Citroën Built a Convertible That Could Leave You Miles From Its Missing Roof Parts

The Citroën C3 Pluriel had a sliding fabric roof and removable side arches. With the arches fitted, owners could enjoy an open roof and close it again. Removing them created a more completely open car, but there was no dedicated onboard storage for them, so restoring the roof meant returning to wherever they had been left.

Most convertibles ask their owners to make a fairly simple decision. Roof up or roof down?

The C3 Pluriel offered more possibilities, some of which required somewhere in the garage to put pieces of the car.

Launched in 2003, it was a cheerful little Citroën with two substantial arches running along the sides of its roof. They gave it a distinctive profile, almost like a handle on either side. Between them sat a fabric top that could slide back to admit sunshine without requiring the driver to dismantle anything.

That was probably enough fresh air for plenty of owners. Citroën, however, had gone to considerably more trouble.

The roof and rear-window assembly could be stowed, leaving the arches standing above an open cabin. Remove those too, and the Pluriel became a much more convincing open-top car. Fold the rear seats and open the lower tailgate, and it could even take on a small pickup-like configuration. Citroën counted five arrangements in all. 

There was a catch waiting at the most appealing stage of the transformation.

The detached arches had nowhere properly provided for them aboard the car. Leave them at home and the fully open Pluriel looked lovely, but the roof could not simply be summoned when rain arrived. The parts needed to support it were still back in the garage. Contemporary coverage identified that weather-protection compromise as one of the design’s main limitations. 

Suddenly the weather forecast became part of the operating procedure.

It was an awkward arrangement for an impulsive afternoon drive, although less troublesome if the owner was happy to leave the arches fitted. The Pluriel could still provide a generous opening overhead without committing everyone inside to whatever the clouds decided next.

That distinction matters when looking at one today. A seller demonstrating the fabric roof sliding back has shown only part of the system. A buyer who wants all the configurations should ask to see the complete transformation, with every component present, and inspect the roof’s operation and sealing carefully.

The appeal is easy to understand, even with the inconvenience. Few small cars offer quite so much to fiddle with on a sunny Saturday. Whether the arches ever came off would probably depend as much on the owner’s patience as the weather.