If you are spotted with an Audi convertible, which is in fact a Citroën, you risk being arrested

And to all the fines issued by the police, we would add one more: for destroying a defenceless saloon car like this Xantia

Citroën Xantia décapotable

By: Javier Llorente

Published by: Brian Potter

Mar 14, 2024 at 8:44am ET

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From time to time, we like to remember one of those curious stories that, although they seem incredible, are true... and make us smile. In this case, it happened in the summer of 2021 in France, but we're still not out of the woods yet.

In fact, the car in question is now an almost classic saloon: a mid-size Citroën saloon like the Xantia. You remember it, don't you? What you probably don't remember is the Xantia cabriolet... because it didn't exist. Officially, at least.

Because as you can see from the photo, the car the police are confiscating is a Xantia Cabrio. And no, the bodywork is not by Pininfarina, Giugiaro or Bertone. In fact, it appears to be the work of the car's owner, who has produced one of the world's worst convertibles. A model, moreover, without any homologation and therefore illegal on the road.

Citroën Xantia Cabrio: don't be put off by the Audi logo.

We admit that this reshaping is more DIY than a work of art, but we won't go into that kind of judgement. Especially if its owner created it to fulfil his dream of driving a convertible.

However, there's one thing we can all agree on that he probably didn't know, and that is cutting the roof and pillars off a car with a radial saw is never a good idea.

Also with a dose of BMW

Anyway, the story went like this: Obviously, the police stopped him as soon as they came across him, probably unaware of the type of platypus car they had in front of them.

As far as we know, the traffic stop took place in the French town of Meunet-sur-Vatan, on the A20 motorway, with the intention of checking that "everything was in order".

But of course, as you might expect, nothing was in order. Everything was fake, everything was broken: the car had less papers than a hare and, of course, it was immobilised and taken off the road. Will this Xantia end up on the scrap heap or parked in a warehouse forever? We don't know, but it seems perfectly normal to us.