Citroën Ami

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Citroën Ami

Manufacturer	Citroën
Production	1961—1978
Class	Supermini
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door estate
Layout	FF layout
Related	Citroën 2CV Citroën FAF
Similar	Renault 4 Mini

Citroën Ami 6

The Citroën Ami is a supermini produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1961 to 1978. The Ami and stablemate Citroën Dyane were replaced by the Citroën Visa. The Ami was for some years the best-selling car model in France.

1 Overview
2 Versions
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Overview

As with Renault 4, Citroën was responding to a market need for a vehicle slightly larger and less rustic than the 2CV. The Ami is a rebodied 2CV with certain mechanical upgrades to compensate for the added weight. Most variants are powered by a two-cylinder flat engine.

The Ami and the 1961 Ford Taunus were the first vehicles with rectangular (as opposed to round) headlamps.

[edit] Versions

The Ami 6 sedan is distinguished by an unusual reverse-raked rear window, similar to the 'Breezaway' rear screen fitted to the contemporary Mercury in the US, or the Ford Anglia in the UK.

The later Ami 8 saloon has a fastback rear window. It was redesigned by the French car design and bodywork company, Heuliez. Most notable changes were the front part and bonnet and the sloping, rather than inverted, rear window on the saloon. The estate version of the Ami 8 had a similar general appearance to that of the Ami 6 although the later car's tail-lights were integrated into the rear wings.

The Ami Super was a flat-4 variant powered by the engine of the GS and produced between 1973 and 1976.

A small series of prototype coupés, the M35 were produced as test vehicles for loyal customers — testing the Comotor Wankel engine. This engine briefly reached production form with the GS Birotor.

[edit] Trivia

Although not its commercial name, in France the Ami was often referred to as the Citroën 3CV (trois chevaux, or "three horses", CV originally being the initials for "cheval-vapeur" -- horsepower --, but used here for "chevaux fiscaux" in short. The "cheval fiscal" was a French fiscal unit based on the power of the car ; smaller figures usually meant economical cars), after the Citroën 2CV (deux chevaux, "two horses"). The 3CV nickname was never applied to the Ami 8, only to the Ami 6.
The Ami's seats were easily removable. Sales pitches of the Ami included photographs of the seats being used as picnic chairs.
The 2CV is remembered as the (long-suffering) steed of Thomson and Thompson, the detectives in The Adventures of Tintin, but an Ami 6 can be seen in the Castafiore's Emerald, the doctor's car, in a memorable gag involving Professor Calculus.
Famous owners of the Ami include Yvonne de Gaulle.
Some observers find the Ami 6 to be one of the ugliest cars of all time.

[edit] External links

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Citroën Ami

Citroën car timeline, 1950s-1980s v • d • e																																					Next ->
Type	1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Economy car	2CV
City car																										LN / LNA											AX
Supermini																		Dyane
												Ami																	Visa
Small family car																					GS								GSA
Large family car	11 CV							ID / DSpécial / DSuper																									BX
Executive car	15 CV						DS																			CX
Grand tourer																					SM
Off-roader																			Méhari