The Cityrama Citroen 55: The Strangest Bus Ever Built?

[@timtranslates]

If it had been an amphibious vehicle, that would have been in-Seine!

[@SlackActionBumble]

This is an under-appreciated brilliant pun and I wish more people could see it

[@lloydpenfold486]

*groan!*

[@silverliteway]

Oh dear

[@madpeddler8263]

Zut alors!

[@Lagrange_Point_6]

Excellent pun there. Bravo.

[@MrElbarto75]

Bonsoir Tim. Pour répondre a ta question, le Cityrama est effectivement préservé dans un hangar, chez un particulier de l'est de la France, en attendant de rejoindre les réserves d'un musée automobile Français bien connu des passionnés. Toutefois, le lieu n'est pas communiqué, car c'est chez un particulier qui n'as pas envie de voir débouler les ferrailleurs comme les vandales chez lui :) Avec un peu de chance d'ici quelques années il sera apte a rouler, pas sur la route, mais au moins dans des propriété privées ;)

[@PStaveley]

If my Google Translate is correct then it is good news, I fully understand that the location of the private home is secret but surely the location of the museum could be revealed and what they are waiting for before it is transferred into their collection: Translation results Hello Tim. To answer your question, the Cityrama is actually preserved in a shed, at a private home in eastern France, while waiting to join the reserves of a French automobile museum well known to enthusiasts. However, the place is not communicated, because it is with an individual who does not want to see the scrap dealers like the vandals come to his house :) With a bit of luck in a few years it will be able to drive, not on the road, but at least in private property ;)

[@MrElbarto75]

@@PStaveley museum is not far from the private owner, so nope. Just know that he is preserved, and might ne visible in France in few years ;)

[@PStaveley]

@@MrElbarto75 As someone who operates preserved buses and coaches I fully understand the secrecy. It is excellent to hear that an example has been saved. My only advice is that the bus, indeed all preserved buses and coaches, must be stored undercover if it is going to be in a condition that allows for its eventual restoration.

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@MrElbarto75 Bonsoir et merci pour les infos ! Oui je me doutais bien que le lieu reste un secret. D'un côté, c'est dommage, mais de l'autre, c'est tout à fait compréhensible. En tous cas je suis très heureux de savoir que le bus existe toujours, et encore plus, que c'est un musée qui s'en occupera ! C'est une tres bonne nouvelle.

[@MrElbarto75]

​@@TheTimTraveller Et merci a toi pour tes vidéos toujours aussi sympa :)

[@JimGDMAC]

The spike on the front is obviously the mount for an in-tour refueling probe. When the fuel tank gets low just drive in formation behind a modified fuel tanker towing a drogue. Should only take a few minutes to refill.

[@sirclarkmarz]

You know not of what you speak . It was obviously for ramming Roman galley tour buses should they come up on one .

[@hamjudo]

The refueling _stinger_ on the bus was carefully placed so if the bus broke the sound barrier, the shockwave would form at the tip. This protected the otherwise fragile upper level from the sonic boom. Or more seriously, it may have been inspired by the _stingers_ on supersonic jets of the time. (They really were called "stingers".)

[@perfectallycromulent]

it is for competiting with other buses for mating rights, sir.

[@confuseatronica]

also works if the fuel tanker doesn't WANT to give you fuel

[@Arc0w]

I would say it just makes it faster.

[@bishwatntl]

If the bus was a greenhouse, it probably wasn't just the engine that overheated. Imagine a busload of tourists en deshabille, gasping for air.

[@jwenting]

which makes for a great extra income stream for the company: selling bottled cold drinks at the stops...

[@thesteelrodent1796]

imagine the smell of a bus full of sweaty tourists... takes more than bottled water to cure that

[@ladybird5053]

That makes them french fries, n'est ce pas?

[@alexger85]

Baking tourists in a glass box on a public road? No wonder Parisians LOVED these buses!

[@docvideo93]

If it was a greenhouse, imagine how fresh those fruits and vegetables would be!

[@vicfire]

I definitely had to do a double take on the Tour of Basingstoke bus. Couldn't believe I'd gone my whole life without knowing it existed!

[@jensumayer]

Why are there Chinese characters in the side of the Basingstoke tour bus? Lots of Chinese tourists getting (lost) there?

[@vicfire]

@@jensumayer It's a highlight for any budding tourist looking at what life is like in Hampshite. A bit like the Bicester Shopping Village you could argue.

[@hjalfi]

I've been to Basingstoke. It is _entirely_ made out of fractal roundabouts, where the big roundabouts are made out of smaller roundabouts and this continues down all the way. Even the city itself is inside one big roundabout, thanks to the ring road.

