Heuliez H4 (1972) Concept Car of the Week:

With the H4, Heuliez set out into unexplored territories by offering a concept tailored to the needs of taxi drivers. If today's minivans are an integral part of our daily lives, this Peugeot 204-based H4 should be placed back in its original context in the early ‘70s, when this monovolume architecture still belonged to science fiction.

Its dimensions are comparable to a Renault Modus although it's shortened by 140mm. It innovated by facilitating ingress/egress with generous rear doors and through its huge interior space packaged within very compact dimensions. The secret was its windscreen placed far forward to very nearly line up with the bonnet. As a result it benefited from an unusually large glazed area on the windscreen and on the sides. The French minicab was also equipped with a transparent glass roof, an innovation that would become available to the masses 30 years later.

The lower portion of the car was painted in a dark blue, creating a loud contrast with the disco orange applied onto the rest of the body and the wheels.

First seen                               1972, Salon Automobile de ParisDesigner                                   Yves DubernardLength                                     3,650mmWidth                                          1,700mmHeigh                                       1,600mmWheelbase                              2,530mmEngine 1,130cc, 60bhp