Unusual towing arrangement Xantia in France

Citroen survivor · Post by **Citroen survivor** » 09 Aug 2010, 21:44

Saw this on Ebal Francehttp://annonces.ebay.fr/viewad/clip-car ... 5009930011
Looks a most ungainly contraption![/url]

Post by **CitroJim** » 09 Aug 2010, 21:50

Cor! Opening the boot will be a bit of a challenge

I thought at first it was a Xantia motorhome conversion....

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 09 Aug 2010, 21:58

That looks awsome!
I want one for Cassy

HDI Dave · Post by **HDI Dave** » 09 Aug 2010, 22:11

Citroen survivor wrote: Looks a most ungainly contraption!

Ungainly? Looks positively weird, like the 'van's too close to the car..doggy stylee

Surely a must for the latest, 'Car masutra' magazine

XantiaDaveEire · Post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 09 Aug 2010, 23:20

Weird enough to be practical

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 10 Aug 2010, 08:55

It's a Clipcar Evolution. They were made in France for several years and became very popular although I believe they are out of production now. Tow hitch connected to a special type of roof rack. Here's another one:-

Post by **CitroJim** » 10 Aug 2010, 09:39

It makes a lot of sense really, towing from the centre of the car. Makes it more like a 5th wheel and will be a lot more stable. Much like an artic lorry.

It must have one heck of a jockey wheel on it

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 10 Aug 2010, 10:46

CitroJim wrote:
It must have one heck of a jockey wheel on it

Probably some form of hydraulic jacks at the front - a bit like a demountable unit. It's the stresses and strains on the roof channels that would worry me.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 10 Aug 2010, 11:25

Makes me feel uncomfortable looking at that.

addo · Post by **addo** » 10 Aug 2010, 12:49

I'm just imagining it on outback Australian roads - the roof would be wallered flat!

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 10 Aug 2010, 13:01

I guess that if you had the thing balanced properly there would be little or no weight on the roof. And at least with the roof you can spread the stresses out over a larger area than with a towbar, and they are pretty strong...

Stick a big weight in the back and it might lift the car up.....

Xantia2.0 · Post by **Xantia2.0** » 10 Aug 2010, 16:59

*Parks up* "Right, lets get my suit case from the boot and unpack... Ah..."

Post by **DHallworth** » 10 Aug 2010, 17:36

jimleshed wrote:I guess that if you had the thing balanced properly there would be little or no weight on the roof. And at least with the roof you can spread the stresses out over a larger area than with a towbar, and they are pretty strong...

Stick a big weight in the back and it might lift the car up.....

Tow bars are great big thick lumps of metal that are bolted to the main structure/chassis of the car though.

The roof is wafer thin and wobbles very easily though.

David.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 11 Aug 2010, 09:29

Seems rather pointless, just like a caravan but with half the car taking up interior space and towing it from a roof bar! Seems quite a poor design.

Julz · Post by **Julz** » 11 Aug 2010, 12:12

Weird, I presume it must swivel on the roof rack?

worth doing a google image search on clipcar, there are some odd ones about.
I like this one, the back even foldout to become an awning.
http://www.france-troc.com/annonces/ind ... ?id=418764

some interesting "things" here too
http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30286

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Unusual towing arrangement Xantia in France

Unusual towing arrangement Xantia in France

Re: Unusual towing arrangement Xantia in France