Citroën does not build many cars like the Citroën Bijou: a 2-door coupé with 9 hp 425 cc H2 air-cooled petrol, built from 1959 to 1964 at the height of the post-war boom.
Where it came from
The Citroën Bijou is a small coupé manufactured by Citroën at the premises they had occupied since 1925 in Slough, England, from 1959 until 1964. It was based on the same platform chassis as the Citroën 2CV, sharing its advanced independent front to rear interconnected suspension. The car's appearance was thought to be more in line with the conservative taste of British consumers than the utilitarian 2CV. The body was made of fibreglass, and the car featured the two-cylinder 425 cc 12 bhp engine also seen in the 2CV. Only 210 were produced, plus two prototypes. It incorporated some components from the DS, most noticeably the single-spoke steering wheel.
It was designed by Peter Kirwan-Taylor, known as the stylist of the elegant 1957 Lotus Elite, another fibreglass-bodied car. Bijou bodies were initially moulded by a company called "Whitson & Co", close to Citroën's Slough premises, but it later proved necessary to transfer this work to another supplier. Disappointing sales levels for the UK's own Citroën seem to have been down to the Bijou's price, which at the time of the 1959 motor show was £674. At this time the British market was acutely price sensitive, and buyers could choose a Ford Popular with four seats and a much larger engine for £494. The Bijou's more modern styling gave it a higher top speed and lower cruising fuel consumption than the equivalent 2CV; however, the greater weight of the bodywork had an adverse impact on the car's more general performance, especially its acceleration. The Bijou was considered expensive by the testers. It was also more expensive
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 9 hp 425 cc H2 air-cooled petrol. Kerb weight is 605 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 94 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Citroën's history is not in doubt: it was built at Slough, England, United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Patrol, the Mini Mini, the Dodge Challenger. Nearby in the Citroën catalogue sit the Citroën K and the Citroën 2CV.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Citroën Bijou has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.