- Chassis # VF7XBXL00000XL0069
- Engine # 000069
- A Matching Numbers And Highly Original Example
- 1 Of Only 62 Originally Sold, Of Which An Estimated 30 Examples Survive Today
- Recent Major Service Including Clutch, Timing Belt, And Fluids
- Sale Includes Factory Manual, Jack, Spare, French Historic Vehicle Registration And Available Service Documents
André Gustave Citroën founded the car company that bears his name in 1919 and introduced mass-production methods to the French auto industry. He believed in freedom of design, and engineering and those beliefs have created some of the most magnificent and innovative automobiles. He loved adventure, and to promote the car company, he built cars that could go to the furthest reaches of the globe, from the heart of Africa with its immense desert, to the unknown parts of Asia, even to brutally cold Antarctica. This sense of adventure became synonymous with the brand, and as rally racing became more popular, many racing teams used Citroëns. From the 1940s through the 1970s a Citroën was often the winner. Their innovative suspension, front-wheel drive, and quick steering made up for their general lack of power. In 1965 the Citroën company started racing under its own name and continued the success that private teams had initiated. Citroën was winning rallies all over the globe, races that spanned short distances all the way to covering entire continents. Citroën’s innovative design and engineering prowess was helping the company’s racing success, but even with strong sales the company was not profitable enough, and in 1976 Citroën was acquired by Peugeot.
The Citroën BX was a product of this merger, as the Peugeot 405 and Citroën BX shared a platform and powertrains. The BX was launched on October 2, 1982, and went on to sell more than 2 million copies in 12 years. Marcello Gandini of Bertone designed the body, and it was designed to be a lightweight, sporty, and economical family car.
Entering the 1980s, Citroën was still competitive in motorsports, and the Citroën Visa was doing well in the small B9 category of Group B Rallying. Parent company Peugeot had their 205T16 group B rally car, and Citroën engineers wanted something in the same vein. The big players like Ford, Audi, and Lancia were spending huge amounts of money to create these cars, both the 200 road-going versions that the rules required as well as the pumped-up race cars. Citroën did not have the funding to make another platform with a mid-engine layout or the funding for a new or heavily updated engine (both things that the Peugeot 205T16 had). Citroën Compétitions, led by Guy Verrier in association with various engineering firms, built five BX prototypes; all sporting different specifications and designs. Verrier was determined to be competitive even though he did not have the resources or funding. He believed that Citroën’s ingenuity could overcome the shortcomings. The prototypes used existing corporate parts, and this made the cars heavier than the competition. In the end, the prototype built in conjunction with Mokrycki was the one that was chosen.
The final road-going version of the BX4TC would look similar to a production BX but with fender flares, CX Turbo wheels, graphics, and the car’s nose extended for the Chrysler/Simca Turbo motor to be mounted longitudinally. A modified Citroën SM 5-speed transmission was used, and a Peugeot 505 rear differential. There was no transfer case, locking differential, or even viscous coupling so both ends of the car would fight each other in the corners. Once again Citroën’s sophisticated hydropneumatic suspension and quick steering helped the cars compete. Sadly, the Citroën BX4TC was late to group B rallying and underdeveloped. Citroën’s Group B entry would only compete in 3 races before the series was unceremoniously canceled after a tragic turn of events. Unfortunately, the BX was not “successful” and its best result was a 6th place finish in the 1986 Swedish rally. It had its glimpses of brilliance such as during the Acropolis Rally, the BX was only 5 seconds behind the Ford RS200 and ahead of the Peugeot 205T16. Though in the end, none of the Citroëns finished the race because of mechanical problems or crashing.
In the end, Group B was canceled, and Citroën pulled the plug on the BX4TC. Only 62 road-going versions were sold, and only 20 of the Evolution race versions. Citroën scrapped the remaining cars and tried to buy back all the cars that had already been sold to customers. There are only 6 of the Evolution versions left, which is sad, as private drivers like Jean-Luc Pallier and Patric Pivert were having some success privately racing these cars. Citroën apparently pressured them to retire the cars at the end of the 1989 season, ending forever the legacy of what the BX4TC could have been.
Only around 30 of the road-going versions still exist, so they are extremely hard to find and rarely come to market. Most manufacturers produced the 200 needed cars and sold them, so the Citroën is one of the rarest and most collectible. The values of Group B cars have always been strong and stable with a consistent increase in value. The cars that still remain from this time period stand as a monument to human ingenuity and spirit in the endless desire to
The BX4TC is probably the most attainable of all the remaining Group B homologation cars and LBI Limited is proud to offer this 1987 Citroën BX4TC, VIN VF7XBXL00000XL0069 for sale. The car is very original with excellent patina and presence. From what we understand the car lived most of its life in France and has always been kept in running condition. The records going back to 2000 help support this claim. According to the registry at bx4tc.nl, this car was sold new in Paris, France, and remained with its first owner until February of 2000 at which time it was acquired by its second owner and registered under the license number 937 GJY 75. It appears to have been sold shortly after to its third owner in November of 2000 who held 0069 until 2018 when it was purchased by its fourth owner and current consignor who proceeded to import the vehicle into the United States at which time it wore the French license number EQ 350 BK.
Rally cars usually live hard lives, and this car looks to have been driven but cared for, probably the best combination, as often these cars are left to sit or abused in competition settings. At the time of this listing, the odometer shows 52,532 kilometers or 32,641 miles, which is believed to be correct. The car is well sorted and maintained, with a recently completed major service that included a new clutch, timing belt, and fluids just prior to this listing leaving it ready for spirited enjoyment.
Group B was an unbridled and captivating moment in motorsports history and the Citroën BX4TC’s story is an alluring part of Group B. Today it remains a testament to the efforts undertaken by major manufacturers to be competitive in this wild world of rally racing and sits as still one of the most obtainable relics from this historic period of motorsports.
Included with the sale of this vehicle are the original 4TC owner’s manual, and the French Historic Vehicle Registration as well as the factory spare and jack.