[@thryduulf]

@@jensumayer I've never in my life been as lost as I was when trying to navigate my way out of Basingstoke, so it's entirely possible.

[@harbl99]

@@jensumayer What's the draw? Is it the Jane Austen thing, or is Basingstoke mentioned in a famous Chinese occidentalist poem? "At Winklebury Ring did Henry VIII a stately pleasure dome decree. Where Loddon the sacred river ran" (etc.)

[@Aidentified]

Looks like part of The Crystal Palace sprouted wheels and drove away. Love it. Edit: Looks AND burns like The Crystal Palace.

[@tayne5009]

The red stripe was clearly the inspiration for the A-Team van.

[@smelge]

It makes it go faster.

[@douglasboyle6544]

@@smelge racing stripes add 25 horsepower, everyone knows this 😎

[@smelge]

@@douglasboyle6544 It's not the stripes. It's a well-known fact that Red ones go faster. Unfortunately, if you don't have enough paint to do a whole vehicle, you just make do with a stripe and accept less faster.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@smelge It makes it go cooler.

[@matthewalbery8827]

Nobody has mentioned the ghostbusters 'car'.. that might be just 'plain' art neuveaux, a la citroen

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

I cannot be sure, but I am fairly sure I saw one in an ancient scrap yard near rodez circa 1996 to 1998, about 10 km out on the route D'Espalion in a very sorry state. The yard has long gone, and all the vehicles removed and I assume turned into Laguiole knives by an ex chocolate factory manager turned mafia laundromat owner now serving time at Marianne's pleasure.

[@innocentspartan]

Reading your comment felt like reading a thriller novel, can't wait for the sequel

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@innocentspartan It's a mystery novel. I can totally imagine Tim as the hardened detective trying to piece together a cold case. And The Home Project Channel is a character with a small yet crucial role.

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 the sad reality is it was a lovely scrappers I used to explore and take friends to every so often. Owner was awesome and friendly, he had semi retired by then with kids who cared not for old junk, always had time for a natter, his grandfather started the place, lived on site, hated to crush anything odd, WW2 fighter plane props each side of the gate to his house for example, 1920s cars with huge trees growing through them, loads of buses and coaches. 50 2cvs just pushed to one side, cool stuff everywhere. But the local town expanded, a bypass was built, the kids bought new BMW's with their jobs as IT consultants, environmental laws changed, and it was bought by a supermarket. They took out hundreds and hundreds of trucks full of scrap for months, no time or care to sort anything, just cut up and shredded everything. All these old school scrap yards are all long gone now. And with them the history and stories they contained. The guy who scrapped it all was a local to me french guy, bit of a low key twat, went off to Mali or Senegal, I forget, to manage a chocolate factory, 10 years later came back with shit tonnes of cash, bought 4 huge businesses, the only 4 that size in the area, flashed his cash, bragged, spent money like water. Wasted too much of his mafias bosses money, they tried to kill his son as a warning , but because he was such a douchetard and too obvious, the french state were on to him from day 1. They arrested him and charged him, he rolled over on them for a shorter sentence. A bunch went to jail. Keep in mind this centered on a rather run down and a bit shit small town in a rather run down and a bit shit department in a part of France even the people who live there forgot it existed. When I first moved to the area I would meet french people who didn't speak French as they had never learned it in school, just occitan. Beret, weather beaten face, unlit Gaulois hanging out the corner of a mouth, blue dungarees, cut off wellies and an accent so thick a convo about the weather felt like stirring treacle, and that was just the women. A far cry from Tim's life in shiny and exciting Paris and not the place you expect international crime intrigue.

[@caiovalente1672]

@@ForeverNeverwhere1 Man, to be honest i'd be bummed out if all of this you wrote was true. Really incredible to think you just sit down on this weird bus comment section and came up with all these characters and shit, out of the blue. For no reason at all. Wonderful

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

@@caiovalente1672 oddly enough, all true.

[@metagoat]

The French have long been practicing the art of the absurd wheeled vehicle and I appreciate their culture for this. Tim, if you are ever in the United states near Nashville, consider collaborating with the Lane Museum. They are dedicated to weird and quirky wheeled vehicles and the staff are very friendly.

[@ashleyhamman]

It's not just land vehicles that they have the capability of to tranform into absurdity. They made some of the most bizzare planes I've ever seen, from the Mak-10 with telescoping wings, to Leduc 22 and Nord Griffon with ramjets and oddly placed cockpits.

