1975 Citroen Ami Super Goes for a Drive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2022
- The Citroen Ami Super, described (by me) as France's Mini Cooper, was a muscle car in all but cc, taking a bigger engine and shoehorning it into an unlikely body, and that was a good thing.
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I bought a 1973 model Citroën ami 8 in London in 1977. My husband and I drove it all over Europe. Including Scandinavia and all the way into Moscow then out through Poland. Five months and 12000 miles later returning back to London. The most amazing car ever. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Just imagining Hubnut sitting bolt upright when this video went live.
Just what I thought... This must be even higher on the Hubnuttiness-scale than any Invacar can ever be...
Whom'st'dve summoned the *J U M B L Y O N E* ?
He’s done an Ami video and liked it. Tested a Renault 4 as a comparison too 😉
Hubnut even left his hat behind!
I bet his Fairmont AU he definitely did. Shame I would not be able to register it here in the US for another 4 years.
First car I owned, about '76 to '79, was an Ami 8 Estate (602cc twin) - pre-owned by in-laws. A great little car and so simple to work on for a novice. Rusted like crazy - as did most cars of this era - but with the bolt on wings available cheaply, that was easily fixable. Like many people, I hunted for the distributor until I finally realised it didn't have one! Duh!! The flat twin just sends the spark to both cylinders full time. My wife got the car up to an indicated 90 downhill one day when the power cut out. It turned out the contact breaker self-destructed at that speed. Simplest safety speed-limiter I've ever come across!
Only other significant problem was one morning on the way to work. Suddenly, it sounded as if World War 3 had broken out under the bonnet. On investigation, I found the centre mounting bolt for the big plastic air fan had come undone and was rattling around in the metal housing. Think a 50 pence coin in a washing machine on spin with no clothes in. 20 seconds with the socket set and I was back on the road. I loved that car. So few things to go wrong and so simple to fix.
I had one of these Ami Supers. My mum bought one second hand in around 1980. She passed it on to me after I passed my test in 1981. PEH909M was the reg.
I loved it. Went like a missile, practical, good on fuel and great for taxiing all my mates around. Reliable as well, only thing that had to be replaced on it was the alternator. Oh, and the wiper linkage broke one time while I was in Devon and was just about to drive back to Birmingham. It was pouring with rain. Stopped at a garage to borrow a few tools, managed to pull the dash far enough back to hand operate the wiper linkage! Did that all the way back to Brum while driving!! There I managed to remove the linkage and have it welded. Also remember the brakes had no servo assist, really had to stamp on that pedal!
Sadly wrote it off after falling asleep at the wheel while driving on the M5 at about 2 in the morning. Thankfully only me involved.
Great memories.
This is my kind of car. I used to have an Ami 8 Estate - not as fast as this, of course - but huge fun to drive and bursting with character.
1960s/70s I delivered warm bread from a trendy Chelsea bakery in the van version. Great fun on Hyde Park Corner, tipping it up as we went round and even scaring the odd taxi-driver!
Thanks for the memories.
I just knew you would adore the car before I pressed play. Something about this era of French basic cars, Renault 4, Peugeot 403, Panhard 17, etc... They were just a joy. They didn't bother packing the car with features and the odd luxury. It was functional and minimal, I like it. Possibly something manufactures could learn from today with the new breed of electric vehicles. Go back to basics, not everything needs a tablet on the dash, and a host of features that will never get used. If you get chance you have to drive a Citroen Bijou. Great video, loved it.
I mean, the Ami was Citroen's mid-market car. It was designed to slot between the 2CV/Dyane and the DS/SM ranges and did it well.
Modern EVs try to imitate spaceships. I agree we should be going back to basics if we want appeal to the "green" community. Simplicity is what makes cars fun and practical.
You have to give it do Dacia, that's more or less what they are doing and and without success. They market their cars precisely to people who don't want to pay for a HUD, an AI-powered digital cockpit or incredibly complex drivetrains with ridiculous power. They are basic but reliable, they are comparatively cheap and yet they make healthy profit for the Renault group.
I love Citroens from that era. My father had a GS and I also drove the 2CV, Dyane and Ami. Full of character and so much fun!
