Citroën Méhari

In the U.S., the Mehari was only offered for 1 year, 1970. The majority were sold in California and Hawaii and were used for a time in rental car fleets. The bodies are comprised of plastic (not fiberglass) and the color was impregneted in the material. Unfortunately, the sun's UV rays would deteriorate the plastic; painting the bodies would preseve them. They were offered in 3 colors in the US. Although they were made for many years and sold overseas, the rarest model is the US version, which had "bumps" in the hood to allow for the American headlights. With a plastic body, and removable doors, it was allowed in the US because the rear seat folded down, and essentially made it a pick up truck, there by circumventing the car safety regualtions as a truck. The chassis was essentally a 2CV, which gave it a soft ride and a weak 2 cylinder engine. The contemporary ads said 40 MPG was possible with a 70 MPH top speed. it is estimated about 1,000 were sold in the US, and that less then 100 have survived.