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Cool Runnings - A Citroën Méhari in the snow

Name: Citroën Méhari 1977
Brand: Citroën

Created on December 14, 2023

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Citroën

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Citroën

Archiv

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Until 1977 the indicators were round and next to the headlights, then square and below them

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - 26 hp and an unladen weight of 555 kg make for a surprisingly off-road capable vehicle

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - A man and his dromedary: sitting on the snow-covered bench is far more uncomfortable

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - In garish Tibesti green, it looks like a foreign body in the snow-covered forest

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The secret of phenomenal traction: skinny 135 tires and swing arms

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Off to the ski lodge: the summer buggy turns out to be an excellent winter car

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Unconventional seating position with right-angled hips and knees

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Air cooling: Without doors, it draws mercilessly into every crack

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Snow chains? Differential lock? All-wheel drive? The Méhari can do it without

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Too much of a good thing: Your smile literally freezes when the windshield is down

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The photographer hardly had to cheat with the exposure time for this picture

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Despite a strained face: the first attempt was still somewhat timid

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - A ride in the powder snow: as much fun in the car as on skis

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Scratching the bend: Driving a Méhari in winter is like extreme sledging

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Until 1977, the double angle was at the top of the hood

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Four plastic straps, very stiff in the cold, hold the hood in place

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The dashboard is a single molded plastic part. Air vents like today's Mercedes-Benz

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - From 1975, the steering wheel was black instead of gray and bore the double angle

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The steering column stands tall in all its unclad glory

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Chains to prevent unintentional exit while driving

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Until 1978 there was the speedometer from the 2 CV, then the dashboard from the LNA

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - removable rear seat bench that can be stowed in the floor

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The tailgate hangs on sturdy chains and extends the loading area by 28 centimeters

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - rear lights from the HY van and retrofitted ram bar from the Méhari 4x4

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Air-cooled two-cylinder engine with 26 hp from 602 cm3

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - The prefix "AY" in the chassis number makes it a member of the Dyane family

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Hair wants to breathe: Without a cap and windshield, it gets very cold on the noggin very quickly

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Citroën Méhari (1977) - Do dromedaries actually hibernate? Do they even know what winter is?

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Official Citroën advertising poster: "Where there's an adventure, there's a Mehari (or there should be)"

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Citroën Méhari (1971) - the leisure duck

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - for bathing beauties and water sports enthusiasts

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - Three mannequins vividly demonstrate the recreational value of the plastic speedster

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - Mermaids on the beach

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - as a golf car

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - in use as a fire engine

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - the farmers' wives bring the hay into the barn

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - the plastic vehicle can also be used for haymaking

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - on an animal hunt - with camera and rifle

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - for the watchwomen, including guard dogs

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Citroën Dyane 6 Méhari (1968) - as a hippie mobile, fitting for the late sixties

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Citroën Méhari (1970) - Multi-purpose vehicle with plastic body - Geneva Motor Show 1970

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Summary

Who says a buggy can only be used in summer? After all, a ski resort is just a big dune of snow. So we left the comfort zone of Caribbean temperatures with a Citroën Méhari and entered the natural cold chamber called winter. And like the four Jamaican sprinters in John Turteltaub's eponymous film, we discovered unexpected talents – not in ourselves, however, but in the little beach runabout.

This article contains the following chapters

The apple-green chairlift
Nimble, robust and not heated
A summery winter car

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

What have I let myself in for? Driving a Citroën Méhari through the winter. And I'm not talking about a Jamaican winter. I mean winter as in ice. I mean winter as in eskimos and penguins and ice. Without a roof, without doors, without heating - at temperatures constantly below zero. What a stupid idea. I'm not going to the Riviera with a snowcat to level the beaches in high season. Nevertheless, somehow I'm always the one in our editorial team who shouts "Here!" the loudest when the stupidest ideas come up. And since nobody but me is keen to unnecessarily increase their risk of rheumatism by driving in icy winds, I promptly get the nod for the story. There's no point in arguing.

Welcome to Zwischengas!