The Citroen 2CV is an odd creature. A car shaped like a snail, whose doorhandles practically touch the pavement when cornering. And yet, this little car became an icon. Let’s learn more about it.
Note: I did touch on the 2CV briefly in my diary all about Citroen, but I felt it earned some extra coverage.
The 2CV was aimed strictly at peasants in Depression-era France. It had to be able to go just 30 mph while getting 80 mpg. Famously, it had to be able to transport a basket of eggs across a plowed field without any of the eggs breaking. The engine was air cooled with no electric starter, so as to be more reliable, and it drove the front wheels. The engine only had 2 cylinders and produced just 2 horsepower according to the calculation used for France’s tax system, hence the name 2CV (deux chevaux or “two horse”). In reality, it was more like 9 horsepower. To reduce weight, the car made use of aluminum and magnesium parts. The seats were just pieces of fabric strung up from the ceiling. And Michelin, which owned Citroen at the time, put their new radial tires on the prototype. The French government gave its approval on August 28, 1939, and the car was to be unveiled that October at the Paris Auto Show. But I think you know what happened next.
Once the war ended and France was liberated, things were bleak. Gasoline was practically unavailable to civilians, and so cars were driven by coal gas or wood and horses-and-buggies had made a big comeback. The price of aluminum forced the 2CV to be switched to steel. And steel was in short supply until the Marshall Plan was passed.
The 2CV was unveiled to the public in 1948, 9 years behind schedule. It was decided to give the 2CV an electric starter, only one day before the show, meaning that the car that was shown to the public had a hole in the grille for a crank. But that was one of the few concessions. There was no tachometer or even a fuel gauge, you checked the fuel level using a dipstick. The wipers were directly connected to the engine. The canvas roof covering also acted as the trunklid. The seats were no longer suspended from the roof, but were removable benches, to make space for carrying sheep or cheese. The doors were also removable and the windows flipped up instead of rolling down. The 2CV weighed just 1200 lbs. The suspension consisted of swing arms linked fore-aft. The suspension system was extremely soft and provided an infamously scary amount of body lean. French teens spent most of their time rocking parked 2CVs side to side. Length was 153 inches, a Chevrolet at the time came in at 197 inches. Height was 63 inches, almost SUV-like. The top speed was a mere 40 mph. Press coverage was not favorable. The British magazine Autocar remarked that the 2CV “...is the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with almost masochistic fervour".
But the public didn’t care. They wanted any car they could get their hands on. The 2CV wound up having a 5 year waiting list, with priority given to doctors, midwives, priests, and farmers. During the 50s, the 2CV got more luxurious. In 1954, the speedometer gained an illuminating light. In 1955, a new 425 CC (.425 liters) 12.5 horsepower engine was added, boosting top speed to a blazing 50 mph. In 1957, heating and ventilation arrived as did a metal trunklid.
In 1951, Citroen offered a van version of the 2CV. It was very popular into the 70s. In 1955, production of all 2CVs exceeded 100,000 for the first time.
In 1960, the Sahara version was added. It featured a second engine and transmission mounted in the trunk driving the rear wheels. This gave it all wheel drive. It was a competent off roader, but it cost twice as much as a normal 2CV and sales were negligible. Today, it’s highly collectible.
In 1961, the 2CV got some upgrades. There was a new grille, and behind it, the 375 CC engine was gone. The 425 CC engine now made 14 horsepower, and top speed was up to 53 mph. There were also now electric wipers and a fuel gauge. In 1965, the reverse opening front doors were replaced by normal front hinged doors.
Citroen realized that as French people grew more affluent, they wanted more out of their cars than an “umbrella with wheels”. To that end, they introduced the Ami on the 2CV platform in 1961. It was a less spartan automobile with upgrades like a 602 CC engine making 22 horsepower. By tax horsepower standards, it was a 3CV. It and the West German Ford Taunus (not Taurus) were the first cars with rectangular headlights. This was unheard of at the time, and in fact was illegal in the United States until 1975. Sales were strong but the 3CV never came close to the 2CV in terms of iconic status.
In 1966, production of the 2CV sedan hit an all-time-high: 168,357. But Citroen was trying to replace this 30 year old design.
In 1967, the Dyane was introduced. It was the same size of the 2CV and looked similar but had more standard features and a hatchback, it was a direct competitor to the very popular Renault 4. It offered the 2CV’s 425 CC engine and the Ami’s 602 CC engine. At first, the Dyane managed to outsell the 2CV, as was intended, in 1968 and 1969. But in 1970, the 2CV came back swinging and so the tin snail would just not die.
1970 saw the 2CV offer the larger 602 CC engine (although Citroen Belgium did offer a model with that engine briefly, it was never sold in France). As said before, this engine technically made the car a 3CV, but the 2CV name was so beloved that it couldn’t be killed off. In 1971, 500 2CVs participated in an 8400 mile marathon from Paris to Persepolis, Iran and back. In 1974, the energy crisis boosted combined sales of the sedan and van to a record 227,000. But things were starting to change.
In 1974, Citroen went bankrupt. In 1975, it was bought by Peugeot. Peugeot wanted to turn Citroen into a normal automaker. In 1978, they brought out the Visa, part of a wave of European subcompacts including the Ford Fiesta, Renault 5, and VW Polo. These more modern cars very seriously began eating into the 2CV’s market share. From now on, the 2CV was a minimalist statement for hippies.
But people still loved the 2CV. In 1981, it earned a role in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. It was used by Bond and Melina Havelock to get away from baddies in Spain. In reality, a normal 2CV would have been hopeless trying to get away from those big Peugeots. The car used in filming had a larger 4 cylinder engine from the GS fitted, which more than doubled the horsepower. Roger Moore said in an interview that the 2CV was his favorite Bond car, beating out the Lotus submarine and the AMC Hornet he barrel rolled in Thailand. To commemorate this role, a 007 special edition was offered. It was painted yellow, had 007 plastered on the front doors and came with bullet hole stickers. That same year was the last for the 2CV van and the 435 cc engine.
And the 2CV was still a profitable product thanks to the incredibly long amoritization of its R&D and tooling. In 1980 a special edition called the Charleston was offered, distinguished by its 2 tone paint. It was supposed to be a 1-year only model but was so successful it was incorporated into the normal line in 1981. By now the 602 CC engine produced 29 horsepower and offered a top speed of 71 mph. In 1982, inboard mounted front disc brakes were made standard.
The 2CV was never sold officially in the US by Citroen, but several companies imported them. Motorweek tested one in 1983. 0-60 took an agonizing 28 seconds, although that was faster than the Pontiac 1000 automatic they had tested previously. It was so slow that they couldn’t get to 60 mph in time for their normal braking test. But they liked its simplicity, its removable canvas roof, and its cuteness.
By 1987, the 2CV’s days were clearly numbered. The introduction of the AX subcompact further cannibalized sales. That year, production was down to just 43000, and the car was now more popular in West Germany and Britain than in its native France. In 1988, production of the 2CV in Paris ended after 40 years. All remaining production would occur in Portugal.
In 1989, several countries adopted new EU emissions regulations 3 years ahead of schedule. This made the 2CV illegal in wide swaths of Europe. On July 27, 1990, the last 2CV rolled off the line in Portugal. In total 3,867,932 standard 2CVs were built over 42 years.
The 2CV deserves to be called one of the greatest cars ever made, like the Model T, the VW Beetle, the Mini, or the Fiat 500. The tin snail started as a car for peasants and ended as one for hippies. Its rugged simplicity, its fuel efficiency, and its low price gave it staying power that few other cars had or ever will.