This Citroen T55 Bus RV Is an Icon Lost to Time

This is one such promotional vehicle, and it also happens to be one of the strangest and, because of it, most awesome custom builds: the Rocket. Sadly, this bus slash RV has been lost in the mists of time for decades on end with no chance of tracking it down, let alone restoring it, so consider this story an ode to the awesomeness that is no more.

Built in 1955 on the chassis of a Citroen Type 55 truck, the Rocket is actually four different vehicles and, why yes, all of them have been lost. All four started out as promotional vehicles for Frigeavia/Teleavia, as a mobile platform to promote home appliances. Teleavia made television sets, among other things, and had a solid working relationship with French industrial designer Philippe Charbonneaux, whom they contracted with the design.

In fact, Charbonneaux designed one of the brand’s most popular TV sets at about the same time as the Rocket. He also did work for Renault, Bugatti, Ford and Delahaye, so he had experience in the automotive field, and was a passionate collector of cars and vehicles of all sizes. As a fun trivia, his private collection is the basis of the Automobile Museum Reims-Champagne, which was founded in 1985, so if you’re ever in France, you know where to go.

Frigeavia/Teleavia was at the time a subsidiary of Sud Aviation, whose name is explanatory and which might ring a bell for being the builder of the famous Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle airliner, so that’s probably the inspiration for the aircraft-shaped design of the Rocket. Coachwork was done by Leffrondré, who aimed to pay homage to the era of space conquests; this was, after all, the age of space optimism and space-inspired automotive design.

Three of the four units were built on the Type 55 5-ton truck from Citroen, also known as the U55 and freshly introduced just two years prior, in 1953, as the replacement for the Belphégor, or the Type 45. Powered by either a 6-cylinder 5.18-liter diesel engine that developed 86 hp @2,300 RPM or a 6-cylinder 4.58-liter gasoline engine that delivered 73 hp @2,500 rpm, the truck was hailed as very modern, reliable, and sturdy. It provided the perfect platform for a series of adaptations, including this custom Rocket bus slash RV.

The four units of the Rocket were delivered between 1955 and 1956, but only served their original purpose for a short while before being sold off and repurposed, mostly as circus vehicles. The first unit was the prototype and stood out for its bubble glass cabin, and the easily recognizable Friegeavia/Teleavia logos.

The second unit was also built in 1955 and introduced a series of improvements to the design, including a metal roof, the position of the wipers, a different wheel trim, and the addition of lights on the spoiler. According to an April 2012 newspaper article called “Les Citroen Fusee” (“The Citroen Rockets) by Jean-Jacques Dufourd, president of the AFVCC (Association Française des Voitures et Camions de Cirque), this is the only unit whose history is a bit more documented, including legal documentation and photos.

This is also perhaps the one unit to have served the original purpose the longest, as it maintained the original bleu ciel and white color scheme until 1965. When circus agent Jacques Micheneaud aka “Jack Jack” bought it in 1966, it was painted blue and red, but he changed that to the Pinder circus colors of yellow and red. For almost two years, the bus would be used for city tours with sound, beach games, and for entertainment purposes outside the marquee on a nightly basis.

A new color scheme would be unveiled in 1968, as part of a deal with the Amar circus, when the Rocket became black and orange. In 1970, Micheneaud changed it back to blue and white, adding a map of France on the side with the phrase “The Catwalks of France,” and the writing “The odds are in your favor” on the windshield.

The final chapter of this unit started when the Sabine Rancy circus bought it in 1973, and began using it as a mobile cage for small animals. Also now, it was painted white and red, with the lettering “The animals from five corners of the world,” but it no longer moved around that much. By 1976, it was in very bad condition and was probably abandoned on the way, as the circus moved about the country.

The third unit featured a more polished and streamlined design, as the fenders were removed, a new front face debuted, and a ventilation grille was added. This one was bought by French stuntman Jean Sunny, repainted with his name and the “Crash cars” phrase, and toured around at various events. No one knows what happened to it next.

The fourth version is the only one not to use the Type 55 chassis, but that of a Chausson APH 521 bus with a Panhard engine. It was used by the air force and, later on, as a promotional vehicle for the Miko ice cream, as it was bought by the Ortiz family. This one had a tailgate that opened outward and could be used as a platform, as well as another drop-down platform on the side. This is also the only unit whose fate is known for a fact: it was involved in a crash in the parking lot of a supermarket in 1956, and was eventually destroyed.

And here’s the strangest part about the Rocket, perhaps the most famous custom vehicle you never heard about: it was famous enough to inspire a series of Minitruck 1:50 scale models, which were sold with the magazine Le Petit Navire, and to get circus enthusiasts to hound it for photos, but no one today knows what it looked like inside. One such Minitruck model that you can also see in the gallery shows a couch or a bench in the rear, with a TV set on it – which makes sense, because of the Teleavia association. But everything else is a mystery, and will remain so forever.