Perhaps one of the most outlandish designs in comparison to most automobiles you see on the road belongs to this very unique one-off concept car shown here, the 1980 Citroën Karin. The Karin was developed by the 104 year old French automobile brand, Citroën just in time to be displayed to the public at the 1980 Paris Motor Show. The hexahedron/trapezoidal or pyramid-like shape was created by Citroën stylist Trevor Fiore, and on top of the unprecedented exterior, the interior of the Karin featured a three seat layout with the driver being in the center, and two passenger seats slightly behind. This interesting interior configuration has since been made popular by the iconic McLaren F1, however, the Karin predates the F1’s three seat architecture by 12 years, since the F1 was first unveiled in May of 1992, at The Sporting Club in Monaco. The name ‘Karin’ is a combination of Italian words which translate to ‘Car’ and ‘Dear’ or ‘Darling’ in English. The streamlined Karin concept car was exhibited in Paris with a layout that would feature beautiful butterfly-style doors, a four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, and a hydropneumatic suspension system. The interior also offers an onboard computer system which displays vital information to the driver about the road conditions and the car itself. Trevor Fiore, who was born in England in 1937, became head of the Citroën Styling Section in July of 1980, and with this also came the birth of one of the most innovative styling exercises of that time period. The roof of the Karin, due to it’s peculiar shape, was only around the size of a piece of paper, or approximately 11.7 x 16.5 inches. It’s important to note that the Karin was designed/built in conjunction with automotive and aeronautical bodywork company based in Turin known Coggiola Carrozziere Srl. Certainly one of the more oddball cars to come from the ‘wedge-shape’ era of the late 1970s and early 1980s, what do you think of the Citroën Karin?
How many made? 1
Engine: n/a
Debut: 1980 Paris Motor Show
Top Speed: n/a
0-60mph: n/a
Photo Credit: @cartefacts.official, @citroen, @classictorque, @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly