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Citröen looking to revive legendary Méhari
In May 1968, Citröen launched the Méhari, a car whose entire upper half could be removed, including the windshield, which could be folded down onto the hood. – AFP Relaxnews pic, June 18, 2015.A comeback for the Méhari, albeit modernised, is being mulled over at Citröen according to comments made by its general manager, Linda Jackson, and first reported by the Automotive News Europe website.
The Méhari was an innovative and atypical light utility car that enjoyed great success in the 1970s.
Citröen presented the Méhari in the midst of the May 1968 upheavals, and its unique design, somewhere between utility and leisure vehicle, was an immediate sensation.
The Méhari, a variant of the 2CV but built with more modern materials, had a windshield that could be pushed down onto the hood and featured no seat belts.
Since its launch, the Méhari featured in road rallies all around the world before becoming a part of the French army and national gendarmerie's equipment.
The 4x4 version, released in 1979, had a gearbox with four normal speeds and a three-speed transfer gearbox for crossing slopes up to 60%.
Two special editions were also released in 1983: the Méhari Plage and the Méhari Azur.
In 2013, Citröen celebrated the Méhari's 45th anniversary by honoring it at the C42, its flagship store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, and by organising a historic gathering on the Linas-Montlhéry circuit in Essonne, France.
Between 1968 and 1988, Citröen produced 144,953 Méharis.
There is as-of-yet no information on what a new Méhari concept would look like, but this rumour has hit at the same time as the PSA group's announcement that it plans to produce and distribute the Bluesummer, an electric car designed by Bolloré that bills itself as a small leisure cabriolet. Citröen could very well use this as inspiration for its new Méhari.
Capable of transporting four people, the Bluesummer uses the same technology as the successful Bluecar that is used for Autolib', Paris's auto-share programme that operates on the same principle as several other cities' bike-share programmes.
The Bluesummer is expected to have a top speed of 80mph and a 125-mile range. – AFP Relaxnews, June 18, 2015.
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