@@utubeleplague Fiat 127 must have been in a different time zone then. It was launched 7 years before the Visa, a year before the Renault 5. Although it only got option of a hatchback in 1972 it was truly years ahead of its time. Fiesta and Polo years later got a lot of plaudits, but the 127 was the first true super-mini
5 лет назад+1
@@neilwalsh4058 I think the original mini (which helped to bring the expression super-mini to the fore) probably beat the 127 to it by quite a generous margin...
@ I was thinking small hatchback territory really. Able to load long/awkward items via removable parcel shelf / drop down back seats. Mini was revolutionary but didn't have that flexibity in one package. Pickup or van did but they only carried 2 people.
My first car was a 1980 Visa Special. And I loved it. It always ran. But I spend several summers welding the holes in the floor!. The Visa didn't have a grill blind as mentioned in the video but a plastic flap that slides in behind the grill. You can see the flap in your boot. When I was in Scandinavia I had to fill the full area behind the grill with cardboard just so the engine would get warm enough to defrost the windshield (cold feet!). And later I drove a whole year without the cooling fan at all after a mishap, not a problem.... An unbreakable engine. The instrument cluster citroen called a 'satellite.' You can use all the buttons with your fingertips while keeping you hand on the wheel. It worked great. My car is gone now but I still have the 'satellite cluster' as a souvenier. Love it. My car drove on LPG and because of that 0-60 took more than a minute.The gap between 3rd and 4th gear was just too long.But with 40l LPG plus 40l gasoline it had a +1000km range. Good memories. p.s, what you called a 'starter dog' is a spark plug remover.
It is no surprise that Citroen is in the top tier of the motoring hall of fame. Covering every price point from the aspirational wealthy to the distinctly utilitarian impecunious, all their cars were kissed with their unique touch of genius, making whatever you could afford feel special. I feel blessed to have done some considerable miles in several. Definitely worthy of a HubNut review with all it's special insight and detail that others miss.
@@lewis72 I agree. This isn't a great car. It's frankly quite conventional, apart from the instruments, which are re-used from another car anyway, it would appear. You have to hand it to Citroen though - to this day they come up with stuff that nobody else does. A lot of it is junk though. I think the company survives due to the fact that the French buy French cars. And government subsidies.
@@acciid And the fact that those car gave driving pleasure because of th quirkiness. Like speed bumps that meant nothing to a 2CV at 60 km/h where any other car would have gone flying or have the shock absorbers penetrate the bonnet. That and many other fun invoking factors go unnoticed by motorists who strive for safety, F1 road handling and other frivolities.😉
Trivial Pursuits Visa fact - according to the China Car News website, in 1988 Wuling bought the tooling and remaining parts from Citroen to build the Visa in China - 1,000 were built between 1991 and 1994 (they show a photo of one) with a locally made 3 cylinder 1 litre engine (almost an average of the Citroen 2 and 4 cylinder engine sizes...) I'm not sure how this squares with the C15 van version which appeared to continue in production for years and years.
I drove my Visa fully loaded (no PAX) from Genoa in Italy to London. Started at 0730 and was driving up Tottenham Court Road at midnight (having taken the ferry Calais to Dover). Most enjoyable journey of my life!
I learnt to drive in one. It was light blue and had the exact same blue interior. The brakes were shocking. The heater was useless. However it never let me down and it made it from Brighton to Blackpool and back with 5 of us and luggage in it! It did 80mph down Reigate Hill on the M25. I never forgot the experience.
I drove a 'van blanc' Citroen Visa van (petrol) around for a while in the late 80's - the piano shop I was working for had it as a company van. I remember it fondly.
The first car I ever drove. My mum had a Y reg as well. All Visa drivers drove around blind in the rain and with the indicators continuously on because they were ridiculously quiet and not self-cancelling.
I’ve watched way too many HN videos lately. I’ve started to append “thusly” randomly to my sentences. My wife is getting sick of it. Especially in the bedroom for some reason.
Just re watched your excellent report on this car simply because it popped up in today's Citroenian. I had a Special back in the 80's but don't think I stand a chance of bagging another now to join my CX , BX and Dyane. Bonkers and brilliant.
I really love how old 70's and 80's cars had just the car name on the lowest spec models. My Peugeot 309 is thankfully a slighly less poverty model so it has a nice clock instead of the blank filler. They really were different cars depending on the trim level back in the day, now all car trim levels are the same except for the different color stripes or something.
@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge I was thinking how basic this particular one is too. I think it's a tidy design, spacious enough for an unmarried woman, a young family or old French peasants sailing through the countryside to buy sell or exchange some produce. Watching the video, I think minimum requirement must be a 1124cc and a parcel shelf. I'm surprised they didn't include one in 1982 - surely it was just lost. Looking at the spec, we must be talking one of the cheapest new cars you could buy!
We had a visa as our family car in the 80s. This video brings back so many memories. The man with the hat is something I was fascinated by and seeing it again brought it all back.
I had one in the eighties. Similar mileage as in the video. Went all over in it, including a trip all the way to Montpellier. Remember driving flat-out by default on the motorways. The engine never complained. It did 70mph uphill and 85mph downhill. Never got done for speeding. Funny how my hand muscle memory started to click in during the dashboard presentation. It was finally rear-ended by a Jaguar 4.2 Sovereign near Titchfield, Hants, and written off. It was fun to own. Thankyou HubNut.
That’s why I love this channel, I forgot these cars even existed, suddenly I’m transported back 25 odd years and I’m reminded of these old quirky cars I used to see daily
We had a Visa Convertible in the 80s (B106 BGF) a rarity in the UK with only around 30 being imported, and only in silver or red (ours was the former). You could flip open the front 18" or so and have an instant sunroof or take the whole roof down in just a few seconds more. Sure, the sides were normal, i.e. metal, but with 4 doors that was an acceptable compromise. A shame the hatchback was lost in this version but we managed. Many say that by the 80s Citroën had lost most of its quirkiness but I would dispute that. The dashboard 'satellite', single spoke steering wheel and single wiper blade show they were still brave enough to be different. I loved the man in a hat symbol for the heater, 'L'homme avec chapeau' as I used to call it; you'd never see that in a Ford. Ours was not reliable however, breaking throttle, clutch and choke cables in rotation for the period we owned it (7 years or so). On one occasion we even got a cheery wave from the local RAC van driver! But when it was working it delighted with great fuel economy, an impressive ride, super comfy seats, surprisingly good brakes and handling. Oh, and possibly the best heater of any car I've owned. We toured Brittany one year and that was wonderful though the gearbox was on the way out and would crunch its gears - though surprisingly if the revs were timed perfectly it was possible to slot the cogs into place silently even without using the clutch! Bizarre. A very underrated car. Perhaps the bargain of the lot - if you can find one - is the GTI. It's mechanically a Peugeot GTi in a different body shell at a fraction of the cost. And the rarest in the UK is undoubtedly the Convertible with - last time I looked - only two left. Love your channel and its ethos.
I used to have a flat twin pig nosed Visa (652cc) . I just can't remember what happened to this car, but I do recall lifting the engine manually, not with a hoist as it was so lightweight. Back in the 80's I rented a few of these from a firm called Corby Motors in Northampton. One of the cheapest cars they had available!
My mum and dad's neighbour had 2cvs new one every year and then went onto visa they bought a new one every year till he got a bx happy memories. Brought back by your video
I had its successor who was far less interesting but still loved it. I had a 1994 dark red Citröen AX 1.4 diesel (53hp) and it was a "special edition" but I can't recall the name. I travelled all across Europe and got from my mother when she switched to a newer car. It eventually died due to a cracked block. And it blew the head gasket three times before that. It was a recurrent problem on that engine. Still miss the little bugger though. Still got me through almost half a million km.
Been waiting for this as it remains me of an incident from my childhood in about 1979 / 1980 ish. My brother and his friend both aged 14 decided to takes his friends mums visa for a ride (without any consent or legal right). However as my brother was driving he struggled to change from 3rd to 2nd and as such took his eyes off the road, as a result he crossed the pavement drove through a hedge and crashed into some unfortunate woman’s front door. As they ran from the scene the lady recognised my brother and contacted the police. Fortunately they just got a good old fashioned ticking off and my dad had to pick him up from the police station. Couldn’t believe my father never gave him a little physical correction at the time. However a couple of weeks later a family friend asked my dad a little of advice, as she was considered buying a second hand visa. At this point my brother felt with all his impressive experience,he was qualified to give his opinion, and his dulcet tones where heard to say “ don’t bother they have a crap gear box”. At this point my father could no longer hold back and unleashed a little old fashioned discipline 🤣
I had a little visa 2 pot for around a year back in the 80's, great little car once you got used to it. The binnacle for lights, indicators and wipers reminded me of the machine the bus conductors used to carry that printed out tickets back then, I often used to call out "tickets please" when carrying passengers. The one I owned was dusty blue with texture bubbles, the near side front wing used to move away from the car slightly when the bonnet was released as the speaker wire holding it on lost tension. I had mine up to just over 80 mph down hill with a gale blowing from behind and the needle jammed at that speed, I thumped the top of the instrument cluster trying to un-jam the needle, but ended up breaking its fixings and subsequently had a full floating speedo that used to change angles when cornering..... Fuel consumption was very good as I remember, £1 of leaded fuel would easily carry me from Maidstone in Kent to The Isle of Grain and back, I always carried a reserve fuel can in the boot in case I had to travel further afield at short notice. I also remember the lights were around 2 candle power on main beam and around 3 on high , great for high speed lane scurrying. Thanks Ian for bringing back some fond memories... smashing little car xx
My favourite old car. I bought one from my cousin in the eighties, who had named it "The Poultice", because it had about as much pull as one. I ran it for almost two years until It needed brake pads for the MOT. I jacked up one side and fitted one set, then jacked up the other side, but the jack kept going up, while the car remained on the ground. Not a straight panel on it, but it had more character than all my other cars put together.
Ian, would love to see a review of an LNA11E. I had one new in '84 in gold with alloys and loved it. Went like the clappers and could do 56mph in 2nd gear! Many an XR2 was put to shame. Burnt out plugs and half shafts though when tanked like that, but brilliant fun doing so. Miss it to bits but it made way for an Uno Turbo...
Your vids are really good .. better than some of the silly auto programs on TV. Just great detail and simple camera work , better than silly top gear .
Taking me back to my youth, had a 652cc version of this, the only totally brand new car I've ever owned. Lovely car, great to drive, incredibly economical and totally reliable. also had its predecessor a 2cv of which I would say much the same but also enormous fun to drive!
I had a Visa Club wit the same 652 engine, found it bouncy as well. My accidental solution was carrying a fairly heavy toolbox in the boot at all times, haha.
When I was a teenager I was into V8's and burnouts etc. Now I appreciate practicality, economy and easy maintenance. This would be the perfect commuter - 2 cylinder low registration and insurance. Not interested in impressing anyone car.
Wow you’re really spoiling us here! If anything could bring me to owning a classic car again, it would be something like this. A car you can still use now and then, heaps of fun and not a money pit. A very good representation of the more modern Citroëns I think, a very smart little car, designed with functionality in mind. One thing you didn’t mention is how cheap these were in its day, much cheaper than say a Polo but also the Panda and Renault 4 were more expensive. It’s closest competitor was perhaps the Panda 30 but that wasn’t available in most countries outside Italy.
My very first brand new car. My previous one was a Renault 4. The Visa’s engine was so small that it certainly helped me to learn to drive better. It was a brilliant car and would do 80mph on the motorway all day. Incredibly comfortable as well. I loved it.
" It feels very honest... Very... erm... real. ". HubNut, you described the car. I think a majority of us feel that you described in very few words the essence of this channel.
