The MPV goes excitingly feral

Now this is impressive. Citroën has gone out, with the help of Swiss design studio Sbarro, and created one of the most bizarre looking vehicles ever.

The standard Picasso comes with seating for five, millions of hidden storage bins to lose your wallet in and a choice of three motors: 1.6-litre petrol, 1.8-litre petrol and 1.8-litre diesel.

So why does someone go in there and decide, "Hey, this people mover MPV thing -- how about we make it a little more fiesty?" Well, who knows why, but something unexpected has occured in the process - we have a new vehicle genre - the PMPV (the pee stands for performance).

And when you think about it, such a class of car could become accepted in the market place. You've got Chrysler prepping its 4x4 Voyager people mover mini-bus contraption, which has got the yanks all hot and bothered. Perhaps there's room in the nuclear family for a fire-breathing mini-van afterall?

Anyway, back to this Sbarro design, and while it may look a bit 'out-there', this puppy is functional. Based on Citroën's Xsara Picasso, the new Xsara Picasso Cup has had a number of changes, most notably in the body kit department.

With a newly sculpted front spoiler, which allows more air into the engine bay and also increases downforce, and massive new wheel guards, covering equally gargantuan 19-inch deep-dish wheels, one of these would look rather threatening in the rear-view mirror.

Chunky side-skirts, replete with rear brake cooling inlets, add menace to the package, while the rear has an equally low bumper. Perhaps the most daring design cue of all are the gull-wing doors, which replace the four doors of the factory Picasso - check the pics for evidence.

The gull-wing doors will not only impress the neighbours and allow you to reach an altitude of 35,000 feet, but they actually provide better torsional rigidity, perfect for the odd track day. Essentially, the Picasso Cup can withstand much more stress than the stock version, so you can push it further.

Another shocking revelation came about when the Citroën lackeys told us that this red rocket still seats five adults. Yeah, all with ergonomically designed bucket seats and safety harnesses. The whole kit has been lowered, with the suspension package revised accordingly, and together with 370mm discs all-round, you can expect this Frenchy to stop on a franc.

The 1.8-litre petrol mill from the stocker Picasso has been tweaked - how do you say? - to the max. Now starting life as a 2.0-litre four-banger, the Picasso Cup puts out some 175kW at the flywheel, which is quite something for a 2000cc motor. The high-revving powerplant is mated to a close-ratio manual six-speed gearbox.

While no performance specs were available, you'd expect something like this to hit 100 kay in about six seconds, though with talk of a rally version, it could mean that a four-wheel drive model may be on the cards, which translates (usually) to quicker take-offs.

So who would buy a five-seater mini-van with the looks of an exotic and the legs of a V8? No one - yet. Well, the hardcore Citroën fan probably would, but give the whole 'go-fast' MPV thing a few more years and we could see another popular class of vehicle.

We think the Xsara Picasso Cup is a daring and exciting idea and when asked if we could have one, here's what Miles Williams, GM for Citroën in Australia, said: "Before anyone asks, we have no plans to go racing or rallying with the Xsara Picasso when it is launched in Australia later this year. But the Xsara Picasso Cup does show what can be done with the Xsara Picasso, especially as it has the same genes as the Xsara Coupe VTS and the world-beating Xsara Coupe WRC rally car!"

Okay, is that a yes, then?