The tiny house and van life craze might seem like a recent innovation, but no my friend, people have been building homes on wheels for many a year.
This ‘Camping Car’ put together by a prestigious French coachbuilder Barou was based on the workhorse Citroen Type H van.
The mechanically straightforward, robust, and versatile platform has proven to be remarkably long-lived, and the Type H is much in demand to this day. Citroen produced nearly 500,000 units of the Type H, and they're in great demand as food trucks for their wild styling. But finding one in decent shape has become somewhat of a challenge - and finding a roadworthy example - particularly one of a Type H bodied version.
The Citroën H Van was designed with 'monocoque' construction, making it lighter and easier to manufacture. The fact that the H models featured front-wheel-drive also meant it could feature an extremely low and flat floor in the workspace behind the driver, and it could also allow for 6′ of headroom.
Photo: Aguttes Auctions
Jean Barou, a builder based in Cournonsur-Rhône since 1940, got his start manufacturing bicycle trailers which found success during the Occupation in WWII. He then turned to race cars and utility vehicles after the war ended and France was liberated. He found particular success with his caravans built to support the Tour de France and advertisers. In addition, vans he built for re-bodied vans for Reynolds pens and the newspaper "Le midi libre" made quite a splash.
It just so happens that Barou also built some fantastic coachwork for Jaguars and for the lovely and streamlined 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe. The T26 Grand Sport (GS) was first displayed in public in 1947, and only 12 were made during 1948, the model's year of full production. Noted for its startling speed, the engine produced 195 bhp (145 kW) and reached a top speed of around 124 mph (200 km/h). One version of the car was built for racing and performed for Louis Rosier and his son on the way to a win at the LeMans 24 Hour race in 1950. The 4.5-liter inline-6 aluminum cylinder head, a hollowed camshaft, multiport exhaust system, and triple carburetors were a tour de force for the time.
Nearly all the Talbots sold during the late 1940s were fitted with Talbot bodies, but the T26 Grand Sport GS was a notable exception. Some were delivered only as rolling chassis which, allowed for customers to commission bespoke bodywork from a specialist coachbuilder, and Barou was once such a builder.
Photo: Aguttes Auctions
While much of the looks of the workhorse Citroën utility vehicle from the 1950s is entirely hidden beneath the coachwork Barou built for one Mssr Charlin (owner of the successful garage equipment supplier Socome) it was functionally the same as all Type H models.
Socome was looking for a base on which he could create a truck trailer and an office trailer he could use to sell and display his tools at fairs in central and eastern France. And the result, with a brash American-style grille and chrome, included generous interior dimensions.
The interior featured a driver’s cabin and living quarters which served as an homage to nearly every 1950s and 1960s gimmick Barou could create. It included a panoramic Plexiglas roof, lots of hard-wearing Formica, and the most up-to-date linoleum on offer at the time. With a gas stove, refrigerator, and the toilet area with sink, water heater, and chemical toilet, the Barou Type H was ready to provide comfort on the road.
The side that featured a bedroom included a nearly 10-foot long folding bed.
This exceptionally rare Type H coach and travel trailer are expected to fetch somewhere north of $70,000 USD at auction.
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