The OltCit made history in Romania being the third auto manufacturer in terms of history after ww2 after Aro (large SUV), Dacia ( Renault 12) . A lot more features and technology at that time for us. Regards!
My ex's mum had one of these in the late 90s and my God, was it flimsy! Until then I thought my Nova was the tinniest car ever but the Visa took it to a whole new level. None of us were, ahem, small people (must have looked quite a sight in such a little car) but it got us where we needed to go... eventually! Pity that Peugeot (never renowned for making interesting cars) felt the need to do away with so many of Citroen's trademark quirks, including that futuristic dash. Citroen were one of the few car-makers that put the same level of design effort into their cheap basic cars as the high-end models, and it shows with this one. Lovely tidy survivor btw, same age as my Volvo (also an 82/Y) but in infinitely better shape.
Bought a 2 year old visa in blue 1985. Great little car, comfortable fun to drive and reliable. Got a cortina after a few years but really missed the visa.
ACE!! I am insanely jealous! My last trip in a visa was to the knackers yard as I was in a pile up on the M6 (not my fault). I had the 1.1 version though. A friend of mine had the 652 (we were both 2CV owners too) and he swore by is as a much more refined 2CV but not as good off road.
It's sad that Pug tried to basically tell Citroen "No! You shall be normal like the rest of us!!!", just imagine what cars we could have had today if they weren't mostly re-engineered peugeots... :P
In reality we would have had a lot less Citroen and Peugeot cars, because Citroen went bust and continuing doing what they did under Peugeot would have killed Peugeot in the early 80s, as they are only with us now, because the 205 changed their fortunes.
We once owned a C15 van with the Visa nose. My brother in Amsterdam had a Visa like this and once unlocked and opened the door, sat down in the driver's seat and wondered about things lying on the seats . After some thinking and looking around he noticed his own Visa standing nearby. The doorlocks were clearly not too reliable.
Hi Ian and all, I had a Citroen Visa Club back in 1980 which I had from new , my car did have a rear wash wipe but this soon decided not to work after about two years of ownership. It was very slow and you had to work the engine to get up hills , but it was fun. I also had a clock in mine but the hands fell off the clock face, although I did attempt to put them back on . I had the car about 7 years before the rust got into all the tin. One day I lent on the car and my hand went through the rust. Good times .
We had a Douvrin engined Vjsa Super in the early '80s and thought it fabulous. We had to order headrests and then the tweed covers separately and assemble them ourselves! The luggage cover was a weird fold over contraption and the back seat squab release was like a garden gate latch. Ours was incredibly quiet but others I tried weren't - indifferent quality control. I saw one for sale about a year ago in a lovely metallic green with tan interior and something crazy like about 8000 miles. It seemed to sell instantly.
I've got a 652 engine and box in the garage, really must try to sell them sometime. I was going to make a go kart out of them but it's another idea that went nowhere..
10:26 the flip forward rear seat base, one of the many thing lost to “progress” I spend some time trying to do that to my Corsa once, only to learn you can’t, therefore when you drop the seat back they don’t lie flat!
For anyone who understands german I recommend searching on “Autotest 1981 Citroën Visa”. It really highlights how good the Visa was in its day, it’s covered in praise allround -by a german state-owned TV station!
But if I’m not mistaken, the journalist who tests the car was Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver and Car of the Year jury member. A very knowledgeable and well-respected man and internationally renowned. But not a German...
I had a visa gti... Best fun car I ever owned bar none.... Love to see a test on one. I bought my sister an 1100 one when she passed her test. Same dash as this one. Her heater could strip paint!!! On mine you could unclip the seats and remove them completely, it was like a very very fast van!!! Point to point very little could keep up. ..
Primary ‘supply’ school teachers car! Mrs Pointers wheels of choice in the early 80s, very upright, quite hard seats (filled with supplies) in a tarpaulin blue
I love how the English have every french cars, i could travel the whole country without finding a simple r25 but the English have even a 80' model Citroën... at least i know where to go if i want cool cars now
Wonderful memories, purchased one of these 18 years ago for £50! My passenger used Todo the indicator!! Blue space age dash! Oh I wish I had it in my collection now 🙄 love it, rare car!
My friend had a blue one of these. It was his concession to economic living. To get into first gear you had to move the gear stick in a clockwise circle and it would eventually crunch in. We went to a scrap yard and fixed the problem with a gear linkage - we were so tight that we also took the brake pads and shoes from the scrapper because they were better than the ones on the car. It was a happier and more simple time!
Had a Visa GTI in my youth. Had a great laugh in that. Had two Fiat X19s as well. Used to court my girlfriend in the X19...how i did it i don't know.. Couldn't do it now with my back😕
Great car the gti is the one to go for absolutely rapid . The dashboard is a work of art Dan Dare would appreciate great in depth report as usual ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LOL. My girlfriends parents got her one of these when she passed her driving test in 1985. First thing she done when she got in it was to go round and pick her mates up for a drive. seems i was bottom of the list. I think we split about 2 weeks later!
Busyboy 42 Oh aye, we can take things harder back when the urgency to thrive and succeed, sew the seed, win, is quite a blood content... break your flipping heart, some of them almost delighted in trying, one or two may have, but what I like is seeing the old cockers as they are now! And y’ think: Haha!! The state of You!! What did I ever see in you and thank God I was steered by life’s guardian angels away from being lumbered with someone destined to look like Bernard Manning and Les Dawson’s underground facility Test tube child! I bet you are WINNING mate - keep your foot down and **** ‘em!
Grown up with a 2CV4 as my first car and lived on with Beetle, Renault 4 and Golf I love the videos with these old basic cars (have a look at the trunk of this Visa - imagine that today!). That was the time when you were happy to have anything with a motor (and it was YOUR OWN). And today it always makes me happy to have a car with heated leather seats, automatic and ac... Even when it is an old Benz.
