The Citroen C-Metisse coupé’s elegant design, exceptional travelling comfort, remarkable performance and environmental respect completely won over the jury, headed by Christian Philippsen and composed of:

• Serge Bellu, editor in chief, Automobiles Classiques
• Xavier Dixsaut, designer, head of innovation at Louis Vuitton
• Harm Lagaay, designer, former head of design at Porsche
• Carl-Gustav Magnusson, designer, former head of design at Knoll Furniture
• Samuel Mann, collector and winner of the LVC Concours Award 2005
• Gordon Murray, engineer, former technical manager of the F1 Brabham and McLaren teams
• Lorenzo Ramaciotti, designer, former head of design at Pininfarina
• Stewart Reed, head of the transport faculty at the Art Centre College of Design in California

Unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the Citroen C-Métisse concept car was inspired by Citroen’s traditional design parameters of automotive passion and intelligence to produce a car that is both stylistically adventurous, but at the same time eminently practical and sensible.

With its flowing proportions, flamboyant red bodywork, spectacular door-opening design and premium-material cabin, this four-seater four-door coupe revives a passion for the most prestigious Grand Tourers.

C-Métisse blends automotive emotion and sensation with environmental principles. The concept car’s diesel hybrid drivetrain, optimised aerodynamics and limited weight give it racer-like performance – 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and 1,000 m in 25.4 seconds – combined with low fuel economy (6.5 l/100 km over a combined cycle) and CO2 emissions (174 g/km).

The C-Métisse concept is a prime example of Citroën’s quest to build cars that are attuned to the times without losing sight of rule number one: a car has to be a joy to drive.