Has it really been 50 years since the introduction of the Citroen GS in 1970?

It doesn’t seem possible. I remember riding around in the successor GSA as a kid driven by my friends father. I thought it was a fantastic car with the air cooled engine and floating suspension. But the earlier version must have been quite the sensation at launch and I was thinking. If I had been the right age to afford one in 1970, would I have bought it.

Thinking about it in 2020 and the answer would have to be yes. Ok, it’s slow compared to todays cars with the obsession with hard launch acceleration. Especially the party trick with the expensive electric ones. But hang on, how often would we do that, even with the opportunity. Have you followed most modern cars down a motorway slip road? Even with advances in acceleration many of them join the flow of 70+mph traffic at less than 60mph.

So, maybe we don’t need anything terribly fast to keep up. So how bad a proposition is the GS?

Well for a start it looks great. The car has that oh so French feminine look, with those large eyes at the front and almost pouting lips grille. It certainly is an attractive car today, sensational in 1970 I’m sure. Compare it to the more common 3 box shapes from competitors.

The chrome bumpers adding to the looks. Why can’t we have them today?. I can’t think of any legislation that can’t be overcome.

Pressed steel wheels look great, with narrow tyres helping to keep road noise at bay. Tramlining wasn’t a thing back then.

Sills that dissapear under the car, part covered rear wheels and a tapering shape from nose to tail giving the appearance of aerodynamics. It worked too.