In case you've never seen the incredibly weird sci-fi flick Zardoz, it basically entails a future post-apocalyptic wasteland where Sean Connery runs around in his underpants. Seriously. The Citroen CX had just as many futuristic features, but is this the future you'd want to live in?
For me, the answer is yes. Old Citroens seemed to be obsessed with the future. Ahem, let me correct that. Old Citroens seemed to be obsessed with The Future. A future where we all zipped around in spaceships wearing suits made out of tin foil and Max Headroom dictated our daily lives. Part of that future wasn't so much about whiz-bang features, though Citroens had many, but about design.
In case you can't tell what I'm on about from the car that looked like it popped out of whatever B-movie film in the ad above, just have a look at the Citroen CX's dashboard:
Not only is that an awesome single-spoke steering wheel that looks like it almost defies physics itself, but the speedometer is not your traditional dial affair. Oh no sir, this one is on a rotating drum. And look it all those lights! When your old French car inevitably breaks down, you'll know exactly how the crew felt on Apollo 13.
But anyways, back to the ad itself. In case you haven't actually watched the wonderful weirdness that it contains, a Citroen CX drives out of a giant head animatronic head that resembles that of Jamaican pop singer Grace Jones.
Like I said, it's weird. This ain't your average Kia commercial.
The Citroen drives into the desert, where it pulls up to a halt with screeching tires (can tires screech on sand? Somebody get back to me on this). You get a good look at the exterior, then the interior, and then AH! IT'S GRACE JONES HERSELF! Grace gives the camera a weird look, then floors it.
Then Grace Jones yells at you, before driving back into her own head.
Look, France has always been ahead of us in the avant-garde department. Though if you think an ad for a Citroen CX is weird, you may want to check out this speech from Zardoz:
Yeah, that's weird. Oh, and in case you though I was joking about Sean Connery running around in his underpants, this was the outfit he wore for the movie:
After Sean Connery stopped doing James Bond, things got really weird.
H/t to VDub2625!
Image credits: Wikicommons, 20th Century Fox