Miguel Sánchez
During the XNUMXs and XNUMXs, the economic development reflected in the Stabilization Plans required an enormous amount of resources. Firstly, human resources; mobilizing millions of people from agricultural to urban areas in what, in the end, would be the seed of current problems related to depopulation.
Likewise, the extractivist vision towards the rural world was not limited to the human; but it also encompassed the natural environment as if it were an enormous mechanized pantry. And, at the end of the day, New cultivation techniques allowed more production to be achieved with fewer personnel thanks to the massive introduction of machinery. Reason why, along with the necessary obtaining of energy, the public administration launched a construction race with dams and hydraulic pipelines throughout the entire peninsula.
Thus, ecosystems were altered, ways of life established for centuries were destroyed, and many towns were even evicted due to the threat of dammed waters. Now, after at least three new generations, some of those populations have returned to the present day due to drought. A persistent drought - more structural than occasional - with which the level of dammed water has reached historic lows.
Due to this, in Galicia, specifically south of Orense, it was possible to walk again through the streets of the ancient village of sorrel during the past 2022.
Place where the remains of a Citroën Ami Service They have remained submerged for at least the last three decades. Seen as a kind of apparition among the rubble and ashlars of the abandoned town, this metal ensemble functions as a reminder of the form and manner in which agriculture was mechanized.
A fundamental process to understand many of the demographic changes in recent Spain, in which vans played a key role in motorizing a multitude of small businesses and the self-employed. Nevertheless, Those industrial vehicles were barely valued by collectors at the time..
A lack of interest about which regrets are now being poured out because, despite having been really popular, it is extremely difficult to find a Formichetta or an AZU on the classic market. This fact is reinforced when we talk about an Ami Service like the one that emerged from the waters in Galicia. And, not in vain, This was a model with a really brief commercial life despite having been produced in Vigo together with the popular van derived from the 2CV. An issue that should be addressed.
CITROËN AMI SERVICE, A VAN WITH CERTAIN PRETENTIONS
Although its real importance has been overstated due to its symbolic nature, the truth is that motorization between Gibraltar and the Pyrenees cannot be understood without the Fiat 600 manufactured here by SEAT.
Offered with financing plans provided by the dealers themselves, its commercial success represented a phenomenon to which many others followed. And, beyond passenger cars, the field of commercial vehicles opened significantly thanks to the popularization of vans.
Called to replace the precarious motorcars, these were a key element for business growth in all types of sectors. From the most modest and rural to the most lucrative and urban. Yes, here The popular 600 had little to say due to the position of its engine. Inconveniently hung behind the rear axle to, overall, make it impossible to create a clear and accessible cargo space.
In this way, and although the SIATA Formichetta tried to be solvent as a van, the truth is that the person largely responsible for replacing motorcars as a delivery vehicle was the Citroën 2CV or, rather, its industrial derivative. AZU.
Of course, here we come to a more than interesting point regarding the production registered by Citroën de Vigo. And, despite having been founded at the end of the fifties, This one seemed to not want to leave the scope of the 2CV even after a decade has passed.
However, this was not due to endogenous factors as much as exogenous ones. To begin with, the Spanish market was not really prepared for a vehicle as expensive as the DS. Something that, by elimination, only gave room for maneuver in relation to the 2CV.
And Citroën's own range was already quite scarce even in its country of origin. In fact, until the appearance of the Ami in 1961, the chevron company did not have an intermediate step between its iconic utility vehicle and its futuristic sedan.
Furthermore, with regard to the Spanish market, it was not yet mature in its economic conditions to promise great success for something that was above a 2CV, an R4 or a 600. What's more, SEAT itself did not take risks in this regard until 1968.; year in which the 124 was finally launched as a bet with three volumes intended for calls “middle classes”. In the end, the same salaried class as always, although, yes, with a certain capacity for consumption. Capital squeezes, but does not suffocate.
With all this, Citroën Hispania finally launched the production of the Ami in 1966, trying to take off its sclerotized sales. In fact, still With its brief twin-cylinder engine, it seemed to hold its own against more modern models like the R6. produced by FASA since 1969. What's more, soon a new generation was presented - the one known as Ami 8 - with the aim of remaining on the market during the seventies with guarantees of not being left behind too much.
In short, a story well known to the passenger car fans, under which the appearance of the Ami Service has been somewhat invisible. Designed as a van, it offered a large cargo space that could be accessed through a gate similar to the one used at the Ami Break with two rows of seats. In conclusion, a most interesting vehicle. Among other things because it was made on the same platform used in the 2CV. Ideal for delivery loads thanks to its unique suspension system.
Now, why was the Ami Service barely successful in Spain? Well the truth is that Its differences with the AZU barely went beyond equipment and style. That is to say, while the distance between an Ami and a 2CV when talking about passenger cars was evident -thanks to a very differentiated cabin-, this was not so clear when referring to their derived vans. After all, equipped with a striking mechanical correspondence.
Adding these factors, the potential audience of Ami Service did not value its specificity compared to AZU. Something normal when we talk about long-suffering industrial vehicles where style, equipment and finishes take second place to the cold rationality of the economy. With all this, if spotting an AZU or a Formichetta already seems complex, finding an Ami Service is promised to be a mission for trackers. Even more so if, as in the case of Acedero, we have to search for his remains at the bottom of a swamp.
Images from Citroën and Leandro Lemos Motorsport.
