Small plastic Citroen spotted on Shell forecourt shocker.

[Joey spud]

 

I spied this the other night.

Its something i've never seen before and the body tub had the seats moulded into it just like a Bond Bug.

The petrol site owner said it had broken down earlier and when i went past the next day it had gone.

 

Any Citroen boffins on here able to tell me more...

[vulgalour]

It says Manx on the bootlid so I'm guessing it's one of theirs.  From what little I know they're a kit car company and this one is likely a rebody of a 2CV.  That's a pretty impressive spot.

[hairnet]

well

 

http://citroenspecialsclub.org/public/mancurrent.htm

 

                                                                     ^^ this is not what trig launches over the tina

[dollywobbler]

Oddly appealing. Came close to buying one last year, but sanity returned in time for me to avoid it. 

 

Another company has recently purchased the moulds, but I've not heard that they're back in production. Bit of a limit for a plastic-bodied 2CV 'sports' car, as Citroen GB discovered way back in the 1950s...

 

[rml2345]

Wasn't the Bijou actually heavier than the 2CV it was based on? That Manx reminds me a bit of a Lotus Europa.

Brilliant spot by the way. 

[richardmorris]

Wasn't the Bijou actually heavier than the 2CV it was based on? That Manx reminds me a bit of a Lotus Europa.

Brilliant spot by the way. 

Yes, the Bijou was fibre glass and rather thickly done to avoid flexing. Thus a little heavy. Add in a teeny tiny flat twin and it was a little slow if quite refined.  One of the CCC members sent me an article this month comparing costs for the Bijou against other cars on sale at the time. Bijou was expensive compared to Ford, Austin, Rover, Vauxhall etc.

 

 

 

Price

Engine size

Bijou

£695

425cc - 2 cyl

Austin 7  De Luxe [Mini]

£537

848cc - 4 cyl

Austin A40 De Luxe

£671

948cc - 4 cyl

Morris Minor 2dr De Luxe

£618

948cc - 4 cyl

Morris minor Traveller De Luxe

£696

948cc - 4 cyl

Ford Popular DeLuxe [100E]

£515

1172cc - 4 cyl

Ford Anglia De Luxe [105E]

£610

997cc - 4 cyl

Hilman Minx IIIB

[base version]

£722

1494 - 4cyl

Hillman Husky

£674

1390cc – 4 cyl

Vauxhall Victor

[base version]

£723

1508cc – 4 cyl

[mercrocker]

Wasn't the Bijou actually heavier than the 2CV it was based on? That Manx reminds me a bit of a Lotus Europa.

Brilliant spot by the way. 

Bit of a tenuous Lotus-based link there....Wasn't the Bijou drawn by Peter Kirwan-Taylor along with the original Elite?

[dollywobbler]

Certainly was. He was an accountant I think.