The AMI 6: The secret of the sloping rear window.

Auto Motor Klassiek » Practice and technology » The AMI 6: The secret of the sloping rear window.
Purchasing classics there

Flaminio Bertoni (1903-1964) is the little one by Citroën praised from the DS and the AMI 6. That lack of recognition has hurt him. But his achievements were no less.

After the DS wanted Citroën close the gap between the 2CV and the DS. On the wish list was a car of up to four meters with room for four people and a large luggage room. And Pierre Bercot, the boss of the group, did not want to see a full roof or station wagon at the rear of the design. Basta! The project was initially called "M" for Milieu de Gamme (middle class). But for cost reasons it had to run on the chassis of the 2 CV

Bertoni went for the now famous slanted rear window. This guaranteed sufficient headroom for the rear passenger without compromising on luggage space. And that that rear window would become a style icon?
Oh yeah; and behind the strongly curved flanks of the AMI there was also a secret: the strong profiling ensured the required rigidity of the only 0.05 mm thick body plate.

That coach was also described as "Adventurous ugly" (Motorwelt 5.69). Because Bertoni's idea that his creation had to look fast while it was just parked was not immediately picked up by everyone.
The appearance of the AMI initially caused some confusion, misunderstanding and resentment. The valuation only came later. Flaminio Bertoni saw it differently: He compared his designs with art. You must get to know a work of art before you can appreciate it. Getting to know quality takes time. And he estimated the AMI as a work of art higher than his other creations, the TA and the DS.

Perhaps it is therefore useful to score a nice AMI before the remaining copies have all been purchased for millions by leading museums.

Citroën Ami 6

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