1971 Citroen Ami

Citroën Ami (Saloon/Estate), 1961-1978

The Citroën Ami was in production from 1961 until 1978. Styled in house by Flaminio Bertoni, it is a front-engine, front wheel drive saloon and estate range seating five adults.

The Citroën range of the late 1950s was somewhat extreme in its opposing market positions - the 2CV, known by many as a wheeled umbrella, shared showroom space with the large and expensive ID and DS models. For the average lower middle class French family there was nothing; ceding the market space to rivals Peugeot, Renault and Panhard. Citroën had to do something - and it was deemed that a more upmarket and more powerful car based on 2CV componentry would be the answer. That car was the Ami 6 of 1961 - sculpted by Flaminio Bertoni, its unorthodox styling may have divided opinion but it proved to be exactly what the market had needed. The Ami 8 of 1969 addressed market uncertainties about the styling with a rather more conversative appearance, though under the skin the car remained as before and it continued the Ami's stint as France's best-selling car.

The Ami 8 brought a new dashboard, and its £699 price tag in 1970 made the Mini 1000 look expensive at £723. Unfortunately, bewildering brochures and the feeling that the car was just an upmarket 2CV stymied its chances of success in the UK. It was replaced with the Peugeot-based Visa of 1978. But before it could cease production, the Ami range had a final ace. The original 1015cc engine fitted to the GS model was deemed too small, and when the 1220 was unveiled Citroën had a surplus of 1015cc flat fours. The natural solution was to fit them into the Ami, creating the Ami Super in the process. Identified by small vents under the grille, the Ami Super was arguably the most popular Ami in the UK - competing with the Allegro 1100 on size and price, but not on performance. Ami Supers were built for just four years, from 1972-1976.

Competitors include the 2CV and Dyane of course, alongside the Renault 4, the Mini and the Hillman Imp. Cars like the Austin Allegro might have been considered rivals during the 1970s, but customers looking at the Ami Super found it had no real rivals. Today, you might look at a Citroën Visa as repeat Ami customers would in 1978, but charming as a Visa is it is unlikely to appeal to the sort of A-type devotee who would crave an Ami today.