[@Ozuhananas]

@@ashleyhamman Don't forget the Snecma C-450 Coléoptère, the most bonkers plane I've ever heard of

[@tijmen131]

@@ashleyhamman *cough* airbus Beluga *cough*

[@scienceguy8]

@@ashleyhamman Cars, planes, AND firearms. Go check out Forgotten Weapons. The host, Ian McCollum, has something of a soft spot for French guns, and how could you not? Who else would come up with the Hotchkiss Universal, a sub machine gun that folds up to fit comfortably inside a backpack or briefcase, or the FAMAS F1, one of the first bullpup rifles to be adopted by a standing military?

[@Hugobros3]

Tim's in Paris, he can just sneak into the real deal, the Conservatoire Citroën itself !

[@fdk7014]

So the tourist bus became a tourist attraction itself. That's genius!

[@MartinInBC]

People would go up the Eiffel Tower just to get a good spot to see the bus.

[@lloydpenfold486]

I went to Paris on a week's school trip in 1964, and remember seeing these (there were several, possibly 5 or 6) running in service. I think the centre of the 'roof' was open, so there wouldn't be the aroma of roasting tourist! I too had heard that one survives, and a few years back saw on a web page several photos of it in similar 'disrepair' to the one you showed. There were also a few of the typical Paris bus around, with an entrance platform at the back where smokers stood! Loved the video, thanks!

[@Ragnar8504]

You can clearly see the open roof in one of the pictures in the video.

[@RobinRense]

Another video in the 'Thunderbirds vehicles'-series. By the way, here in The Hague, we don't have a tourist bus, but a Tourist Tram, an historical tram outfitted with an audio tour. So not all cities have the same boring buses. Great video as always :)

[@michaelcolin9887]

In Darmstadt, Germany, every tram line has a corresponding historical audio tour available for it. It's pretty neat.

[@AS-bc9qd]

@@michaelcolin9887 Wished we had that in Leipzig aswell.

[@JanDoggen]

Even a running restaurant tram...

[@macnavi]

@@JanDoggen Saw it running last week, when visiting Den Haag. €199 for a two person table... Maybe one day.

[@DjAle1]

@@JanDoggen there is one in Milano too, the public transport Company is called ATM and the restaurant tram is called ATMosfera

[@Voltaic_Fire]

That spike on the front was for taking out the competition.

[@paulqueripel3493]

Ramming speed!

[@Voltaic_Fire]

@@paulqueripel3493 Haha! Now I am imagining Worf driving one of those busses like it was the Defiant.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

This is the sort of blatant misinformation that the online world is cursed with! It's actually used by the bus as part of its mating ritual. Sadly they weren't in service for long enough for this extraordinary spectacle to be seen in public.

[@someindianguy_99]

@@andrewgwilliam4831 🤣🤣

[@ROGER2095]

@@andrewgwilliam4831 - Mating must have been a difficult maneuver - Which explains why there were so few of them.

[@Craftlngo]

the most french of all french car manufacturers? Oui! completely bonkers design? a bien sûre! incredible soundtrack (pimp my ride - sort of, Jessica - sort of) for this specific episode? Tim outclassed himself again! Brilliant work on this episode Tim! Btw. I really love Citroën!

[@RockinHorea]

Ah thanks for pointing out Jessica!

[@calnfl5747]

There was also the Great British Bake Off theme tune sprinkled in there too

[@MarceldeJong]

Jessica being a nod to Top Gear

[@AD_RC]

@@MarceldeJong A nod to community input asking for mail to somewhere above the one show.

[@CAPOCAP]

Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed the intro to Pimp My Ride.

[@chicobicalho5621]

This is a great channel. Thank you for posting these curious, funny, and smart videos; they are most entertaining and informative.

[@P3x310]

This video came out as I was returning from a local collector's expo where I saw a die cast model of this bus and did a double take, what did the French people build this time. I come home and saw this thumbnail and did the exact same double take.

[@frefnurk1538]

Your hard hitting, non influencer reporting, I love it. Thanks again Tim, bring on more.

[@michelq29]

"Tune ma caisse" at 1:35 😂 (a literal French translation for "pimp my ride")

[@Legomastr365]

So glad we got the part 2! Now we wait 4 years for part 3...

[@Larry]

Love the French-ified On the Buses theme there, nice touch!!! :D

[@BackTheNerd]

Didn't expect seeing you here, Larry.

[@kanedaku]

I missed that because of the Pimp My Ride version.

[@PiousMoltar]

@@BackTheNerd I expect to see Larry most places these days

[@PiousMoltar]

Actually Larry has always been everywhere

[@Larry]

@@PiousMoltar is it on youtube?

