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Citroën Karin - the moving pyramid of Fiore

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Created on December 31, 2023

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv

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Daniel Reinhard

5

Archiv

17

Citroën Karin (1980) - a "moving pyramid"

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Citroën Karin (1980) - with Trevor Fiore at the 1980 Paris Motor Show

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Citroën Karin (1980) - a pyramid on wheels

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Citroën Karin (1980) - flat and uncompromisingly designed

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Citroën Karin (1980) - Computer technology also for one of the passengers

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Citroën Karin (1980) - View-through drawing, seating arrangement of the three passengers

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Citroën Karin (1980) - dynamic design

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Citroën Karin (1980) - the shape is reminiscent of triangles or a pyramid

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Citroën Karin (1980) - one of Trevor Fiore's first creations for Citroën

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Citroën Karin (1980) - a concave rear end in an otherwise straightforward design

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Citroën Karin (1980) - Design drawing - Front view

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Citroën Karin (1980) - Drawing - Rear view

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Citroën Karin (1980) - the prototype hardly differs from the design drawings

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Citroën Karin (1980) - Drawing of the interior, seen from the front

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Citroën Karin (1980) - centrally positioned steering wheel, future-oriented operating concept

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The Citroën Karin concept car by Fiore on the futuristic Citroën stand at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroën Karin (1980) - in the line-up of concept cars - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Citroën Karin (1980) - quite edgy - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Citroën Karin (1980) - consistently tapered shape and central cockpit - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Citroën Karin (1980) - with a resounding name and centrally positioned steering wheel - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Citroën Karin (1980) - together with Traction Avant, both have front-wheel drive - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Citroën Xenia (1981) - Study of a large sedan

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Summary

One of the most controversial concept cars of the early 1980s was the Citroën Karin, a compact sports car for three people designed by Trevor Fiore. The study was full of new ideas, the usual framework conditions for car construction were deliberately ignored and series production was not even remotely envisaged. This report describes the revolutionary concept and shows it in historical and current images, supplemented by documents from the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Trevor Fiore's signature
Presentation at the 67th Paris Motor Show in 1980
Revolutionary interior
Another presentation in Geneva
Shown once again in Turin
Too avant-garde?

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It's hard to imagine the impression the Citroën Karin, presented as a concept car between the Ente (2CV), Peugeot 504 or Renault 4, must have made. Visitors to the 67th Paris Motor Show in October 1980 must have stood open-mouthed in front of this moving pyramid, which was presented on the Citroën stand. It was a time when other vehicle manufacturers were also outdoing each other with economical cars, but no manufacturer was taking such a consistent and radical approach as Citroën The lines of the Citroën Karin were the work of Trevor Fiore, who had initially worked as a consultant for the French car manufacturer from 1979, but had been head of the "Citroën Styling Section" since January 1, 1980. His well-known designs at the time included the TVR Trident, Elva GT 160 and the Monteverdi Hai, but he had also designed for DAF, Aston Martin, AC and De Tomaso, among others.

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