The Citroën GS was starting to show its age in the late 1970s. Critics were quick to point that out when they pitted the car against more modern competitors, and period road tests usually ended with “in terms of comfort the GS remains the reference in its class, but it lacks certain features like a hatchback that are found in many of its competitors.”

To keep the public interested in the GS until its replacement was ready to take the torch, Citroën started working on the first special edition of the model, dubbed the Basalte.

The starting point for the GS Basalte was the GS Club, which was powered by a 1,220cc air-cooled flat-four rated at 65 horsepower and 67 lb-ft of torque. No modifications were made to the engine, and it was still bolted to a four-speed manual transmission.

On the outside, the body was painted in a glossy shade of black, and it wore specific red decorative bands on the side. A “Basalte” sticker was found on the hood, right above the driver’s side headlight, and another one was on the trunk lid. Interestingly enough, buyers could order the car with their initials affixed next to the exterior handle on the driver’s door.

The Basalte stood out from the rest of the GS lineup, but few customers ordered one because of its aesthetic treatment. The car’s biggest selling point was its high level of equipment: Citroën fitted the car with most of the features that came standard on the range-topping Pallas trim level. The car came equipped with fog lights, tinted windows, carpet, a cassette player, a sunroof, and even headlight wipers. The seats were upholstered in a model-specific orange fabric, and the three-lug steel wheels wore Pallas hubcaps.

Citroën dealers throughout France were only allocated 1,800 examples of the GS Basalte. The car went on sale on April 5th, 1978, and carried a base price of 29,700 francs. This was a noticeable premium over the GS Club’s 26,440 francs, but the car was immensely popular, and by April 20th of that same year every example had been spoken for.