Chas is right, the timing chains were an issue but one of the UK specialists www.brodie.co.uk has a mod that fixes the problem, but Chas, they ARE wierd !! However wierd is good and it's something Citroen continue to do today - the current C6 has a retro DS look, http://www.citroen.co.uk/c6/

What has this to do with Amphicars ? Well the pneumatic suspension could potentially allow the wheels of an amphibian to retract which goes a long way to fixing the issue of speed on water. There is a mystery amphibious Citroen in the UK from the 1960s that may have had factory support but that certainly got to prototype stage. Details are here:
http://www.landairandsea.com/exhibits/mystery_citroen/

David C

----- Original Message -----

From: chasgould@aol.com

To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 5:38 PM

Subject: [amphicar-lovers] SM is only half Citroen

Hi Mike,
If it is the SM that you have purchased, there are some serious things to watch out for. The Maserati V6 engine is notorious for throwing timing chains, which takes out the valve train as it is an interference engine. If the timing chain has not been replaced, it is a necessary and expensive procedure.
Also, on all Citroen's, because of the nature of the smooth sided bottom, rust does not appear in the usual places, and a Citroen can be quite rusty without apparent signs of the deterioration. You need to check the trunk floor way forward by the seam with the vertical front wall of the trunk, and the lower doors, from the inside, and with a magnet. These cars tend to rust from within the frame channels, and are supposed to be oiled in these channels to prevent the rust. It is extremely difficult to detect this rust from within the channels
Chas

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