Forget the DeLorean - The Citroën Karin Had the Coolest Car Design Ever

John Summers • Contributor

Oct 26, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

We all worship the DeLorean - and rightfully so - but if we're talking about futuristic car design that actually looked like it came from outer space, then the real hero of the 1980s was the Citroën Karin.

Unveiled at the 1980 Paris Motor Show, the Karin looked like something a sci-fi movie concept artist sketched during a caffeine high - a perfect glass pyramid on wheels. Designed by Trevor Fiore, this car wasn't about aerodynamics or practicality (good luck fitting groceries in there) - it was about making a statement. And what a statement it was.

Inside, it was just as wild: a triangular seating arrangement that put the driver in the center and the passengers behind on each side - years before McLaren tried it with the F1. Everything was covered in plush futuristic materials, digital panels, and buttons that made you feel like you were piloting a spaceship, not a car.

Sure, it never made it past concept form, but honestly? That just makes it cooler. While everyone else was dreaming about hitting 88 mph, Citroën was dreaming about the year 2880.