Citroen chariot created for an upcoming Asterix movie draws inspiration from the iconic 2CV family car

It takes a good 12 months at least to develop a concept car – the French marque Citroen is no exception either. But for once they’ve put their automotive building creative brains in overdrive and designed a concept chariot in collaboration with Pathé, Trésor Films, and the Editions Albert René in just three months.

The one-off four-wheeled machine built for the upcoming movie “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom” is set to be released on 23 February 2023 in France and then later in spring 2023 exclusively on Netflix.

Designer: Citroen

For those who don’t know, this movie will be the adaptation of a cult classic French comic book series from 1959 called “Asterix.” Over time the 15 film and cartoon series has amassed 25 million viewers and 70 million worldwide. Citroen has chosen the iconic 2CV family car (produced between 1948 and 1990) as the inspiration for this concept. Those who know what I’m talking about will immediately find a resemblance of the rear section of 2CV in the concept chariot. The body of the chariot is crafted out of solid oak and the mythical sunroof from lutece canvas. The brand’s logo too gets the classic treatment in the shape of Astreix helmet wings.

For the wheels, Citroen decided to stick with repurposed shields and interestingly, the suspension is made from a pair of boar guts. Another highlight for me is the design of firefly headlights fitted on the roof. Other than that, the chariot has intricate motifs from the famous film series. According to Pierre Leclercq, Citroën’s Global Design Director, the two French legends “had the most amazing time working on this project. The result is an ode to the 2CV, the legendary car that represents Citroen in all its glory.”

A responsible aspect of the whole movie creation is the fact that Citroen was generous enough to lend their fleet of 10 electric cars (including three ë-C4, three C5 Aircross PHEV, two ë-Spacetourer, one Ami, and one ë-Jumpy) to be used by the film crew during shooting. Even the costumes were recycled and reused to minimize the movie’s impact on the planet. According to the crew use of recycled cardboard saved two tons of wood. This obviously, as a part of the ongoing decarbonization efforts going worldwide to safeguard the tormented environment.

The post Citroen chariot created for an upcoming Asterix movie draws inspiration from the iconic 2CV family car first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bugatti’s era of elegance makes its comeback with the La Belle Epoque concept

Prior to being the company that made the world’s fastest production car, Bugatti had a reputation for making some of the most luxuriously elegant chariots the world has seen. With the La Belle Epoque concept, Bugatti is taken back to its vintage days, while keeping one foot firmly in the future.

Designed by Hojin Choi and inspired by the Bugatti Royale from 1927, the La Belle Epoque is grace personified. The chariot comes with a teardrop shape and a bubble-like cockpit enclosed within a metal outer shell that’s quite literally a symphony of curves. The glass windshield extends all the way from the front to the back in a single swoop, while the metal surfacing and the satin-finish paint job give the car its futuristic appeal. Combine that with the grace of a chariot-style form and you have the best of both worlds.

Even though it’s a fan-made concept, the La Belle Epoque (French for “The Good Times”) is every bit a Bugatti. The car comes with the unmistakable horseshoe radiator, and while its paint-job is fairly non-traditional (due to the absence of the signature blue), the Bugatti logo makes an appearance on the front, the sides (wheels), and even the back. It even sports the iconic C-line detail found on almost every modern Bugatti… a detail that’s gradually revealed when the car gracefully opens its long, beautiful, gullwing doors!

Designer: Hojin Choi

The Bugatti Next-57 Concept looks like a glorious Chariot from a steampunk future!

Every car sits somewhere on a spectrum ranging from utilitarianism to craftsmanship. Some cars are more utilitarian than others, other cars showcase a level of artistry that makes them truly stand out… the Bugatti Next-57, I’d argue, sits so far on the artistic end of the spectrum that it really pushes the boundaries of how beautiful a car could look. Created as an homage to the classic Bugatti 57, the Next-57 celebrates every inch of the vintage car by modernizing it, exaggerating it, and making it even more beautiful. The result? A chariot fit for a king, with an incredibly elegant long body that tapers off at the front expose the axles on the front wheels, giving a chariot-like appearance, along with an interior that’s ensconced in luxurious red suede.

The black and red combination are a statement in their own right. Giving the car its mysterious, million-bucks appearance, the chariot’s gloss-black exterior is a magnet for sharp highlights and high contrasts, making it look like a jewel on the road. The car’s long body starts with its edge-lit headlights, sitting between the externally-placed wheels. The wheels are covered by fenders that half-cover it, revealing the luxurious constellation-inspired rims behind, that shine and rotate as the wheels turn.

Move your eye upwards and you arrive at the hood, which comes with its own flair that extends from the front and travels all the way to the top at the roof, creating a physical division that parts the driver’s view into left and right – perhaps not the most useful of details, but it’s worth remembering that the Next-57 is conceptual. This detail mirrors the original 57’s own aesthetic which came with its own metal spine that ran through the center of the car from front to back. The hood then develops an umbrella-esque texture before meeting the car’s rear, which features an elegant edge-lit taillight running from side to bottom to side.

The Bugatti Next-57 is a pretty long car, but it’s still made for just one rider. The car’s door opens to reveal a plush cockpit, draped in red suede. The seat even rotates to face you (almost as if it’s greeting you) and rotates back to face the dashboard once you’re seated. Get the car running and its electric engine powers to life (the use of a textured glass panel instead of a radiator grille leads me to believe the Next-57 has an electric heart)… and if you think the car is a pleasure to look at while it’s standing still, just watching the way the wheels and elongated fenders rotate as you steer the car should easily give you goosebumps! Hey Siri, what’s my heart-rate?

Designer: doinnext_cong

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