I remember seeing the Visa about in the 80's but was totally unaware it was a twin cylinder engine ! Nice to see one in better condition than the ones I remember. Thanks again Ian , it's been an education. 👍
What a nice video. My first car was a Visa 11 RE from 1984. The same dashboard as this one. It was a great car. Greetings from Brummen the Netherlands. 😊😊
My first car was the Citroen Visa Club 652cc. Yes there was a plastic grill blind that fitted in the slots just behind the grill. The Club came with the rear wiper, clock, parcel shelf, and radio that fitted in a pod under the dash. If you loosen off the registration plate you will find a hole that gives access for a starter handle but there was no fitting on the front of the crank. Performance was 0 to 60 eventually. You learnt very quickly how to carry the speed/momentum through the bends. I would have kept it at the time if I could have afforded to rebuild the firewall to the engine compartment which rotted out.
I love the control panel. I'd like to see the speedometer to the left and a tachometer to the right though. Great little car. Just put some sound deadening material under the bonnet. I'm surprised so few cars have that. It makes a huge difference.
My first car was a yellow Visa Club from 1980 that I bought in 1987 from a scrap yard for 100 pounds and re-built! It went from Edinburgh to Paris, to Cornwall, all round Scotland four times and was the best car ever! Epic journeys especially downhill from Glenshee to Dundee being chased by an XR2 Fiesta who couldn't get past. Handling was amazing on 135 section Michelins...happy days. And now there are only 4 left in the UK :-(
5 лет назад+1
I had no idea these came with essentially a 2CV motor! I remember my neighbour had a Visa diesel from brand new (after a succession of 2CVs, his dad had several DS and Palace models) and had it from the mid 80s until the mid to late 90s... always liked the way it sounded! That mad multi function 'stalk' is sublime... I forgot they had that!
Ahh perfect. Sunday morning political rubbish on the BBC. This pops up. Hub Nut saves my sanity.
Hub Nut ALWAYS saves my sanity ..
The BBC ... You STILL watching that rubbish.. Can I ask why?
You can never, ever, trust a news channel owned by the government, they are never gonna be unbiased
Hahaha
The same here in France !
@@gmodderr Absolutley agree! Glad we are waking up!
Visa, accepted everywhere.
Ahead of its time
Excepted everywhere?
@@utubeleplague Fiat 127 must have been in a different time zone then. It was launched 7 years before the Visa, a year before the Renault 5. Although it only got option of a hatchback in 1972 it was truly years ahead of its time. Fiesta and Polo years later got a lot of plaudits, but the 127 was the first true super-mini
@@neilwalsh4058
I think the original mini (which helped to bring the expression super-mini to the fore) probably beat the 127 to it by quite a generous margin...
@ I was thinking small hatchback territory really. Able to load long/awkward items via removable parcel shelf / drop down back seats. Mini was revolutionary but didn't have that flexibity in one package. Pickup or van did but they only carried 2 people.
You've won the award for most ever mentions of a 2CV in a car video that isn't about a 2CV. Congratulations.
In his defense, if I owned one I'd also constantly bring it up whenever I could. :)
That's quite a prestigious award.
My first car was a 1980 Visa Special. And I loved it. It always ran. But I spend several summers welding the holes in the floor!.
The Visa didn't have a grill blind as mentioned in the video but a plastic flap that slides in behind the grill. You can see the flap in your boot. When I was in Scandinavia I had to fill the full area behind the grill with cardboard just so the engine would get warm enough to defrost the windshield (cold feet!). And later I drove a whole year without the cooling fan at all after a mishap, not a problem.... An unbreakable engine.
The instrument cluster citroen called a 'satellite.' You can use all the buttons with your fingertips while keeping you hand on the wheel. It worked great. My car is gone now but I still have the 'satellite cluster' as a souvenier. Love it.
My car drove on LPG and because of that 0-60 took more than a minute.The gap between 3rd and 4th gear was just too long.But with 40l LPG plus 40l gasoline it had a +1000km range. Good memories.
p.s, what you called a 'starter dog' is a spark plug remover.
A visa with lpg, thats nice
It is no surprise that Citroen is in the top tier of the motoring hall of fame. Covering every price point from the aspirational wealthy to the distinctly utilitarian impecunious, all their cars were kissed with their unique touch of genius, making whatever you could afford feel special. I feel blessed to have done some considerable miles in several. Definitely worthy of a HubNut review with all it's special insight and detail that others miss.
"Impecunious",I intend to steal your word and throw it into random sentences. The company I keep,like me,won't have a clue what it means.
Hmm, they fell victim later on. Their cars became synonymous with cheap and nasty which is why they introduced the DS range.
"Top tier of the motoring hall of fame" ?? Says who ?
It's a horrible car.
Styling looks dreary with that massive D pillar and sad-face headlamps.
@@lewis72 I agree. This isn't a great car. It's frankly quite conventional, apart from the instruments, which are re-used from another car anyway, it would appear. You have to hand it to Citroen though - to this day they come up with stuff that nobody else does. A lot of it is junk though.
I think the company survives due to the fact that the French buy French cars. And government subsidies.
@@acciid And the fact that those car gave driving pleasure because of th quirkiness.
Like speed bumps that meant nothing to a 2CV at 60 km/h where any other car would have gone flying or have the shock absorbers penetrate the bonnet. That and many other fun invoking factors go unnoticed by motorists who strive for safety, F1 road handling and other frivolities.😉
Trivial Pursuits Visa fact - according to the China Car News website, in 1988 Wuling bought the tooling and remaining parts from Citroen to build the Visa in China - 1,000 were built between 1991 and 1994 (they show a photo of one) with a locally made 3 cylinder 1 litre engine (almost an average of the Citroen 2 and 4 cylinder engine sizes...) I'm not sure how this squares with the C15 van version which appeared to continue in production for years and years.
My first car was a 1983 Citroen Visa Super E, loved that car....even though it often let me down.
