PARIS: Citroen has teamed up with Italian coachbuilder Caselani to launch a cool new retro-styled Berlingo which pays homage to the popular 2CV Fourgonnette.
Visually, the special edition Berlingo shows strong similarities to the old panel van, with decorative corrugated sides, white-painted bumpers and big round headlamps.
The styling cues hark back to the much-loved cargo version of the trusty Deux Chevaux car which lasted in production until 1981 by which time 500,000 had been sold.
The technical underpinnings and cockpit of the retro Berlingo remain the same, with a range of combustion engines and electric motors on offer. The regular Berlingo was introduced in 1996 and has proved to be a best-seller for the French manufacturer.
Buyers will be able to order the Berlingo with Caselani body kit from October 1. The cute looks do not come cheaply however, with the fibreglass corrugated conversion priced at around €10,000 on top of €26,000 for the load hauler.
"We are very proud that our best-selling Berlingo has been relaunched by Caselani, inspired by the legendary 2CV Fourgonnette, which has left its mark on both Citroën's history and the automotive industry," said design chief Pierre Leclercq.
The original Fourgonnette stuggled to top 50kph on a straight road but it could lug to 250kg of heavy goods - not including the driver - with a useful volume of 1.88 cubic metres. Its bodywork was fashioned from corrugated steel designed to boost rigidity.
The new version has a much more generous capacity and the Berlingo 2CV Fourgonnette can carry up to one tonne of freight, with a load volume of 4.4 cubic metres.
