1977 Citroen 2cv on 2040-cars

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GM, Peugeot strains kills joint small car, possibly whole alliance

The relationship between General Motors and PSA/Peugeot Citroën got off to a bumpy start last year, and Automotive News says that the tie-up between the two automakers will be short-lived. Heavy losses from both companies is causing the alliance to be scaled back, but PSA's talks with China's Dongfeng could kill the deal altogether.
Originally, about 40 shared vehicles were planned between Opel, Peugeot and Citroën, but the report says that, in the end, only two will make it to production - small vans like the Opel Meriva and Citroën C4 Picasso. For now, GM and PSA will continue a joint purchasing agreement, but this means that co-developed versions of the next-gen Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208 and Citroën C3 small cars are dead. Instead, another AN report says that GM will intensify its efforts to develop future Opel products on its own, which includes said next-gen Corsa that will reportedly switch from its current Fiat-based platform to GM's Global Gamma platform shared with the Chevy Spark and Buick Encore.
It isn't clear what would happen with the shared vehicles and joint purchasing, though, if Dongfeng manages to acquire a 30-percent stake in PSA/Peugeot Citroën. Dongfeng is a Chinese rival to SAIC Motor, which works with GM in China. While this soured deal mostly has implications for small cars in Europe, we wonder what it means for GM's fullsize commercial van plans in the US.

Kubica crashes out of first full WRC event [w/video]

Robert Kubica seems to have more bad luck than most top-tier race car drivers, but maybe that's because his high-profile crashes since 2011 have garnered more media attention than his achievements. When we left off with him last month, he was within spitting distance of winning WRC2, and he indeed won the championship in late October. Now here's the bad news: he crashed out of his first full WRC event on Friday, ESPN F1 reports. Fortunately, Neither Kubica nor his co-driver were injured.
Kubica recently graduated to WRC with the Abu Dahbi Citroën Total team and was participating in the Wales Rally GB this week. He finished Thursday, the first day of the rally, in seventh place and reportedly was heard saying "I have a lot of things to learn" as he stepped out of the car that night. The next day, on the fourth special stage, he rolled his Citroën off the road into the trees.
The former Formula One driver was involved in a high-speed rally crash in February 2011 and suffered major injuries, including a nearly severed right arm. The damage left Kubica with limited movement in the arm, which many people say could be the nail in the coffin for his return to F1. Fueling that thought, Scuderia Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali recently said in an interview that he doesn't think Kubica would race with Ferrari due to physical problems with his arm.

Here's your chance to bid on a rare Chapron-bodied 1969 Citroen DS

Citroen's palatial DS has become a sought-after classic, but auction house Bonhams is preparing to sell one that makes the regular sedan look a little mundane. Up for grabs with no reserve is a rare 1969 DS 21 that was rebodied into a stately limousine by coachbuilder Chapron. Assigned chassis number 4637101, the DS 21 scheduled to cross the auction block is one of 27 Majesty models built by Paris-based Chapron and one of three equipped with directional headlights, which were a real novelty in the late 1960s. While the DS was positioned as Citroen's range-topping sedan from 1955 to 1975, the coachbuilder took luxury to the next level by giving the Majesty a more upright C-pillar that cleared up additional space for the passengers riding in the back, a more angular-looking rear end, and a more upmarket interior. Majesty models also featured specific trim inside and out (the chrome strips on the fenders and on the front doors were notably not fitted to the regular-production DS) and a handful of subtle Chapron emblems. Pricing varied from car to car, but the Majesty wasn't cheap. It was created largely for heads of state and other money-no-object dignitaries, it was built almost entirely by hand, and it was priced accordingly. Finished in Midnight Blue, the example offered by Bonhams was fully restored in the 2000s. But it has been stored since the current owner purchased it at Retromobile in 2009, so it needs a full tune-up — at the very least. Like every DS built, the Majesty was fitted with a hydropneumatic suspension system that (we say this from experience) doesn't like to sit for an extended period of time. Parts are readily available, and the system isn't nearly as daunting to work on as it sounds, so getting it back on the road should be easier than it sounds. Bonhams is offering this Majesty with no reserve, meaning the highest bidder will take it home. It expects the sedan to sell for anywhere between 50,000 and 100,000 Swiss francs, excluding auction-related fees, figures that represent about $50,200 and $100,300, respectively. If this looks like the project that you've been waiting for, mark your calendar for July 3 — that's when this car will cross the block in Gstaad, Switzerland. Collectors who would rather enjoy a bidding war from the comfort of their couch can register to bid online.