Citroën Axel and Oltcit History Come to Light
They were never sold here, but if you would like to acquaint yourself with Citroën’s economy offerings of the 1980s and early to mid 1990s, there is a new book on the Romanian-built Citroën Oltcit and Axel models.
For Citroën, the Oltcit and Axel were a disaster. Even brand new ones broke down, leaked oil, parts broke, were plagued by excessive fuel consumption or even spontaneously caught fire.
Historically, however, the Oltcit and Axel are very interesting. Their roots go back as far as 1965 when Robert Opron worked on the Citroën G-mini prototype and projet EN101, a replacement for the 2CV and then from Citroën’s Prototype Y project in the early 70s. They are the very last models from the Michelin era: the last designs without the influence of Peugeot. Moreover, the Oltcit and Axel have a long and interesting development history, which is not only linked to the takeover of Citroën by Peugeot, but is also full of political intrigue and industrial espionage between East and West.
In this book, author Thijs van der Zanden and translator Axel Bornand describe the history of the Oltcit and Axel through numerous facts, funny anecdotes and lots of photos – many never published before.
A must have book for the real Citroën enthusiast and available for €44.95 (+ shipping) here: https://www.citrovisie.nl/en/product/axel-oltcit-les-citroen-de-lest/