Paris Motor Show: Citroën Totem-mobile
Citroën definitely has a thing for transforming cars. They use them in their TV commercials, and in Paris today, they opened their press conference with one. Our man on the scene, John Neff, captured the mysteriously-named "Totem-mobile" in action as it morphed from a classic Citroën DS into a giant God-knows-what.
Artist Chico Mac Murtrie is the man responsible for the exhibit, which the automaker claims "emblematically represents Citroën and its values," illustrating "the successful marriage of art and automobile."
That's just a fancy, artsy French way of saying, "Citroën loves robots!"
We think.
Check out the full transformation after the jump.
(Press releases, photos follow)
[Source: Citroën]
PRESS PHOTOS:
PRESS RELEASE:
Citroën Totem-mobile
The Citroën DS is an avant-garde icon. Designed by Flaminio Bertoni, an artist and sculptor of genius, the vehicle remains a source of inspiration for a number of contemporary artists.
Voted "Best World Design Object of the 20th Century" in London in 1999, the near-mythical DS went on to celebrate its 50th birthday at the International Cotemporary Art Fair (FIAC) in 2005. The Citroën-organised exhibition, "The DS is a Work of Art", once again showed the artistic dimension of the automobile. The FIAC show featured a few of the countless artworks inspired by the DS, notably pieces by Arman and Orozco.
The latest artist to be inspired by the DS, Chico Mac Murtrie, has created an original, technological work that emblematically represents Citroën and its values. Presented at the Paris Motor Show, "Totem-mobile" illustrates the successful marriage of art and automobile using unprecedented levels of technology.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
King Volcano 12:56PM (9/28/2006)
Whole lot of nothing.
Reply
Big One 1:11PM (9/28/2006)
craptacular!
Reply
William Wallace 1:27PM (9/28/2006)
So, uh, it transforms from almost a car to inverted V covered in car parts. Is this just the halfway point or does really suck this bad? (I am afraid it's the latter)
Reply
The other Bob 1:42PM (9/28/2006)
These are the guys fired from the Transformers movie. Craptastic it is.
Reply
Moses 1:56PM (9/28/2006)
Commandment No.11
Thou Shalt not Citroen
Reply
glacia00 2:12PM (9/28/2006)
That has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. The car goes from being an ugly lump on 4 wheels to being an ugly lump standing on its nose. My ex-wife did that years ago - all she had to do was drive it into a ditch.
Reply
JC Whitless 2:28PM (9/28/2006)
Reminds me of a TF character...
"Friend find, look behind! Friend find, look behind!"
Where's Unicron when you need him....
Reply
Ken 2:57PM (9/28/2006)
It transformed into the Citroen logo. The car forms the upper chevron of the logo, and the support thing forms the lower one.
Reply
Accordsforall 7:53PM (9/28/2006)
Hmm...
The Citroen DS is as popular for its looks as a 356 or an E type. Only thing is.. its never was sold in the U.S. Its got a fantastic body, with features that just NOW make it to production..
Heck.. I think its damn amazing. A Citroen DS in tradition with other Citroen's.. transforming. See.. thats the kind of.. earth shattering marketing we need here. Not maggots who are wussies on their children's playgrounds.. only to trade their ancient GM minivan for a H3 / H2.
That.. you bunch of illerate maggots.. is damn amazing.
Reply
Evan McCausland 3:14PM (9/28/2006)
DS was sold here, albeit without the gee-whiz swiveling headlamps of the 2nd generation, from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s. Sales outlet headquarters were in NYC.
I'd let you read my collection of US-market DS and ID literature, but, y'know, I don't lend things to "illiterate maggots".
Reply
Citreon 10:22PM (9/28/2006)
I dunno... it doesn't look like the Citroen logo:
http://images.google.ca/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=citroen+logo
I thought it would be a Tee-Pee.
Reply
Michael F 1:24AM (9/29/2006)
As #8 said, that is the Citroen double chevron. Less spectacular than the Transformers it may be, but mush more eye-catching than a simple poster with the company's name scrawled across it.
Citroen have got the ART in them. Well, they are French after all.
Reply