Citroen LNA 11E
Discussion
mattman said:
Another purveyor of the Talbot Samba here, my 1st car back in 1990 was a 1983 Samba 1.1GL - you could hear it rust back then, god knows how your LNA has survived
I also had a Samba - at uni.Had a primer grey front wing for much of its life, but drove really well - learnt how to maintain momentum in it
I also slept in it a few times...once in the middle of winter using the seat covers for extra warmth...
Great stuff OP 
Much better read than most 
I had use of, and maintenance responsibility for, an orange 104zr when I was 18/19 ish. Don't remember it's reg year, but hated the two part points with ludicrous access constraints ( I still have the little mirror I had to use to see the
) and the broken spark plug deep down inside the head, but it was a hoot to drive. My parent almost bought a samba, too but luckily avoided that error and bought the far worse solara instead 
Much better read than most I had use of, and maintenance responsibility for, an orange 104zr when I was 18/19 ish. Don't remember it's reg year, but hated the two part points with ludicrous access constraints ( I still have the little mirror I had to use to see the
) and the broken spark plug deep down inside the head, but it was a hoot to drive. My parent almost bought a samba, too but luckily avoided that error and bought the far worse solara instead Don't think anyone else has mentioned this, but congratulations on the homepage feature!
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-threads/citroe...
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-threads/citroe...
Crappy car when new and crappy car now, just like most of its time.
You have saved a bit of history and I applaud you for that, cars like this are too often forgotten except by those who owned them.They were bought new by people who needed basic transport and bought second hand by people on their arse.
Walking around car shows I get distracted by cars like this and spend ages looking at them, they jog memories, some good some not so good and for this reason alone the few left should be preserved.
Keep up your good work sir, and by the way I drive a TR7 so know all about saving a 'crappy worthless car'.
You have saved a bit of history and I applaud you for that, cars like this are too often forgotten except by those who owned them.They were bought new by people who needed basic transport and bought second hand by people on their arse.
Walking around car shows I get distracted by cars like this and spend ages looking at them, they jog memories, some good some not so good and for this reason alone the few left should be preserved.
Keep up your good work sir, and by the way I drive a TR7 so know all about saving a 'crappy worthless car'.
Well done for keeping the LNA on the road - can't believe they're almost extinct!
My mum had a 5 door 104GL in the 80s, which my 2 older brothers bought for her at an auction. It had a certain high pitched engine whine - you could hear her coming home from miles away. As it was in gold my brothers decided to spray it red in the garage with umpteen spray cans. A word of warning - don't use too course emery paper to get the paint to 'stick'. You'll end up with a finish like a skating ring like we did.
It said goodbye sadly when the brakes failed with us 3 and mum in it, coming up to a queue of cars. We caused a huge cloud of rust dust as we piled in to the back of a 505 at about 30. Not sure why the brakes failed - my brothers did change the pads. Forgot to bleed them fully? The chap in the 505 was a real gent. Just checked we were ok, asked if we were insured and just wished us well. A lesson learnt though - I always regretted not reaching forward from the back to pull the (cable operated) handbrake. I'll be doing that next time (if there is a next time).
I always lusted after a 104ZS (great angles when viewed from the side) and I think it had your new 5 spoke alloys wheels but unpainted - they always reminded me of Ferrari Daytona wheels!!
I also fancied a Talbot Samba convertible - this chap near us always seemed to be smiling playing upbeat classical music in his. I was always glad that he as enjoying driving.
I (and my brothers) obviously got the Peugeot/Citroen bug. I started off with a 2CV (taught me how to maintain momentum, cue ridiculous cornering angles) then followed that up with an AX GT mk2 (just superb, bulletproof). My brothers had a GS (fascinating in-board brakes), BX GT and another AX. My dad had CX '2400 Super', the most comfortable car I've ever been in by miles. The stories on that are for another day!
My mum had a 5 door 104GL in the 80s, which my 2 older brothers bought for her at an auction. It had a certain high pitched engine whine - you could hear her coming home from miles away. As it was in gold my brothers decided to spray it red in the garage with umpteen spray cans. A word of warning - don't use too course emery paper to get the paint to 'stick'. You'll end up with a finish like a skating ring like we did.
It said goodbye sadly when the brakes failed with us 3 and mum in it, coming up to a queue of cars. We caused a huge cloud of rust dust as we piled in to the back of a 505 at about 30. Not sure why the brakes failed - my brothers did change the pads. Forgot to bleed them fully? The chap in the 505 was a real gent. Just checked we were ok, asked if we were insured and just wished us well. A lesson learnt though - I always regretted not reaching forward from the back to pull the (cable operated) handbrake. I'll be doing that next time (if there is a next time).
