1991 Citroën AX GT

Strong colours, hard angles, bold contrasts and textures; this Citroen really sums up the automotive design language of that period at all levels of the market. ‘I drove and wrote about these cars when they were new,’ says it’s owner Richard, a motoring journalist of long experience. He bought the car as a part-finished restoration project. It was missing its bumpers and body kit. They had been taken off for an impending repaint, but never refitted. A fair few parts and some paint later, he describes the car as; very presentable. ‘You can use it without worrying about it - either cosmetically or mechanically.’

He says the car starts easily on the choke; ‘the engine running very smoothly and with surprising vigour when the carburettor’s second choke kicks in.’ He describes the gear change as precise, with the synchromesh in all gears being strong and the clutch feeding in smoothly.

Equipment includes electric windows, cloth trim, central locking and an optional factory sunroof, as well as the original specification radio-cassette player.

Bold colours look good on these cars, and this red is well…noticeable. ‘The car was resprayed by a previous owner - to a good standard, but not a great one,’ observes Richard. ‘Perhaps it was because the red paint faded. There was no corrosion in the bodywork.’ The car certainly presents well from 10 paces, perhaps even five, but close attention reveals blips; minor blemishes and retouching - such as a scratch on the drivers door below the lock, and a (white) scuff to near side rear bumper.

The body kit - all original Citroen - was reassembled over time by Richard, its parts coming from France, Italy and the UK. Both the lower body panels and high rear spoiler have a textured finish (as do those parts on the standard car). Richard had the whole kit completely repainted - all together - to the correct shade of matt red (as advised by an ex-Citroen bodyshop painter) so that it all matches.

As he says, the body appears very solid. There has been welding in the scuttle area, under the wiper motor (where wet leaves can often block the drain holes in the Autumn). The repair could be described as ‘robust’, ie; not the neatest, but it’s difficult to see unless you remove items. There is very light corrosion around the fuel filler nozzle, a common spot on the AX. It doesn’t need immediate attention; ‘but would be worth doing at some point given the condition of the rest of the car,’ Richard muses.

The black roof strip on the driver’s side is lifting at the rear, but should be easy to refix. The sunroof and door rubbers are looking good. They were swapped out for better (second-hand) ones, and the original windscreen was replaced since the old one carried a bad scratch.

All in all, a good look.

The cabin is in exceptional condition. And just pause and remind yourself just how late Eighties/early Nineties its ambience is - yes; that bold, confident thing going on again. Take a moment too to see how the inset red accents around the dash - clean and grunge free - echo the red piping on the seats (yes that’s in nice nick too). The Mk1 dashboard is crack-free (a common problem), the seats are unmarked and remain supportive and the black/red stripe carpets only have one small mark that would be covered by overmats. Perhaps the most worn item is the gear knob; it has a cracked top. But, says Richard, they are very hard to find in good condition - so a job for the next owner.

The parcel shelf is present - so many lost to young male owners who…do whatever they do with them! Even the boot mat is present and in very good condition. The headlining it also good, although it doesn’t fit as tightly as it might at some edges. But it is intact. The Blaupunkt Cambridge Blue Spot radio cassette player is the correct one for the GT, and that works too. Richard doesn’t reckon the speakers are up to ‘hi-fi grade’ though…

A nice touch by the present owner is that he’s taken time to replace the rubber retainers on the 5-litre water bottle holders in the door pockets. So when you come out of the gym, you can pop your drink there with added ease.

The car appears robust underneath. Richard says the front crossmember (under the radiator) and the boot floor where it joins to the rear wheel arch are areas to watch for rust, but this example looks to be corrosion-free. The offside front suspension has a new lower arm (as required for the recent MoT), and there are new brakes shoes. The car has also had a four-wheel alignment, for which there’s a printout. The wheels themselves have also recently been refurbished and shod with Kumho tyres of decent quality.

Moving on to the engine bay, lifting the bonnet reveals a clean, workmanlike space if not particularly pretty. Some will look at the rough finish in front of the suspension towers and assume its been covered in mastic after a poor repair job. This isn’t the case; the finish is how the cars left the factory and the engine bay is rust and damage free. Nor are there any signs of leaks or overheating. Most of the cabling and hoses retain a good black colour and there is no crud or rust in crevices, clips or screw heads. It’s all reassuringly neat and tidy.

You won’t know it without starting it up, but Richard says there is a very slight exhaust blow from the manifold-to-exhaust pipe. A replacement pipe will be provided to the new owner, although Kwik-Fit or similar may be able to patch the blow…

The Citroen’s recorded mileage is 23,000 miles. Although there’s some MoT history to bear this out, there's insufficient history to properly confirm it. However, the very limited interior wear and its mechanical health suggest that this might be correct. As Richard says; ‘the engine bay was cleaner than would be the case for higher mileage AXs - having looked at a few.’

Recent work he had done includes a timing belt replacement, a new battery, the aforementioned new windscreen and its rubber seal, and an oil and filter change. It's also had brand new front spotlights, which work. The wiper blades are also new. Previously, the car also had a (new old stock) indicator stalk, new door locks (the central locking works), and an aerial.

Richard has of course kept all the bills for the work done on his watch as well as an MoT printout. The car’s early history is unknown. Although the original service book is missing, at least the correct handbook, as well as a period brochure and colour card, are included.

Very few miles have been covered since the mechanical and servicing work was done. The MoT runs to April 2020.

Two of the most important questions when buying a classic (or any used) car much surely be; what’s its condition and who’s owned. This little red Citroen scores well on both of those. It is solid, very drivable and very presentable and has been owned by a chap who knows what a ‘right’ one of these should be like and has taken steps to keep it in good nick and improve it in small ways. The next question then - apart from ‘do you like it’ - must surely be; is it a good representative of the type? SO we’re back thinking about the colours, fabrics and spec. And the answer again is yes.

With this being a NO RESERVE auction and with an estimate of £3,000 - £5,000 this car will of course be on sale from the very first bid.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Tring Hertfordshire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

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