Citroën – C42
Citroën’s iconic flagship showroom, located at No. 42 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, is more commonly known as C42.
This architectural masterpiece, characterised by its bold steel and red and white glass structure, replaced the original building where André Citroën presented his first car in 1919.
The car manufacturer group initially leased this first building to a restaurant chain before rebuilding it in 2004.
It commissioned architect Manuelle Gautrand for this ambitious project.
The deliberately bold architectural design sought to reinvent the brand’s image and embody Citroën’s spirit of innovation and progress, thereby consolidating the group’s position in the future.
The iconic C42 building
The narrow, 25-metre-long facade of the C42 serves as a vast showcase, highlighting the automaker’s iconic double chevron logo, reproduced in glass panels.
Innovation continues inside the building. The elevator has the shape of an ascending spiral resting on seven superimposed rotating platforms, a unique feature of the interior design. These platforms house a permanent exhibition retracing the manufacturer’s prestigious history, from its founding to its iconic models, such as the DS, and its latest innovations.
The showroom also features a racing prototype with an aggressive design, underscoring the brand’s sporty and innovative technological character. While its contemporary architecture initially sparked controversy, it ultimately achieved its goal: generating widespread debate around Citroën!
Inaugurated in 2007, the showroom has become, a decade later, a landmark on the Champs-Élysées, and in 2017, was acquired by the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for €77 million. The manufacturer will, however, continue to lease and operate the building.
And if you want to discover more about the car manufacturer’s story, visit the André Citroën Park in the 15th arrondissement, which was developed on the site of the former factories of the group.
Directions: 8th district – no42 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt on Line 1
Coordinates: Lat 48.870232 – long 2.307790
