After taking a look at the Renault Rodeo last week, here is the next instalment in our beach cars posts with the Citroen Méhari. It appeared the year before the Renault, debuting in 1968, and met with plenty of success on the beach despite its name bringing desert safaris to mind. It was based on the same platform as the Citroen 2CV and had the same twin-cylinder 602 cc engine with 33 hp and a top speed of 100 km/hr.

The Méhari weighed just over 500 kg and went 16 km on a litre of fuel. It was about 350 cm and was made from ABS plastic bodywork. The ABS panelling is what gave the Méhari its distinctive colour, available only in beige, green or orange. It was a car that was also water resistant and had a bouncy windshield.

The Méhari remained a two-seater car until 1971, when a four-seater version was released and doors replaced the little chains that previously ran along the side of the car. In 1979 the 4×4 Méhari was released which could be recognised by its front rollbar, increased height off the ground and spare wheel on the bonnet. It had four disc brakes and rear differential, taking the car into more rugged off-road territory (metaphorically speaking).

1979 also saw a restyling of the Citroen Méhari where it got front disc brakes and a dashboard similar to the LN utility model. A special edition Azur Méhari was released in 1983 of which 700 units were made to satisfy the requests of fans. The little French beach car exited the scene in 1987 after nearly 145,000 models were made. Just 1,200 Méhari 4×4 models were made which have become collectors items.

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