[@michaelboys2602]

Brilliant video, Tim. This bus looks like it was designed by Gerry Anderson… and I love it!!!! I really hope you can find one. 🤞

[@ZGryphon]

(Or Derek Meddings, Anderson's long-serving visual effects supervisor, who designed most of the vehicles in the Supermarionation shows from _Thunderbirds_ on. :)

[@michaelboys2602]

@@ZGryphon I did not know that. Thank you for the info 👍

[@justayoutuber1906]

Or Homer Simpson.

[@1UPWonders]

That bus and this video have one thing in common... it's a crazy ride from beginning to end.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Brilliant.

[@TheLookOf]

Excellent video! I visited Paris for the first time in 1973 with my parents, and I did such a tour in a modern doubledecker bus. I cannot remember having seen this very special bus, but I can remember visiting the Notre Dame just by opening the door and going inside, without the insane queue that there is now. I also was alone with my parents in the hall of the Mona Lisa, which at that time, only was announced as: la Joconde... Of course you don't mention the other name... After a while we decided to follow the signes, and so we finally arrived in the right empty (!) hall.

[@danielhatfield835]

The unsung hero of these videos is always the music. Managing to get in both Jessica and the bake off theme is masterful

[@SkeletonSyskey]

This is the only channel where you hear Pimp My Ride transition into On The Buses. Brilliant.

[@O.Burger]

You don't end on a cliffhanger with that music but a bombshell

[@anthonydefreitas6006]

I'm scratching my head trying to name that tune ?

[@C.I...]

@@anthonydefreitas6006 I thought I heard british bake off music when the burnt bus was shown.

[@JeroenvanMontfort]

@@anthonydefreitas6006 you can call it “Jessica”

[@stephanemignot100]

@@anthonydefreitas6006 Some strange piano cover of "Jessica" no? kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4OnmqmLl5p4m6M

[@TheGreg6466]

@@anthonydefreitas6006 you mean at the end? I think it was the top gear theme tune

[@sh00tingm00se]

Dude, I stopped the Video and stared like 5 minuets on the stupid, total normal tourist bus, just to spot the difference to any other tourist bus...you got me!

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

Well at least you had something nice to listen to while you were doing it

[@eekee6034]

If I hadn't been so tired... :D

[@MarceldeJong]

I don't think the music that Tim played were actually minuets, but I'm not a musical scholar.

[@1.4142]

I was just reading about the first triple decker bus, made in Italy in 1932. It carried 88 passengers and the third level was essentially a smoking compartment.

[@Darwinek]

Are you trying to say the other two levels were non-smoking?

[@njdevilku1340]

@@Darwinek Smoke does rise!

[@Darwinek]

@@njdevilku1340 I am just surprised that there would've been non-smoking areas back then.

[@renerpho]

@@Darwinek The third level was indeed a smoking compartment. It was for first class passengers, who I suppose had to pay extra if they wanted to smoke inside.

[@Foersom_]

Lancia Autoalveare?

[@uncinarynin]

I thought the Neoplan Do-Lux of 1965 (built for Berlin sightseeing) was special with its greenhouse top, "herringbone" seating in the upper deck and boarding door in the rear end, but this is extra crazy!

[@tommy_64_20]

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser is a bit more crazy than this, but still!

[@joanbennettnyc]

You are amazing. You break all the rules for how these "should" be done and somehow make them more interesting with your low-tech approach. SOOOO good!

[@stusch1]

Agree!

[@TheOoblick]

Here we go: 1. Pimp My Ride 2. On the Buses 3. Tomorrow's World 4. Film '78* 5. British Bake Off 6. Unsolved Mysteries 7. Top Gear (* may have been a different year - hard to tell) Thanks Tim!

[@zachesherman]

Hey Tim! I just saw this bus featured in the film Zazie dans le Metro! Give it a watch! It even includes a scene where you can see the speakers in different languages, the switches, and the open roof.

[@middleclassic]

I just realized what the buses truly remind me of; Soviet era hydrofoil passenger ships. There are various models and one for example, the Voskhod hydrofoil, has features that are incredibly similar. That odd stylized spike protruding from the front of the bus is protruding from the back of the Voskhod. And I know I’ve seen pictures where some come close to having as much glass also. Some still operate but for the most part they are no longer used. Anyway I’m a huge fan of Retro so I do hope the bus in repair turns up!

[@thewonderdoc2999]

This is the first video that got uploaded to the channel after I subscribed.(allready binged all the uploads) What an amazing journey this would be to start my stay here with.

[@PK-yu2iy]

One of these, albeit in a rather sorry state, was present at the recent Le Mans Classic. It was standing on the infield close to the old fire engines and food stands;

[@lordsleepyhead]

The Top Gear tune at the end was the cherry on top! Great video, as always!

