1981 Citroen Visa Super E
A rare but surprisingly useable classic car.
1124cc engine with a four speed box, but the forth is decently high geared compared with many cars of the time so it is quiet and relaxed cruising at 55/60 mph all day. The suspension is everything you could hope for in an 80s French car. It really is like the council have been out and fixed all the potholes. It rides very well and is super comfortable.
The Super E was Citroens attempt at building a really economical car, and it has the delightful and somewhat quirky “econoscope”, which is two little lights telling you when you are driving uneconomically.
The Citroën Visa Super E achieved impressive fuel economy figures for its time, with official figures are 44.8 mpg in town, 58.9 mpg at a constant 56 mph, and 44.8 mpg at a constant 75 mph. In the real world it is quite possible to achieve 40 mpg, and this along with the zero road tax and MOT exemption make this little Visa the perfect classic car for someone on a tight budget.
He is affectionately known as Mr Turdy Brown because of the overall browness that only the 80s could have come up with. The inside is just as brown as the outside and being an earlier model it has the cool and very odd flying switch pod. This pod makes a lot of sense after a few drives to get use to it. Everything you need, lights, indicator and wipers are literally at your fingertips.
He gets noticed every where it goes, even in a line of other classics at a show there are people who want to chat an ask questions about this strange little French car. Unlike some older Citroens there is nothing frightening underneath. The suspension, brakes and steering are all conventional in the way they are made, no high presume pumps, special oils or spheres and sensors.
Mr Turdy Brown, spent a long time off the road in storage, so has not suffers decades of salty winters. The underside is pretty much corrosion free. There are a few bits of paint that are less than perfect, but lets be fair he’s 44 years old. The only bit that really needs a little attention is where the inner and outer wing meet on the passenger side under the bonnet. I have put a patch of fibreglass on from the underside of the wheel arch and undersealed this area. So it is not hidden, but protected from further corrosion. I also have 1 litre of colour matched paint.
He has covered 52500 miles but I use him almost daily so this may go up a little. The engines in these are known to have a top end rattle and fairly low mileage, but this one has been fixed and fixed properly by someone who knows what they were doing. The previous owner was a cylinder head specialist so the top end has been rebuild with a refaced and hardened cam. Problem solved.
Parts are surprisingly available with a thriving club and face book group. I have attended some of the Citroen Club events including the National Rally where he was very much admired.
As you will notice from the pictures I have tried several different cleaners/protectors on the grey plastic trim. Some work better then others but none seem to last as long as the manufacturers would like you to believe. So retreating it is just part of the washing and waxing maintenance. But that is why in some pictures it looks great and in some pictures it looks faded.
So if he is so wonderful, why would I be selling Mr Turdy Brown. Well, I have fancied a Lomax 3 wheeler for a long time, and just the right one came up at just the right price. This leaves me with a storage space issue. I have priced him fairly, for what he is and the condition he is in. I am not taking silly offers or swaps or deals. I just need to find him a good home and free up some space.
He is located at PE13 near Wisbech.