Citroën M35

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Citroën
Citroën M35 (1970)
Citroën M35 (1970)
M35
Production period: 1969-1971
Class : Lower middle class
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Wankel engine :
0.5 liter (36 kW)
Length: 4050 mm
Width: 1555 mm
Height: 1350 mm
Wheelbase : 2400 mm
Empty weight : 815 kg

The Citroën M35 was a prototype made by the French car manufacturer Citroën for testing the Wankel engine . The vehicle was built from late 1969 to spring 1971 and sold to frequent drivers in France.

history

Rear view

The original plan was to build 500 M35 vehicles. However, this project was quickly abandoned: only 267 copies were made, which were sold to selected customers for test purposes. After the end of the test phase, Citroën tried to buy back the vehicles in order not to have to stockpile spare parts. One of the few specimens that escaped scrapping is on display in the Autovision Museum.

The M35 was derived from the Citroën Ami 8 , but the chassis was significantly modified for the hydropneumatic suspension. The coupé body was even largely independent, so that little more than the front fenders were taken over from the sedan. Although almost undetectable, there was even a newly shaped front unit. The rear fenders came from the Ami 8 delivery van, but in a shortened form due to the longer doors. The opening for the trunk had different dimensions, although the flap also looked similar to that of the sedan. Headlights and taillights remained unchanged. The body was made by Heuliez , the final assembly took place in Rennes like the Ami 8 .

The body of the M35 was lower than that of the Ami 8, but just as long and wide, and weighed 815 kg. Its hydropneumatic suspension with welded instead of screwed spring balls was designed particularly cost-effectively for smaller vehicles and was later used in large-scale production in the Citroën GS . The high pressure pump also supplied the brake system, but it was still the brakes of the Ami 8 with drum brakes at the rear, while the GS got four disc brakes. The dashboard also came from the Ami 8, but there was a clock and a tachometer. The steering wheel and seats were covered with black leather.

engine

Wankel engine of the M35

The single-disc rotary engine was basically half the engine of the NSU Ro 80 , with a chamber volume of 497.5 cm³. It developed 36 kW (49 hp) at 5500 rpm, the max. A torque of 70 Nm was applied at 2745 rpm. That was enough for a top speed of 144 km / h and acceleration from standstill to 100 km / h in 19 s. Since the Comotor engine factory was not yet finished, the engine was manufactured in Neckarsulm. The findings from the experiment were used for the Citroën GS Birotor .

Comotor

Originally, Citroën and NSU planned a joint car with a rotary engine, of which NSU wanted to sell a German and Citroën a French version. Comotor, based in Luxembourg, was founded in 1967 to manufacture motors. This company then received a rotary engine license for road vehicles and built a plant in Altforweiler in the Saarland . Starting in 1973, 25 Wankel engines were to be manufactured there every day; the production target was 500 units per day, which would have required further expansion of the factory. After production was discontinued, Fred Ostermann took over the factory to manufacture his wind gliders . When Volkswagen took over NSU, the German participation ended, so that Citroën went on alone. Today the Comotorstrasse in Altforweiler is a reminder of the ultimately failed project for the production of rotary engines.

literature

Web links

Commons : Citroën M35  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Albert Rupprecht: French passenger cars since 1945 , e-book 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-032545-8 , chapter Citroën M 35
  2. ↑ a b http://amicale-citroen.de/2012/citroen-m35-wankel-website/
  3. ↑ Directory of M35 prototypes ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. with photos, accessed December 5, 2012  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.citroenm35.com
  4. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 7, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cats-citroen.net
  5. ↑ Music around the bottom. In: Der Spiegel . September 11, 1972. Retrieved November 29, 2017 .
  6. ^ Albert Rupprecht: French passenger cars since 1945 , e-book 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-032545-8 , chapter on the development of the Wankel engine