[@iankemp1131]

Love the use of music, with a Frenchified accordion version of On the Buses at 1:55 and a honkytonk piano version of Top Gear at the end. (And thanks to the other commenter who noticed Great British Bakeoff for the overheating).

[@katho8472]

And "Pimp my ride" for the garage ;)

[@ZGryphon]

No love for the _Unsolved Mysteries_ theme? :)

[@katho8472]

@@ZGryphon Sorry, that must be a British TV show that never made it to the German TV networks ;). In general, I must say, I have a hard time recognizing those piano renditions... BUT I recognized the Top Gear version as "I know THAT one!" but couldn't determine where I knew it from until I read it in the comments. I tried to figure out the lyrics to the melody until then :D :D .D

[@DAYNURSERY]

You left out the themes for Tomorrow's World and the BBC Film programme.

[@ZGryphon]

@@katho8472 American, but pretty widely exported. Admittedly, it was long enough ago now that it's probably better-known from jokes about it than people having actually seen it. :)

[@adrianrutterford762]

Wonderful video. Thanks Tim for the video and Jessica for making me smile.

[@Kuro_Reaper]

I love this channel. Always get me excited about things I would had otherwise never cared about! Damn I want to ride that bus! Never thought I would ever say that.

[@juergenbreidenstein696]

Top Gear Outro for the petrol themed episode - nice touch 👍👍👍

[@andershansson2245]

Reminds of some of the Tour de Frane commercial caravan vehicles from back then. Some of those look seriously space age bonkers! Are there any of those around? That would be a on my bucket-list museum for sure!

[@darrenduffy1227]

Yes there is but it's in a secret location

[@jeffreygunter417]

Dear goodness.. This is a best narration on KZbin.. ell done sir!

[@Piterdeveirs333]

I hate how all the fun stuff gets replaced with boring and safe options

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

Like the original Twingo.

[@900108Chale]

Yes! And then we wonder why everything, even architecture, has turned bland.

[@j_taylor]

Now I want a Camry with a great Gallic spike in front.

[@ayindestevens6152]

So long time watcher first time commenter. I worked for the NYC branch of the Double Decker montage as a tour guide. As soon it got warm out, the glass covered (which is now plastic) are ABSOLUTELY Murder under there so I can confirm that you will cook under the glass canopy. One time we were forced to switch buses to a glass one and it saps your energy.

[@mrsumo1]

I love how the old Parisian citizens used to speak with a British accent. Formidable !!!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Wow, I wasn't expecting a plot twist and a cliffhanger in a Tim Traveller video. I can't wait to see how this story wraps up! I'm on the edge of my seat!

[@philg3591]

I am proud to say I have been onboard, what is believed to be, the last surviving currus cityrama in 2019. The one from 2008. I covered this in the Citroen car club magazine the citroenian with photos and text of the whole collection. Obviously I cannot give out the details re the location, however there are no issues over storage and I can assure you it's stored inside in the dry locked up. Those who know know as they saying goes and we're sworn to secrecy! Nice to see a video about it covering more than just the film appearences. The multilingual sound system is most impressive tech for the time. One small error in the vid. That's a type 23 truck at 1.22. it's understandable as the the t23 was facelifted to emulate the larger newer type 55 truck but nevertheless it remains a much smaller truck.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah brilliant, thanks Phil! This is the second comment I've received confirming that the bus is still alive, and I'm delighted to hear it. Is your magazine article online anywhere btw? I would love a link if you have one. And while it's a bit of a shame for the rest of us, I totally understand the secrecy over the Cityrama's location. Hopefully one day it will be allowed out again! (And when it happens I'll be there like a shot)

[@philg3591]

@@TheTimTraveller hi no not online I'm afriad. Part of the reason why he allowed us to publish the photos and text was because it wasn't online but merely a Citroen club magazine which aren't available online. No mention was to be made or photos published on social media either. Everything had to be approved of too prior to print too. Worth getting hold of the magazine- it's quite a read! I have a number of photos as well that haven't been published that I show to friends and at club events etc so again not shared on social media . Exactly it's a risky business and his (or her!) Wishes are to be respected. When I saw it in 2019 it was in a similar position to the previous photos on Flickr. It had been stored by a previous owner and partially dismantled for restoration (not very good to he honest) so the current owner has to correct this and other issues. It is surprisingly complete though, lots of seats, big electrical box for the multilingual audio, etc. But yes it'll need a lot of work. At least it survives though !

