- Highly original concept car

- Unique approach taken by Chausson

- Displayed at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show

- No reserve

Chausson is best known as a manufacturer of vehicle bodies, radiators and buses. But with its P.E.R.L.E concept car (for ‘Projet d'Études et de Recherches d'une Ligne Européenne’), the company went outside its usual areas of work to explore the field of experimental design, with the aim of attracting the attention of vehicle manufacturers and winning new business. The link to Renault was through its engine, as the car was equipped with a four-cylinder unit from the Renault 11, but otherwise, the P.E.R.L.E was entirely developed by ‘Chausson Ingénierie Carrosserie Automobile’, and the brochure presenting it promoted the group’s technical capabilities. Initially presented as a model at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, it subsequently appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in 1989 complete with its engine and interior fittings.

The small people carrier stood out on account of its streamlined shape, with a huge panoramic windscreen, large glass area, side doors sliding towards the front, and, inside, a dashboard designed as an extension to the centre console and a single-spoke steering wheel.

This concept car, which briefly appeared in Wim Wender’s science-fiction film Until the End of the World, was unfortunately not enough to save Chausson, whose last factory closed in 2000, but it is a fascinating testament to the research undertaken at the time in the field of design. In decent condition, it is a prototype that is not in running order and cannot be registered for use on the road.