I had one! It was brilliant fun. You treat the go pedal as an on/off switch, flat to the floor or completely off. You should have openend one of the air vents, they blast you with tornado force wind. Usually with a shower of road dirt too. My favourite game was trying to see how fast I could get it to go round a roundabout before running out of steering lock. Yeah, it understeered quite a bit. Brilliant stuff Matt. Thanks for bringing back all those memories.
@zzz
I like how some older cars fall into the Hubnut class by default.
One of our lecturers at Tech College had a 602 Ami estate. We fitted a 'marked' set of points to it and then, with only adjustment allowed, let him go as long as they would function. 49,000 miles later, the points were finally changed.
Love this little car ! 1970s French cars were just so cool ! As a child I always preferred them to almost anything else - apart from an Alfasud which was my absolute favourite.
Great!! Well done. These cars, 2cv's, Diane's and ami's are all too often written off as quirky French wierdos but the engineering is exceptional and so rational when you own one. You have to perform a kind of mental phase shift because we are conditioned by conventional cars, but once done the remorseless logic of these cars falls into place. They are a joy!
Merci pour la présentation , et merci de votre respect pour cette voiture populaire qui était très confortable en fait.
La fille de l'inspecteur Barnaby roulait en 2CV , et c'était un honneur qu'elle nous rendait .
Le break pour moi était parfait , niveau de chargement du coffre très bas , intérieur soigné , très bonne tenue de route sur la neige.
Through rose coloured glasses this is to all intents a Citroen GS wagon ,
but it certainly has its own charm , never sold in Australia.....
However I must say the bonnet of the earlier Ami 6 looks like it was
hand formed on an anvil by a Bohemian glass blower with a hangover.
It would have been perfect in Mr Hulot's Mon Oncle or Traffic.
Perfect description! Always wanted an Ami 6, it's a fantastically alien looking thing
A neighbour had the Super saloon "M" reg, every time he cranked it over to start it with a roar of the cooling fan my Dad would say "Derek's starting the bomber!". I loved it, got a GSA then several BX's. You brought back some memories, including the time they bought a new rear wing and unbolted the old one and fitted the new one in a few hours on the drive
Nice I have a 1969 Ami 6 break with the four headlights and reclining seats. Luxury!
As well as owning this car i have a 1964 Ami 6 saloon which is just so soft and comfortable and a 1970 Ami 8
I had an Ami 8 and I wish I still had it. Remarkable machines!
Citroën management meeting: "Le 2CV isn't quite eccentric enough, we feel, mesdames et messieurs. What we really ought to do is restyle it so it looks REALLY weird."
Basically my first car - bright yellow 1972 Ami 8 estate. Great car [faster than a 2CV] They couldn't half rust! Same upholstery - If you took the back seat out [didn't fold] you could get a ton of stuff in! Body roll wasn't too bad - a friends Renault 5 was far worse! Even in the 602cc version the front brake pads lasted about 9000 miles [but simple to change]
Excellent review of the Ami Super, love the older European cars, the old Citroen's are a treat.
Had one when I was 21. Same colour but a saloon. Fantastic thing.
I had two of those. Great fun! In one of them I put a 1220 cm3 in, also from a GS. That was quite an impressive upgrade. At higher speeds - above 150 - the car became a bit terrifying. But normal driving was better than with the 1015 cm3. More power and more torque.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid in the mid 70's. Was a great car and the only time my dad ever bought a brand new car! Great video, brought back loads of memories.
Love the Citroën Ami. Nice rare Super. Looks good in beige. It was a really popular car as family transport in the 60s - great test 👍
Love these quirky cars! That makes this channel unique and interesting. Keep them coming Matt.
Thanks, its so different and fun!
Absolutely brilliant car. I’ve had a change to buy Amis and Renault T4s here in France but never taken the step. That Super version is something I wouldn’t mind nipping around in.
YES 👍👍👍👍👍👍 Always wanted an Ami when I was a child. They were so fantastically weird and wonderfull. My dads GS had the same strange hand brake positioning...😆
What a lovely car. Got to love old Citroens...my favourite car maker! Quirky and different. This one is in such beautiful condition.
The pinstripes and 'Ami Super' badge alone, add at least 5 mph to the top speed.
My father had one in red when I was growing up. Still remember the reg number NNS 142M . Happy days :-)
Bellissima, mi riporta alla mia infanzia e adolescenza, all'epoca se ne vedevano tante.
Thanks for coming and filming my car Mat, very enjoyable video
Thanks for letting me out in it, its a brilliant machine!
