1986 Citroen CX Prestige

Viva la Citroen! This company consistently pumped out one iconic vehicle after another in the 20th century, and in the process pioneered monocoque bodies, hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, disc brakes and swiveling headlights. They haven't quite done the same in this century so far, but, they have a while to go so I'll cut them some slack.

The CX was a classic Citroen in every manner. As their executive flagship, it wore the sleekest, largest body and came with a bunch of wild technology.

The thing I love about Citroen style is how fearless it is. The French, with their rich culture and history, appreciated the passage of time and therefore the philosophical and industrial madness of the modern era, and designed vehicles as the absurdity that they were - horseless carriages! They could have care less about the three-box sedan shape and instead embraced the more versatile and streamlined hatchback. The CX debuted in the late 70s and last until the 90s. The early models have a classic charm, but the later ones like this with fuller bumpers give off delirious mad-techno vibes.

Inside looks like something from a retro vision of a spaceship, with a single-spoke steering wheel and all vital controls within reach of the driver's hands from the wheel. The oversized button-tufted leather seats provide an old-world touch for a charming contrast.

The 'Prestige' trim added 10 extra inches to the wheelbase for more legroom. As such, the rear seating is ridiculously spacious.

The CX only came with a range of 4-cylinder engines. It is unclear which is in this car.  It does have an automatic, which is a bummer. Emissions controls to get it in the US may also hamper performance.

None were legally sold here, but many found their way through grey market importers, such as this one. Unfortunately the seller hasn't included any info pertinent to the vehicle itself beyond photos, price and location, so they would have to be contacted further.

Available here on craigslist for $8,500.

Under $10k: 1988 Citroen CX 22 TRS

The CX replaced the legendary DS in 1974, and nearly 1.2 million units were sold until 1991. Citroen hasn't sold a vehicle here since 1974, which is a shame since they've come out with a handful of cool designs since then. So it's notable when privately imported examples do pop up.

In keeping with the DS and in true quirky French fashion, the CX features unusual styling cues and progressive engineering. It was available as a 5-door fastback, 5-door station wagon, or extended wheelbase limousine. This is the desirable fastback, which looks the best of the bunch.

I love how this was Citroen's largest car and flagship vehicle, and yet it's four cylinders, front-wheel drive and cloth seats. Were they out of touch, or a step ahead of the curve? Probably a little bit of both. Simplistic drive layout aside, these had innovative features such as hydro-pneumatic self-leveling suspension that helped the car glide over even the worst road surfaces, speed-adjustable power steering and a single-spoke steering wheel with all controls positioned on stalks reachable by the driver without taking their hands off the wheel.

The body was designed by Robert Opron who was responsible for a couple other Citroen and Renault designs and he keeps the tradition with the CX while also forging ahead into the future. It's more plain and modern than the DS, but that suits the car's hyper-techno-utilitarian nature just fine. The covered rear wheels help aerodynamics and these look even better with full-space spoke-less alloys (or plastic covers?). The large block single-unit headlights and clean, simple panels were a revelation in 1974 and still look fresh today. Note the parts-bin side mirrors which were also used on Aston Martin for quite a while.

The seller says this has the 2200cc 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, and has 98 kilometers on the clock, which is only about 60k miles. They say it's never been in an accident and still wears its original white paint. The also say it's got "all books and extra manuals" and a Texas title. These were never sold here, although a few independent companies brought them in under lax importation rules during the grey market heyday of the 80s. It's unclear how this got here, but a clear title helps matters.

Overall, it looks like a decent example of a rare car. This has either daily driver potential or weekend-only cruiser.

Available here on craigslist in Dallas, Texas for just $7,250.