CHASING CiTROëNS

I bought my first “D” model in 1980, and sold my last one in 2005. I’m about to take ownership of another one, after 18 years of kicking myself for selling the last one. I first saw these in Europe in 1967 as a 6 year old kid, and was fascinated by these cars that had a completely different look and a “face”. they were so different and so cool, at leat to a small kid. I visited about a dozen countries, and they were everywhere.

I really didn’t think about them that much for the next decade-plus. I didn’t really remember what the marque was, or anything. I went back to Europe a few times, and learned about them when I was 15 and 16. FInally in 1979 on a senior trip, I was seriously “into” them, but I had a Fiat 131 that was my driver. I resolved to get one, as my dad had bought that car, and I wanted to have something that was my own. I immediately started looking for one in the Arizona Repulic, which was the newspaper in my town of Miami, Arizona. I also found out that there were a couple of people in town that had Citroens — the postmaster had two that were rusting out in his driveway, and later I found out that a nurse in Globe had one that had belonged to her husband (If I were smart I would have purchased it — it was a rust-free 1967 DS BVH. Oh well).

My first D was a 1969 ID19 that I bought in Phoenix for $350. It was a hot mess, but complete. It needed a water pump, which a friend of mine and I installed. What I didn’t realize, is there are two hose clamps for a reason. As I was driving back from Phoenix to Miami, I overheated badly and blew a head gasket about 40 miles from home. It’s the first thing I ever learned. The second one was how to tow one. And then the difference between a good machinist and a great one.

I got it running and replaced the head gasket, and sold it off that same year. The next summer I bought another 1969 1/2 ID 19 and drove it for an entire summer, until the seller couldn’t come up with the title and took the car back because of this. I was smitten. When I graduated in 1983, there was only a few years between this date and 2005 when I didn’t have a Citroen D as a daily driver.

This is my journey. I’ll relate some old stories, and also crank out a few new ones as I restore a 1964 ID19 Break.