Miguel Sánchez
When it comes to design, there was a time when you could expect the most surprising from Citroën. A long time in which Flaminio Bertonic He took the chair thanks to his intervention in models such as the Traction Avant, the 2CV or the DS. Trained as a sculptor in his youth, this intrepid pencil ace conceived the shapes of his cars as if they were objects suspended in the air. Something that helped achieve aerodynamic coefficients as surprising for the time as the Shark.
In line with his work, Robert Opron continued the eccentric but magnetic personality of the Citroën lines with models like the SM. However, for those who really want to enjoy strange models ... The best thing is not only to resort to prototypes like the Citroen GS Camargue of Bertone, but especially bodybuilders like Tissier.
Sample of this we bring you several below. Yes, all of them centered in one of the most representative Citroën saloons: the CX. A worthy member of the trail marked by the DS, this hugely sized station wagon with carpet-like suspensions from Aladin met some very particular variants in the Tissier workshops. Variants in which up to four axes were added and that, in camper preparations, look like real mobile apartments.
TISSIER, A BODYBUILDER FOCUSED ON CITROËN
Founded in 1960, the Tissier company was the brainchild of a former Panhard brand dealer and mechanic. Of course, it took 12 years to venture with its first homologated modification, made on the basis of a DS. From here a very special relationship with the chevron brand was born, specializing in variants of its DS, SM and CX models. And yes, you read that right: also SM, since this intrepid Frenchman dared to turn this spectacular GT into a cargo model.
In short, it is seen that Pierre Tissier had few scruples towards these great models. And, after all, his preparations were not in a luxurious sense like those of Chapron. Rather, his was to extend the length of the chassis by adding axles in order to convert Citroen DS, SM and CX into camping, cargo or healthcare vehicles. Some curious follies among which we have only found a somewhat more sporty sample: the CX that he conceived for the 1983 Rally Iceland.
Personally, the truth is that these creations seem to us… At least curious to see. But the truth is that, over time, the creations of Tissier have risen as authentic bizarre for connoisseurs in the history of Citroën. Creations among which all those carried out on the CX. And it is ... Be careful, let's review. A CX minibus with four axles and 14 seats. Another with the capacity to carry a helicopter on its back. The impressive CX Penthouse equipped like a luxury camper ...
CITROËN CX TISSIER CAMPERVAN. NO TWO ARE THE SAME
Beyond the surprising thing about Tissier's creations, the truth is that they count more points in favor for potential collectors: no two are alike. Made entirely by hand, the variants that the Frenchman made on the Citroën CX seem to be designed on improvisation. Improvisation that, in some units, reached degrees of eccentricity like the one we see in this Citroën CX Campervan which was auctioned by Artcurial at the end of last 2019.
Its design is… Well, let's say caked. With a multitude of elements that overlap in a not very harmonious way to give as a result a caravan that seems to come out of the Crazy Car Race. However, in the specific case of this unit there is a reason that exempts Tissier from the dubious finish of some of its parts: the modifications that it underwent over a few years to this part at the hands of its last owners.
Owners who, imbued with the same spirit of Tissier but less means than the bodybuilder, finalized this Citroën CX Camper with six wheels. Something that, fortunately (and probably insufficiently), is powered by the most powerful diesel engine of all those that the brand offered at the time: a 96 CV turbo four-cylinder. In short, ideal for lovers of irrational modifications.
Photographs: Artcurial / Amicale Tissier
