Citroen has joined forces with snappy fashion house Lacoste to create a futuristic small car concept. The Citroen Lacoste will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

Part city car, part golf buggy, the Lacoste is every inch the motor show flight of fancy; nothing of the concept is remotely production worthy. Not any time soon, anyway.

The most intriguing element is its inflatable roof, stowed in the central roof bar and which fills with air automatically when it starts to rain. When it's sunny the windscreen can retract along with the roof.

And if you'd assumed it's an electric car (as we did when we first saw the pictures) you're wrong. Power actually comes from a three-cylinder petrol engine.

Other innovations include the ability to be fitted with custom designed sports gear, like a tennis racket or surfboard. That's handy, too, because there's no boot, rather a storage space behind the sliding rear bench.

The four-seat city car features upholstery based on - aptly - a polo shirt, and its grab handles are rubber.

The Lacoste Concept is not the first time a French maker has affiliated itself with Lacoste - remember the Peugeot 205 Lacoste? [Ed: No...]

Mark Nichol - 20 Sep 2010