I always lusted after a 104ZS (great angles when viewed from the side) and I think it had your new 5 spoke alloys wheels but unpainted - they always reminded me of Ferrari Daytona wheels!!
I also fancied a Talbot Samba convertible - this chap near us always seemed to be smiling playing upbeat classical music in his. I was always glad that he as enjoying driving.I (and my brothers) obviously got the Peugeot/Citroen bug. I started off with a 2CV (taught me how to maintain momentum, cue ridiculous cornering angles) then followed that up with an AX GT mk2 (just superb, bulletproof). My brothers had a GS (fascinating in-board brakes), BX GT and another AX. My dad had CX '2400 Super', the most comfortable car I've ever been in by miles. The stories on that are for another day!
As an apprentice in the 80's I worked at a Peugeot dealer in Norwich (Gj Goff) and always liked the 104, they weren't a bad car at all and a good alternative to others makes of the era. Remember the 1124ccversions had the engine almost flat with the head nearest the bulkhead (could have been the 950cc version though) but the 1360cc was upright. The 1124 had the oil filter at the top so made for messy oil changes...
Great little pot of yogurt, there aren’t many left either in France, we don't cross a lot of them on our french roads...
You're driving something rarer than an F40 ! What a better daily ?
And these kind of cars are green: manufactured since decades, light (but smart) build, small (but strong) engine...
No need of EVs to (believe to) save the world !
Thanks and cheers for taking care of this nice tiny Citroën !
You're driving something rarer than an F40 ! What a better daily ?
And these kind of cars are green: manufactured since decades, light (but smart) build, small (but strong) engine...
No need of EVs to (believe to) save the world !
Thanks and cheers for taking care of this nice tiny Citroën !
A1VDY said:
As an apprentice in the 80's I worked at a Peugeot dealer in Norwich (Gj Goff) and always liked the 104, they weren't a bad car at all and a good alternative to others makes of the era. Remember the 1124ccversions had the engine almost flat with the head nearest the bulkhead (could have been the 950cc version though) but the 1360cc was upright. The 1124 had the oil filter at the top so made for messy oil changes...
The 1360 XY engined 104s are the same: laid right back with head at bulkhead. Oil filter very easy to access, but always plenty oil spilled during changes! Here's mine.
Wow - I'm really surprised that the LNA is something of interest to PH - I've been a member of this forum for almost 20 years, so I'm honoured for my car to have been chosen as Reader's Car of the Week 
It's also been interesting to read other forum members recollections of owning similar old tat back in the day - This type of car was pitched as very cheap / basic transport when new and most definitely not an object of desire in any shape or form.
Most were scrap fodder at just 10 years old, with a few providing the first steps into car ownership for the young drivers of the mid 90's, prior to finally being weighed in when they were beyond absolutely knackered.
[boringpostalert]
As I alluded to in my previous posts, the original purchaser of my LNA had bought it new and kept it from 1983 -> 2010 (not 2012 as I said earlier, my mistake).
I was interested to see why they'd kept such a basic runaround for 27 years, when car evolution had come on leaps & bounds during that time.
Back In 2014 you could fill out a V888 form and send it off to DVLA with a cheque for a fiver, with them returning photocopies of the original registration document, along with copies of the V5C on each ownership change. This gave me the original purchaser's address, so I composed a letter, printed off a few pictures of the car as it stood and asked if they'd be willing to share any details regarding the time they owned the LNA.
There were no guarantees that they lived at the same address as they did 31 years ago, but I struck lucky and received a response from the lady who bought it new. She's in her 70's now, but had many fond memories of the car and was absolutely delighted to hear it was still on the road
It turns out that she bought the car from G.W. Salter Motors in Oxford (long gone) back on the 26th of August 1983, and kept it till the 30th of November 2010, when she traded it in to Inchcape Toyota in Kidlington for a Toyota Yaris.
Over the 27 years she owned it, it was mainly used locally, but she had driven it over to Brittany to see relatives (she's French), hence the GB sticker on its rump.
As much as she had a great deal of affection for the LNA, she'd traded it in as she was struggling with the lack of power steering, the upholstery was deteriorating badly and she wanted a car fitted with air con. Inchcape gave her a whole £20.61 for the LNA, and she assumed they'd sent it for scrap.
