Citroën C3 Pluriel
Pluriel is French for plural, which gives a clue to the thinking of this version of the Citroën C3 launched in 2003. It was supposed to be a car for all eventualities, “a supermini during the winter months and a convertible during the summer, the C3 Pluriel offers customers real flexibility,” we were told.
By means of a host of release mechanisms, and body parts one could take off altogether, the Pluriel could be configured in a range of identities, from supermini to full convertible and even – get this – a pickup!
To achieve the last one removed the very heavy roof side rails to create a convertible, then folded the rear seats flat and dropped the boot lid which was bottom-hinged to form a tailgate – that, in the eyes of the marketing types at least, constituted a pick-up…
In fact, the Pluriel was a bad attempt at each car it purported to be, unsatisfactory to drive whatever form one tried it in. And we were never told what we could do with the enormous roof rails once we had removed them – use them for weightlifting practice?
These ten are not the only cars to come and go from the UK market almost without trace. Which others do you particularly love or hate? Let us know in the comments below!
