From the Cubists and Fauvists together at last department comes this Citroën Ami Wagon. If art history recollection serves correctly, the Fauvists were all about using paint directly from the tube in reaction to all the fussy mixing and blending at the snooty Academy. A dark shadow? Forget tertiary color relationships. Vermillion from the tube! This strategy was evidently successful. Less mixing of paint left far more time for wine drinking and finding the models. Taking Fauvism from a one-ounce tube to a five-gallon bucket by way of a broad brush is the deep ultramarine paint coating parts of this Citroën Ami station wagon. This spawn of 2CV was sighted at the Wine Country Classic show in downtown Sonoma, California. The mixed-influence Ami evidently got there under its own power and was parked in defiance beside the show, like the wild beasts that rejected the established Academy before it.
What does the Citroen bumper sticker on the back hatch say?
It says, I THINK YOUR CAR LOOKS FUNNY TOO. Gallery updated with a closeup.
That has to be one of the fugliest cars ever designed – and I absolutely love it. I would drive that every day if I owned it. Considering the rock solid 2CV mechanicals it is based on, I am sure it would be reliable too.
We (briefly) had one of these when I was a kid! Fantastic car. Citroen wagons were generally known as Breaks (e.g. Ami Break, ID19 Break), at least in their home market. Clunkbucket is living up to my (high) expectations for quirky cars. Keep it up!
Snowball Rally? So this must be one tough little scamp, then! That’s something like a three day, overnight TSD rally from the Bay Area up to Lake Tahoe and then back to Sacramento. How cool is that?
Thanks for sharing, monsieur.
This car is very cool but imagine if it was one of the M35 Ami rotary prototype coupes. Ooh-la-la!
Rotary? It would have been a real Comotor.
Wow. Yup, oddball.
You rule Bumbeck. I look forward to your posts.
Brilliant! I love the old Citroens and the fact that the CA climate means they haven’t all rusted into oblivion! I need to get out with my camera and snap the pair of 1960s Peugeots in my neighbourhood.
I had an AMI6 sedan for a while. Crazy looking car. Has a backwards angled rear window like the Ford Anglia. It was made even uglier by the U.S. spec double headlights and the incredibly beat-up hood. The rest of the car was straight and ran like a top no matter how long it sat in the driveway. The frame was cracked, so I sold it real cheap to a guy who fixed it up, god bless him. Slow as hell, but they’re pretty unique and much cheaper (if you can find one) than a 2CV.
I learned to drive in a yellow Ami 8 Break around 1990. My dad bought it new in 71, and it drove our family around for more than 20 years. These cars are a driving experience from outter space. The engine noise is unique, and as long as you feed it with gas and oil it will rev happily for years. The body rolled like a ship, but all four wheels are glued to the road thanks to the humongus suspension travel. And only a 4×4 can beat one on a curvy snowy road. The original 2CV specs stated that they should be able to transport eggs on a freshly plowed field 🙂