The 2,000-year-old Citroën of Asterix and Obelix

Famous movie cars

When you think of famous movie cars, you quickly think of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit, the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future and, of course, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. But as a car brand, how do you get a car into a movie set over two thousand years ago?

Asterix & Obelix

Simple: you get a little more creative with the term “car. In fact, a two-wheeled cart is a distant precursor of an automobile. These already existed in the time of the Romans, the wheel being, after all, around 3500 BCE. Chr invented. You can see what such a vehicle would have looked like if Citroën existed back then in the new Asterix & Obelix movie.

Concept cart

Especially for the film, Citroën designed and built a concept competition car. The French normally set aside a year for a concept car, but for the concept car there was only three months between the first sketch and the final concept car.

2CV

The chariot has the lines of a Citroën 2CV, so of course it is pulled by two horses. Very exotic materials have been used, such as boar’s stomach for the undercarriage, and fireflies under the influence of the famous magic potion provide illumination. The headlights they fly around in are made from Gallic helmets. Of course, sustainability has also been considered, as the wheels are made from recycled shells.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

By the way, the Citroën is not the only notable appearance in the new A&O film. None other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic is part of the cast. The Swedish striker plays a small role, as a Roman bad guy. Watch the trailer in a moment. Asterix & Obelix fans will have to be patient for a while. The new film – Asterix & Obelix in the Middle Kingdom – will premiere in France on Feb. 1. It is not yet clear when the duo will be seen on the big screen in the Netherlands. Watch the trailer here.