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@philg3591 haha well I guess that explains why I couldn't find anything online! Cheers for clearing up the mystery. And it's great to hear the bus is in safe hands. I can only wish the owner good luck and bon courage :)

[@farhanatashiga3721]

Seems like shooting yourself in the foot to keep absolute secrecy on this, like wouldn't public attention meant the owner could funding volunteer help in restoring the thing? Or if they don't then why not give it to someone who do?

[@shnilauzdicka]

@@farhanatashiga3721 in vintage car world, people often tend to own more projects than they can manage, so the funds might not be a problem, it may just be too much of work, but imagine seeling that bus when u know its propably the last one, tuff decisionmaking

[@JD-wn3cc]

I wonder if this was the inspiration for the Big Bus movie? Loves that as a kid.

[@lesterfrancis8284]

During the 1990s, a New York City tour bus company called New York Apple Tours imported several second-hand, first generation ACE Routemasters and Layland double deck buses from England to operate as sightseeing buses on the streets of the Big Apple. They became known to New Yorkers as "London Double Deckers" due to the fact the ACE Routemasters where still painted in their original London Transport's red color paint scheme. The Laylands were repainted in the same color to match the Routemasters. These buses lasted nearly a decades, or more, on the streets of New York City until New York Apple Tours merged with a larger local bus company. That's when the ACE Routemasters and the Laylands were withdrawn from service and replace with newer modern buses for multiple reason, include emission standards. To this day, New Yorkers still call a modern day double decked tour bus, a London Double Decker.

[@900108Chale]

Lived in NYC and rode on those x number of times! Loved them!

[@andrewcumming9914]

Hi Tim, there is a "Citroën Currus Cityrama 1955 Bus 1:43 model" on eBay located in France. Relatively cheap if you want it!

[@neilmossey]

Thanks Tim! It looks like the car that Homer Simpson designed. Love your soundtrack as ever. If there's a followup would love to hear the Playbus theme in there for some reason. Thanks again

[@SeverityOne]

It reminds me of Maltese buses. Up until 2011, almost all buses in Malta were completely custom built. They would take an old truck chassis - there were a lot of surplus army vehicles after the war, for example - and turned into a bus. Some chassis even were from before the war. As a result, you'd end up with these rounded buses with an absolutely staggering amount of chrome on the grille. They were decorated from the inside as well, obviously, and the drivers would best be described as "colourful", especially if one of them was reading this comment, didn't like how I described them, and decided to have a word about that.

[@nixcails]

Many Maltese buses had been fairly Conventional British or Irish buses with solid chassis but dated or corroding bodywork just needed replacing. Hence they built custom built bodies for the Maltese climate.

[@SeverityOne]

@@nixcails Yes, they got them from pretty much everywhere.

[@eekee6034]

They sound like the jeepneys of the Phillipines. :D

[@usget]

Great video Tim, if you’re doing stupid road transport now could you do a video on the crazy 8 wheel newspaper carrier Citroen CXs??

[@SmallBlogV8]

Yes, the Tissier Loadrunner! Oh, and the Michelin-Citroën DS 'Mille Pattes' tyre testing monstrosity.

[@tenalafel]

IIRC the Mille Pattes can be seen at L'aventure Michelin ( Michelin Museum ) in Clermont Ferrand.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

Crazy Citroen vehicles from the end of the 20th century could be a video series in itself 😅

[@riklund2206]

Love the little "Pimp My Ride" nod!

[@bryank424]

I work in a greenhouse, and honestly, if I wanted to take my work with me anywhere I go, this bus would be the ticket

[@gmctech]

Loved the Top Gear Intro music at the end! 😉

[@Dillyvl]

did you check in those hangars where you found the aerotrain? this seems right up those guys alley.

[@alexng704]

Thumbs up for the "Jessica" you used at the end. Always love the choice of music in your videos.

[@aakar1s]

Love the pimp my ride easter egg, wanna be a player, but wheels ain't fly. Although pretty sure the song did not mean fly as in the insect. This i why I love your videos.

[@_MacGuffin_]

still an underrated channel... Thnks a lot for your work!!!

[@tallulahbeaverhausen4382]

That red streak would be popularized later by the A-Team...

[@psyched91]

Tim: "The greatest bus..." Me: "In the world..." Tim: "Ever built" Me: "... Ever built"

[@richardpitwood2421]

Hi Tim the first time I went to Paris in 1980 there were still buses with smoking balconies on the back, called "bus à plate-forme". Sadly 11- year-old me never rode on one, but it was slightly reminiscent of London Routemasters. Anyway I think it might be a fun video if you can find a real one.

