Teamwork makes the dream work: Citroën Type Holidays

Citroën have assembled an Avenger-level team to collaborate on their neo-retro campervan — but will it ever make it into the campervan universe, or will this concept end up as the endgame?

Citroën look to be going full steam ahead into the growing campervan market, that’s hardly breaking news. However, as well as competing with the likes of the Ford Transit Custom Nugget and Volkswagen California, it seems they are now also out to capture some VW I.D Buzz style nostalgia with the Citroën Type Holidays. And they have called in a couple of friends to help them do so. 

This is far from the French automakers first campervan concept, in fact, it's not even their first concept based on the iconic Citroën Type H van. This leaves us wondering, will this go the way of the stagnant Type H-esque Wildcamp, or colourful but yet to materialise Hyphen concepts, or will this camper be roving into production alongside Citroën’s new Holidays range?

A familiar exterior

Please welcome our first collaborator, Caselani. The Italian coachbuilding company have been producing kits under licence for Citroën’s current van range since 2017, creating neo-retro homages of the instantly recognisable Citroën Type H. 

So, it makes perfect sense that the Italian converters have been left in charge of bringing the distinctive looks of the 1947 cargo hauler into the present day. The hefty front grill, the oversized badge, and the bug-eyed headlights are all present. But, Caselini have replaced the corrugated steel crimped panels with twenty-first-century materials — proving this beast is no longer the iron man it once was. While some smoothed off edges provide a more modern aerodynamic look, not that this is a hard task considering the original’s tank like construction.

Adapted to the world of today, at 1.9m tall, the Type Holidays can sneak under your garage ceiling and glide through car parks on the way to your local campsite, whereas old school editions may have scraped their 2.34m-roofs.

A fresh interior

Enter frame Bravia Mobil, collaborator number two. Following its work on the Citroën Holidays, the Slovenian camper conversion company has been trusted to take the underpinnings beneath Caselani’s handiwork, and install some creature comforts.

The vintage styling is left outside, as the Type Holidays interior has the same modern and functional feature arrangement available across the Holidays range.

This means there are contemporary camper comforts aplenty. Swivelling seats can face into the kitchen and dining area, which comes complete with sink and fridge. The original Type H had an impressive 6-foot internal standing height, but as people have generally gotten taller with time, a pop-up roof has been installed on the Type Holidays. This expanded height not only provides comfortable movement within the living area, but also allows sleeping room for up to four travellers. 

Two of these sleeping campsite dwellers will doze on the rear bench seat which folds out into a two-person bed. It’s worth noting that this unit can be removed completely for additional storage space (maybe some of the Type H’s utilitarian roots did make it inside after all).

We do think there is a slightly jarring juxtaposition up in the driving seats as the dashboard, while clear and modern, does look a little bland compared to the soulful exterior design, and even the wooden clad detailing found in the back.

Of course, a present-day reimagining needs the contemporary rubber to match, and it seems Citroën have opted for the Michelin Agilis 3 van tyres to ensure smooth journeys, both now, and in the future.

So, if (and hopefully that’s not too big an IF) the Type Holiday makes it into production, Citroën could be onto a winner with this collaborative trip down memory lane. But would it be your choice for turning heads next time you hit the campsite?

Hero image credit: Stellantis