Aixam is a French car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1983 to build microcars at the Arola factory, which had gone bankrupt. In 1992, the production of a series of normal-size cars began, which were marketed under the Mega brand name.
The history
The Mega Tjaffer came on the market in 1992. The Mega importer was in the Netherlands Citroënspecialist Jaap van den Broek from Nieuwleusen, the man who came up with the name 'Tjaffer' for Dutch use. According to our research in the dictionaries, a 'tjaffer' is a kind of jack of all trades. The type designations used abroad were Mega Club, Cabriolet and Ranch.
An AX in a different suit
The Mega Tjaffer was actually one Citroën AX with a plastic body with interchangeable panels on a galvanized chassis. Many interior parts of the Tjaffer (such as dashboard, steering wheel, control buttons and seats) also came from the AX. The seats were covered with imitation leather and thus moisture-resistant, an approach that matched the 'open' character of the Tjaffer.
Due to its headstrong looks, its plastic bodywork, the Citroëntechnology and multifunctionality, the bourgeoisie quickly saw the Mega Tjaffer as a kind Citroën Mehari. But the AX-based Mega Tjaffer was a much fuller car than the Méhari with its 2CV chassis, on which a plastic shell was mounted. The Tjaffer was more robust, torsion-free and better able to serve as a daily means of transport. The Mega Tjaffer was much more a 'real car' than a toy for Ilja Gort.
2WD and 4WD
The buyer could choose between an 1,1 or 1,4-liter gasoline engine or an 1,5-liter diesel engine. The Tjaffer had a front-wheel drive as standard, but there was also an 4WD available that was derived from the four-wheel-driven AX. That brave version had no low gearing and was therefore not a true off-road vehicle, but the four-wheel drive was clearly a plus when driving on slippery roads.
But because the car did not weigh much and the mounted 14 inch wheels (5 cm) had more ground clearance than the two-wheel drive units, such an 4WD Tjaffer was still quite handy for off-road use.
The superstructure was largely removable
If desired, only the roof panels could be taken out or the rear structure could be dismantled. The back superstructure was stuck with snaps and zippers. The doors could also be dismantled in order to obtain an even greater blow-through factor. At the time, a Tjaffer cost between € 12.000 for the 1100 on petrol and 18.500 euros for the 4 × 4 diesel.
Delivered bare
The Tjaffers were delivered without roof and doors as standard. The various superstructure variants were available separately as a 'Wind & Waterproof package'. About one and a half hundred Mega Tjaffers have been sold in the Netherlands. And sometimes you suddenly see pieces of it offered. Strange.
A short scan showed that at least five of the 150 gasoline / diesel Mega Tjaffers sold here are for sale for amounts between the 4.000 and the 9.000 euro. The cheapest is a diesel. And the most expensive is a good history. The production was discontinued in 1998.
Whether the Mega Tjaffer becomes a Real Classic?
Well, it's more about it now.
And the reaction to a Mega Tjaffer is always: "what a fun thing!"
Mega Tjaffer owners are welcome at the AX club below http://www.axclub.net
The name Tjaffer was only used in the Netherlands and made up by Jaap van den Broek, the importer. It is derived from the family term of wood splitting and the sound that was made: tjaf.
In the family they used the term Tjafferen and that is what the Mega is named after.
Was the base not a Visa base?
No, AX
Always found a nice thing idd….
And Mega is also a nice brand, who still knows the Mega Track?
A kind of super sports car that was bigger than one Citroën XM!
Unfortunately I have never been able to see one in the wild, but I have always found that a thick box:
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–A5r-RH0K–/c_fit,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/18l4jao5139yujpg.jpg
And a very nice really big bowl!