Was in awe of with dash board
I drove my Visa fully loaded (no PAX) from Genoa in Italy to London. Started at 0730 and was driving up Tottenham Court Road at midnight (having taken the ferry Calais to Dover). Most enjoyable journey of my life!
I learnt to drive in one. It was light blue and had the exact same blue interior. The brakes were shocking. The heater was useless. However it never let me down and it made it from Brighton to Blackpool and back with 5 of us and luggage in it! It did 80mph down Reigate Hill on the M25. I never forgot the experience.
Good summary
That dashboard. The Romulans have landed! :D
Good one!
Shush. The Tal shiar will come knocking!
Which gauge displays that ? ;)
Romulans? They make Dacias don't they?
Colin Pollock 😂😂😂💀
I drove a 'van blanc' Citroen Visa van (petrol) around for a while in the late 80's - the piano shop I was working for had it as a company van. I remember it fondly.
That is, without a doubt, the weirdest instrument binnacle I have ever seen in my life.
GSA's is even weirder!
@Matt Barber I think R2D2 when I see it, but I think it is quite clever set up.
Looks like a giant power cord socket from some 80s hifi kit.
Avant garde. (French thing)
@@69Phuket "Avante garde" means new and/or experimental.
The first car I ever drove. My mum had a Y reg as well. All Visa drivers drove around blind in the rain and with the indicators continuously on because they were ridiculously quiet and not self-cancelling.
I’ve watched way too many HN videos lately. I’ve started to append “thusly” randomly to my sentences. My wife is getting sick of it. Especially in the bedroom for some reason.
Loving the Bad News reference in your name.
Funniest comment I've seen on YT for ages. Thusly.
TheVimFuego HunNut phrases on the job ? 😂😂
@@andysimpson8974Comic Strip fan from way back :)
@yossarianDripping Triangle Of Doom seems particularly off limits! Although at our age any lubrication ...
Just re watched your excellent report on this car simply because it popped up in today's Citroenian. I had a Special back in the 80's but don't think I stand a chance of bagging another now to join my CX , BX and Dyane. Bonkers and brilliant.
It is good that you have the mark "CITROEN" in front of you, in case you forget what kind of car you are driving....
Lol George Phoenix.
My Fiesta had a silhouette of a car on the instrument cluster to remind me that I was driving a car (and that I didn't have a tachometer)
@@TheKenjoje A lot of people bought them though, didn't they.
I really love how old 70's and 80's cars had just the car name on the lowest spec models. My Peugeot 309 is thankfully a slighly less poverty model so it has a nice clock instead of the blank filler. They really were different cars depending on the trim level back in the day, now all car trim levels are the same except for the different color stripes or something.
@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge I was thinking how basic this particular one is too. I think it's a tidy design, spacious enough for an unmarried woman, a young family or old French peasants sailing through the countryside to buy sell or exchange some produce. Watching the video, I think minimum requirement must be a 1124cc and a parcel shelf. I'm surprised they didn't include one in 1982 - surely it was just lost. Looking at the spec, we must be talking one of the cheapest new cars you could buy!
We had a visa as our family car in the 80s. This video brings back so many memories. The man with the hat is something I was fascinated by and seeing it again brought it all back.
I had a Visa GTi....a visa with a 205 GTi lump stuffed in it...mad little car till I drove it intro a wall in a carpark in Ipswich while showing off !
That was a beast. It was the first time I sat in a production car that felt glued to the road like a race car. : )
@@Module79L The front tires were quite wide for the weight of the car...odd in the snow. I bought it to one-up my mate who had a BX GTi .
The engine was from the Peugeot 104 and had 1400cc with 82 HP. Quite a lot for a 650 kg car! Peugeot 205 GTI had 1900cc engines with +/- 110 HP.
iseeolly I had a 205 1.9 on a H plate. Silver no sunroof model
Ipswich? Are you sure it wasn't Bolton? Maybe it's one of those, what do you call, palindromes?
I had one in the eighties. Similar mileage as in the video. Went all over in it, including a trip all the way to Montpellier. Remember driving flat-out by default on the motorways. The engine never complained. It did 70mph uphill and 85mph downhill. Never got done for speeding. Funny how my hand muscle memory started to click in during the dashboard presentation. It was finally rear-ended by a Jaguar 4.2 Sovereign near Titchfield, Hants, and written off. It was fun to own. Thankyou HubNut.
That’s why I love this channel, I forgot these cars even existed, suddenly I’m transported back 25 odd years and I’m reminded of these old quirky cars I used to see daily
Try 36 odd years, in this case
Charlie Crown yes but these old cars were still on the road 25 odd years ago, not when they were new
@@pokerclown7922 👍
i had an 4 cilinder leader model , great cars fun to drive!
We had a Visa Convertible in the 80s (B106 BGF) a rarity in the UK with only around 30 being imported, and only in silver or red (ours was the former). You could flip open the front 18" or so and have an instant sunroof or take the whole roof down in just a few seconds more. Sure, the sides were normal, i.e. metal, but with 4 doors that was an acceptable compromise. A shame the hatchback was lost in this version but we managed. Many say that by the 80s Citroën had lost most of its quirkiness but I would dispute that. The dashboard 'satellite', single spoke steering wheel and single wiper blade show they were still brave enough to be different. I loved the man in a hat symbol for the heater, 'L'homme avec chapeau' as I used to call it; you'd never see that in a Ford. Ours was not reliable however, breaking throttle, clutch and choke cables in rotation for the period we owned it (7 years or so). On one occasion we even got a cheery wave from the local RAC van driver! But when it was working it delighted with great fuel economy, an impressive ride, super comfy seats, surprisingly good brakes and handling. Oh, and possibly the best heater of any car I've owned. We toured Brittany one year and that was wonderful though the gearbox was on the way out and would crunch its gears - though surprisingly if the revs were timed perfectly it was possible to slot the cogs into place silently even without using the clutch! Bizarre. A very underrated car. Perhaps the bargain of the lot - if you can find one - is the GTI. It's mechanically a Peugeot GTi in a different body shell at a fraction of the cost. And the rarest in the UK is undoubtedly the Convertible with - last time I looked - only two left. Love your channel and its ethos.
