Concept Car of the Week: Citroën Camargue (Bertone) 1972

Coachbuilder Bertone presented the Camargue at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show as a 2+2 coupe alternative to the quirky Citroën GS hatchback. Named after the coastal region in the south of France, the Camargue was aimed to appeal to a young trend-conscious target audience.

Penned by Marcello Gandini, the silhouette remained undoubtedly Citroën with a long overhang at the front, short at the rear and a long, sloping roofline.

While the length of the GS was preserved, the track was widened by 60mm and the roof was chopped by 200mm from the production model to 1,150mm.

The front end shares strong similarities with the XM, another Bertone design launched 17 years later. Cooling was provided by discrete radiator grill in the bumper. Crisp lines and clean flanks create an elegant body while the truncated rear shares the same graphic as the wonderful Maserati Khamsin.

The large rear hatch offered both practicality and luminosity, while yellow tinted glass all around made everything look vintage. The cabin however was pretty much a simple trim job on the standard GS.

Mechanically it shared the same front wheel drive chassis with hydro-pneumatic height-adjustable suspension and braking systems exclusive to the french manufacturer. The engine was the stock 1,015cc air cooled flat four that developed 55 bhp, coupled with a four speed manual transmission.

With a slightly upgraded engine, the Camargue could have easily been a smaller and more affordable alternative to the Maserati-powered SM, but Citroën was about to face a harsh financial downfall. It merged with Peugeot in 1976 and the idea of another low-volume niche model was completely abandoned.

First seen Geneva Motor Show 1972
Designer Marcello Gandini
Length 4,120mm
Height 1,150mm
Width 1,680mm
Engine 1,015cc, flat four, air-cooled from Citroën GS
Power 55bhp

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet