Sipke van der Kooi's heart beats faster when he sees transport from the past passing by during his daily work. He is an entrepreneur who sells seafood in various places in Northeast Friesland with his fish cart. Sometimes special conversations arise with other enthusiasts.
By: Dirk de Jong
Not only about tasting the seafood, but also about the passion of classic cars. In this way contacts brought him on the track of a beautiful original Citroën GS (club) in beautiful Blue Platine that originally came to the Netherlands from Belgium in 2019.
slumbering desire
Sipke: “For a long time I had a dormant desire to own a GS, desire to float on unsurpassed spring balls and the idiosyncratic design that characterizes this GS. The quests to find a good copy were not always successful, in most cases the GS had already lost the battle against rust. But also the fact that the GS was still missing from the collection caused an increasing desire to find a cool example in this unusual model.”
First series
And further: “I had my mind set on the first series with the beautiful old dashboard with rotating magnifying glass as a speedometer and the 1015 cc engine with the so-called pipe alu (which indicates aluminum inlet pipes) and the taillights that flare out at a point. .”
The French Battle?
Sipke continues his story: “The only thing that needs to be paid attention to are the irregularities in the paint. Probably repainted by the Belgian owner with a French touch. It will be a total paint job.”
Dance son jus
“The decision is now: should I leave this GS from 1972 'Dans son jus' or should we give her a new coat of lacquer, which will of course make the old shine disappear. Common sense must prevail in the decision.”
Strange automobile?
The GS is very nicely lined, very comfortable. But in the years of its introduction, like many previous models of Citroën, fierce supporters and ... opponents. Citroën himself went for the distinction, in the promotion they talked about distancing themselves from the peloton, simply leading. Now that it has become a classic, it is often stared at in everyday traffic. With its air-cooled four-cylinder engine – which is practically silent – it effortlessly reaches a top of 150 km per hour.
A rising star
Sipke: “The GS is a rising star, most fans of Citroën go for a DS or a 2CV, but these have now become unaffordable. And the market of supply and demand shows that the GS is also going to increase in value. The appreciation is coming, you notice that clearly when you drive it, a lot of attention and appreciative words.”
In the end, what matters to Sipke is that he can be proud of his very nice looking, very nice GS. That he has a discernment – because of his possession – makes this article clear.
Also read:
- Citroën GS 1220 Club (1973). Unconditional loyalty of two enthusiasts.
- Citroën GS. State-of-the-art and non-competitive middle class
- De Citroën XM: Beyond the low point
- The story behind the double chevron, the logo of Citroën
- Citroën Ami 8
I had a 1977 green metallic. Funny thing was that the radio was in the center console and the handbrake in the dashboard. You could set the car in three positions in terms of height and every now and then we drove through the center of Roosendaal on the highest position, which attracted a lot of attention. I was once at the football and already gave my keys to my buddy, when I came to the parking lot with the referee he said There's someone in my car! That was my buddy, the referee was the same color and the key fit both cars, he had a good laugh about it. Used quite a bit of petrol but drove great.
unique, bought a new one with 1200 cc in Paris, and the same kp pub crawl. Everything you touched wastiepiesch Frans, that cry died on our tongues in NL, the clutch, poker, brakes. You could look at it without getting bored, drive and listen to that fantastic little machine. I got angry at an English friend who was driving and winding the motor up to 6500 rpm, on Sun Quai along the Seine. Unfortunately had to return the car after 3 weeks because it was a hire purchase.
My father had the same GS with the same color as in the pictures. We lived in Monnickendam and worked in Amsterdam, commuting every working day on the E10. One day between Amsterdam and Broek op Waterland, my sister was sleeping in the back seat. Overtaking a crazy oncoming car on our side of the road. My father saw the only possibility to steer the GS down the slope between the trees, diagonally on 2 wheels, because of the weak hydro-pneumatic suspension, the GS continued to steer well and luckily landed on 4 wheels again. My sister woke up with a Huh? We told her much later what had happened. When comes Citroën again with a car that has this fantastic suspension?
In the late 70s, my parents drove a GS Break (Brèck, as you pronounce it).
Unfortunately, during a winter ride on a slippery country road, we hit a tree against a tree, after that we drove a zipper Ami's Super ... also nice ..; same block in a lighter carriage.
We have also had a second hand GSA in the family for 4 years.
Despite the small engine, that thing drove like a spear and stuck the car to the road.
It was also a reliable car, but under the hood you had to stay away without special Citroen tools and extra Citroen technique knowledge.
The GSA (or Plastic Bertrand version, as mentioned earlier) were optically a lot less attractive than the first version, but that was in the spirit of the 80s to find black plastic hip.
It is striking that many interviewees in this column are called Sipke or have another traditional Frisian first name. That may say something about the editor's district, about the average age of the enthusiasts, but perhaps also that most of the classics in our country reside in the northernmost provinces.
I have a GSA myself. So the Plastic Bertrand version of the GS, so to speak. What strikes me is that the GS and GSA often do not stand out. Because the car was so far ahead of its time that a non-connoisseur cannot see that the model/concept was conceived more than 50 years ago. 50 years ago, dear friends, 50 years.
I was recently at a trade fair/meeting at the Autotron, Rosmalen. Older cars had a separate entrance. The youthful guard had to do the corona app check and looked in my GSA. He saw the dashboard and loved it as a beautiful precursor to today's digital, speedometer and warning lamp scheme. Nice how excited he was.
Ça plane pour moi, hahaha
Our fifth grade primary school teacher had one. A red one. Because I've ridden with him once, I remember that magnifying glass as a speedometer. I also remember that it was nice and comfortable and that it got along well in traffic. I don't know exactly which engine was in it. Master Van den Bosch drove him for many years. I remember that. Such a beautiful and special car. I always watched him when he drove away, when the water trickled out of the exhaust and splashed when he drove away with the engine cold. Nice memory.
Have also ridden a few times in such a beautiful GS. Remind me the handbrake in the dash.
Was like the handle of a coal shovel.
Great that riding in someone's ('special'…has nothing to do with the price) car remains in the memory even after many years. I love cars, especially those with character… but actually “all” cars, even the banal ones, which sometimes become “special” later on, such as a Ford escort MK1… driving with something that has an engine… . I still think that even the simplest petrol (or fuel oil) engine is a masterpiece. In the past, a brand usually stood for something, there was always some mystery surrounding it. For example, I well remember the Ford Capri MK1, Opel Kadett 2, Audi 80 MK1 and Citroën Ami 6 break… parents' cars that I was allowed to drive to the boarding school as a 12-year-old. We then had a 200D /8… which we ended up keeping… is in a corner under a cloth. The most special one that I was allowed to ride in as a child was a Rover SD1 V8 MK1. Was a brand new… incredible car back then! Citroëns were actually always a-typical… sometimes, like this GS, with a somewhat sad expression, ditto for the CX.
I completely agree Eddy, I notice that I am going to like more and more cars. From pre-war, 50s to sometimes even into the 90s. Expensive brands, but especially the regular ones. You just have to grab a car and then it doesn't matter whether it is an Ami 8, or GS with early dashboard, or a Simca 1501, or Audi 80. We decide for ourselves what is nice. But, that W115/114 is a nice Mercedes, we also have one in the collection . Marcel