Patrick van Griethuysen of The Netherlands is Citroën AMI fanatic and founder of the Dutch Citroën AMI club. He has been restoring a US specification model over there and we have exchanged some emails trying to help him find the rare front turn signal pods that are unique to the AMI models exported to North America. With that restoration completed, Patrick thought his chances of tackling another US spec AMI 6 restoration were pretty much nil. But then – well here’s the story in his own words:
A photographer friend of mine joined a congregation of his church in Salt Lake City USA. After these meetings he hired a car for a ride in Utah to photograph the landscape and the mountains. Well, he came across a large terrain scrapyard with lots and lots of Volkswagen cars. Then walking around on this non-fenced terrain he came across an Ami 6 saloon – USA specification! Obviously, it looked like a wreck, but on further inspection it was not a wreck. It only looked like it. Luckily for me he noted the telephone number on a billboard by the roadside.
To cut a long story short: I took my telephone and phoned the owner of this VW scrapyard. The man was willing to sell the Ami for $300 US!
Then I took steps to have it sent over to me in Holland in a small container. And it’s now on it’s way, soon to arrive at my garage. It probably will be here sometime in December. Ah, shipping costs? An arm & a leg for sure!
I feel very lucky having found this 1963 AMI saloon. Probably a rare beast! Well, lots of work will be coming ahead and I’m sure the AMI will come out totally renovated. It will look pristine with a new “robe” of light-blue paint AC613 Bleu Arizona.
Greetz,
Patrick van Griethuysen (newly appointed scrap metal collector! HA!)
Hats off to Patrick for making the effort to save it.
Patrick van Griethuysen and Louise Peters pose with their 1984 GSA during the “Great South American Challenge” rally organized by the British A&A in 2013 sucessfully finishing the 15,ooo km trek.
You can view Patrick’s Citroën site here: http://www.camerama.demon.nl/citr/index.html