Well, OK, the Citroen BX is perhaps not a recognised classic...

Well, OK, the Citroen BX is perhaps not a recognised classic as such. To my knowledge, middle-aged BX-owning men do not meet en masse in pub car parks to compare instrument binnacles and swap tips on pneumatic spheres, but I think they should. Though forgotten now, the BX was, in its day, quite an avant-garde alternative to the rest of the dross on the market, like Peugeot 309s and Austin Montegos.

This angular, slightly sci-fi hatchback (dig those rear-wheel spats) was launched in 1983 with Citroen's excellent hydraulic, self- levelling suspension and some cracking engines. Top of the range was the Gti version which could top 134mph and reach 60 in just over eight seconds, but those diesels seemed to go on for ever. Plastic body panels meant that a surprising number of the two million or so BXs built survive, although their bargain second-hand values do mean that they tended to get abused as dogsbody cars. For some reason photographers seem to like them and, I can tell you, there are few more merciless masters for a car than a snapper.

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