Robert Opron

Robert Opron ( born February 22, 1932) is a French automotive designer. With his designs for Simca, Citroën and Renault, he is a pioneer aerodynamically shaped limousines hatchback.

Life

Opron spent his childhood in Algeria, Mali and Abidjan. From 1952, he studied architecture in France. After a period as a draftsman at the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautices du Nord he began in 1957 to work for Simca. His first draft was 1959, the futuristic study " Fulgur " - a reminiscent of a flying saucer car with nuclear propulsion and a glass dome over the passenger compartment. Was implemented according to its preliminary 1967 Simca 1100 as a two -box compact car hatchback whose design anticipates design concepts of the VW Golf.

In 1962, Flaminio Bertoni under Opron to work for Citroën and became head designer after his death in 1964. Opron developed in this period, numerous proposals for revision of the Citroën DS. However, the sometimes attributed to him new front end of this vehicle for the model year 1967 is not his work, but the Bertoni, who with the hammer struck the fender on a real DS, and in a few days created this new form. In 1969, the Citroën Ami 8, 1970, the Citroën GS, a midsize sedan, and the spectacular Citroën SM, a sports sedan with Maserati engine and six lights that are behind one over the entire vehicle width sweeping glass panel - the SM is considered Oprons masterpiece. The sequel to 1974 released the DS, which is very clearly drawn CX, was also his farewell to Citroën. In 1975, the company was acquired by Peugeot and founded the PSA Peugeot Citroën. Opron saw the independence of the designs at Citroën in danger and left PSA.

He joined Renault, where he among other things, the Fuego, the R25. The him sometimes attributed draft Espace is a work of the Matra designer Antonis Volanis in reality. Also test vehicles such as the Vesta II ( 1984) and the design of the truck Renault Magnum (1990 ) arise under Oprons participation. For Automobiles Ligier, who had already built the Citroën SM, he developed a two-seater compact car that his successor be built today. In addition, he also worked for Fiat.

From 1992 to 2000 Opron worked as a freelance design consultant. In the 1999 election to the discharged Car Designer of the Century Robert Opron was among the 25 candidates. Was elected Giorgio Giugiaro. Since April 2012, Robert Opron honorary member of the Citroën SM Club Germany and the Citroën -Strasse, the Association of German Citroën clubs.

References and sources

  • Peter I. Pijlman: Rober Opron, L' automobile et l'art, Sagitta Productions, Rotterdam 2002, ISBN 90-5179-024-4
  • Niklas Maak: The man who brought the future in the form of, for 50 years the car designer Robert Opron designs sensational, pioneering forms. Nevertheless, it hardly knows one. A visit, in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, September 9, 2007, No. 36, pp. 30
  • Vehicle designer
  • Frenchman
  • Born in 1932
  • Man
Renault Fuego Renault 25 Renault Espace
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