Headlight Identification Help

[Rick Meredith]

I was talking to DKK Tod about the headlights I have for my '67, and I was wondering if some of you might be able to help better identify them.

I've always had a headlight fetish and looked for really cool and different beams. I was cleaning out the stock in the BAP store in Santa Ana in 1978 and I ran across some old Cibie boxes. I opened them up and found these headlights. I scooped them up and immediately mounted them in the '67. I ran them most of the time until it's last month before the wreck when I had put glass over headlights on early fenders on the car. Looking back, it was pretty lucky that my original German steel US '67 fenders and these headlights were not on the car when I crashed it.

Here's what I know about them. They are made by Cibie and 7 inch/170mm the lenses are concaved. They take a Tungsten bulb which looks like a huge taillight bulb. They are not H4s. They have a little lever on the base that allows the beam to be shifted for RHD and LHD. I've been told that they are out of an old Peugeot maybe a 304 or a 404. I found a bunch pictures on a 914-6 web site but they don't seem to indicate that they were ever fitted as OE to those cars. I hijacked one of the images which I posted below. The rest are available at http://www.pbase.com/9146gt/factory_original_9146_gt_parts_lights_cibie1

Thanks

Rick

[Fastbrit]

My father had a Renault R10 1100 he bought new in 1966 and that had these headlights, complete with dished lenses and the switch to move from left to right. I also had a similar car a few years later,also with the same lights. Maybe look around Renault websites?

[Rick Meredith]

Cool... I'll look at that Keith.

[johnl]

I have run Cibie's (pronounced " C  B  A") in my '63 since almost the first day it came to live with me.  While at Auto Haus  we took on the line and found the quality to be about the best of any "foreign" brand around at the time. 

The lights you have I do remember, but mostly we sold the H4 set up as they were more powerful.  Later Cibie offered what was known as the "Z" Beam in a 7" (H4 bulb) form which I think was a bit more USA friendlier.

Even at Royze I handled the Cibie line for a period.  The problem that existed and possibly still does is they had a very weak USA distribution and one could never obtain product.

We also offered Bosch (being a Robert Bosch distributor for over 30 years, but they have dropped most of their lighting progrram.  Hella is also a line that we've offered for over 20 years and they are good, but still not as good as the original Cibie's in my opinion.

If you find what you are looking for and need special bulbs I can probably supply them to you as we carry many varities.

[Rick Meredith]

Cool John... Thanks!

I found a set of H4 bulbs with the base to replace a tungsten but I'm concerned that the H4 will hit the lens with it being concaved and the H4 being longer than the tunsten.

[Nico86]

Are they H4, euro specs headlights ? Do you have a 1 screw headlight rim ? (you mount the light on the fender and then the chrome rim over it with only one srew on the bottom).
 If it's this it's probably the same headlights as 1303, Golf mk1 and mk2.
Don't know for the US specs though.

[Nico86]

Are they H4, euro specs headlights ? Do you have a 1 screw headlight rim ? (you mount the light on the fender and then the chrome rim over it with only one srew on the bottom).
 If it's this it's probably the same headlights as 1303, Golf mk1 and mk2.
Don't know for the US specs though.

I just looked at your link and it's not the same headlights I'm talking about.

[Jim Ratto]

different headlights are fun to look for, and discuss. Carello, Cibie, Marchal, Hella...etc.

I have Marchal H4's in my '67, with 55/60 H4 bulbs, and sure could use a little brighter. Maybe some 55/100. Just too lazy to strip the things down and swap them and wire up a relay to protect the headlight switch.

We (IMC) sell the Bosch H4 assemblies to replace the 7" sealed beams. They look better than the Hellas in my opinion.

If anybody knows of a Cibie distributor in US, please let us know. I'm looking for driving lights for my dad's '84 Alfa GTV6, originally it was equipped with Cibie rectangular, but they are since long gone.

thanks,
1970

[johnl]

different headlights are fun to look for, and discuss. Carello, Cibie, Marchal, Hella...etc.

I have Marchal H4's in my '67, with 55/60 H4 bulbs, and sure could use a little brighter. Maybe some 55/100. Just too lazy to strip the things down and swap them and wire up a relay to protect the headlight switch.

We (IMC) sell the Bosch H4 assemblies to replace the 7" sealed beams. They look better than the Hellas in my opinion.

If anybody knows of a Cibie distributor in US, please let us know. I'm looking for driving lights for my dad's '84 Alfa GTV6, originally it was equipped with Cibie rectangular, but they are since long gone.

thanks,
1970

Royze has H4 100/80 on the shelf.  Good guy price is $5.85 per bulb.  There now, does this "brighten" your day 

[Jim Ratto]

different headlights are fun to look for, and discuss. Carello, Cibie, Marchal, Hella...etc.

I have Marchal H4's in my '67, with 55/60 H4 bulbs, and sure could use a little brighter. Maybe some 55/100. Just too lazy to strip the things down and swap them and wire up a relay to protect the headlight switch.

We (IMC) sell the Bosch H4 assemblies to replace the 7" sealed beams. They look better than the Hellas in my opinion.

If anybody knows of a Cibie distributor in US, please let us know. I'm looking for driving lights for my dad's '84 Alfa GTV6, originally it was equipped with Cibie rectangular, but they are since long gone.

thanks,
1970

Royze has H4 100/80 on the shelf.  Good guy price is $5.85 per bulb.  There now, does this "brighten" your day 

How much to install them, John? 

[Rick Meredith]

different headlights are fun to look for, and discuss. Carello, Cibie, Marchal, Hella...etc.

I've owned all of those Carellos in my first Mustang, Cibie in my '67, Marchals on my SVO and Hellas on my Yamaha RD400. My holy grail is a set of Ampiluxes.

If anybody knows of a Cibie distributor in US, please let us know. I'm looking for driving lights for my dad's '84 Alfa GTV6, originally it was equipped with Cibie rectangular, but they are since long gone.

Have you tried Aardvark International in Whittier?? http://www.talbotco.com

[Rennsurfer]

That was one of the best features that I've always admired on Rick's car... those very unique headlights. To this day, I've never seen another set. I was noticing your cool headlights on the '63, John L.