[@ZGryphon]

Funnily enough, I knew about these mostly from Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret novels. It's a running joke in the later books (mostly written in the 1960s) that whenever Maigret has to take a bus, he's either annoyed that he can't smoke on the new ones, or pleasantly surprised to have caught one of the increasingly-uncommon platform ones.

[@Ribeirasacra]

The spike at the front was for in flight refuelling. The ending with Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band is just Top.......😉

[@dansihvonen8218]

Top ... ? 😁

[@JoDusepo]

This reminds me of the 'camello' (camel) buses from Cuba, which were converted from old trailers. You should do an episode on those! (Not sure if visiting Cuba is possible, but plenty of pictures and info online).

[@900108Chale]

Cuba has been open for tourism since the 1980s...

[@JoDusepo]

@@900108Chale Yes I know, but I don't know and wouldn't assume to know Tim's situation with regards to travel at the moment.

[@lanedexter6303]

Love it! This is something we SHOULD have seen when my folks took me to the 1962 “Century 21” World’s Fair in Seattle!

[@PhillipBicknell]

Look at the rear of the Alexander Dennis double-deck buses used on The Strip in Las Vegas - they have a bonkers amount of A/C to cope with pull-down from the solar heating they get whilst parked-up with the engine off. And the trips to Death Valley!

[@SimonHollandfilms]

bonjour Tim, adore the music, nicely played. Simon dans Dordogne

[@DogaDogaTV]

Hello, I'm a Japanese lad. When I watched this video, I realized that this bus looks exactly the same as the robot from the Japanese classic robot comic, Tetsujin 28-gõ from 1956 😲 The design of the bus may have been influenced by the robot? 🤭

[@ironmantrains]

Great video, bus looks very futuristic! Also I like it that a video about buses ends on a cliffhanger!

[@MrGreatplum]

As if something made by Citroen wasn’t bonkers enough? I do hope some have survived!

[@Supermunch2000]

The piano rendition of Jessica at the end was adorable!

[@harbl99]

That is the most Thunderbirds-looking bus in tout l'histoire humaine! I want some of what Currus' coachwork designers were on please.

[@markbass7145]

It reminds me a little of the back part of the bus from the move "The Big Bus"

[@AtheistOrphan]

Surely ‘The greatest bus ever built’ was the one in the film ‘The Big Bus’? (Worth watching if you haven’t seen it).

[@tjhooker9483]

Brother I'm not even 3 minutes in and I love this video, you got a lifetime subscriber.

[@TadeuszCantwell]

I wonder would this design work as an electric bus with air conditioning.

[@iankemp1131]

Snag is that with all that glass it would need a huge electrical load for the aircon. Lots of batteries needed. So a fair number of opening windows (or an open top deck) would be a cheaper and lower-carbon solution. Traditional British double deckers had openable windows especially as (a) there was no aircon and (b) the top deck was for smokers and could generate an amazing fug which clung to your clothes afterwards.

[@sirBrouwer]

probably it could. it might not be very practical nor would it be ideal. but yes in the end the design is odd bud the actual car part of the bus worked.

[@EdoKarachannel]

great british bakeoff music for the bus overheating its passengers was a nice touch :)

[@squa_81]

no views, one invisible comment, 4 likes and a weird bus

[@autochampwandelen]

I also did a video in my channel discussing about this bus! I found your video interesting and I am also stuck on finding out where these busses disappeared to. I only know one ended up with a Circus and one is in a warehouse with very little details. But I can confirm that these busses were NOT built by Citroen. Citroen only provided the chassis and wheels, but the actual bus itself was built by a French company: Currus. Currus gained fame for doing fancy modifications for busses and trucks for publicity I believe.

[@Cliffdog01]

I never understood why no one has managed to use photochromic lens technology from prescription glasses and used it for automotive glass. That would've fixed this design and made other glass-domed vehicles work better too. I'm surprised that when they realised the design fault, they didn't just run them at night. Paris has such a beautiful glow when the Eiffel Tower is lit up.

[@zeddessell]

The lighting display on the Eiffel Tower was installed in 1985, which is several years after these buses were withdrawn from service.

