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

Well now, Mama and Daddy had themselves a Renault 12 station wagon back when they were just hitched, and they kept it ‘til my sister was about three and my brother was just an idea they were mullin’ over. That ol’ car finally gave up the ghost after they finished buildin’ their house. But I reckon it must’ve been one tough ride to hold up that long, if ya ask me.

Now, the Renault 12 was somethin’ AMC Motors—yep, that’s American Motor Corporation—teamed up with Renault on, makin’ a few of ‘em for the U.S. market called the AMC Renault 12. Back in the ‘90s, ya didn’t see many Renault 12s in Norway, especially not the station wagon version.

But let me tell ya, they also built some fire-breathin’ versions of that car, like the Renault 12 Alpine and the Renault 12 Gordini. Those were some real beasts on wheels, no doubt about it

The Citroën CX was produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1974 to 1991. I’ve even written a post about the last version of this iconic car on my car enthusiast blog, which you can check out here.

The Renault 16 is pretty much Renault’s answer to the Citroën CX. It’s big, stylish, and luxurious. Plus, in my opinion, it has that cool and classic mafia vibe.

(Advertisement for Citroen, printed on an old map from the 70s)

One time, I saw a Citroën GS in the ditch near Minde on Gamlegrendåsen, along the old E134 just before you get to Kongsberg. It was snowy, dark, and slick out there. My mom once mentioned that my great-aunt, who also drove a Citroën, spun out in the same area back in the day—might’ve been after a party somewhere near Drammen. Mom called her "crazy" for driving like that!

That stretch of road—and pretty much the forest around it—has been completely wiped out since they built a new four-lane highway from there all the way up past Saggrenda, where the silver mines are. It’s a shame, really. I remember driving through there as a little kid, maybe 3 or 4 years old, and it was always exciting, especially in autumn or on cold, snowy nights under a starry sky or a full moon.

The Citroën GS I’m talking about? You can see it in an ad printed on an orienteering map from the 1970s. Back then, orienteering was hugely popular—about as full of sponsors and ads as ski associations have been in the last 10–15 years.

Even though the old E134 stretch is gone, parts of it have been preserved as a relief road for the main traffic junction down toward Gamle E134 and side roads like Kreklingveien and Teigen. There are still some farms around here, and back in the day—like 15 to 30 years ago—there were a bunch of old car wrecks from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s scattered about. If they’re still there, you could restore them into beautiful vintage cars.