Meant for farmers, embraced by youth, hidden from the Nazis, adopted by the Iranians

By Shahzad Sheikh

The Citroen 2CV holds a pedestal position along with enduring motoring icons like the Ford Model T, Volkswagen Beetle, Mini, Fiat 500 and the Jeep. And as crude and simple as it may appear today, like those long-lived legends it can’t fail to put an appreciative grin on your face.

And if you’re lucky enough to drive one – like I did this example owned by long-time friend of MME, Mohammed Al Musleh (also read about his amazing UAE-built Electric Sebring Turbo here) – then that grin just turns to irrepressible giggles as you wrestle with an automotive antique and realise how much of the act of driving is distilled away from your senses by modern cars.

Okay this particular example is far from original with the 70’s square lights, later engine, odd-looking re-fabricated front bumper by a previous owner and the front doors re-mounted with the hinges at the back (like early cars) by Musleh himself. But its flair and spirit shines through undimmed. And it remains and joy to behold and experience.

We present 15 Facts about the Citroen 2CV:

1. Loads made over a long time

Over 3.8 million of the Citroen 2CV or ‘Deux Chevaux’ (short for deux chevaux-vapeur translated as ‘two steam horses’) were produced from 1948 to 1990. Over its 42 year run is was made in France, Belgium, UK, Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Uruguay, Argentina and even Iran. 1.2 million 2CV-based delivery vans (Fourgonnettes) were also produced.

Although it was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1948, it was originally intended to be launched at the 1939 Paris Motor Show. A pilot run of 250 cars were actually produced then and the car already had French market homologation. However when Germany invaded France in World War II, plans were abandoned.

2. Hidden from the Nazis

In fact Citroen didn’t want the car to fall into the hands of Nazis so several were buried at secret locations, one was disguised as a pickup and the rest were destroyed. In fact it was believed that only two original prototypes survived and were found again until three more were discovered in a barn in 1994.

3. It had to carry eggs off-road without breaking them

The car was the brainchild of Citroen Vice-President Pierre Boulanger who wanted to create a simple and affordable car that small farmers could use instead of the horse and cart still widely used.

The design brief for the car stated that it should be a low-price rugged ‘umbrella on four wheels’ that would allow farmers to transport 50kg of produce to market at speeds of upto 50kph across muddy unpaved roads. It would have to sip fuel at a rate of just 3L/100km. More famously it should be able to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field without breaking them!

4. Air-cooled flat-twin with less power than your toaster!

Front engine and front wheel drive, it was to have a water cooled engine, but after the War this was ditched and engineer Walter Becchia was tasked with coming up with an air-cooled unit that was still only of two-cylinders and 375cc. It produced just 9hp. Most cars at this time had three-speed gearboxes, Becchia managed to squeeze a four-speed into the same space.

5. It was meant to be all aluminium

Styled by Italian Flaminio Bertoni, it was originally to have lightweight aluminium body work (corrugated to increase strength whilst keeping it as thin as possible), but after the War aluminium prices skyrocketed and Citroen resorted back to thin steel bolted to the dual H-frame chassis and aircraft-style tube framework. The fenders, doors, boot and bonnet are all detachable and it had a full-width, canvas roll-back roof. Despite its eggshell looks, it wasn’t particularly aerodynamic at 0.51cd drag.

6. Wipers ran off the speedometer

At first it was offered only in grey and the decision to switch from a pull cord starter to an electric starter was made only the day before its reveal in 1948. Till 1962 the wipers were run off the speedometer (the wiper speed being directly dependant on vehicle speed) and at standstill you had to turn the wipers yourself via a small handle under the speedometer.

7. Motoring media hated it, then loved it

Initially it was panned by the motoring press. Autocar wrote that it was ‘the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with almost masochistic fervour,’ and the American press refused to take it seriously at all. In later years of course that turned to respect and in 1953 Autocar said: ‘the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford’. And legendary automotive scribe, LJK Setright described it as ‘the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car,’ and called it a thing of ‘remorseless rationality’.

8. Five year waiting list!

Of course it didn’t matter what the media though if the car was a hit with the masses it was aimed at and orders flooded in. Slow production capacity meant that within months there was a three-year waiting list going up to five years eventually. In 1951 they had to ramp up production to 100 cars a week. Boulanger decreed that ‘priority is given to those who have to travel by car because of their work, and for whom ordinary cars are too expensive to buy’ meaning doctors, vets and small farmers’ cars were fast-tracked.

