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Citroen 2CV
Citroen 2CV
One of the prime examples of how to make motoring accessible for the masses the Citroen 2CV stands out for its simple but very effective construction. Production started in 1948, although the original design started before WW2. In spite of lacking many of to-days cars features the car stayed in production until 1990. The honour of producing the last one went to Citroen’s Portuguese factory, which produced all cars after 1988.
The terms of reference for the car required a vehicle that was capable of making at least 65 kph and with such a comfort that a bucket full of eggs could be transported in the French countryside without any breakage.
All cars were fitted with a simple 2 cylinder air cooled boxer engine, initially with 375 cc and 9 BHP. The peculiar sound of the 2CV engine cannot be mistaken and is never overheard even at top speed driving. Over the years more “powerful” and more “luxurious” versions became available, culminating in a 602 cc engine with 33 bhp, at 7000 (!) RPM. In this way the car could reach 110 kph, but with favourable tailwinds 120 could be easily achieved. One of the nice feature of the earlier example was the speedometer, placed in left corner of the dash, close to the windshield. The cable driving the speedometer also drove the windshield wipers, meaning that the faster you went, the faster the wipers were working.
The suspension consisted of an ingenious system with all wheels linked to the chassis via trailing arms, linked to each other via a horizontal system of coils springs. The comfort was astonishing, and the spectacular overhang while cornering was not really dangerous, the inner rear wheel could be lifted easily and only vehement braking while cornering could result in toppling over of the car. For those who never experienced driving one, it is something out of the ordinary, also taking into account the horizontal gear shifter coming out of the dash.
Today well maintained examples are already commanding prices on par or over the original selling price. As almost 5 million of these cars were made, including 1.2 mln Van type versions, there are still many left, but good one are becoming much rarer. It is a very easy car to work on and parts supply is excellent
Here are shown a number of different cars, with the one with #1 being a participant in this year’s Tour Auto in France.
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[QUOTE=Clique]375BHP you sure???[/QUOTE]
thanks, meant was cc, as you might have guessed:)
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[QUOTE=henk4]thanks, meant was cc, as you might have guessed:)[/QUOTE]
yup i guessed but that was a rare mistake by you so i had to make a comment...:D
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[QUOTE=Clique]yup i guessed but that was a rare mistake by you so i had to make a comment...:D[/QUOTE]
somebody wanted me to deal with the car quickly.....
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my english teacher's citroën 2CV :D (you can see two of my mates in the back ground)
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sure way to increase your marks in English:D
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[QUOTE=henk4]sure way to increase your marks in English:D[/QUOTE]
lol:D
I'm not sure she likes cars, she's a greenpeace active member
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I don't understand how such an unappealing car could exist for so long :confused:
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as the mechanic is so so so simple it is indestructible
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Think of it as the french Beattle.
One of my favorite features of this car, is the way the roof "rolls" open.
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[QUOTE=NoOne]I don't understand how such an unappealing car could exist for so long :confused:[/QUOTE]
People kept buying them.
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[quote=NoOne]I don't understand how such an unappealing car could exist for so long :confused:[/quote]
it was cheap to buy and maintain. it was about the only car, which people could afford back in the days.
edit:
as henk said allready there is a lively fan-club of the 2cv. many events are being held and many aftermarket prts are availale. A good example is the injection !!! many 2cv's (in holland) now drive around with this injection resulting in a lower fuel usage and more speed and comfort. There are quite some weird variations to this car. from 4x4's to ambulances !!:)