She very kindly stuck a copy of the receipt from Inchcape for the £20.61 they gave her, plus a picture of the LNA sat in the drive of a house she used to own in Ipswich back in 1993. (She apologised, as she did have a pile of receipts / history relating to the car, but chucked them out when she traded it in, as she figured it'd be crushed).
(Suburbia in 1993...The BX only made it to April 2001- Was a 1.9 petrol, so perhaps one of the sportier models?)
Surprisingly Inchcape instead had sent it to BCA Blackbushe, where a Citroen Car Club enthusiast from Hampshire spotted it in the auction on the 13th of December 2010, and saved it from being bailed.
He tidied it up and used it for car shows for a couple of years, before selling it on - Here it is at the 2012 Prescott Hillclimb being offered for sale:
He did eventually sell it around July 2012, but the new owner was already trying to sell it on again by September 2012 using eBay - The chap I got the car from subsequently bought it from them in March 2013, and owned the LNA for 17 months prior to me taking it on.
(August 2014 - My first time at the wheel and about to set off on a 412 mile trip North!)
[/boringpostalert]
Apologies for the indulgence of the above post - I just found it interesting to learn a little of its history / why it's still around
It's also been interesting to read other forum members recollections of owning similar old tat back in the day - This type of car was pitched as very cheap / basic transport when new and most definitely not an object of desire in any shape or form.
Most were scrap fodder at just 10 years old, with a few providing the first steps into car ownership for the young drivers of the mid 90's, prior to finally being weighed in when they were beyond absolutely knackered.
[boringpostalert]
As I alluded to in my previous posts, the original purchaser of my LNA had bought it new and kept it from 1983 -> 2010 (not 2012 as I said earlier, my mistake).
I was interested to see why they'd kept such a basic runaround for 27 years, when car evolution had come on leaps & bounds during that time.
Back In 2014 you could fill out a V888 form and send it off to DVLA with a cheque for a fiver, with them returning photocopies of the original registration document, along with copies of the V5C on each ownership change. This gave me the original purchaser's address, so I composed a letter, printed off a few pictures of the car as it stood and asked if they'd be willing to share any details regarding the time they owned the LNA.
There were no guarantees that they lived at the same address as they did 31 years ago, but I struck lucky and received a response from the lady who bought it new. She's in her 70's now, but had many fond memories of the car and was absolutely delighted to hear it was still on the road
It turns out that she bought the car from G.W. Salter Motors in Oxford (long gone) back on the 26th of August 1983, and kept it till the 30th of November 2010, when she traded it in to Inchcape Toyota in Kidlington for a Toyota Yaris.
Over the 27 years she owned it, it was mainly used locally, but she had driven it over to Brittany to see relatives (she's French), hence the GB sticker on its rump.
As much as she had a great deal of affection for the LNA, she'd traded it in as she was struggling with the lack of power steering, the upholstery was deteriorating badly and she wanted a car fitted with air con. Inchcape gave her a whole £20.61 for the LNA, and she assumed they'd sent it for scrap.
She very kindly stuck a copy of the receipt from Inchcape for the £20.61 they gave her, plus a picture of the LNA sat in the drive of a house she used to own in Ipswich back in 1993. (She apologised, as she did have a pile of receipts / history relating to the car, but chucked them out when she traded it in, as she figured it'd be crushed).
(Suburbia in 1993...The BX only made it to April 2001- Was a 1.9 petrol, so perhaps one of the sportier models?)
Surprisingly Inchcape instead had sent it to BCA Blackbushe, where a Citroen Car Club enthusiast from Hampshire spotted it in the auction on the 13th of December 2010, and saved it from being bailed.
He tidied it up and used it for car shows for a couple of years, before selling it on - Here it is at the 2012 Prescott Hillclimb being offered for sale:
He did eventually sell it around July 2012, but the new owner was already trying to sell it on again by September 2012 using eBay - The chap I got the car from subsequently bought it from them in March 2013, and owned the LNA for 17 months prior to me taking it on.
(August 2014 - My first time at the wheel and about to set off on a 412 mile trip North!)
[/boringpostalert]
Apologies for the indulgence of the above post - I just found it interesting to learn a little of its history / why it's still around
fluoxetine said:
Apologies for the indulgence of the above post - I just found it interesting to learn a little of its history / why it's still around
That's a great post, one which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I find old ordinary cars like this absolutely fascinating and far more interesting than any supercar.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff