Citroen 'goddess' feted in Paris

BBC News ^ | October 9, 2005 | By Hugh Schofield, Paris

[synbad600]

Why do the French plant so many trees? So the Germans can march in the shade.

Euro Disney had to discontinue the fireworks. As soon as the French heard them they surrendered.

[Cobra64]

beep beep. It's almost as ugly as a 1961 Plymouth Valiant.

[calex59]

Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s.

I am sorry, but I thought they were ugly then and I think they are ugly now. They may have been a good design as far as quality goes but they were, and are, flat out ugly, IMO.

[Cobra64]

The bottom pic reminds me of The Pink Panther driving debacle. Is Peter Sellers at the wheel?

[TXnMA]

Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s.

OK, here's what I will say:

"The French stink, and the Citroen always was -- and always will be -- one of the ugliest and most ill-conceived mechanical contrivances that has ever existed upon this planet."

[Dark Skies]

Is Peter Sellers at the wheel?

"Maybe, yes...maybe, no."

[Cobra64]

Thanks. Sellers was a terrific actor! In one movie, he played about six different characters. Very clever.

Too bad he's dead.

[Nik Naym]

"Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s."

Well, the looks are Italian. Reread the article.

Nik

[kiriath_jearim]

I thought the word "citroen" was part of the French national anthem "Marseillaise": "Aux armes, les citroens!"

[Ninian Dryhope]

I always liked the look of it.

[nicollo]

2CV... A couple Belgian friends of mine once tried crossing Algeria in a 2CV. They indulged in too much of the local smoke and awoke the next morning somewhere in the middle of the desert. The damned car just rolled along all night long. I'll have to admit one or two bad nights in a 2CV...

Thirties french design was world shattering:

'37 Delage


'39 Delahaye Twelve

[kingsurfer]

Wow! I wish designer would take a look back to the 30's and 40's for ideas rather than making everything look like silver blobs.

I love the old Rover's and Austin's.

[kingsurfer]

Wow! I wish designers would take a look back to the 30's and 40's for ideas rather than making everything look like silver blobs.

I love the old Rover's and Austin's.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Hot rod citroen ping.

[Dark Skies]

Holy Smokes...incredible! Love that teardrop style. They look like Bugatti's...

[nicollo]

They look like Bugatti's...

Correction: Bugattis look like them!

A huge influence on automotive design was the French Concours d'Elegance, which stressed individual coachwork. While not a tear drop, this earlier example from the Concourse is sweet on so many levels...

[nicollo]

Thirties design was amazing. I credit it to the 1927 demise of the Model T. With that pox finally dead, car makers were freed to stress individuality over manufacturing repetition. GM led the way, but the smaller builders were more free to pursue it. Chrysler was especially innovative, although not always with success, such as with this sales bomb that started the whole tear-drop craze:

1934 Chrysler Airflow

Here are a few more images from the early Thirties:

Custom Cab



Harry Hartz mounted his car body backwards in order to prove the aerodynamics of the tear drop shape... he drove it from Michigan to NYC!




Fox Film built this limousine for actress Lillian Harvey

[LibWhacker]

Yucko, it's definitely one of the ugliest cars ever made, imho. Always made me feel slightly queasy when I saw one.

[uglybiker]

I like the '53 Studebaker hardtop coupe better.

I'll stick with my bulletnose.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Hot rod citroen ping.

Sorry, #43 was meant for CD