Citroën LNA

The Citroën LN (Hélène) and Citroën LNA (Héléna) were supermini automobiles produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1975 and 1985. The LN was introduced in 1975 as a reworked version of Peugeot's 104 Z, and was powered by the economical 602 cc two-cylinder gasoline engine of the Citroën 2CV. Equipment levels were low, but the LN's key selling points were its cheap price and cheap running costs. Citroën sold the LN in its native France only, but its more powerful replacement, the LNA, was introduced in 1983 and was exported to most of the rest of Europe (including right-hand drive versions for Great Britain). It had the more powerful and modern 652 cc two- cylinder engine of the Citroën Visa and later a 1.1 L four- cylinder engine was added which had a top speed of nearly 90 mph (145 km/h) on the LNA 11E and 11RE. But like the smaller-engined LN, the LNA was cheap to buy and cheap to run. At the same time the LNA was launched, its Peugeot- sourced bodyshell also spawned the Talbot Samba which had square headlights and a different, slightly longer, rear body part. LNA production ceased in the summer of 1985, while the Talbot Samba survived another year.