Before starting to write about the fantastic, incomparable and unparalleled Citroën AX GTI , I have to make a declaration of interests: this analysis will not be impartial. Had it already been noticed, hadn't it?
The only reason it won't be impartial is because this is a model that says a lot to me. It was my first car. And as you know, the first car is in our heart. It's the one in which many of us do a little of everything for the first time, and sometimes even a little more... But this piece is about the Citroën AX, it's not about my memories. Even if you want, you can do it.
But back to the Citroën AX, whether in the GTI or GT version, both had their charms. A car that gained a reputation for being fast (very fast…) but also for having a delicate rear. The most incautious spoke of some falsehood. A defect, which was nothing more than a misunderstood virtue.
THE Citroën AX GTI — but especially the GT — ran on the rear axle like few others. Basically, it was a sublime tendency for the rear drift when entering the curve to exaggerate the support of the front, which provided, for those who dared to challenge it, quite hot moments. A temperament that is only matched by some of the latest front-wheel drive sports cars.
The rear collaborated with the front to describe in an almost poetic linear moment a perfect curve, where spices such as the smell of burning tires, G forces and fun were part of the dish of the day. A dish that, it must be said, was always well served.
On a mountain road it was perfectly felt that the Citroën AX GT/GTI was in its natural habitat. Obviously, things don't always go as scheduled. In fact, at the limit of the limits things got complicated.
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Despite sharing the same rolling base as the Peugeot 106 GTI, the Citroën AX GTI had a shorter wheelbase than its occasional sibling. What was on the one hand an advantage on twisted roads, on the other hand was a disadvantage on fast corners with less support. Oh yes, it was noticed that the “saucy” stability of the little Frenchman gave way to an overly nervous temperament. But as I was writing a little while ago, the more twisted the road, the more the little Frenchman liked it.
Well equipped and reliable
The equipment, compared to the time, was quite complete. In the GTI Exclusive version, we could already count on noble leather upholstery that lined part of the doors and, of course, the magnificent seats that fitted this model. A luxury that coexisted with solutions that pointed more to savings than to luxury. For example, the trunk, instead of being in sheet metal, was a simple piece of fiber “attached” to the rear window. Even today, I prefer to think that it was nothing more than a way to save weight and therefore an attempt to improve the car and not a matter of saving. But deep down I know that's not true...
Original interior…
In fact, the build quality wasn't the Citroën AX's strong point, however it didn't compromise either, with no known reliability problems for the French car. Quite the contrary… it was a jack of all trades.
featherweight
A reliability based on the simplicity of the whole set and which was reflected in the total weight of the set: a meager 795 kg of weight for the GTI, and a meager 715 kg of weight for the GT . A weight difference so substantial that it made the less powerful GT beat the more powerful GTI, starting from 0 to 100 km/h.
The Citroën AX GTI was equipped with a magnificent 1360 cm3 engine and 100 hp at 6600 rpm (95 hp after receiving catalytic converter), while the more "simplistic" version of the AX, the GT mounted a more "modest" variant of the same engine, with double carburetors that debited the beautiful figure of 85 hp, which would go to 75 hp with the introduction of electronic injection.
A power-to-weight ratio even at the fastest speed, and one that moved the little Frenchman up to close to 200 km/h.
Traction control, stability control and other things like that were, as you know, stuff from a sci-fi movie. Either way, we were up to the task or it was better to hand the folder over to someone else. Which is to say, let go of the wheel...
And so was the little AX GTI/GT. A small, fun and faithful companion to twisted roads and other excesses. A driving school like few others, where there was a real man/machine connection, and where they felt working in unison (sometimes…) all the pieces that made up the puzzle. The engine felt working up front, perhaps because of the poor soundproofing inside, or perhaps to please those with more temperamental ears.
Anyway, there's nothing that compares to first love, isn't there?
About "Remember this one?" . It is the section of Razão Automóvel dedicated to models and versions that somehow stood out. We like to remember the machines that once made us dream. Join us on this journey through time, weekly here at Razão Automóvel.