Test Caselani Type HG: the Citroën utility that makes you want!

Under this Type HG body designed and created by Caselani hides a Citroën Jumpy.

In 1947, Citroën unveiled the Type H at the Paris Motor Show. Seventy-five years later, here we are at the wheel of a brand new model which takes up the features with meticulousness. It is a Type HG based on Jumpy, which we owe to the Italian craftsman Caselani.

Test car: Citroën Jumpy Caselani Type HG

Diesel engine | Power: 120 hp
Launch: February 2018

From€37,300

Don’t think that Citroën is going neo-retro or that the factory on the quai de Javel has reopened its doors. If we are driving a utility seasoned” taking up the features of the mythical Type H, it is thanks to the Italian company Caselani. Based near Milan and originally specializing in fiberglass for boating, this company has embarked on the transformation of Citroën Jumper and Jumpy utility vehicles into Type H and HG by means of a specific body kit. We therefore have a modern vehicle base (chassis and engine), a far cry from the old Solex carburettor engine that officiated at the heart of the Type H of 1947.

We had already discovered one of Caselani’s achievements with the Type H based on the Jumper, commissioned by the company Les Dunes blanches. This time, it is a Type HG developed on the basis of the Jumpy which advances towards us. The letter G refers to Type G, a small Type H designed in 1948 but never marketed. The “pig’s nose” and the “corrugated sheet” shapes so characteristic of the original model are there. The vehicle belongs to the prestigious restaurant The Silver tower, a Parisian institution since 1582, which saw in the Caselani project an opportunity to transform its delivery rounds into a vector of communication. The bet is successful judging by the number of selfies made by onlookers when loading the vehicle, Quai de la Tournelle, at the foot of the restaurant.

citroen type h caselani silver tower paris

The basis of this Type HG is that of a Jumpy in size M (4.95 m long), but conversion is also possible on the XS (4.60 m) and XL (5.30 m) bodies. Once passed through the workshops of the Italian craftsman, the vehicle obtained specific approval and became a Caselani brand model. This transformation is done with the approval of Citroën, which has granted an operating license to the Italian craftsman for the use of the brand. But all the art of the designer lies in the care taken in the realization and the volumes of the HG. To make the Jumpy put on the work clothes of the Type H – the famous corrugated sheets –, Caselani designed fiberglass panels which are glued to the side parts, while the entire front face is remanufactured and then grafted. Simple, but it was necessary to think about it and above all to achieve a neat design.

Price Caselani Type HG

To obtain this very enviable Type HG, you must contact Méhari Évasion (referent distributor for France and who takes care of everything) or one of the Citroën dealerships which has agreements with Caselani (list on company website). For a basic Jumpy with a 120 Diesel engine ch, it takes €37,300 excluding tax, price including the transformation at a cost of €15,800 excluding tax. Note that the adaptation can be done on all engines, including the electric version ë-Jumpy, and all bodywork: vans such as those dedicated to the transport of people with side glazing.

The price increases according to the version and the options chosen on the vehicle, but also according to the customization possibilities offered by Caselani. So you can fall for Pallas type round rear lights (€700 excl. VAT), polysoid headlights (€1,200 excl. VAT), Vintage rims (€600 excl. VAT) or all types of personalized colors (€1,900 excl. VAT). It is also possible to opt for a specific arrangement. This is the case of the Caselani of Tower of money, whose hold is refrigerated to keep products cool during transport. The insulating walls inside also condemn the side door, which remains visible on the bodywork.

At the wheel of the Caselani Type HG

We slipped into the skin of the delivery man Tower of money for a tour through the streets of Paris with the Type HG. The driving of the Jumpy, we already know, but it’s crazy how the transformation of the exterior changes the impression behind the wheel. However, there is nothing new in the passenger compartment apart from the numbered golden plate struck by Caselani. But the smiles of passersby and the thumbs up of cyclists make driving fun, even benevolent, which is not nothing in the often congested traffic of the capital. Here we find the 120 hp diesel with the six-speed manual gearbox which drives smoothly thanks to the high torque at low revs. As most of the missions take place in the Paris region, we would have seen this model in the electric version ë-Jumpy. Driving would have gained even more in zenitude there… But the price and the constraints of recharging “zero emission” models remain obstacles to overcome.

The high seat, which offers a commanding view of the roadway, and the compact size of the Jumpy in size M also facilitate urban evolutions. Caselani makes no changes to the chassis and engine settings. The smooth steering and the rather comfortable suspension therefore remain at the rendezvous. Too bad then that the brake pedal, too sensitive from the attack as on all Jumpy, alters the fluidity of the slowdowns. Finally, the wall on the back of the three front passengers avoids the resonance noise of the hold in the passenger compartment, but it prevents any rear vision. The choice of the reversing radar (option) is not a luxury when parking, because it would be a shame to scratch this Type HG with personalized paint.