Would You Toss Your Trailer for a Custom Citroën Car Hauler?
The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is making room for new exhibits by selling 10 cars from its famously eclectic collection. Among the prototype race cars and rare, restored classics, this 1988 Citroën Tissier Car Carrier stands out as a bizarre but crafty custom.
The car began as a 1988 Citroën CX before a conversion by Application des Procédés Tissier added a pair of axles and a flat-load bed capable of hauling about 3500 pounds worth of car. The new axles both ride on the same hydro-pneumatic suspension for which Citroën is known. The front-wheel-drive diesel powertrain, like everything else forward of the B-pillar, was left intact, giving the low-profile car hauler a five-speed manual transmission and 121 horses to transport new purchases or old race cars without the hassle of hitching up a trailer.
Although trailering is a skill that’s not too difficult to pick up, it’s still often a chore. Fueling up often requires forethought and logistics. Depending on where you’re hauling, laws can also limit your speed and your lane selection. Even powerful late-model 1-ton diesel pickups with more than 400 hp are relegated to 55 mph and certain lanes in California, for example.
It might take the 2.5-liter turbodiesel a while to reach freeway speed unladen, and even longer with an extra 3000 pounds of race car on board, but this Citroën does seem like it would be a comfortable cruiser once it got there. The previous owners must have thought so at least, as they managed to rack up more than 550,000 kilometers on the chassis (that’s more than 341,000 miles). Thankfully the engine and transmission have been replaced with a pair that has just 50,000 kilometers on the clock.
This car also reminded us of a custom Citroën hauler from a different museum. A Citroën SM was converted to haul a land-speed-racing SM and the duo were displayed at the Mullin Automotive Museum. The former GT car was quite an excellent tow vehicle for the custom gooseneck trailer and, again, the hydro-pneumatic suspension made for a comfortable ride.
Lane Motor Museum is asking $45,000 for this custom creation. If we could drive away from the museum in just one of the 10 vehicles up for sale, it might just have to be this strange hauler, especially if we strapped a race car on first.
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Hauler yes but you lost me at Citroen and really lost me at custom. The only thing worse than an old Citroen is overloaded custom one.
The Customer one I always admired was the old Mooneyes customer hauler copied from the Mercedes 50s hauler. Even it was light weight and mostly for show.
I grew up we hauled our race cars to the track on roll backs on large International trucks. My neighbor was one of the first to have these in the 70’s with a machinery moving company. We would roll in and lower the cars down and the other drivers would come to watch.
Back then everyone hauled with a pick up and flat trailer often home made.
Now if you were to do a custom. take that 8 wheel Olds that was on here last week and put a roll back on it with a solid frame and the FWD unit. The 455 could haul well.
I like it, but I don’t $45k like it, if you know what I mean.
I don’t have a use for the car hauler but I gotta put in a plug for The Lane Motor Museum, if you haven’t been there you need to go, we had an opportunity to visit a couple of years ago and it’s a great place. Lots of cool and interesting cars and we also met Jeff Lane, who was very nice and, a real gentleman.
In short, NO!
A plug for the Roadkill Ramp truck?
CA speed limits are annoying, especially when everyone is zooming around you at 85. Try and push it to 65 with AZ plates and you’ll meet some new friends.
Still, I’d rather have a trailer because I can use my 3/4 ton for several purposes, where as a ramp truck kind of stinks for towing a horse trailer.
Would I? No. it’s a curious absurdity though.
Didn’t I see this on BaT last year or so? I don’t think it met the reserve but was bid up into the 20 grand range I believe.
The biggest problem is it is SO underpowered! Hauling around town might be okay, but taking it out on the road? Comfortable suspension or not, it needs at least twice the power it has. Even turbocharging wouldn’t give it enough, but would help.