The 12th International Citroën Car Clubs Meeting, Amherst Mass. USA

a personal account by
Tony Stokoe

I heard about a Citroën press conference that was being held at midday on the Saturday and Shaun and I managed to lever our way past the officials on the door. This was very worthwhile, commencing with a short introduction from the head organiser of the event, Michael Cox, who asked for a one-minute silence in honour of Bernard Citroën, who had died the day before. We were then privileged to hear a talk from Bernard’s son, Henri Jacque, who talked of his Grandfather’s unique and pioneering marketing skills. One aspect he mentioned which I had not realised before was that André Citroën was the first entrepreneur to employ direct mail as a marketing and sales tool. This was done using big pools of typists, assembling databases and typing individual letters, long before the days of word processors, PCs, even electric typewriters.

Next up we heard from Charles Herval, head of the Conservatoire. M. Herval gave a very professional presentation, using an electronic projector and display screen and talking of Citroën’s commitment to their past in relation to their future developments. The Conservatoire had provided many cars for the on site Citroën Museum – of which more later – and we were talked through this.

Our final speaker was a gentleman from Total-Elf-Fina who talked of the ongoing link between Citroën and Total in motor sport, celebrating a 35-year partnership this year. Proof indeed that Citroën Préfère Total – still.

So a good centrepiece to the event, with local press hacks scribbling and snapping away. I wonder what the average reader of the ‘Amherst Gazette’ will make of our strange gathering, feting a seemingly obscure and unavailable French car marque thousands of miles from home.

Back downstairs in the Campus centre, taking pride of place in the central boulevard, was the excellent Citroën Museum. This comprised some good examples of our favourite marque, ranging from a gorgeous Rosalie with roadster bodywork through to the trophy winning Xsara rally car, which looks very little like a Xsara to me. Another rally winning car on display was one of the two Kamm tailed SMs still in its original livery of pale blue. At the entrance to the gallery a video ran showing Citroen’s innovative advertising through the ages and also a wonderful clip of the 1920s singer Josephine Baker singing the immortal phrase ‘‘J’aime la France, et J’aime ma petite Citroën”. As Andre Citroën was sitting next to her at the time it was always famously thought she might be referring to the man rather than her car, a gift from Le Patron.

Most of the cars in the Museum were provided courtesy of the Citroën Conservatoire, but there were many from American enthusiasts, including Michael Cox’s DS Decapotable and a lovely DS Safari belonging to Richard Bonfond. Also, courtesy of Citroën, were three new cars displayed on the lawn outside - a Picasso, C5 and C8. These aroused great interest amongst our American cousins but they were allowed nothing more than a look, the cars remained locked.

Adjacent to the Citroën museum was an excellent display chronicling the history of Citroën in the ‘States. Individual display panels were devoted to the story of dealerships set up in the various cities and states. Pioneers included Challenger Motors in Los Angeles, who where amongst the first to market the Traction Avant in America, known as the Citroën Challenger. I noticed that Jerry Hathaway was featured on one of the panels, working for Citroën when the DS and SM were current models. Another name I knew was Hank Heilig, who went on to found Citroen Concours in San Diego, the specialists who looked after my SM just before I bought it in 1989.

Next floor down from the Museum in the Campus Centre was the ‘Swap shop’, market place to you and I, selling the usual regalia and parts. Akos Kecskés from Dutch specialist Blikwerk had a stall, with photo albums showing the thorough and extensive restoration work they do to D models, particularly Decapotables. Akos told me a funny and totally biased story about west coast SMs. It seems when he was travelling in the San Francisco Bay area and visiting various Citroën specialists, he noticed that nearly all the SMs he saw had two equally space ridges indented into the upper rear stainless steel bumper. Thinking this was some kind of USA specification feature, he asked why they were like this. It seems that San Francisco Bay Police cars have two large vertical overiders set high on the front and these cause indents in the rear of vehicles when they push them of the Golden Gate Bridge following a breakdown! Humph! A likely story, obviously concocted by a DS fan!

Above - le Petit Prince 2CV
Right - a lonely Panhard
Below - Display Rosalie provided by the Conservatoire

Saturday evening we attended the Gala Dinner, held in the campus ballroom, a vast room that was filled to the limit, I would estimate 600-1,000 people. Our group of SeMantisites, us, Brodie and Janet and the Scotlands, sat with Paul and Rudy Heilig from Citroën Concours. Paul, like me, quailed at the site of New England lobster for the main course, and so we were stuck with baked potatoes and salad. Oh well, we didn’t go for the cuisine. I enjoyed reminiscing with Rudy and Paul on our visit to California 12 years ago when they first overhauled our SM before she was shipped back to England. Back then she had 48,000 miles on the clock, now it is nearly double that with many happy times spent in the meantime.

Sunday morning was another hot and sunny day and Brian and I made a final tour of the site before saying our farewells and heading north to Vermont to visit friends. The 12th ICCCR was a great success for us. It may not have been as big as its forerunners in Europe, but the camaraderie, the wonderful cars and the very pleasant setting in the University campus at Amherst made for a very enjoyable weekend. Thanks and congratulations are due to Michael and Cherise Cox and their colleagues for putting one such a good show. We hope you enjoyed it too!