Citroën 2CV (Eng)

Description

The Citroën 2CV is one of the cult cars of the 20th century. You probably know someone who has had one, or maybe you had the pleasure to enjoy it yourself… Already before the 2nd World War Citroën had the idea to create a “cheap, simple car”. The projects was named “Toute petite voiture”. The car had to meet several requirements:

History of the 2CV, which can be restored at the 2CV Mehari Factory.

First and foremost it had to be an inexpensive car. The car had to fall within the budget of the average farmer or laborer. The car should be big enough for a barrel of wine of 50 liters, but also strong enough for some hefty passengers. The suspension had to be so good that the transport off eggs could run smoothly. And on Sunday the car also had to serve to drive to the church, so the farmer should be able to hold is hat on in the car.

Some prototypes were built, but they were locked away at the outbreak of the 2nd World War. