Citroen that won the NASCAR race in the United States! He won cars with V8 engines

As hard as it is to believe today, Citroën won the NASCAR race in the United States. It was in 1958, and the French car was hit by the American fans of the event.

Citroen’s signature hydropneumatic suspension was unusual compared to American cars. People gathered on both sides and did not know what to think about it all. The Citroen ID that appeared in the NASCAR race was powered by a D-series engine, a four-cylinder block with a capacity of 1911 cm3 with a carburetor, a side camshaft and achieved a power of 70 HP at more than 4,000 rpm. It had a four-speed manual transmission. It weighed more than one ton, so it was not very heavy, and it reached a speed exceeding 160 km / h.

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The gasoline engine used about 12 liters per 100 kilometers in rally mode, which is much lower than racing cars with V8 engines. Thanks to the hydropneumatic suspension, the car performed well in corners, which allowed it to travel at a higher speed than the competition.

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The 21st running of the season, the 500-mile, or 800 km, Crown America 500, was held on June 1, 1958, on the 2.63-mile (4.23 km) Riverside road course. Both Citroëns were completely normal apart from the modifications prescribed by the regulations, namely the installation of seat belts, the folding compartment (not the cage) and the removal of the passenger seats.

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Both Citroëns performed well. After 160 laps of the California track, they took first and second place, respectively. Unfortunately, there are no photos from the event – the only one you see above, of very poor quality, is from a newspaper of the period.

source: Pole Position