Citroën LN

The Citroën LN (Hélène) an Citroën LNA (Hélèna) wur supermini automobiles produced bi the French manufacturer Citroën atween 1976 an 1986.

Citroën LN

Owerview

LN

The LN wis introduced in 1976 as a rewirked version o Peugeot's 104 Z, an wis pouered bi the economical 602 cc twa-cylinder petrol ingine o the Citroën 2CV. Equipment levels wur law, but the LN's key sellin pynts wur its cheap price an law runnin costs.

Thare wis evidence o defensiveness at the press launch, possibly acause a caur that leuked lik a Peugeot but wis assembled at a Citroën plant an fittit wi a Citroën ingine shairply refutit assurances that the twa marques wad retain thair individuality. Those assurances haed been providit bi the same press depairtments juist a few months earlier, when Citroën haed again run oot o money Peugeot haed taken control. When pressed, Citroën explained that the LN project haed been rushed throu acause o "the need tae supply customers an the [dealership] netwirk wi a model tae strengthen Citroën's position at the lawer end o the mercat" which wis haurdly a ringin endorsement o a range which at the time includit the Ami an the Dyane as well as the venerable 2CV which wad continue in production lang efter ony o the ithers.

LNA

Citroën sauld the LN in its native Fraunce ae, but its mair powerful replacement, the LNA, wis introduced in November 1978 an wis exportit tae maist o the rest o Europe (includin richt-hand drive versions for Great Breetain). It haed the mair pouerful an modren 652 cc twa-cylinder ingine o the Citroën Visa an later a 1.1 L fower-cylinder ingine wis addit which haed a tap speed o nearly 90 mph (145 km/h) on the LNA 11E an 11RE. But lik the smawer-ingined LN, the LNA wis cheap tae buy an cheap tae run.

At the same time the LNA wis launched, its Peugeot-soorced bodyshell an aa spawned the Talbot Samba which haed square heidlichts an a different, slichtly langer, rear body pairt. LNA production ceased in the simmer o 1986, while the Talbot Samba survived anither year. The Peugeot 104 remained in production till 1988 even tho its successor, the 205, haed been launcht five years earlier.