Citroën m35

When the company existed for 50 years (his father started in 1927 and was then the oldest dealer in our country), André and his father were invited to the Citroën Festival in October 1977 in the Hilton of Amsterdam. They were offered a Citroën Ami 8 Coupé M 35 to his collection by the Lord Huigen.
Just...! The offer was not there, he had to go to Paris himself. Of course, that wasn't a problem, right... not at the time.

It was intended that he would indeed get him into the Hilton and that that had not succeeded had a, later, technical reason.
With André, I'd pick up the M 35... no problem.
All the papers that had to be arranged with the transport and export to the Netherlands were in the middle of Paris somewhere in the office.

Citroën Paris had been transporting this car to the Netherlands for weeks. But the transport could not go through because they could not get the Ami M 35 completely flat on the ground on the vehicle trailer of Transport Voiture. Also the staff of the Citroën storage in Trappes didn't know why this car was on the ground or why it had hydraulic suspension.

Of course we do. However, it became a journey with many obstacles. The preparations were made, we were in possession of a Hanomag with furniture tray in which several Citroëns and Panhards from France had been picked up, room enough. Our mission is to raise the Citroën, one way or another.

There is a battery, liters of hydraulic oil, motor oil, a tow cable, a jack, wooden blocks, rope, wheels, tools in the form of a rattle and pendulum that we can turn the hydraulic pump with if the car would not roll.

At 3 o'clock in the night of Thursday 23 February 1978 we drive the Hanomag to Paris and pick up all the necessary papers from Citroën, a Frenchman will show us where the car is. With the three of us in the Hanomag, he already thinks it is necessary in the morning to treat us to a bar. His... cafe turns out to be later, because everyone had to know that he had to show these Dutch people the way.

Then we arrive at a large storage site in Trappes and from the entrance we already see the M35, it looks like it has been there for a long time.
The attendees say that the Citroën is on the ground and cannot be loaded into the Hanomag, no problem we say on its Dutch.

We continue to the M35, open the door and hood, put LHM oil in the reservoir, check the engine oil. Surprised to see everyone following our operations. Under the hood, I pull the poker into gear and push the car and yes... I see... the engine is loose. Saves a lot of work... watch out, I'll push the car back out of gear.

I put the keys in the ignition (steer lock) and put inside the AudiTT in its highest position and again in its second gear. We tie the Hanomag and the M35 with the tow cable together, and drag it step foot over the terrain, the French saw water burning when they saw the car in its highest position, and beat themselves in the head that they had not come up there themselves. With the winch the M35 was pulled into the furniture box and securely secured, the shutter down and drive, towards home.

When we arrived at the border we would take a quiet transition, that of Halluin next to the big transition, but that was later not a good choice. When we arrived here we didn't get over it because of the paperwork that didn't match all the data as of the T2 had expired and there was no original Carte Grise, with the photocopy of this they didn't like.

We were accused of illegally wanting to cross the border of a car that didn't have any valid papers. Together we were arrested and transported by the police in a Renault four to the border further up in Menen.

After a long wait in the detention center, a report was made and we were able to pay. Also we would not get our M 35 with us, it had to be unloaded and would be chained behind the gate at customs, so we again in the Renault and to the other border to pick up the Hanomag. The Hanomag we were allowed to keep to drive home and we had to come back to put all the papers back in order. Going back we did that two weeks later, leaving early again and as a precaution with a bag of money.

It was agreed with Citroën in Paris that they would ensure that the original Carte Gris would be at a certain transporter with whom they worked. I don't know if you've ever met a Frenchman. You see, the Carte Grise wasn't dropped off anywhere, we were so said before Jan L... drove to the border, so back home.

Contact with Paris again, and yes... it was still in a desk drawer, now it was agreed that we should have the license plate in Maarssen before we would travel back to France. Again some time passed, but at some point we still had the original Carte Grise in our possession.

So again early, and again to Menen, all the papers were finally put in order and opened the gate for us, even then the Ami 8 Coupé lay completely flat on the ground and the drag ritual had to change that again, high on his legs he was laured again in the Hanomag. At the end of the afternoon, by the end of March, the Ami 8 Coupé M35 is in the garage in Maarssen.

My curiosity was great but on Saturday 15 April I only had the opportunity to look at the technical side of this unique car.
A new battery was installed, the carburettor was cleaned, the spark plugs cleaned, all liquids checked. Without the spark plugs I let the engine spin on the starter motor for a while to fill the oil channels, I put new gasoline in and after two hours the moment of starting.

It strikes immediately and the great rotation sound comes to us and the car shoots again in its highest position. Then the moment of driving after we had mounted the green plates. I can say it was a pleasant Saturday afternoon and we immediately forgot all the trouble of the weeks before.

Not much later the Ami M 35 was put on Dutch registration, without any problem. For a long time there was a ride and we had a lot of views then, also the M35 was sprayed over and equipped with wheels of an Ami Super. In the collection Citroen number 9 could be connected in the row. Lighted by the rotation virus I would later look for the missing... GS Birotor.

Kees de Waard Wagner.