Citroen GS

Citroën GS at a glance

Filling the gap between the 2CV and the DS

For most of the 1960s Citroën had nothing between the Ami and the DS, and buyers who wanted a family car of about 1.0 to 1.3 litres went elsewhere. The GS took roughly 14 years from first idea to launch. It was announced on 24 August 1970, was one of the stars of that autumn's Paris Motor Show, and was voted European Car of the Year for 1971. British buyers could order it from March 1971; the car was never officially sold in the USA.

Opron's body measured 4.12 m in length, 1.60 m in width and 1.34 m in height, with a 2,550 mm wheelbase and an unladen weight of about 900 kg. Its fastback shape gave a Cd of 0.318, which helped a small engine reach a steady 151 km/h. A five-door estate followed in 1971, and a van version was also built. Production was centred on the Rennes-la-Janais factory in Brittany, while the Vigo plant in Spain added about 385,000 cars.

A small car with DS engineering

The GS took its suspension principle from the DS. Hydropneumatic struts with double wishbones at the front and trailing arms at the rear kept the car level whatever the load, and the driver could raise the body for rough tracks. Four disc brakes, with the front discs mounted inboard next to the gearbox, were fed by the same hydraulic circuit, which also adjusted braking to the load. The handbrake was on the dashboard and the standard tyres were Michelin ZX 145 SR 15.

Under the bonnet sat a new air-cooled flat-four with overhead camshafts driven by toothed belts. The first 1,015 cc engine produced 40 kW (54 PS) at 6,500 rpm and 72 Nm at 3,500 rpm, which made the car slow: Autocar's test recorded 0-60 mph in 18.0 seconds. The 1,222 cc engine became optional in 1972 and cut the 0-60 mph time to 14.9 seconds in the magazine's March 1973 test, with overall consumption of about 11.4 l/100 km (24.8 mpg). Gearbox choices were a four-speed manual and, from 1973 in the UK, the three-speed C-Matic semi-automatic.

GS engines and the Birotor

The Birotor, sold from September 1973 to October 1975, used a twin-rotor Wankel from Comotor, the joint venture of NSU and Citroën. It produced 79 kW (107 PS) and 137 Nm, and Automobil Revue measured 176.5 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 14.7 seconds in April 1974. The car weighed 1,140 kg, cost about as much as a DS and roughly 70% more than a standard GS, and arrived just as the 1973 oil crisis hit. Only 847 were sold, and German sources estimate that about 250 survive in Europe.

Trim levels for the GS ran from the G Spécial and Club to the sporty X and the plush Pallas. The 1977 facelift replaced the 1,015 cc unit with a 1,129 cc engine. A Basalte special edition of 5,000 cars in black with red stripes followed in 1978.

The GSA hatchback and the BX

The GSA of September 1979 finally gave the car the tailgate many owners had asked for. It also brought plastic bumpers, new rear lights and door handles, and a dashboard with control satellites on each side of the wheel; a diagnostic socket under the bonnet made servicing easier. The Club and Pallas gained a five-speed gearbox, the X1 and X3 were sporty versions with a rear spoiler, and the GSA was faster at about 164 km/h. From autumn 1981 only the 1,299 cc engine was offered in Germany, where a GSA Club cost DM 13,930 and a Pallas DM 14,990 in February 1981.

Special editions kept the car fresh: 2,500 GSA Tuners in 1982 and 2,000 Break Cottage estates in 1984. The BX arrived in 1982, and the GSA saloon ended in June 1985 and the estate in July 1986. Rivals of the GS years included the Audi 80 and the Ford Escort, both simpler cars with conventional springs.

Citroën GS today: what to check when buying

Rust is the main issue, and Classics World assumes most survivors have been welded. Check the front wings and wheelarches, lower rear arches, inner wings, door bottoms, tops of the rear wings, front valance, A-pillars, windscreen surround, sills, floor and boot floor, as well as the subframes. A wax injection is worth considering once the body is sound.

The flat-four is suited to home servicing but needs oil and filter changes about every 3,000 miles (4,800 km), and the camshaft belts every three years or 24,000 miles (39,000 km). Oil leaks from hardened return-tube seals are common, and neglected valve adjustment wears the camshafts. Listen for knocking driveshaft joints, check the suspension rises and falls properly, and refresh the LHM fluid every three years. Calipers and the handbrake can seize, and replacing the inboard front discs can take nearly five hours. Steering is unassisted and heavy when parking.

Parts are generally available through the Citroën Car Club and specialists. Classics World's buyer's guide, referenced to a June 2024 auction, put a good car at about EUR 3,300 (GBP 2,800) in 2024 and the very best at no more than EUR 8,200 (GBP 7,000) in 2024. Auction results listed by classic.com are higher on the Continent: a 1972 GS 1220 Club sold for EUR 11,148 in March 2025, and a 1974 Birotor made EUR 24,260 in the same March 2025 sale. The Citroën catalogue lists the other models, the Citroën 2CV shows the small-car side of the range, and our classic cars section covers more period family cars.