Words by Rob McSorley
In Britain we absolutely love our hot hatches, we can't get enough of them and there's no shortage of models to choose from. In fact it's easier to list European manufacturers that don't offer a pocket-rocket than those that do.
As you will have heard hundreds of times over it was Volkswagen that gave birth to the idea of a brawny engine in a compact, featherweight hatchback for maximum smiles-per-mile. In my eyes it was Peugeot that tweaked the idea and really struck gold with their 205 GTi capturing the hearts of us Brits. It was faster and handled better than the iconic Golf GTi.
The 205 GTi is the very reason that my unsung hero is just that. The Peugeot's reputation and popularity was so great that its sister company could never get the exposure their barnstormer deserved. That car was the Citroen AX GT.
Designed in conjunction with the French government under the ECO 2000 project in the early 1980s the AX was one of the first cars to be designed from the ground up to be as fuel efficient as possible. It was achieved by designing the AX to be as lightweight as possible and spending endless hours in the wind tunnel.
Launched in 1986 the result was a rival to the Ford Fiesta that weighed as little as 640 kg and had a drag coefficient of just 0.31. It was completely ahead of its time and was the first model to feature PSA's (Peugeot-Citroen) all-new TU series of petrol engines. Available in 998cc, 1124cc and 1398cc versions its fuel economy was class leading at around 50 mpg.
The AX was so lightweight thanks to the use of plastic for many panels including the tailgate and varying the thickness of the steel used to the minimum needed for given loads. The car also used lightweight seats and trim and it was also thought that such a lightweight car wouldn't need such powerful brakes so lighter, small three stud hubs were fitted. Later a 1398cc naturally aspirated diesel was added to the lineup entering the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most fuel efficient car returning 87 mpg.
The letters G and T didn't grace the rear end of the AX until 1988 but it was soon to be a match made in heaven. Citroen went all out to make the GT look unique so out went the aerodynamic squared-off rear wheel arches replaced by a racy body kit with pronounced arches and a set of odd-looking alloy wheels. The interior was decked out with a thicker three-spoke wheel, black and red sports seats and a red stripe running the length of the carpet. There was also a rev counter!
The basic AX’s cabin was a delight with its simple yet functional design. For example Citroen only fitted speakers in the rear quarter panels leaving the exposed metal door panel with enough room for a 2-litre drink bottle in addition to the usual side bins. There was also a number of other cubbies dotted around including a recessed parcel shelf that could be used to store items or turned upside down to cover taller items. The dash design itself was pretty ghastly however as it was too square and made of brittle plastics that squeaked and rattled constantly. It was also prone to cracking in hot summer weather. Still for such a small car cabin space wasn’t too bad with just enough room for two adults in the back.
The most exciting part was under the bonnet where an 85 bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine with a twin-choke Solex carburettor lived, the same unit that was fitted to the Peugeot 205 XS. To prevent spirited drivers from ending up in a hedge the GT was fitted with anti roll bars front and rear which reduced the AXs comical body lean to palatable levels. By today's hot hatch standards 85 bhp seems like a tiny amount of power but as the AX GT weighed so little it could actually get to 60 mph in under 9 seconds and on to a top speed of 107 mph which at the time was fairly good.
The driving experience was pretty exhilarating too thanks to its pioneering suspension set up (only shared with its 205 cousin) at the rear comprising of a springless torsion beam. The GT handled incredibly well. Grip from the thin tyres was better than expected and the unassisted steering was accurate offering a connected with the road feeling. The five speed gearbox too was well upto the job if a touch loose. Despite a little too much bodyroll for some when threading the GT through a series of corners its chassis felt agile, poised and suffered very little from understeer. Instead lift-off-oversteer reared its head if taking a corner a little too fast. By backing of the accelerator mid corner the tail of the AX would swing round fairly quickly and if not caught you could find yourself facing the wrong way. A simple prod of the throttle soon remedied it though.
For a time when many car’s suspension was rather primitive in its design and ability to cushion occupants from the road surface the AX really was a revelation. In true French tradition it had one of the most comfortable rides around easily soaking up any bump in it's path which for such a small car was very impressive. Also thanks to the slippery shape wind and road noise were noticeably absent although mechanical refinement was a little lacking with plenty of roar from the carburetters under moderate acceleration.
In late 1991 the entire AX range was revised with major changes both inside and out. The exterior had new bumpers and front grill, a reshaped tailgate with smoother spoiler and smaller numberplate recess and revised rear lights.The interior received a completely new dashboard which looked and felt much more modern with larger instruments. There was also new door cards, steering wheel and additional trim added to the boot covering up the exposed metal. The revised model weighed a little more as a result of these changes.
Mechanical changes were also significant with the range of TU engines switching from carburettors to single point fuel injection which improved economy and emissions although a little performance was lost. The GT didn’t switch to fuel injection until a little later and also received an uprated gearbox and brakes and revisions to the suspension
In addition to the revisions was the introduction of an AX GTi which was vastly different from the GT that went before. Under the bonnet was the familiar 1.4-litre TU petrol engine but this time it was fed via multipoint fuel injection with power output increased to 100 bhp. It also had vastly improved suspension with four stud calipers although it retained the AX’s drum rear brakes. The anti-roll bar was also revised and attached to the strut via a drop link unlike before. Despite the extra power the GTi weighed quite a bit more than the GT so wasn’t actually any quicker but it was better to drive.
Towards the end of the AX’s life the GT and GTi models were dropped and Forte models were introduced which were a little less racy despite having the same body kit but crucially they were quite a bit cheaper to insure. There was also a 1.1-litre TU Forte which was fuel injected and looked just like the GT but was much more wallet friendly. In 1998 the AX ceased production and was replaced by the Peugeot 106 based Citroen Saxo. The 106 and Saxo’s core construction including its chassis and most of its engines are essentially the same as the AX.
Today there are very few Citroen AX’s around as most are now very old. AX GT and GTis are even more rare. What makes the AX GT such an iconic car is that it quietly went about it business in the shadow of the Peugeot 205 GTi and later the Peugeot 106 XSi and GTi. Owners absolutely loved their AXs as they were so much fun, had a much more understated image compared to a lot of its rivals and they weren't as common on the roads. I owned three and they were all a joy to own. To me the GT had a lot more charm and charisma than the 205 GTi which for me makes it my unsung hero.
If you are the owner of an AX GT or any other AX head on over to axownersclub.com and join the community of AX worshipers
Specials thanks to MajorGav for allowing DriverVIBE to use his photos.
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All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).
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