Let me take you back in time. Picture yourself in socialist Yugoslavia, the country with a political system that was described as economic-socialist. Yugoslavia was the founder country of Non-Aligned Movement, the countries that didn’t want NATO or Soviet rule. Not a very rich part of the world, but still representing half of the world’s countries (today there are 121 member countries) including in Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia, West Indies and part of Latin America. With so many countries involved, the economy thrived on the huge new market. In 1961, Tomos, “the motorcycle factory that put post-war Yugoslavia on wheels”, started making Citroëns.
At first it was the Ami 6, 2CV and DS, followed by the Dyane, Ami 8 and GS. As Tomos was mostly busy with motorbikes (with overseas factories as well, including in the Netherlands and Ghana), they decided to manufacture Citroën models in a separate factory. Wheels were set in motion and in 1973, Cimos was truly born.
To celebrate their grand opening, they held a big international meeting of Citroën clubs, which started a new tradition and evolved into the ICCCR.
Cimos tried to invent as much as they could themselves and became famous for ambulance cars, from CX, C15, C25 to the tiny AX. They also equipped firefighter and police cars as well as other body kits.
Importing Acadianes at first, Cimos figured out how to make cheaper and easier-to build versions that might catch on in other Non-Aligned countries. Thus Cimos DAK was born in 1982.
Cimos DAK was essentially a Dyane with a 2CV AK 400 chassis (Cimos had already been building those) and a corrugated box at the rear. It had an Acadiane-style carburettor with automatic choke release and a gearbox more suited to this type of vehicle. Combined with a Dyane engine this lightweight car was not as sluggish as 2CV vans, it raced uphill with ease while top speed was easily over 80 mph. In fact, a regular 2CV with double carburettor has a hard time keeping up because it had the forced cool air intake while the 2CV doesn’t.
DAK was produced in various setups. It was a delivery 2-seater van with or without rear side window, 4-seater passenger, 4-seater passenger-cargo (with rear seats facing backwards!). DAKs were hand made and no two were the same. Some look like they have a broken chassis, others look like they want to jump in the air… They even made a pickup version, the GERI. Same thing, minus the roof.
What makes a DAK worse than an Acadiane? Its looks, and that’s about it. And the good sides of a DAK? First of all, you can adjust your seats - unlike the AK or Acadiane. Then, its cargo area. Even though it’s shorter than an Acadiane’s, it’s much more spacious because of the minimalistic inner wing and the rest is just free space top to bottom while Acadianes and 2CVs waste precious space on huge boxy “ledges” that force you to make your bed high above the ground. Aerodynamics were improved - a DAK can reach 85 mph with ease. Suspension is stronger than on other 2CVs - the 2CV 4x4 builder Louis Barbour prefers Dyane DAK suspension arms for his creations to other 2CV models. As a result, the largest collection of DAKs (minus the suspension parts) in the world is reported to be Louis’s back yard.
The glory days of DAKs and GERIs were quickly over. Heavily taxed as “cargo vehicles”, it took a fanatic to afford having it registered. In 1985 Citroën’s C15 was a cut above DAK and the final nail in its coffin. And even C15s are nowadays all but gone, replaced by the Berlingo. There are only a handful of DAKs and maybe two GERIs left in Slovenia. Try Montenegro or Macedonia, their climate is drier, no winters, less rust. Good luck finding one, but if you do you will be amazed by what it is capable of.
By Janez Kežmah www.2cvkeza.com
Article first appeared in the June 2013 edition of 2CVGB News