Caselani turns Citroën Ami into a retro electric car

The Type-Ami from Caselani will be a miniature version of the Citroën Type H van built from 1948 to 1981 – and will adopt its distinctive corrugated metal look. The vehicle has now been unveiled at the Retromobile trade fair in Paris.

The kit will be available in various colours and consists of fibreglass parts that can be attached to Ami models with brackets and screws – whether used or new should not matter. An already converted Type-Ami will be available for 11,390 euros net, and the pure body kit will start at 4,440 euros net. Including the paintwork, it already costs 5,100 euros net. However, the Italians currently only accept pre-orders, and final arrangements with Citroën are probably still ongoing.

The front mask with the implied radiator grille, the rear apron, and the door panels with that unique ridged look give the otherwise rather endearing Ami a completely different appearance. The vehicle itself, however, has not been changed and the six-kilowatt electric motor and the 5.5-kWh battery under the seats remain the same. Due to the body kit, however, the Ami will likely be slightly longer and heavier – and have slightly higher energy consumption due to the extra kilos.

This is not the first time the Italians have taken up the retro look of earlier Citroën models: a converted ë-Berlingo with the characteristic design was presented back in 2022. Even though it was officially inspired by the Citroën 2CV AU from the 1950s. The Berlingo 2CV Fourgonnette, as the 2022 model was called, was somewhat rounder at the front, just like the original. The Type H and the Type-Ami are somewhat more angular – but the corrugated sheet metal look is very similar.

Incidentally, Caselani produced a direct successor to the Type H based on the large Citroën Jumper – with a wide variety of bodies ranging from a campervan to a classic delivery van, a tow truck or even two variations of a food truck. Unlike the Type-Ami, however, the Caselani Type H is not electric.

carscoops.com, caselani.com (list of prices, PDF)