GQ and Citroen unleash the radical GQbyCitroen concept

This week started with a spectacular concept car launch in the form of the Porsche 918 and has now concluded equally beautifully with Citroen’s offering into the concept car ring – the GQbyCitroen.

We first got wind of the seemingly tenuous collaboration between one of the leading men’s lifestyle magazines and the French marque a couple of weeks ago here on SkiddPlayer and we liked what little we saw of the car’s eccentric contours.  Now the car has been fully revealed, we definitely like everything we see.

Motivation and Style

Citroen seems to be undergoing a welcome injection of style into their image to appear more chic and in keeping with the times, as underlined with the unveiling of their aggressively designed DS3 last year and the incredible Survolt concept.

So why have Citroen teamed up with GQ? Firstly, we may as well disappoint you immediately by stating there are no plans for this car to go into production.  To the question though, and if we’re brutally honest, the GQbyCitroen is simply a good little bit of PR that benefits both parties involved.

However, we have to hand it to both Citroen and GQ for creating a fantastic looking car and for not simply slapping some go-faster badges on the side of a current Citroen car.  GQ’s editor Dylan Jones opened up on his motivation behind the car by saying:

I wanted something practical, something cool, and something idiosyncratic – i.e. something surprising that didn’t just look like a concept car. The GQ car needed to have the ‘want’ factor, but it also needed to look, feel and ‘drive’ like the sort of car no sane man could choose to ignore. We think it looks very very special.

We agree, Mr. Jones.  GQ weren’t the only external firm to get involved, with Savile Row tailors E.Tautz contributing to the concept with one of the finest interiors on the market today.  Flash looking as the car is both inside and out, SkiddMark’s more interested in how it goes.

True to concept form, the GQbyCitroen is powered by a plug-in Hybrid, mated to a 1.6L 4-cylinder direct injection petrol engine.  The claimed performance from all this is 155mph top speed (limited), 0-60mph in 4.5s and impressive CO2 emissions of just 80g/km.  Whether the GQbyCitroen could walk the stat talk if the car became reality is a question for another day.

Style wise, the car is evidently a Grand Tourer, as underlined by the lovely rear suicide doors.  Chief designer Mark Lloyd continues:

For me, the car that has always represented the pinnacle of automotive excellence and refinement is the GT – the Grand Tourer. It is not the all-out sports car, rather it is something gentlemanly, it has performance and it is for travelling, not racing. We wanted to create something that, like GQ, was aspirational, but also retained the classic automotive ideals. We didn’t want a car for the mass market. We wanted a car for GQ.

Opinion

So what do we make of the styling?  The eye shaped side window area is reminiscent of the beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C – not the worst car in the world to take your styling inspiration from – and the flattened roofline has a hint of Volkswagen Scirocco about it.  As stated, the Madza RX8 style rear suicide doors are a lovely touch, though we think you’ll have to be a Grand National jockey to stand a chance of fitting inside the GQbyCitroen.  But that’s the beauty of concepts, isn’t it?  You don’t have to worry about the ‘big’ issues.

On the face of it, these types of collaborations are often an embarrassing affair where two brands try to pursue a common goal and end up with egg on both of their faces, but both GQ and Citroen can hold their heads high with what they have showcased here.

Would you buy a GQCitroen if it went into production?  Are you a fan of the styling or concept cars in general?  Let us know your thoughts and we’ll pass them on.

Finally, be sure to check out the GQbyCitroen mini-site and our new Citroen channel on SkiddPlayer.