Citroen C3 Pluriel: are you overlooking this £1000 quirky cabrio?
It wasn't a pretty car, but there was something chubbily appealing in a shape lent extra glamour by the contrast-colour arc of its A-pillars, roof and D-pillars. The Pluriel's headlights and tail-lights were pretty groovy for their day (2003, since you ask) and those with long memories might spot the 2CV reference in its tail, the large 'CITROEN' lettering underlining the fabric-framed rear window a feature of many Deux Chevaux.
The Pluriel's cabin looked pretty funky from a distance too, the quartet of head restraints, duo-tone dashboard, silver air vents and orange instruments all unusual enough to be redolent of Citroën's bolder design phases.
Versatility stemmed from a lot more than its electrically retracting fabric roof. Not only did the fabric concertina into a neat pile but could be packaged into the boot once you opened the luggage bay's drop-down lid.
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That gave you a four-seat cabriolet with an unimpeded view to the rear; unlocking the roof side rails left only the windscreen rising above the car's waistline, although you'd then have the challenge of storing the rails elsewhere. Still more of a challenge would be brazening out the summer squall dumping rain on your head if you were caught fully roofless and rail-less.
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