Citroen has been bolder than most of its counterparts in producing the C6, one that harks back at the CX of the early 70s. The CXs never basked in glory during its days as it was a complicated piece of equipment just as it was unreliable, and more significantly since it was a replacement of the legendary DS that was created in the mid fifties. As a big flagship car complete with remarkable interiors from the stables of Citroen, the C6 is quite fresh in design like some of its predecessors and evokes the typical Citroen quirkiness of the past.
However it is the C6’s fundamental nature that gives some nods to the CX. Thus C6 differs from the Mustang, the Challenger or the Camaro to name a few cars that have been re issued with design tenets taken from its proud elder sisters of the gone era. The mentioned cars and many like them have one thing in common; they are set to rouse our mind’s eye. The differences between the original and its derivative are blotted by the mind’s eye, failing which we discount them as a copy, like one would be inclined to in the case of say the Muira or the GT40. The recollection of one’s younger glorious days when breezed by the light summer wind is comparable to the emotion that arises out of admiring these ‘retro styled’ (if the term may be used) cars. Though most of us may never have had a first hand feel of the cars of the past, yet we perceived the essence of cars like the Dodge Challenger in the film ‘Vanishing Point’ or the portrayal of the Mini in ‘The Italian Job’. It is not surprising then that ‘The Italian Job’ was recreated based on the new Mini! A car that came to life in the beginning of the century with a stance arising out of short overhangs by having the wheels set to each corner producing the best case of commercial success from a classic car, in this case Sir Alec Issigonis’s creation and the lifestyle that developed around her. To the extent that BMW created a niche ‘mini’ market by tapping the lifestyle the old mini had! These solid built cars have since been designed into convertibles, stretched models, Estate versions and have for a while been making their presence felt in every major Auto show around the world, perhaps in an attempt to register the ‘Mini lifestyle’.
One may argue crafting a retro styled, irrefutably handsome car that is evocative comes at the cost of only so much innovation. Arguably a differed scale and cleaned up form lacks the oomph and emotive draw of the original match, however when only eighteen Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale were ever constructed (now extinct) one is pleased to be presented with its contemporary version in the ‘Diva’ concept at Geneva. The ’69 car was conceived from Alfa’s racing heritage, and though presently Alfa has no F1 presence the modern incarnation is chiseled with a more 'Formula One' edge for a comparable spirit. That’s to get the mind’s eye to take a different course. Yet another course would be like SAAB capitalising on its precedent, its aircraft beginnings, and the Aero X at Geneva with the adoption of a cockpit canopy resembling a jet aircraft does just that.
It’s only fair then to allow designers to make use of a rich heritage to explore potential cues for the next in the product portfolio. At least it would make up for those of us who never had the opportunity to be in the era when ‘those’ beautiful cars existed.