In 2020, French president Emmanuel Macron was on an official visit to Poland. He was about to head away after meeting with his Polish counterpart when his armoured Renault refused to start. Rather unbelievably, there was no spare machine waiting in the wings to be deployed in such an eventuality. Fortunately the French ambassador to Poland was on hand. He lent the president his motor, and Macron was able to depart in a hugely stylish, good-looking and ineffably French conveyance.
The ambassador’s ride was a Citroën C6, and what could have been a highly embarrassing The C6 is a far better-looking, iconic and classically Gallic car than the decidedly quotidian Espace Macron was supposed to ride in. In fact, when it was launched in lateSM coupé was an outrageous combination of styling and a Maserati engine, and the CX made its competition look ordinary for 17 glorious years. In 1989 it was superseded by the XM, which surprised everyone by being a mediocre and uninspired automobile. A photographer colleague of mine once had one. Its combination of bland styling, horrible interior, asthmatic petrol engine and wobbly suspension made it a car I would go to extraordinary lengths to avoid driving.