I used to have a flat twin pig nosed Visa (652cc) . I just can't remember what happened to this car, but I do recall lifting the engine manually, not with a hoist as it was so lightweight. Back in the 80's I rented a few of these from a firm called Corby Motors in Northampton. One of the cheapest cars they had available!
My mum and dad's neighbour had 2cvs new one every year and then went onto visa they bought a new one every year till he got a bx happy memories. Brought back by your video
Did they like the style of the Visa ?
@@julienbee3467 or liked the sales lady lol. He had 2cc visa and bx both styles and estate stopped buying them when the dealership changed
I had its successor who was far less interesting but still loved it. I had a 1994 dark red Citröen AX 1.4 diesel (53hp) and it was a "special edition" but I can't recall the name. I travelled all across Europe and got from my mother when she switched to a newer car. It eventually died due to a cracked block. And it blew the head gasket three times before that. It was a recurrent problem on that engine. Still miss the little bugger though. Still got me through almost half a million km.
Such a fun car, love the complete disregard for anything remotely luxurious- makes such a change. Great video as always Ian 👌🏼
Been waiting for this as it remains me of an incident from my childhood in about 1979 / 1980 ish. My brother and his friend both aged 14 decided to takes his friends mums visa for a ride (without any consent or legal right). However as my brother was driving he struggled to change from 3rd to 2nd and as such took his eyes off the road, as a result he crossed the pavement drove through a hedge and crashed into some unfortunate woman’s front door. As they ran from the scene the lady recognised my brother and contacted the police. Fortunately they just got a good old fashioned ticking off and my dad had to pick him up from the police station. Couldn’t believe my father never gave him a little physical correction at the time.
However a couple of weeks later a family friend asked my dad a little of advice, as she was considered buying a second hand visa. At this point my brother felt with all his impressive experience,he was qualified to give his opinion, and his dulcet tones where heard to say “ don’t bother they have a crap gear box”. At this point my father could no longer hold back and unleashed a little old fashioned discipline 🤣
I had a little visa 2 pot for around a year back in the 80's, great little car once you got used to it.
The binnacle for lights, indicators and wipers reminded me of the machine the bus conductors used to carry that printed out tickets back then, I often used to call out "tickets please" when carrying passengers.
The one I owned was dusty blue with texture bubbles, the near side front wing used to move away from the car slightly when the bonnet was released as the speaker wire holding it on lost tension.
I had mine up to just over 80 mph down hill with a gale blowing from behind and the needle jammed at that speed, I thumped the top of the instrument cluster trying to un-jam the needle, but ended up breaking its fixings and subsequently had a full floating speedo that used to change angles when cornering.....
Fuel consumption was very good as I remember, £1 of leaded fuel would easily carry me from Maidstone in Kent to The Isle of Grain and back, I always carried a reserve fuel can in the boot in case I had to travel further afield at short notice.
I also remember the lights were around 2 candle power on main beam and around 3 on high , great for high speed lane scurrying.
Thanks Ian for bringing back some fond memories... smashing little car xx
EDDIE CASH why you are remiss in noticing the ‘Danger! Wall!’ Sign...
EDDIE CASH Holy sh1t that's what I said about the dash switches, just like the old bus ticket machines 😂👍🏻
9:51 you found the winter cover for the front grill, on the floor of the boot :)
A little gem of a car. Always loved the Visa. Styling still holds up well in 2019.
My favourite old car. I bought one from my cousin in the eighties, who had named it "The Poultice", because it had about as much pull as one.
I ran it for almost two years until It needed brake pads for the MOT. I jacked up one side and fitted one set, then jacked up the other side, but the jack kept going up, while the car remained on the ground.
Not a straight panel on it, but it had more character than all my other cars put together.
Ian, would love to see a review of an LNA11E. I had one new in '84 in gold with alloys and loved it. Went like the clappers and could do 56mph in 2nd gear! Many an XR2 was put to shame. Burnt out plugs and half shafts though when tanked like that, but brilliant fun doing so. Miss it to bits but it made way for an Uno Turbo...
Your vids are really good .. better than some of the silly auto programs on TV. Just great detail and simple camera work , better than silly top gear .
The dashboard is a masterpiece of function over form. Love it. Another one that nearly got away :-) Cheers.
Taking me back to my youth, had a 652cc version of this, the only totally brand new car I've ever owned. Lovely car, great to drive, incredibly economical and totally reliable. also had its predecessor a 2cv of which I would say much the same but also enormous fun to drive!
Reminds me of the early model Citroen AX I used to have. Many similar features, and around the same size.
I love the AX....Drove one fully laden in Cumbria...5 peeps and luggage.. It was well Fun! ;)
@@69Phuket Made me sea sick.
I had a Visa Club wit the same 652 engine, found it bouncy as well. My accidental solution was carrying a fairly heavy toolbox in the boot at all times, haha.
3:48 That's quite a good beat that Hazard light switch has. It could be the start of a good tune! 😆
When I was a teenager I was into V8's and burnouts etc. Now I appreciate practicality, economy and easy maintenance. This would be the perfect commuter - 2 cylinder low registration and insurance. Not interested in impressing anyone car.
Wow you’re really spoiling us here! If anything could bring me to owning a classic car again, it would be something like this. A car you can still use now and then, heaps of fun and not a money pit. A very good representation of the more modern Citroëns I think, a very smart little car, designed with functionality in mind. One thing you didn’t mention is how cheap these were in its day, much cheaper than say a Polo but also the Panda and Renault 4 were more expensive. It’s closest competitor was perhaps the Panda 30 but that wasn’t available in most countries outside Italy.