I had 2CV's and a Dyane also a GS with the 1129cc engine - sadly the Ami is for me one that got away - would have loved one to complete the set.
True fact: the 2CVs in For Your Eyes Only had Ami Super chassis and GS flat 4 engines.
But it had twin exhaust's to make it sound more like an original 2cv
Friendly little Citroën, I'm charmed by it. As with a lot of Citroëns, there weren't many other cars like it, I was thinking the Simca 1100 and Renault 6 1100 were probably its most direct competitors, but they too were quite different. I'd enjoy driving and owning this ami, props to its owner for keeping it in such nice condition.
Thanks, i try and keep it as nice as possible, i also own a 1964 Ami 6 and and 1970 Ami 8 as well as this so i have the full set
I was just reading about the Ami….. and got this excellent review! Excellent work as usual
How lovely to see one of these again, I remember seeing plenty around Maidstone in the 70s. Thanks Matt for another excellent review.
Fab little car! I'd not come across the Ami Super before. Love it 😊
My mum had the non-estate version of this on an R-plate - in bright yellow. That interior brings back some memories from my childhood. Ours was a Super but didn't have the stripes and I don't remember thinking it was sporty at all - mostly just very rusty!
Great interesting little motor with bags of character, we used to go on camping holidays in our Austin A60 estate to France In the late 60’s and these were like flies all over there we had nothing like it over here. The era of amazingly different cars and vehicles unlike the boring SUV clones of obsession today.
Yep, the SUVs all look the same. And are pointless.
WOW! Imagine for just one second... doing 100 mph in one of those... I reckon you'd need a lie down in a dark room afterwards.
According to a following Montego, I got 85 out of my 2CV, downhill with a tailwind. Even at 65 mph, the tops of the doors get sucked and bend outwards from the roof rail, allowing you to see daylight through the gap. But don't worry, that's normal.
I have an Ami 8 in the same colour - mine (with the original smaller engine) goes really well and cruises on the motorway happily at around 65 As you quite rightly say, these little estates have a lot of room and having the full size spare wheel in the front area with the engine frees up space in the back -- I have had mine for over ten years and travelled on many long journeys in that time
You still have yours then, ive seen your videos
@@ragnarragnarson5184 Yes, I still have mine and it is going well and is still on the road. - I have had no issues with it since I have owned it and it drives lovely - I also still have my 2cv which though it has been to Poland among other long trips, looks the same as the day I finished the restoration -- two beautiful cars in my opinion - thanks for commenting
Good man!
I have an Ami Super and I rarely drive it above 60 on the motorway for fear of stressing the rarer drivetrain, I'm really not making good use of the extra speed. Contrast that to my 2cv where I regularly drive that thing with the throttle floored for hours at a time because I'm not scared of searching for parts.
@@Munkenba what an interesting comment - I am envious of your Ami Super -- At one stage when I also had a GS, I had a spare GS engine which I thought about fitting to my Ami, but gave up on the idea when I discovered that it was not a simple matter of an engine swap as the whole front end for a start is basically the GS unit. - I understand what you say about spares as I never worry about my 2cv as I know that I can always get any spare that I want. My Ami however has been a really good car to me all the time I have had it and I love it to bits
Great review Matt, I love the way you place all the cameras to get different views.
Great video, thanx a lot! My Dad had 2 Ami 8 estates. White one and an orange one. Unfortunately with only traditional 602cc engine. Súper was not out yet. But they lasted a very long time and never had an issues with them. Fabulous cars.
Warmest Regards and all the very best!
Small 70's and 80's Citroens, Peugeots and Renaults were great as long as you got one that the factory put them together right. The noise from the engine and road as well as the notchy gearbox to me is part of the charm. If you can find a Renault 14 I think you will enjoy.
That centre console & dashboard is very buck rogers. Very cool indeed. Such a fun car
Some earlier Ami Supers with the GS engine had a 5th gear and retained the bench seats. It was difficult to fit seat belts but Citroen garages would.
Many also kept the starting handle.
Amazing cars which were astonishingly versatile even moderately off road. Mine was frequently called upon to tow posher cars out of Fen mud! Happy days brought back.
Thank you for this.
Hello Matt. I remember those Amis from my childhood. They always looked like they are about to fall apart any time soon. Between 13:37 and 13:45 you can actually see the fender and the door gap expanding and shrinking !!!!! Great little car but not safe in any way in case of an accident.
