Cumberford Martinique

So another “modern” take on the 30’s style sports car, these are usually base on something else )like a beetle) and are just a crude body sat on awkward running gear to only give kind of look. This though is different, very different.

Chapron Citroen DS Le Caddy

The Citroen DS is by far one of the most perfect cars to be built with its quintessential French lines and flowing body work, its a wonder to see. So when a company like Chapron decides to convert it to a convertible they better get it right. The first attempt debuted in 1958 was a good start, however it kept the original front doors and simply welded up the rear ad puta chrome strip where the join would have been to the rear wing, which was now new.

Citroen Karin

With no car to show at its home motorshow in Paris in 1980, Citroen let its designer Trevor Fiore loose to build a model for the stand. Looking at the pictures he took the opportunity and ran with it producing this 3 seater (central driver) trapezoidal wedge of a car. As said this was just and un-drivable model for display but it does show what happens when the handcuffs of sensible design are removed and the brief is just to create something. It’s a shame such risks are not taken by car manufacturers today who are more likely to produce less flamboyant concepts. I mean just look at that steering wheel, awesome.

Citroen M35

Despite producing 267 of these unusual coupe’s between 1969-71, Citroen never officially sold it. Instead they were unofficially sold to loyal customers as a sort of rolling long term concept car to get feedback on its usability, and new features including the flavour of the month Wangel engine and pneumatic suspension. The cars themselves were built by Heuliez. After the testing was finished Citroen bought back nearly 2/3rds of the cars, the rest still reside in the public domain.

Tissier Citroën

In 1972 Pierre Tissier had the concept of building multiple wheeled vehicles based on the DS, these “centipedes” would utilise the front wheel drive as well and the hydraulic suspension and brakes to create multi axle utility vehicle. At the same time he was a Panhard agent in Paris and would regularly travel to and from Spain transporting cars, at the time there was no real suitable vehicle that was both practical and comfortable to use so Pierre built the first of many extended DS’s.

Citroën SM Opera

Thanks to the French Government coach builder Henri Chapron had acquired the tooling from building 2 long wheelbase convertible SM’s for the President. He then decided to take the luxurious 2 door SM Coupe and extend it by 12” to a create a 4 door saloon. Due to its hefty price tag of 165,000 francs in 1972 and probably the sudden rise in fuel prices needed to feed its Masarati V6 engine only 8 examples were built over the next 2 years. Fitted with all the luxury expected from air conditioning and leather to that oh so French air suspension.

Citreon U55 Cityrama Currus

Back in the late 1950’s with optimism for the future following the war and normal life and tourism taking hold in Europe, particularly France Cityrama a tour operator commissioned Currus to build some bespoke coaches. Looking into a fantastic future these were sculpted out of glass with a nod to the Flash Gordon comic books of the time over a truck chassis, just look at that detail sticking out from the roof. With a retractable glass roof to allow cooler air in and two floors it was and is like nothing else and allowed the passenger to see everything clearly. Perfect for a sight seeing tour of Paris.