Re: Hook, line and sinker(ed).
Hmm, interesting! That particular one was as you've said sold by a classic car enthusiast in the Brighton area to a 2cv enthusiast somewhere in France. (I think the same guy also took a RHD Ami 8 estate over). it did infact make an appearance at the Dunkerque French national meeting
I remember seeing these 'jeeps' at the 1988 Plymouth outdoor motorshow. There were a few on display using car ramps to show suspension travel etc. some promotional material was being handed out on the stand & i remember that they had a few, thick photo albums with pictures from Raid Afrique & other Citroen press shots. The finish on the vehicles looked to be pretty good, although i was only 11 at the time & that wasn't my primary concern! My Dad was pretty intrigued by them & picked up a large photograph showing a yellow & a green jeep & some info on specs, prices etc. I still have it somewhere, gawd only knows where though!
They were marketed as C.D.U. Citroen Dyane Utility & were built in Dobwalls, Cornwall. The guy behind them at the time ran a successful Land Rover business called TJ Overlanders. That's probably where the Land Rover connection comes from!
As to how many were built, i really don't know. I'd guess somewhere between 30-50 over a period of 4-5 years. I know of at least two that were 'sidewindered', although i'm not sure, i think the originated from the workshop like that rather than converted to flat four power after.
We used to pass the garage regularly & they always had a load of Dyanes around the back awaiting conversion. The side body pressings were left out in the elements, stacked up against the side of the workshop. They always had a lot of A-series for sale too; one of the ones i recall was a 1300cc bright pink 2cv with gloss black adventure kit & wheels. They even had a Bijou with chassis number 101 - which i believe was the 1st off the line & recently reappeared on eBay.
By the mid 90's the worshop used for the conversions changed hands, although there were still a couple of Dyanes at the main Land Rover workshop across the road...
