1975 Citroen GS Pallas from Switzerland - Comments

Engine recently started to lose quite a lot of oil.

Some rusty spots appear regularly on the rear wheel arches, floor pans and beams.

I like the looks of this car. To me it's a true design classic, however still unrecognised.

The combination of a floating suspension, good roadholding and super-precise steering is still unmatched in its class (and far beyond).

It's not the quickest car and can get noisy if pushed, but normally power is sufficient, and only on long travels a 5th gear is badly missing.

Seating and boot are quite roomy for the car's size.

The key to a reliable GS is regular (and sometimes expensive) maintenance.

Bravo! The GS is indeed a design classic that, sadly, is almost extinct. My '77 Club is also losing oil (leaking return tubes - $1000+ repair...) and rusting. Although I love it dearly, I am ready to move on to a more modern car.

Of all the cars that my parents owned when I was a child, my father's Citroen GS Pallas was the one that made the most impression.

Quirky?

Yes - but one hell of a car.

In 1976 I bought a new GS Pallas in a glorious rich metallic dark bronze with "jersey" upholstery. The little 1222cc engine was a little underpowered, but very smooth. The oleo-pneumatic suspension was quite simply like a magic carpet; wonderful ride. DIY was difficult with a thousand sharp edges in the engine bay. Perversely, the oil filter sat on top of the engine! Easy to get at, but needed a towel to catch the oil when the filter was replaced. The inboard front discs were very effective, but tricky to work on.

A magical car very far ahead of its time. Shame it was made of such rust-prone steel; the rear wings rusted clean through where the inner wings were attached and the sills became filigree within 3 years! As a pilot I loved the car's "technical" feel. Thank you Citroen.

My GS Pallas has done 300,000 KMs. It does not leak oil and with the modifications that I have done to her she will outperform most new cars (and will outrun most cars around the twisties). I have spent maybe $350 on modifications for the engine, these include:

hot plugs, hot coil, K&N air pod, a new low restriction exhaust system (got to love that air cooled low growling note), and two Electric Superchargers which I built myself (these were cheap to get parts for). A Honda Civic with $350 of engine modifications will not keep up with her as she is a true race car.

This "super-charged" GS sounds very interesting... if you're still out there please e-mail me with as many details as possible at zerakruva@yahoo.com. This goes for anyone else that has a valid idea on the subject.

Hey I am really interested in this modifications, please contact me at dario@siena-it.com.ar.

Thanks.

Dario L. Siena (A really happy owner of a GS PALLAS - THE CAR -

My father bought his GS Pallas back in 78, I was only 4 at the time.

I remember the Citröen GS Pallas with joy, pleasure, plenty of family travels were made on it, and can still say it was a very very comfortable car.

Me and my family live on the South of Spain, but at the time we had a country house in North Western Spain, my mother is from there. We made this travel 2 o 3 times a year on our Citröen GS Pallas and we all had our history with it. My father didn't stop complaining about how slow and lazy the car was "take overs are almost impossible" he used to say, later, when I learnt to drive I discovered my father is a real "slow and lazy" driver. Poor car, he bear all the blame.

Regarding my mother, sister an me, the Citröen GS Pallas was a real pleasure for us, very very comfortable, stable with an excellent damping system, huge seats and plenty of space to move, and my sister and me moved a lot when we were kids.

I'd like to find one in good condition to buy it 'cause I'm sure it has to be a pleasure to drive such a classic-modern car.