Citroën Berlingo Grand Angle - 1997

Citroën France asked Franco Sbarro and the students at Espace Sbarro in Switzerland to design a vehicle for photo reporters based on the Berlingo. A veritable studio on wheels, this surprising Grand Angle features digital photography equipment. In 1997, digital photography had not yet reached the general public, and was only just beginning to be used by professionals.

The photographer's ideal car (photo by Dingo)
Mechanically, it's probably the only Berlingo with a V6 engine! The same as the one used that same year by Espera Pontarlier students on the Formule Rhin model.

The other, much more eye-catching feature is the seat, which can be raised to take photographs. Franco Sbarro had already proposed a similar system on the Windhawk for hawk hunting. Except that here, it's aimed at hunters... of images!
The Berlingo Grand Angle in the Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS storerooms just before its sale in 2017.

The Berlingo Grand Angle was part of the Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS reserves and was sold in December 2017 for €8960.

The rear doors are fully glazed to illuminate a real mobile photographer's office.

Extract from Journal du Nord vaudois, February 27, 1997

"At the request of Citroën (Paris), the Berlingo utility and leisure vehicle has been transformed here into a work tool for the great reporter and scoop hunter. Compared to the standard Berlingo, the aesthetic changes are rather limited. These mainly concern the prominent wheel arches, which are larger than the original equipment, with their increased dimensions of 16 x 8 inches; this justifies the adoption of an engine that has also been revised upwards; in this case, it's the 3-liter V6-24-valve block that has found a place under the hood, with a power output of some 200 HP. The rear of the vehicle takes the form of a cell with four large, smoked windows, reminiscent of an office on wheels. The most important feature is the operator's seat, which can be raised to a height of up to 1.30 m, and is permanently sheltered by a roof. Eight spotlights underneath can illuminate a work area if required. Thus equipped, the reporter can work without leaving his vehicle, with all the advantages that this implies in certain situations. And to assist him in his work, digital image communication (thanks to Siemens) has been favored in this Grand Angle, along with a range of state-of-the-art technical solutions for modern reporting. It's hard to imagine, looking at it from the outside, that this Berlingo, Grand Angle style, conceals such sophisticated equipment!
In brief
1- Vehicle designed by students at Espace Sbarro in Switzerland
2- Official commission from Citroën France
3- Adaptations and transformations for digital photography