Built between 1963 and 1971, designed by Paul Bracq among others, clear, elegant, technically ahead of its time. Around 48,000 units rolled off the production line – enough to become an icon, too few to be commonplace. And then time took its toll. Many owners, even more mechanics, good intentions and questionable implementations. Rust where it always is. Engines changed more often than tires: sometimes manual, sometimes automatic. And when the clutch pedal suddenly got in the way, the angle grinder came out. Sad, but true. Some Pagodas today are beyond use – almost like Marvin from ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ after his travels through space and time. Marvin would say: “I can calculate your chances of survival, but you wouldn’t be thrilled.”

We are. Because this Pagoda lives. The question isn’t whether it can still be saved. The question is: What do we want to make of it? True to the original? Possible. Radically reimagined? That too. Engine, technology, body – nothing is sacred, everything is up for discussion. A modern air suspension in the Pagoda? Clearly superior to the original in terms of driving dynamics, emotionally a matter of taste for sure. Wheels from a completely different generation? Can be done – and just as easily reversed.