hatchback variant did not make it to the production stage.

Interior of the Citroën GS

The interior was perhaps even more idiosyncratic than the exterior. The modern-lined dashboard and the steering wheel with only one spoke were still reminiscent of the already familiar ID/DS, but the instrumentation was much more futuristic. At the speedometer, the needle was stationary, while the numbers slid horizontally behind it like a scale (later replaced by a conventional speedometer). The radio sat low in the center console, between the front seats. Because the spare tire was stored in the engine compartment, the luggage space was above average.

Facelift: GS becomes GSA

After nearly a decade, the Citroën GS was still too popular to completely replace the car with a new model. So it remained with an extensive facelift. In the process, the name did change from GS to GSA. According to the latest car fashion, the Citroën received larger plastic bumpers. Also, thanks to a larger tailgate, the sedan became a liftback. The dashboard became even more futuristic, with a partially digital instrument cluster and even a technical drawing of the car. On it, indicator lights directly indicated where in the car the relevant problem was located. Several buttons moved to satellites next to the steering wheel, so you could operate those functions without letting go of the wheel.

Citroen GS(A) is sales success

The Citroën GSA, in turn, lasted through 1986 (and until 1990 outside Europe). As many as 2.5 million examples of the GS and GSA combined were produced. The GSA was succeeded by the larger Citroën BX, which had been sold alongside the GSA since 1982. A truly direct successor to the GSA waited until 1991, until the arrival of the Citroën ZX.