1981 Citroen Acadiane *Sold £7,300*

Description

• Body off restoration
• New parts
• New panels
• Authenticated by the Citroen Car Club
• A UK registered LHD

When was the last time you saw one of these?

As is always the case, Citroen were constantly evolving as well as involving. The Citroen Acadiane, launched in 1978 mated the front of the Dyane and load area of the previous AK400 van. It was an instant success, of course it was.

Then look again and ask yourself, when was the last time you saw one these in this condition?

Original, characterful and full of charm. The Citroen Acadiane become not only a massive success but an icon in France where many are still in business use.

In the UK the effortless ride, practicality and fun design lends the Acadiane to a whole host of uses. They are always popular and ones like this, even more so.

History

• Our vendor Eddie purchased this in 2004 in Spain where he lived
• He knew the previous owner and the Citroen
• Eddie’s background was that he was trained and worked for Mercedes
• For a good while he put that training to good use restoring and exporting Citroen C15s
• The Citroen Acadiane was used for a time in village life, popping to get coffee, transporting logs, etc.
• But then it was time to do a full rebuild on the Acadiane
• There are images of that and paperwork within the Citroen’s file

Outside

During  the restoration of the van, the body came off so everything could be got at.

New panels were sourced where needed. The whole outside was coated in hi-build primer then sanded to deal with any imperfections. Finally, that unmistakable fetching French Fawn covered the entire Acadiane. The body was then re-united with the rest of the van.

With the exception of the bonnet, which is from another Acadiane, amazingly all the panels are original. This is not a rebuild that has cut chunks out of the vehicle ruining its originality. A lot of time was spent sourcing the right parts and, right down to items such as new old stock door rubbers.

Mechanicals

Before the reunification of the body to the mechanicals took place, various mechanical items were dealt with.

• New clutch
• New tyres
• New shock absorbers
• Gearbox overhauled
• Engine rebuilt by specialist

The Citroen engines are legendary. That is one reason why so many are still in use in Europe, frugal, simple and they go on and on and on.

There is something supremely practical about the long travel suspension which makes light work of all road surfaces. The well sorted Citroen running gear makes its easy and fun to bomb about, cruising along sweetly at 50mph if you need to.

*Because the Citroen has only travelled about 50 miles since the rebuild, we are told once the suspension has settled, it will need levelling.

There’s also a load of spares for the Acadiane that will be available under separate negotiation to the winning bidder including wheels etc.*

Inside

• Great load space
• Seats retrimmed
• Well finished
• Retains its Gallic charm

As you’d expect, the interior of the Citroen Acadiane is in very good condition. Is it one of the best on the market right now – take a look.

All the switch gear is operational and the dash area is clean and tidy. The door cards are in very good condition.

The load space is lovely and tidy and very practical. As you’d expect after a restoration of this quality, everything is in good order.

Bottom line

Classic commercials are always double popular. The charming Citroen Acadiane, packed with character, is no exception.

To come across a gem like this is a real find. It is rare enough to find an Acadiane now, let alone one in this condition. Eddie does say, “the last 2% of detailing needs doing”, we struggle to see it.

Eddie has reserved this sensibly. He understands he is not going to recover the fortune he has sunk into it. So a lucky winning bidder is getting the benefit of all that.

The appeal and range of uses for these is widespread. You could even have a night in the back under stars, if you wanted. We’d prefer a night under a roof in a B&B, but we’d definitely use the Acadiane to get us there.