Yesterday Autoline.tv posted a video with John McElroy talking about some neat customized Ds. In case you have not seen it, click on this link and select the first article on the website to see them about half way through the 6 minute video: http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=48147
His favourite DS is a bubble top coupé that has an enlarged back window re-positioned forward and the trunk lid extended so the C pillar with the turn signals becomes the B Pillar behind the front doors. This makes the roof line very fluid but the flow is marred by the creator flaring the lower portion of the door and rear panels with a bulge that does not follow the upper body line and blend in as Flaminio Bertoni originally designed it. It was done to take out the lower crease of the belt-line from mid-way in the front door to the front wheel where an accent line and two-tone body colour was added to give the car an “American” look.
John mentioned that a reader names Charles sent him the pictures. That may explain him misidentifying the the first Citroën coupé shown as a custom creation when it was in fact a 1958 le Paris by Heni Chapron which used the body work of the first Chapron cabriolet, la Croisette, also built in 1958. Both models are is noticeable for employing the rear wings of the DS sedan and covering the join between the wing and what would be the rear door with a vertical chrome strip. Most likely a hasty addition by Chapron in the early days modifying the DS and getting them ready in time for that Paris Auto Show. At the time as his conversions were undertaken without the approval of Citroën. The vertical chrome stip was eliminated in subsequent Chapron variations of the DS to give the smooth flowing sides in his later works.
Also, at the end of the video John mentions a new Peugeot food truck that the company introduced this week. Called La Marcelle it includes a sink, fridge, water heater and a serving counter that slides out of the rear door. Very innovative, but not as cool as a H-Van!
These sort of modified Citroëns have become more acceptable in the last several years, whereas my mentioning about my late brother-in-law who had resided in Dubai, had a C5 convertible, I had seen it as well as had a ride in it, yet my mentioning of its exeistence to a Citroën nutter who has his website , he was adamant hat such vehicles were never made by Citroën.
He had even gone the distance to ask Citroën about it, I feel very sorry , but his loss for his dis belief.
Look at the Facebook there are loads of examples of Citroëns which have been converted , I.e modified , now for the last little while it has become more acceptable to hear as well as acknowledge such. Unless you look the other way…💬
There are a couple of groups that I had come across, amazingly the world of customization is vast, look at my friend Harjeet Singh Kalsi’s late model MK2 Citroën CX25 TRD, which had undergone body surgery, thereafter he had installed a 3 Speed ZF transmission on it, his is probably the only one and successfully done as well as fully documented CX25TRD, which he very proudly calls it Automatic.
Two Face book sites that are very good to be a part of, if you are interested and have an aptitude for, one Aspiring Art of Welding and Fabrication, the other one will blow your mind even more, as its all about Customization , you will see a DS two door out of proportion , Kustom 💬