[@quillmaurer6563]

So you're suggesting windows that tint when light hits it? Would make sense actually, would be easy to see out of at night and not so hot during the day. Biggest reason it's not done is probably cost, I've heard those photochromic lenses are pretty pricey for a far smaller piece of glass. But of course eyeglasses are a total racket (at least in the US), so I don't know if their cost has any correlation to what a fair price would actually be, or how expensive this technology might be in other contexts. I've had a somewhat similar idea of using a liquid crystal or something glass for car windows similar to that used on the Boeing 787 windows (I imagine auto-tinting mirrors some cars have might work similarly as well), which could have manually or automatically adjustable tint. Clear at night, tinted during the day. Could also set it to full dark when the vehicle is parked so it doesn't get so hot inside, and to make items inside less enticing to thieves. But probably same issue of cost, 787 is a completely different class of vehicle from a car (or even bus), and auto-tinting mirrors are much smaller than all of a car's glass. One other issue for either of these ideas is if there's any situation where it could end up tinted when it shouldn't, leaving the driver less able to see, which could be dangerous. Your photochromic idea would not be able to adapt quickly to a sudden light change, such as driving into a tunnel. My idea would be able to adapt quicker (either automatically with a light sensor or the driver manually adjusting it) but would be more prone to malfunctions causing it to be stuck in dark mode.

[@Cliffdog01]

@@zeddessell Thanx Ididn't know that. So I guess night tours back then wouldn't have worked.

[@mattyt1961]

@@quillmaurer6563 the big issue using it for this type of thing is the change in the colours that you then see. Not everyone likes the same colour 'tint' and if you wanted to see the city in its' natural colour you wouldn't use the service and ultimately it would fail.

[@quillmaurer6563]

@@mattyt1961 So you're thinking of a tourist bus context rather than cars? A lot of cars come with tinted windows, or people apply tint, so I wouldn't see that insurmountable for a car. For a tourist bus I would agree, especially as a lot of people might be wanting to take photos. The better solution for this would be to have the windows or roof retractable, so in warmer weather it's partially open air, in cold or rain/snow it's closed but clear. The only time in recent memory I've been on a tour vehicle sort of akin to this was a canal boat in Amsterdam, that had large sections of the roof that slid open much like the canopy of an old fighter trainer airplane (think old T-6 or Yak). As I was there in summer, they were open. That might be more challenging on a bus than a boat though, especially in present day, as buses move a lot faster and have a lot more crash-protection requirements to comply with.

[@gregburns5638]

Thanks for your wonderful video! Wish I was lucky enough to have been on one of these AWESOME vehicles!!! 👌

[@jeanlefranc3817]

A sightseeing bus catching fire Rue de Rivoli. Nowadays, you would have a minimum of 5 safety committees working on the topic and a multi million euros class action facing the Cityrama shareholders.

[@mariosebastiani3214]

Unless you live in Roma, where upon spotting a bus on fire your first tought is in the line of "9:30 already? I'm running late!"

[@JediSimpson]

0:32 - I’m from Basingstoke. That was a bit of a surprise to hear my town’s name brought up.

[@TerminusVox]

Jessica!

[@panhandle-123]

Loved it, especially the French version of "On the buses" with an accordian, ooh la la.

[@GuyChapman]

Full marks for the Billy Taylor reference in the music. As a projectionist at uni, Barely Normal was required watching. Enjoyed the bit of Jessica as well :-)

[@guidedmeditation2396]

A sample of this bus deserves to be in every major auto museum. Having an image of this on their promotional ads would increase attendance at least 20%.

[@YsanneOshea]

Hello from a life long resident of Basingstoke! It maybe a very pretty bus but, sadly, it just doesn't match the majesty and grandeur of our many roundabouts! Excellent video! Thank you!

[@_Egitor]

Casually hitting us with a sick Jessica rendition at the end there, nice! Can't wait for your version of Grand Tour :P

[@X_Baron]

Once again we see that much of great design/architecture is in what you take out, instead of what you put in. It's easy to make bricks and cubes that make the most efficient use of space, but curved lines look amazing.

[@Tclans]

Such an exciting hunt, I’m looking forward to pt.2

[@MadTheDJ]

Using the 'Unsolved Mysteries' theme is always a win, Tim.

[@Swarfgoblin]

Another splendid video that reminds me exactly why I subscribe, thank you!

[@theodor12]

Haha the old Top Gear music at the end🤣

[@recklessreels8803]

It looks like something straight out of Thunderbirds.

[@Girack]

Loved the top gear outro 👌

[@icegiant1000]

Tim's a gangsta. Love how he wove that 'Pimp my ride' music right into the history of the original bus. Arms crossed, big smile, quiet nod of acknowledgement... well done sir!

[@alloallie]

Not just that, but he made Currus' slogan "Wanna be a playa but your wheels ain't fly ?" in French

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

I did some searching, it seems the one from 2008 was exhibited at Le Mans Classic 2022, and there’s a restoration crowdfund going on for it right now! I wish I had the money to donate as I really want it restored.

[@donjorge8329]

THIS is innovation. Not today's megaboring SUV-s**t...