Readers' Photos # 90: Citroen Van-Like Thing

There are people who believe that French vehicles are beautiful. Not me! Even the much vaunted Citroen DS - aka the Goddess - leaves me wondering WTF Italian stylist Flaminio Bertoni* was thinking when he penned its weird spaceship meets cockroach design. Interesting? Yes. A mechanical and technical marvel? Undoubtedly! An icon of car design, even? I'd concede that. But beautiful? NON!

* Yes - Bertoni with an i, not to be confused with the Italian design studio and coach-builder Bertone with an e.

However, even the weirdo-mobile DS looks a million francs compared to this munter-on-wheels, photographed in the Canberra suburb of Barton. The "Hux Custm [sic] Built" plate doesn't absolve Citroen of blame; I've seen other similarly homely truck and van versions of the marque, so I'm confident that Hux's role was one of interior fit-out rather than determining the vehicle's unfortunate aesthetics.

It looks like a four year old boy drew it, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he furiously twirled his pencil in tight, heavily drawn circles to depict the ludicrously undersized wheels, before remembering to add doors - backwards-facing, mind you - topped with some slabs for windows. Even the bonnet / engine bay looks like a last-minute addendum with a couple of chameleon eyes for headlamps! It is unrelentingly ugly from every angle!

So that's all my French car loving readers gone! More escargot, anyone?

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos by the Canberra Corespondent.

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