Driving the 1990 Citroën AX GT

The Citroen AX GT is not the first hot hatch that springs to mind when discussing the 80s ‘icons’ of the genre. Yet it is one that deserves a mention alongside those others that wear the GT badge. It’s a little cracker. 

Long before hot hatches became bloated with technology, creature comforts and general excesses of modern life, there was an era when performance was achieved through simplicity. While the Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault 5 GT Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI are celebrated as the ‘icons’ of the European genre, few cars embodied the philosophy of simplicity better than the Citroen AX GT. The AX was certainly not the most powerful performance hatch of its era and so it majored on lightness. 

The origins of the AX stretch back to the late 1970s and the fallout of the oil crises of the decade. Fuel efficiency had become a major priority and manufacturers were looking for ways to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics in order to lower fuel use. Citroen’s answer was Project ZA, a new city car designed to replace the ageing Visa and challenge increasingly sophisticated rivals such as the Peugeot 205, Fiat Uno and Renault 5. Engineers were instructed to create a vehicle that was inexpensive to manufacture and lighter than its competitors, so weight reduction became the project’s overriding philosophy.

The AX launched in 1986 as one of the lightest cars in its class. Extensive use of thin-gauge steel, lightweight plastics and careful packaging resulted in a kerb weight as low as 640kg in some entry-level versions. The design was simple and slippery with a drag coefficient of just 0.31.

While the AX was marketed around its fuel-efficiency, Citroen was keen to tap into the performance hatch market that was popular at the time with its lightweight champion, which led to the creation of the GT.  

This would arrive in 1987. Unlike its rivals, which were fitted with larger engines and additional hardware that upped performance but added weight, Citroen focused on preserving the AX’s strength; its lack of mass.

The AX GT looks modest too. It wore discreet body additions, small alloy wheels held in place with just three bolts, a tiny spoiler on the hatch and subtle graphics. 

Power came from PSA’s TU-series four-cylinder engine. Displacing just 1.4 litres and fed by a twin-choke carburettor, it produced 63kW and 112Nm of torque. Even against contemporary rivals, those outputs were modest. But it didn’t have much work to do and could help the GT register 100km/h in 8.5 seconds. 

That’s because the AX GT tipped the scales at just 722kg, or around half a tonne lighter than many modern hot hatches. Even a current Toyota GR Yaris weighs more than 1280kg. Some of the weight gain is to do with the chassis strength needed to pass modern crash testing. You would not want to be in the little Citroen in a big crash.

Citroen retained the basic suspension layout of the standard AX for the GT, using MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion-bar rear axle. However, spring rates, dampers and the anti-roll bar were revised to suit the car’s sporting intentions.

By the early 1990s, emissions regulations and customer expectations were changing with buyers demanding greater refinement and performance.

Citroen responded in 1991 with the AX GTi. Using a fuel-injected version of the 1.4-litre engine, the GTi produced 74kW. Performance improved noticeably, while the chassis received further development. And yet purists still covet the original GT for its simplicity. 

Given its lack of torque, it’s a car you need to carry momentum in, so a committed approach is required.

But they are becoming increasingly rare. The AX was not a popular car here, the GT even rarer. This 1990 model is NZ new, first registered here in June of that year. And according to Carjam, there are just four of these AX GTs left in the country. It’s genuinely rare then. 

And it’s genuinely small; just 3.5m long and not quite 1.6m wide. There’s no door handle, a simple latch doing the job, while inside, it’s a trip back to an era when just the basics would do. Though this comes with electric windows, there’s no A/C or power steering. Being French, it has two ash trays. Citroen did provide the GT with some rather plush sports seats, with padded bolsters and lovely velour trim. The adjustment is minimal however. After 30 years and 270,000km, you can forgive this interior for showing its age in places as plastics turn brittle. 

The driving position is quite upright, but the pedals are out in front, and well placed in relation to each other. 

Pushing the choke in, the four settles to a slightly lumpy idle, as we sort out where first is. The gearlever action is a little stiff before the oil warms. The unassisted steering isn’t too hefty at slow speeds, and perfectly fine at 50km/h. The AX GT has a ‘feel the road’ type of ride, but it’s not stiff or harsh. With a lightness mandate, sound insulation is minimal, so it’s loud.   

We were expecting a fair amount of slop in the steering, but the AX GT turns quite quickly just off centre. It’s a nimble little thing, and holds on to a cornering line well. This despite the front heavy weight bias, and modest 145/60R14 tyres. You can feel that weight transfer as you hook into a corner, the outside front taking the weight as the inside rear goes light. The front end grip bleeds off progressively, and if you time it right, lifting off will help unload the rear to get it back on line. 

Given its lack of torque, it’s a car you need to carry momentum in, so a committed approach is required. You just want a dab of brake to settle it before the bend, and then send it. It’s an entertaining chassis that you can exploit without having to go crazy-quick. 

The engine is eager. The throttle response is abrupt but likeable; no injection or electronic throttle to dull the action. And it’s loud. Once it starts spinning, the induction starts roaring in amusing fashion. 

With some temperature, the gearbox begins to flow more easily. The throw is long and the gates are spaced wide. 

This car has a thick dossier documenting the work done over the years. And anyone thinking of buying such a machine should go into ownership with eyes wide open; it will require constant maintenance to keep it on the road as bits wear out. Its simplicity will help there, and knowing how to keep a carb in tune would be handy.

This example is asking $12,990 at Auckland European, so about a third of what a 205 or Golf GTI would command.  

The little Citroen feels wonderfully pure. It’s a car that feels faster than the numbers, and one that possesses a real sense of agility. It feels alive.

More than 35 years after its debut, the little Citroen remains as a reminder that the best driver’s cars aren’t always the most powerful or complicated; they are light and simple.  

Thanks to Auckland European for the loan of the Citroen AX GT. aucklandeuropean.co.nz