I think that s the Go Pro compensation.
I think as the other comment says its the GoPro doing weird stuff with its stabilisation, not that Id like to try one in a crash!
Safer than a motorbike.
Just love the boot lid struts on this, at 8:20
I believe the engine loves to be revved, being air cooled.
I actually love this! Great review as well!
This reminds me of an episode of Top Gear where the original threesome took part in a classic car rally around Majorca ( had been there recently at the time ) & James May buys one of these at the auction. My lasting memory is his beautiful young co driver/navigator & possibly one of the few challenges where May's car didn't permanently break down 😂.
James Mays car was an Ami 8, outwardly they look identical but his had tbe 602cc twin cylinder
It feels so good to see how you really enjoy this car ! As a Citroën enthusiast, it is a real delight to watch this video ! Ami Super are a real fun to drive and this video shows it unmistakingly !
Glad you enjoyed it! It was my first time driving one and it was great!
Best car I ever owned. My Ami Super was a saloon in Citron Yellow. Flat out everywhere.
We had an Ami Super, which i later inherited. It was an excellent car - but succumbed to rust as they all did in those days........ i had three Ami's in total and loved them all.
I actually think they've really aged well. Very nice looking car and that colour is so cool. Never seen one before.
The ultimate Ami 8 - I think I saw this one for sale not so long back. There's also a blue RHD Super saloon which you see at a lot of the meets.
This isn't the one that was for sale this is my car ive owned for a while, it was restored and went back on the road last year, the blue RHD saloon belongs to some friends of mine
Ami 8....The red hot vinyl that stuck to your leg like superglue in the summer.. . ah the memories..
Lol, ive made that mistake with this one and my Ami 8, leaping into it on a hot day in a pair of shorts, i leapt out quicker than i leapt in i can tell you 🤣🤣🤣
I can barely remember the Citroën Ami with the weird back window from my childhood.
This amazing video suggests the age old question regarding Citroën and British Leyland. What if ?
If Citroën had stayed independent the mind boggles with the Spaceships that they would have released between the 1970s and today.
We (well my Dad) had a white one of those in the late 70's, at the time probably the newest car he had ever owned.
What a wonderful idiosyncratic French car. All the more usable with the 1015cc engine. They should've done the same with the 2CV.
Some people did. I drove one. It had the same issue with the gearlever being far too short.
I can remember a Blue Ami Super saloon when visiting Leicester in 1985, parked in the area cleared for the original High Cross shopping centre and it actually had blue carpeting throughout the floor space it was on a "N" plate.
What a great video. A really quirky looking car - typically Citroen, but so useful too. You are quite correct about it needing a fifth gear - I had a 1972 GS with the 1015cc engine and a fifth gear would have made such a difference. Thanks for sharing this - brought back many good memories. Take care.
I had an Ami 8 saloon back in the 80's, although it was only the 602cc twin engine, it's performance was pretty good compared with a 2CV, so I can imagine the performance of the Ami super would be impressive in such a light car, shame they have all but disappeared from the roads now.
This is so awesome! I feel like a little 4 year old boy again... And than the clipped on gopro reminds me that it's 2023 and i'm 52...
😅
Bought my mother’s car and drove it to France from the U.K., supremely comfortable, an amazing car. She upgraded to an Ami Super which I should have bought but sadly didn’t.
Really interesting, thanks. I never knew they did a quicker Ami with 4-cyl engine. Looks enormous fun!!
It was
What a really beautiful car and so rare! Great vid.
Fantastic video, Ragnar's Super is such a beauty! I have a '67 Ami 6 Break! Super slow but I love it!
Thanks for your beautiful videos mate 💕
12:45 "You can rally this thing"
James May: "I did". :D
What a hoot! I never realised that there was a performance version of the Ami.
Really interesting and really enjoyed this! Thank you!
It's a bit of a Q car. I first saw an Ami 6 in about 1961 in the south of France crawling up a mountain pass in front of our bus in the Gorges of Verdon. Of course it was crawling 😂. I also went in a Peugeot 403 for the first time on that trip, and in 1962 dad bought a 403. The Ami Super was very much an afterthought, but what an afterthought eh ! Terrific car !
Gorge du Verdon. What a fantastic piece of road!
My Dad always said there were three ways to engineer something. The right way, the wrong way and the French way.
Thank you very much for this great report
As a kid In used to hate the original Bertoni Ami with the reverse raked rear window and the front grille which looked as if someone had punched the car in the face but now I really rate them and would like to own one. If you go back in time to 1968 in Paris, the streets are full of these, the French version of the UK Austin 1100.
I remember when these were everywhere. At the time they were considered ugly and weird. Now they look cool.
I love these cars, they are just awesome! Also, love that well placed hub nut sticker....😂😂
Need a furious driving one on there 👌🏻👌🏻
I did mention that!
I saw the Hubnut sticker and assumed that it had simply appeared spontaneously, due to the manifestly innate Hubnuttiness of the car.
Brilliant review of a brilliant car. Pretty good value in 1975 and worth remembering that VAT in 1975 VAT was only 8%.
I remember my older sister (and brother-in-law) having one when I was a kid. But my memory has it more boxy looking. She would thrash the thing mercilessly, but the thing seemed to love it.
Great French family car , great review Matt thank you
I loved Ami 8. Used to cross Blackwall tunnel to work. Fast(ish) because light weight. Body was wafer thin or rather cigarette paper thin. Wood block under bonnet for parking on hills - never used. Umbrella gear stick seemed wonderfully smooth and fast. Kids used to shout out that front wheels were falling off - wheels leant over when cornering. Steering😮 felt like a boat. Inboard front breaks meant easy to change - open bonnet and slot new pads in. Why did I get rid of it? Probably because of jams in Tunnel in winter meant freezing. Quirky, and brilliantly French in the way that DS was
At last - some SENSE from Citroen! Why didn't they put this engine in the underpowered 2CV & DYANE?
Why would anyone want a sensible Citroen?
These are so charming and very quirky. Love them.
I remember a school friend's father had one and we went out in it a few times when my friend had passed his test. I remember it had bright red velour seats which were very cozy and comfortable. The car was a 2 cylinder and from the passenger seat it felt slow even for the 1970s! From the video, this example seems to be missing its interior headlining.
Yes i still have the headlining to put in
There were two in different branches of our family. I distinctly remember that they didn't have indicator flashing dashboard lights, but relied instead on an extra loud "tocking" sound to let you know they were working! My Uncle however installed his own warning lights in the area below the ashtray.
Intrigued at where you filmed that! 🙂
Uncle Allen’s was an 8 saloon, Granny’s was the super estate which they bought new. I’m sure it had plush blue velour seats and we cruised all day at 70mph down to Devon in 1976.
Great review as always Matt, what a quirky looking fun loving looking little Citroen.
Thanks, its so different I love it!
Looks to be a fabulous little car , I'd love one !
Brilliant machines wish I had one again
Omg, such an amazing find!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️I have a super soft spot for the very rare Super 👌👌👌
An excellent viewing, well done.
Could you please do a video on the Citroen C15D? A brilliant van, economical and bloody quick.
Nice review..
Keep it up..
Ian hubnut would love this car, I guess it has close relations to a 2cv
Amazing times when cars were real and had a personality that you engaged with. So different from the fridges on wheels that pilot themselves these days. Great video.
In the 70s I bought a 'Dyanne' and later an 'Ami'. Wonderful little cars,typically french in design,so quirky, so unique, so gaelic.
Another enjoyable & interesting video keep up the good work on your channel 👍👍
That flat-four is overhead cam, if I remember correctly. Two of them , in fact!
Yeh. Really soft metal camshafts. Horrible to replace.
@@acptelford1307 Oh dear... :-(
One of my favourite citroens saw plenty in sevenoaks back in the day
I remember my slightly Cooky Primary school teacher Mrs Naylor owning one in the Mid 70's (it would have been quite new back then l imagine) it was a blue and as a 7 year old kid, it just looked so different to all the Austins and Fords parked in the carpark at Moorgate Primary School in Bolton.
I can still remember hearing it's distinctive noise.
That is a car I haven’t seen in a very long time.
Really neat car, Matt. We never saw the Ami over here. I suspect it is because crash testing would have been a disaster. The only Citroen models I remember seeing were the Traction Avant, 2CV and the DS. I think the SM made it in very small numbers. They always intrigued me, especially the DS. The problem was that the French cars, regardless of which brand, rusted in front of your eyes. Survival rate here in Canada is likely about 0%.