1983 Citroen Visa Decapotable Photos, engines & full specs

The French automaker tried to expand the Visa range with an open-top version and launched the Decapotable (Cabriolet) version of it in 1984, although it produced it just for two years.

At the beginning of the ‘80s, Citroën had a few successful models, such as the Visa, and tried to expand its market share by introducing new variants. Besides the five-door hatchback, the Visa had a three-door variant called Axel. At the same time, European drivers started to appreciate open-top vehicles, and the French automaker considered that building such a version would expand its customers’ portfolios. Since it couldn’t allocate a separate slot for such a niche-segment car, it approached the French coachbuilder Heuliez to do the job. At first, the specialty shop created an open-top prototype based on the Axel, but Citroën rejected that idea and chose the five-door Visa instead. As a result, between 1983 and 1985, Heuliez transformed more than 2,500 vehicles and replaced the metallic roof with a fabric one.

Since the car was based on the Visa, it shared the same angular front fascia fitted with rectangular headlights as its non-convertible brother. Despite being a more expensive model, the automaker didn’t consider offering the Decapotable with a body-colored bumper and left it black, unpainted. But still, it improved the car’s look with a black trim around the front fascia.

The car's profile revealed that it was mostly a top-cabriolet vehicle since it sported four regular doors and fixed B-posts. The black door mirrors, handles, and plastic molds were also parts of the cost-cutting measures imposed by Citroën. Still, customers could get the car with aluminum wheels instead of the steel ones with caps offered on the Visa’s base model. Since the canvas roof was long and Heuliez had to keep all four seats in place, the only option was to stack the folding roof behind the cabin, above the trunk area. That led to an unattractive but functional solution.

Since this version was based on the facelifted version of the Visa, it featured a revised interior design. The plastic dashboard featured an instrument cluster in front of the driver and a storage area underneath it in front of the side passenger. The driver fronted a one-spoke steering wheel, and the turn signal and windshield stalks behind it. At the front, the automaker installed a set of bucket seats with large headrests, while at the back, the automaker had to place a fixed bench seat instead of a folding one, like in the regular Visa. There were no fancy systems such as air-conditioning or power windows. The only option that customers could add was the stereo mounted on the center stack.

Under the hood, Citroën installed a four-banger 1.1-liter engine as the only option for the open-top version of the Visa. Its tiny displacement was good enough to produce 50 PS (49 hp) that it sent to the front wheels via a four-speed manual.