CITROËN: 1968 DYANE LUXE

New in 1968 Citroën range was the Dyane. It was an attempt to modernize the 2 CV model by redesigning the bodywork and increasing the engine. The attempt failed and the 2 CV lived longer that its younger sister, which was taken out of production in 1984. That doesn't mean that the Dyane was unsuccessful; in 16 years of production 1,036,444 Dyanes were built.
The Dyane fitted the gap between the 2 CV and the Ami neatly: people who thought the 2 CV was too archaic and the Ami too big for its chassis bought the Dyane.

The interior was spartan and simple. Furniture was made out of steel pipes and cloth and the dashboard was constructed out of flexible plastics. The steering wheel was thin and placed rather horizontal. To the right of the steering wheel the gearlever sticks out of the dashboard. The left picture shows the back seat of the Dyane; the construction of the front seats was designed in a way that the topside formed handles for the people on the backseat.

The picture above shows the small engine of the Dyane; the airfilter on top and the exhaust pipes cover most of it. The thick pipes behind the engine are for ventilation and heating.
Technical data for the Dyane luxe:

ENGINE:

2 cylinder 4 stroke boxer air-cooled, 425 cc displacement, 21 SAE hp @ 5450 rpm, compression ratio 7.75 to 1. Top speed: 97 kph. Gas consumption: 5 to 6 litre every 100 km.

TRANSMISSION AND CHASSIS:

4 gears forward, only 2nd, 3rd and 4th synchronized. Hydraulic drum brakes. Independent suspension lay-out with hydraulic shocks at the rear wheels, front wheels have friction type shocks. Central coil springs on front and rear axle.

DIMENSIONS:

Length: 390 cm, width: 150 cm and height 154 cm. Weight: 570 kg. Wheelbase: 240 cm. Trackwidth front & rear: 126 cm. Interior seats four adults.

REMARKS:

The car had a linen roof that folded down to the bootlid and could be fixed in two positions. Safetybelts were an option.

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