Owners of Citroën GS and GSA’s in North America have formed a network. The primary interest is to keep track of the pool of GS and GSA’s on the continent.
The model was never sold in the US, although rumors say some were brought in before Citroën exited the US market in 1974. Nevertheless, several cars made their way to the US. In Canada, at least 6 were brought into the country by Citroën Canada in 1971 to be displayed at car shows and select dealer showrooms, but they were not officially sold.
Today in North America there are currently 33 confirmed G model cars. There are 22 GS of which four are the Birotor version with a rotary piston engine and 11 are GSA’s. Of the 33, there are six in Canada, eight on the West coast of the U.S., four in the Southwest, 15 east of the Mississippi, and none in Mexico.
There are an additional 11 Citroën GS’s for which there are traces but we have not been able to find out where these cars actually are, or whether they have left the continent. If you are the owner of one of these cars, please be in touch with us. Contact Peter Kristensen at: peterjanca@gmail.com.
We also have 3 Ami Super that has the GS engine. The Trihawk, a three-wheeler with GS engine, has a club.
The Citroën G model had a long time coming as the company sought to fill the void between the successful 2CV and the D models. The Ami 6 was launched in 1961, but was kind of a luxury 2CV, so in the late 60’s the company engaged in the development of a car to become attractive to French families. The G model was manufactured 1970-1986 in saloon and estate body styles (1970-1980).
The GS received a facelift in 1979 and was marketed as the GSA in hatchback and estate body styles (1979-1986).
The GS and GSA featured hydro-pneumatic suspension and disc brakes, and was equipped with a 4-cylinder air-cooled boxer engine displacing from 1,015 cc (54 hp) to 1,299 cc (66 hp). The aerodynamic shape and the hydraulic suspension make it a very comfortable car to drive. Almost 2.5 million vehicles were sold, so Citroën definitely hit the sweet spot with this model.
This video of the GS factory shows how the model was made in 1974:
Additional GS and GSA model history and photos can be found at the GS Gallery.