1983 Citroen Visa II Chrono

This Citroën Visa II Chrono is a one owner car (I am the second owner) purchased in the Netherlands. The car was kept as part of a large Citroen collection, hence, its approximately 12,000 original kilometers (7,500 miles). The car is in original condition with the exception of the rear bumper which was repainted as Waxoyl applied for rust proofing by the owner had discolored the paint. Before being shipped to the US, the car was serviced from top to bottom by André Pol of Citroën André. André checked every function to ensure that the car would live up to its legendary reliability and mechanical robustness. Upon arriving in the US on May 15, 2017, Les Woods (aka FrenchCarGuy) took care of the final details.
Produced for only 1982 and 1983, a total of 2,160 Visa Chronos were produced for the French market and 1,650 for export (Austria, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland). The Chrono has an extensive racing history so between this, rust, and accidents, very few remain on the road. Cherished by hardcore Citroen sporting fans, in the last few years, the car has just started to be recognized as a collector item due to its rarity and racing heritage.
All Visa Chronos were white (Blanc Meije) with white Amil aluminum wheels. The cars had stripes in the flag colors of the country in which it was sold. The French and Dutch versions both had red and blue stripes. All the interiors were in blue fabric with racing seats and rally style dashboard gauges. The bodywork (e.g., spoilers, fender extensions) was the work of French coachbuilder Heuliez (Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Renault 5 Turbo). French versions were each numbered on the driver’s door – Dutch models were not numbered.
The standard car has a 4 cylinder 1.360 cc engine with 93hp (export 80hp) and 5-speed. Not very much horsepower in the 21st Century but enough to be considered a “hot hatch” in the 1980s. Advertisements referred to the Visa Chrono as Un Monstre (A Monster). At only 850 kilos (1,874 pounds), it had a top speed of 173 km/h (108 mph) and 0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 MPH) of 10.2 seconds (factory numbers). To put it into historical perspective, acceleration was faster than the 1983 BMW 320i (12.5), Audi Coupe GT (11.8), and Mercedes 190E (10.8).
The Visa Chrono had a successful racing career. For competition, the engine could be tuned for up to 145 hp. The Visa Chrono was engaged in Group B rallying including the Monte Carlo and Acropolis rallies until the all-wheel drive Visa Mille Pistes (200 produced) was introduced in 1984.