Gauloises ducks
Gauloises ducks are unique pieces from Citroën . From 1981 onwards, they were commissioned by the Gauloises cigarette brand , used for promotions or offered as prizes in the annual Gauloises competition.
Start of the campaigns
The cooperation between Gauloises and Citroen began in 1974. British American Tobacco (BAT) sold Gauloises cigarettes under license in Germany and had commissioned the Munich agency Heye & Partner (today: Heye GmbH) with various campaigns. One of the agency founders was a big Citroen fan and owned five Citroën Traction Avant , also known as 7CV, 11CV or 15CV depending on the engine. Because of its visual appearance, the Citroen Traction was known in films as a gangster limousine and was also part of various comics. The agency brought the five vehicles into the campaign, had them repainted blue and given the Gauloises lettering. As a result, numerous duck versions and one-offs were created, financed by Citroen Germany.
Basic models
However, current models such as 2CV , Dyane or Acadiane were used as the basis for the Gauloises ducks campaign, which began in 1981 . They were taken out of series production and specially equipped and painted at the Citroen branch in Hamburg-Süd.
Special model truck
A special model was the "Truck" from 1983: a halved Acadiane with a saddle holder. The trailer consisted of two Acadians welded together. The Gauloises truck has a gross vehicle weight of only 1.02 tons. Nevertheless, the approval authorities demanded a third brake system, which was operated via a fourth pedal in the footwell of the tractor.
The price for the conversion in 1983 was 38,000 DM. In 1987, the winner of the competition sold the Gauloises truck to southern Germany. In the following 33 years the vehicle was sold twice more. It is currently registered in the Rhine-Neckar area with an H license plate and is roadworthy.
Of the total of 31 Gauloises special models, two other models (pick-up, mini-duck) are registered in Germany in addition to the truck. There is no reliable information about the whereabouts of the other 28 models.
Books
- Reichert, Nikolaus .: The 2 CV: d. big duck book. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-87943-984-2 .
- Clemens Losch: The duck manual for advanced users. G. Frech Verlag, Sprockhövel.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Case study: How Heye & Partner came across the ducks , w & v of March 12, 1985, page 50ff
- ^ Advertising in the 70s - Ducks and Gauloises. January 13, 2014, accessed on July 16, 2020 (German).
- ↑ Reichert, Nikolaus .: The 2 CV: d. big duck book . 1st edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-87943-984-2 .
- ↑ Clemens Losch: The duck manual for advanced users . 2nd Edition. G. Frech Verlag, Sprockhövel.
- ↑ Gauloises ducks. Retrieved July 17, 2020 .