Three times a GS(A)

By Peter van der Knaap

My first car – or actually it was my mother’s car, but I happened to turn 18 in 1984 – was a 1978 Citroën GS Club Break (00-TM-46). I virtually lived in the car for the rest of my schoolyears, taking it throughout the Netherlands and even France. I fell in love with the car and could spend hours enjoying its design. After a few years in university, I bought a red Citroën 2CV Club (1983). It was 1988 and I enjoyed the car tremendously, especially its open roof. But it got stolen in 1993, nota bene by French drugstourists in the city of Rotterdam. So I returned to my first love and bought a 1984 GSA X1 (KT-83-FX).

A beauty! – please see the picture with the two GSA’s. Two? Yessir! I’ll come to that later... The GSA X1 carried us all the way to Southern-Spain. Quite perfect miles, all the way. One French Total dealer got very enthousiast indeed, when he spotted our red perfection. He showed us his GSA X1, which was totally ruined but waiting to get restored. So, yes, two GSA’s. In 1986 I needed to buy a new one. After many days of searching, I found one: a perfect GSA X1 (LX-01-FX). With Nikol, we drove home two identical GSA’s.

So how does this story end? Not too well, to be honest. Not that the 2nd GSA broke down. No, it is actually enjoying a rest in the countryside. Very well preserved and looked after. I still own the car! No, is was the fatal attraction of another Citroën which seduced me: a CX 25 GTI Turbo II. Still, as the saying goes: old loves never die. I still look at the GS-sites more often, than those dedicated to the CX.

Peter van der Knaap, The Hague, peter.vanderknaap@wanadoo.nl

Peter first GS.	GSA X1 in front of the Erasmus Bridge Rotterdam.	2 X1

GSA X1.	Peter's old and new X1.