Citroën GS, Citroën CX MK1 Renault 12 and Renault 16!

My folks had themselves a Renault 12 station wagon since they were newlyweds, all the way until my sister was about three years old and my brother was still on the way. That ol' car broke down after Mom and Dad built their house. Lookin' back, I reckon it must’ve taken a whole lot of wear and tear during its time.

The Renault 12 was a ride that AMC Motors (American Motor Corporation) teamed up with Renault to churn out for the American market, callin' it the AMC Renault 12. By the '90s, there weren’t many Renault 12s left in Norway, especially not the station wagon kind.

There were also some real nifty versions of the Renault 12, like the Renault 12 Alpine and Renault 12 Gordini.




I once spotted a Citroën GS sittin' in the ditch near Minde on the old E134, just before Kongsberg. It was snowy, dark, and slippery. My mom mentioned that my old aunt, who also drove a Citroën, had spun out in this neck of the woods after possibly attendin' some party in the Drammen area. “You’re crazy!” was how Mom felt about her.

This stretch of road, especially the nearby forest, has pretty much been wiped out since the road folks built a new four-lane highway runnin' from here all the way up past Saggrenda on the other side of Kongsberg, where the silver mines are. It’s a real shame, ‘cause I remember back when I was just a tiny tot, maybe 3 or 4 years old, drivin' past here and thinkin' it was a thrill to cruise this stretch in both autumn and winter, whether it was a starry night or a full moon, with plenty of snow in Kongsberg.

The Citroën GS I mentioned can be seen here in an ad on an orienteering map from the '70s. Orienteering was all the rage back then, sportin' almost as many sponsors and advertising campaigns as the Ski Association’s had over the past 10-15 years.

That said, the E134 stretch has kinda been kept around as a relief road for the intersection leadin' down to the old E134, as well as the road to Krekling and Teigen. I remember seein' quite a few abandoned cars from the '60s, '70s, and '80s sittin' around the farms in this area about 15-30 years ago. If any are still hangin' around, you could fix 'em up and turn 'em into beautiful classic rides. Once they’re all polished up, you could join in a vintage car parade or race in the area.

There used to be plenty of that when I was a kid in Hokksund, and you’ve got the Eiker Motorsenter nearby, where you can find a bunch of good classic parts for ‘em. As for those orienteering events, you might even stumble upon some real old, antique cars deep in the woods by explorin' the area.

The Citroën CX was churned out by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1974 to 1991. I even wrote up a post about the last version on my car blog that I recommend you´s. 

The Renault 16 is roughly Renault's answer to the Citroën CX. It’s spacious, elegant, and luxurious. In my opinion, it also has a cool, classic mafia look.

(Advertisement for Citroën, printed on an old orienteering map from the '70s)




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