My very first brand new car. My previous one was a Renault 4. The Visa’s engine was so small that it certainly helped me to learn to drive better. It was a brilliant car and would do 80mph on the motorway all day. Incredibly comfortable as well. I loved it.
" It feels very honest... Very... erm... real. ".
HubNut, you described the car. I think a majority of us feel that you described in very few words the essence of this channel.
The OltCit made history in Romania being the third auto manufacturer in terms of history after ww2 after Aro (large SUV), Dacia ( Renault 12) . A lot more features and technology at that time for us. Regards!
Beautiful car! Its simplicity reminds me of the early Fiat Panda 30 (also a two-cylinder) or 34 (750ccm four cylinder)
My wife's first car, she loved it.
What an amazingly well preserved Visa. I love it!
And I totally agree with you on self-cancelling indicators: they are horrible.
What a fantastic little car! Truly a Citroen oddity of the highest degree and even more appealing in all its HubNut base level trim. C'est Magnifique!
My ex's mum had one of these in the late 90s and my God, was it flimsy! Until then I thought my Nova was the tinniest car ever but the Visa took it to a whole new level. None of us were, ahem, small people (must have looked quite a sight in such a little car) but it got us where we needed to go... eventually! Pity that Peugeot (never renowned for making interesting cars) felt the need to do away with so many of Citroen's trademark quirks, including that futuristic dash. Citroen were one of the few car-makers that put the same level of design effort into their cheap basic cars as the high-end models, and it shows with this one. Lovely tidy survivor btw, same age as my Volvo (also an 82/Y) but in infinitely better shape.
You don't know the 404 and the 205 for example?
Bought a 2 year old visa in blue 1985. Great little car, comfortable fun to drive and reliable. Got a cortina after a few years but really missed the visa.
Years ago, A mate had a Visa GTI, OMG that was a quick little car, very underrated hot hatch.
Gimme it...NOW! ;P
Hi Ian, great video on this Citroen Visa,don't see them rarely now,this is a tidy example of one.
ACE!! I am insanely jealous! My last trip in a visa was to the knackers yard as I was in a pile up on the M6 (not my fault). I had the 1.1 version though. A friend of mine had the 652 (we were both 2CV owners too) and he swore by is as a much more refined 2CV but not as good off road.
What a lovely Car.
It's sad that Pug tried to basically tell Citroen "No! You shall be normal like the rest of us!!!", just imagine what cars we could have had today if they weren't mostly re-engineered peugeots... :P
twocvbloke Shitting Peugeot!
In reality we would have had a lot less Citroen and Peugeot cars, because Citroen went bust and continuing doing what they did under Peugeot would have killed Peugeot in the early 80s, as they are only with us now, because the 205 changed their fortunes.
Graham Ariss I hold absolutely no ill will for Peugeot at all.
We once owned a C15 van with the Visa nose. My brother in Amsterdam had a Visa like this and once unlocked and opened the door, sat down in the driver's seat and wondered about things lying on the seats . After some thinking and looking around he noticed his own Visa standing nearby. The doorlocks were clearly not too reliable.
The quirkinesses of my 2013 C4 GP is the reason I got it, I love the wiredness off Citroen 🤣
Hi Ian and all, I had a Citroen Visa Club back in 1980 which I had from new , my car did have a rear wash wipe but this soon decided not to work after about two years of ownership. It was very slow and you had to work the engine to get up hills , but it was fun. I also had a clock in mine but the hands fell off the clock face, although I did attempt to put them back on . I had the car about 7 years before the rust got into all the tin. One day I lent on the car and my hand went through the rust. Good times .
The windscreen wiper is really designed for left hand drive if you think about it.
The lefthand steered have it on the other side :-)
@@peka4036 😁😁😁😁😁😉
@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj that would be the Citroen way!
Could simply rewire it and it would be the other way round....
As a kid I was always surprised about the visa sounding just like a 2CV. I thought it was a citroën thing.
We had a Douvrin engined Vjsa Super in the early '80s and thought it fabulous. We had to order headrests and then the tweed covers separately and assemble them ourselves! The luggage cover was a weird fold over contraption and the back seat squab release was like a garden gate latch. Ours was incredibly quiet but others I tried weren't - indifferent quality control. I saw one for sale about a year ago in a lovely metallic green with tan interior and something crazy like about 8000 miles. It seemed to sell instantly.
I drove a 106 once and it was great fun. Small and light cars are good.
I've got a 652 engine and box in the garage, really must try to sell them sometime. I was going to make a go kart out of them but it's another idea that went nowhere..
Send it to hubnut...
You can never have too many spares.
Yo tengo uno es super económico y suave su amortiguacion exelente y espacioso
Saludos desde chile 👍
10:26 the flip forward rear seat base, one of the many thing lost to “progress” I spend some time trying to do that to my Corsa once, only to learn you can’t, therefore when you drop the seat back they don’t lie flat!
I like the fact that Citroën fitted a little drum machine for the indicator sound. I could really get into that beat, Man.
For anyone who understands german I recommend searching on “Autotest 1981 Citroën Visa”. It really highlights how good the Visa was in its day, it’s covered in praise allround -by a german state-owned TV station!
But if I’m not mistaken, the journalist who tests the car was Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver and Car of the Year jury member. A very knowledgeable and well-respected man and internationally renowned. But not a German...
ruclips.net/video/z0mc42sHJ9Y/видео.html
Those old car test are better als today
I had a visa gti... Best fun car I ever owned bar none.... Love to see a test on one. I bought my sister an 1100 one when she passed her test. Same dash as this one. Her heater could strip paint!!! On mine you could unclip the seats and remove them completely, it was like a very very fast van!!! Point to point very little could keep up.
..
Primary ‘supply’ school teachers car!
Mrs Pointers wheels of choice in the early 80s, very upright, quite hard seats (filled with supplies) in a tarpaulin blue
Citroën 2CV, Visa, Dyane, AX... Teachers add a huge market share of these.
