Searches for planar hexacoordinate carbon (phC) species comprised of only seven atoms uncovered good CX(3)M(3) prototypes, D(3h) CN(3)Be(3)(+) and CO(3)Li(3)(+). The latter is the global minimum. It might also be possible to detect the deep-lying kinetically-viable D(3h) CN(3)Be(3)(+) local minimum, based on its robustness toward molecular dynamic simulations and its very high isomerization barrier.