The 2CV’s actual heyday however was the 1960s when the improved 63-70 model saw production finally catch up with demand. It remained affordable, even in Germany it was still half the price of the Volkswagen Beetle. Citroen had never had to market this car, but now aimed the car at a younger generation (with marketing material showing young people and families enjoying picnics), trying to distance the 2CV from the previous associations with austerity. More colours were offered and the new slogan declared ‘More than just a car – a way of life’. Highest annual production was in 1974 – the year of the oil crisis.

9. James Bond drove one

Tin-Tin was used in advertising, but probably the car’s most successful product placement was in 1981 in For Your Eyes Only. Roger Moore’s James Bond resorts to using one to escape the baddies in their Peugeot 504 saloons, storming down through a Spanish olive farm. For the film the car was equipped with a more powerful flat-four engine from a Citroen GS, although the special edition models commemorating the movie role – complete with 007 decals and fake bullet holes – offered the regular flat-twin.

10. 2CV rallies to Kabul and Iran

Citroen organised ‘Raid’ intercontinental road rallies in the 1970s, in which customers could participate by buying a brand new 2CV, fitted with an ‘off-road’ kit. The first such rally was from Paris to Kabul in Afghanistan in 1970. 1300 people drove 500 cars over 16,500km there and back. The following year it was Paris-Persepolis to Iran and back and in 1973 the Raid Afrique was run with 60 2CVscovering 8000km from Abidijan to Tunis across the Sahara.

11. Twin-engined off-road version

There was an actual off-road version – called the Sahara built from 1960 to 1971 which featured a second engine mounted in the rear driving the rear wheels for all-wheel drive. But only 694 were made and used most by the French oil companies, military and police. A rebodied Jeep-style version called the Yagan (an Aborigine tribe) was made in Chile in 1972 but there were only 200 of these used by Army patrols. A similar car was also sold in West Africa dubbed Baby-Brousse.

12. Very clever suspension setup better than today’s cars

So what actually made this car so good over rough ground? Apart from the simple engineering that meant easy maintenance and rugged construction that could easily be hammered back into place, it was the extremely light weight and the absolutely remarkable and ingenious suspension and high ground clearance.

The extremely long-travel suspension connected the front and rear wheels on each side causing one to go down as the other when up, keeping the body relatively level over bumps. Even when cornering the suspension eventually firms up and flattens the car – extraordinary considering how incredibly soft the suspension is. The ride on this car even shames some high-tech modern computer-controlled set-ups!

13. Engine inspired by a BMW motorcycle

The original 375 boxer engine (inspired by a BMW motorcycle engine) was replaced in 1955 by a 425cc unit producing between 12-21hp as it was developed. In 1968 there was a new 602cc motor putting out 28hp offered, whilst a 26hp 435 replaced the 425. By 1970 the 602 was generating 33hp. But a new 602cc in 1979 took that back down to 29hp, although it was said to be more efficient and achieved a higher top speed. Talking of speed the first cars was slow, getting to 40kph in 42.4 seconds and only managing 64kph. Top speeds were up to 84kph in 1962, 100kph in 1970 and finally 115kph in 1981.

14. More nicknames than Obama

The 2CV got many nicknames, not all of them kind: the Dutch called it ‘the ugly duckling,’ the Flemish referred to it as ‘the goat’ whilst in Germany it was ‘the duck.’ In Spain it was ‘two horses,’ ‘frog’ and ‘goat’, in Denmark ‘the rocking horse,’ in Norway ‘the Iron bed,’ and in Yugoslavia it was called ‘spacek’ (little freak)! The English weren’t much more generous: ‘Upside down pram,’ ‘Tin Snail,’ ‘Tortoise’ and ‘Flying Dustbin’ with the most affectionate being ‘Dolly’ (after a special edition of the car).

15. Iran’s own 2CV

The 2CV was also made in Iran where it was called the Jian (Fierce) as part of a joint venture with Iran National, although after the 1979 revolution the Iranian company just carried on making the cars without Citroen’s involvement.

Have you ever owned or driven a Citroen 2CV? Tell us your experiences of the car below in the comments section.

Click here for more classics!