Citroen Dyane

Citroën Dyane at a glance

Why Citroën needed a better 2CV

The Renault 4 of 1961 hurt 2CV sales, and Citroën wanted a modern-looking car that would sit between the 2CV and the Ami and might eventually replace the 2CV. The brief was strict: the new car had to stay in the 2 CV fiscal class, while the Renault 4 was rated at four, and it could not be wider than the 2CV. Citroën had taken control of Panhard, whose non-military business was absorbed into Citroën in 1965, so the first proposal came from Louis Bionier's Panhard design department. Citroën's design chief Robert Opron reworked it before launch, Jacques Charreton refined the nose and tail, and Henry Dargent drew the dashboard. The round headlamps sit in square surrounds because that was cheaper than new square lamps.

Under the new skin the Dyane kept the 2CV's platform, its interconnected suspension and its flat-twin engines. The visible gains were a lifting tailgate and a flatter, more angular body. Two trims were offered, Luxe and Confort; in 1967 the Confort cost 615 francs more, just over 10 per cent.

From 425 cc to the Dyane 6

The first Dyane of August 1967 used the 2CV's 425 cc twin, rated at 16 kW (21 bhp SAE); French sources give 13 kW (18 PS) DIN. Citroën then moved quickly. The Dyane 6 with the 602 cc engine of the Ami 6 appeared at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968, and in March 1968 the Dyane 4 replaced the original car with a new 435 cc engine of 19 kW (26 bhp). An improved 602 cc unit followed in September 1968, and only the 602 cc car was taxed as a 3 CV.

Citroenet records the Dyane 6 rising to 25 kW (33 bhp) in 1969 and 26 kW (35 bhp) in 1970, the year a twin-choke carburettor and 9:1 compression arrived. In 1970 the Dyane also gained small windows in the rear pillars, turning it into a six-light saloon. The centrifugal Trafficlutch remained an option until 1982.

Later changes were small: a single-spoke steering wheel in 1973, a new grille in 1975, the end of the Dyane 4 in 1975 or 1976, and front disc brakes from 1977 or 1978, depending on the source.

How the Dyane sold against the 2CV

The plan worked for two years. In 1968, its first full year, Citroën built 98,769 Dyanes and 57,473 2CVs, and in 1969 the figures were 95,434 against 72,044. In 1970 the 2CV, at 121,096, overtook the Dyane at 96,456 and stayed ahead. The Dyane's best year was 1974 with 126,854 cars.

Production spread well beyond Rennes. Vigo built cars for Spain, Mangualde for Portugal and Tomos, later Cimos, at Koper in Yugoslavia. In Iran SAIPA assembled about 120,000 as the Jian from 1968 to 1980, including a pick-up. Spain also produced the limited Capra (600 cars) and Edelweiss (750) in 1981, while France had the 1977 Cabane edition of 1,500.

The Dyane also gave rise to two other models. The Méhari of May 1968 used its mechanicals under a plastic body, and the Acadiane van of 1978 kept the front of the car and lasted until July 1987. Dyane production ended in summer 1983; the 2CV continued until 1990.

Period road tests and motorsport

The Motor tested a Dyane 6 in July 1969 and recorded a top speed of 110.4 km/h (68.6 mph), 0-60 mph in 30.8 seconds and an overall 7.8 l/100 km (36 mpg), improving to 5.5 l/100 km with gentle driving. At GBP 648 it cost the same as a Mini 1000 Super. LRO's classic review lists the later 602 cc car at 25 kW (33 bhp) at 5,750 rpm, 120 km/h (75 mph) and 0-60 mph in 27 seconds. Practical Classics owners still describe cruising flat out all day at that speed, helped by the Dyane's better aerodynamics compared with the 2CV.

A Dyane even started the 1976 Monte Carlo Rally: Michel Peyret and Jean-Jacques Cornelli finished 80th of 84 classified cars, out of 148 starters.

Citroën Dyane today: what to check when buying

The chassis and body decide a Dyane's value. LRO warns that thin steel and poor rustproofing make corrosion common. Thump the full length of the chassis: a rattle points to rotten internal strengthening members. Then check the floor, sills, bulkhead, C-pillars, inner rear wings, windscreen surround, the area under the bonnet and the spare-wheel well, plus the edges of the doors and tailgate. Replacement panels are available, many of them bolt-on, and right-hand-drive cars usually had a stronger chassis. Parts swap easily between 2CV-family models, so check that a car is what its papers say.

The 602 cc M28 engine used from 1968 is tough if the oil is changed every 3,000 miles (about 5,000 km), and an external oil filter arrived in 1970. Fumes in the cabin can mean leaking cylinder heads, which have no gasket and need lapping in and re-torquing; blue smoke at start-up points to valve stem seals or rings. First gear has no synchromesh and third-gear synchro can fail at high mileage. Grease the kingpins and driveshafts, check for play at both front wheels, and remember that the inboard front brakes and the front-wheel handbrake are often badly adjusted. The suspension cans need vegetable oil, because mineral oil damages the seals.

Club and specialist support for the 2CV family is good. According to Classic Trader's market overview in November 2026, realistic prices run from about EUR 6,500 to 12,000, against EUR 4,500 to 7,000 for most offers in 2021; projects sell for less and cars above EUR 20,000 were rare in 2026.

The Dyane appears in our Citroën catalogue, and our Citroën 2CV history explains the car it was meant to replace. The wider story of the company is in our history of Citroën, the Renault 4's maker is covered in our Renault history, and more period cars are in the classic cars section.

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