Friend or Faux? 1967 Citroën Ami 6 Berline
The Citroën Ami Berline (notchback sedan) is a salmigondis of peculiar design elements. Crazy single spoke steering wheel, dash mounted push-pull manual shifter, and crazy flying buttress c-pillar is just the beginning of the oddity that is a front-wheel-drive French machine with an opposed two cylinder engine. One could make the argument that a ’67 Mustang isn’t that far removed from a new Mustang you can buy in the showroom in 2020, but this thing is so different from a modern car that you can hardly compare anything other than it has wheels and an engine. Find this 1967 Citroën 6 Ami Berline offered for $13,900 in Ames, NY via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
From the seller:
1967 Citroen Ami 6
condition: good
cylinders: other
drive: fwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 2617
paint color: red
size: sub-compact
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: sedan
This is a 1967 Citroen Ami Berline. Very rare slantback model! It was imported by us 4 years ago. It is from a dry part of Spain originally, and is in very good condition. A great driver. In fact, it was my almost-daily driver this past summer! ALways garaged. The mileage just tripped 100,000 km, which I believe to be original. I believe at some point in the past, the outside was repainted in its original maroon. The roof and rims were repainted a pale turquoise. The original interior is in great shape. The original headliner was removed by the prior owner; it is folded up in the trunk. Very little rust; the worst is some surface rust in spots underneath, and the start of a tiny bubble by the front windshield gasket.
The paint looks good but is certainly not perfect; some small dings and chips. The engine was replaced at some point with a larger engine from a newer 2cv. The engine is a bit of a tight fit in there with the original Ami transmission, and as such, it’s a bit noisy and cramped. We removed the heater hoses for ease of service/access; they’re in the trunk. Other things…the wiper motor recently died. We’ve done around $5-6k in maintenance (Dave Burnham Citroen) to it and have maintenance records. Suspension, tune up, belt and hoses, etc. The engine has a small oil leak. We are asking $13,900 or best offer.
See a better way to drive something crazy looking? tips@dailyturismo.com
So for 13.9 K you get no heat or wiper’s i hope the trans at least moans like Bridgett Bardot ! rofl
I’ve never understood the appeal of Citroens. It’s like they made a car that was technologically kinda cool but decided they needed to make it as ugly as possible too. Feel free to fill me in as to why these are so desirable and why someone would pay 13.9k when they could buy the S2000, 2 Ghias, the Gladiator…or hell even the dirty-hippy bus.
I love all French cars, and the weirder the better in my view. I would absolutely own this car, though I have no idea without some research if it’s a good deal, especially considering maintenance costs. But I completely understand the opposing viewpoint.
To me, Citroens in particular are of interest because they pushed every part of the design and engineering envelope. Anything that Citroen could reimagine, for better or worse, they did. The French have a unique aesthetic.
If there were more auto manufacturers like Citroen in business today, we wouldn’t have roads covered in cars that all look alike. Without looking at badges and nameplates, I doubt I could tell most modern sedans apart because they’re all following the same design formula. But I can spot a French car in an instant from a block away.
I’ve always admired the Ami, but I think I’ve maybe seen only 2 in person and neither were this bodystyle. I see this car as beautiful in design. Yes, it’s odd and dramatic, but interesting from every angle. It’s not traditionally beautiful like an Italian car from the same era, but just as eye catching.
I’ve always been drawn to oddball cars, so something like this Ami gets my attention. Someday I hope to add a Frenchie to my garage so I can experience the weirdness myself. They’re also supposed to be a pleasure to drive because so much engineering went into ride quality.
There seems to be something in the French national character where they try to figure out how the Germans would build something, and then try to do the exact opposite.
Of course, that doesn’t quite fit how the 2CV and its descendants and the VW Beetle both used a horizontal opposed engine layout next to the drive wheels – but they put the motors at opposite ends.
Chris Miller-
You are questioning the genius of French car design?
You may recall the French also consider Jerry Lewis America’s finest actor.
It all fits.
-Stan (….yeah…*that* Stan…)
My huge affection for quirky French cars notwithstanding, how on earth did you manage to spend $6K on maintenance for an Ami and not replace the heater hoses or wiper motor (in NY no less), or fix the “small” oil leak?
Ratatouille is smelt and the script goes like this; “let’s be hip in a cool old French car…oh crap, now we own an old French car.”