The Michelin PLR, internal name ''Citroën DS PLR Break'', ''Poids Lourd Rapide'' reakmeans "fast heavyweight" tation wagon nicknamed as ''Mille Pattes'', the French word for centipede, is a tire evaluation test car. The single-item based on a ''

Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations, across three series of one generation. ...

Break.'', built in 1972 by French tire manufacturer Michelin, when Michelin was a shareholder of car manufacturer Citroën. The PLR was used on the Test Track Ladoux, in

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...

. Michelin no longer uses the vehicle for evaluation, but instead as promotional vehicle at fairs and exhibitions. Most of the time, it is parked in the Michelin Museum in Clermont-Ferrand.

Construction

The ten-wheeler uses the

hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, designed by Paul Magès, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce ( Silver Sha ...

design, based on the Citroën DS platform. The

steering Steering is a system of components, linkages, and other parts that allows a driver to control the direction of the vehicle. Introduction The most conventional steering arrangement allows a driver to turn the front wheels of a vehicle using ...

controls all the four front wheels. Tyres to wheel hubs are parts of the

Citroën H Van The Citroën H-Type vans (but mostly Citroën HY), are a series of panel vans and light trucks, produced by French automaker Citroën for 34 years (from 1947 through 1981), that are memorable for their Industrial design, using many corrugated ...

. Two 350 Chevrolet Small-Block engines are installed in the tail of the PLR, one for driving the vehicle, the other driving the sample tyre, located in the middle of the PLR. Air intake for cooling the engines are located both sides of the PLR, windows had been replaced by grids. The PLR is wide and long. Installed lead raised the weight to . In the center part of the stretched vehicle, the sample tyre unit is installed. Controlled by hydraulics, the sample can be lowered and aligned in various positions. Evaluating tyres for commercial vehicles was feasible. The PLR reaches up to top speed. Two fuel tanks are installed, each.PRL Michelin Mille – Pattes 1972
retrieved 5 September 2013

Literature

* Björn Marek and Immo Mikloweit: ''Citroën DS. Das Leben einer Göttin.'' Komet Verlag, Köln, , P. 82–85 (German)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MICHELIN PLR Citroën One-off cars Michelin Cars of France Cars introduced in 1972

Construction

Literature

Further reading

References