Somehow I believe teachers in general need a raise. LOL 😂
So nice to see a Visa again. I had a 1.9 C15d van which flew because is was so light. I loved it. And so economical, too.
I love how the English have every french cars, i could travel the whole country without finding a simple r25 but the English have even a 80' model Citroën...
at least i know where to go if i want cool cars now
Wonderfully quirky dash. Love the colour of the dash. I often wonder if the Citroen design team used lots of LSD?
There is something about a single spoke steering wheel that I find very unnerving.
Yep, that's one to add to the OCD activation list.
same- but it is ingenious from a (french) manufacturers point of view since you don't notice if they fit it crookedly :)
One is the loneliest number ...
You have to hope it doesn't snap.
@@xyz2121 My thoughts exactly.
Wonderful memories, purchased one of these 18 years ago for £50!
My passenger used Todo the indicator!! Blue space age dash! Oh I wish I had it in my collection now 🙄 love it, rare car!
Another little car I remember seeing alot in childhood. Do love Citroens quirkiness!
One of my girlfriends had a Citroen Visa in the early 90s. It was a great car. I always loved that dash and the crazy indicator controls.
You had many ? Girlfriends !😀
Souhaj oh yes. I’ve always had a short attention span and I’m very charming 😉
@@briero lucky you are !
There was a GT version. The ad said 'goes like stink.'
My friend had a blue one of these. It was his concession to economic living. To get into first gear you had to move the gear stick in a clockwise circle and it would eventually crunch in. We went to a scrap yard and fixed the problem with a gear linkage - we were so tight that we also took the brake pads and shoes from the scrapper because they were better than the ones on the car. It was a happier and more simple time!
Had a Visa GTI in my youth. Had a great laugh in that. Had two Fiat X19s as well. Used to court my girlfriend in the X19...how i did it i don't know.. Couldn't do it now with my back😕
CAR magazine loved these and I seem to remember it often appeared in their best cars of the year round up.
Hard to decide whether I find a Visa or an LN(A) more desirable. Hopefully you'll test an 'Hélène' eventually too.
Great car the gti is the one to go for absolutely rapid . The dashboard is a work of art Dan Dare would appreciate great in depth report as usual ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LOL. My girlfriends parents got her one of these when she passed her driving test in 1985. First thing she done when she got in it was to go round and pick her mates up for a drive. seems i was bottom of the list. I think we split about 2 weeks later!
Oh dear , sounds a bit like my life.
Busyboy 42 unfortunately comical!
@@thepofmeister Like a lot of split ups when your young, hurts a bit. 35 years later though, quite funny!
Personally I would not pile into a car with friends when the driver had just passed her test!!!
Busyboy 42 Oh aye, we can take things harder back when the urgency to thrive and succeed, sew the seed, win, is quite a blood content... break your flipping heart, some of them almost delighted in trying, one or two may have, but what I like is seeing the old cockers as they are now! And y’ think: Haha!! The state of You!! What did I ever see in you and thank God I was steered by life’s guardian angels away from being lumbered with someone destined to look like Bernard Manning and Les Dawson’s underground facility Test tube child! I bet you are WINNING mate - keep your foot down and **** ‘em!
Such an aesthetically pleasing little car
Really like this wee car, I'd happily give up modern rubbish to have these as my daily runner 😁
These cars would be needed now
3:30
So not good for learner drivers...... instant driving test fail??? Reaching thought the steering wheel??
Grown up with a 2CV4 as my first car and lived on with Beetle, Renault 4 and Golf I love the videos with these old basic cars (have a look at the trunk of this Visa - imagine that today!). That was the time when you were happy to have anything with a motor (and it was YOUR OWN). And today it always makes me happy to have a car with heated leather seats, automatic and ac... Even when it is an old Benz.
I always thought the Visa was the official replacement for the Ami.
MrTrull1 The Ami was quite bigger.
I remember seeing the Visa about in the 80's but was totally unaware it was a twin cylinder engine ! Nice to see one in better condition than the ones I remember. Thanks again Ian , it's been an education. 👍
"it's not hugely powerful" 😂
I had a Visa 1.7 diesel, was amazing on fuel & very nippy
What a nice video. My first car was a Visa 11 RE from 1984. The same dashboard as this one. It was a great car. Greetings from Brummen the Netherlands. 😊😊
I had both the 1100cc petrol and diesel version of this. Great little cars. Cheap compared with the Peugeot 205 alternative
My Gast is flabbered. Quirks and perks a plenty. The dash is just an 80s mind trip. Thank you for this HN
My first car was the Citroen Visa Club 652cc. Yes there was a plastic grill blind that fitted in the slots just behind the grill. The Club came with the rear wiper, clock, parcel shelf, and radio that fitted in a pod under the dash. If you loosen off the registration plate you will find a hole that gives access for a starter handle but there was no fitting on the front of the crank. Performance was 0 to 60 eventually. You learnt very quickly how to carry the speed/momentum through the bends. I would have kept it at the time if I could have afforded to rebuild the firewall to the engine compartment which rotted out.
Delightful simplicity. Gained another subscriber.
I love the control panel. I'd like to see the speedometer to the left and a tachometer to the right though. Great little car. Just put some sound deadening material under the bonnet. I'm surprised so few cars have that. It makes a huge difference.
My first car was a yellow Visa Club from 1980 that I bought in 1987 from a scrap yard for 100 pounds and re-built! It went from Edinburgh to Paris, to Cornwall, all round Scotland four times and was the best car ever! Epic journeys especially downhill from Glenshee to Dundee being chased by an XR2 Fiesta who couldn't get past. Handling was amazing on 135 section Michelins...happy days. And now there are only 4 left in the UK :-(
I had no idea these came with essentially a 2CV motor! I remember my neighbour had a Visa diesel from brand new (after a succession of 2CVs, his dad had several DS and Palace models) and had it from the mid 80s until the mid to late 90s... always liked the way it sounded!
That mad multi function 'stalk' is sublime... I forgot they had that!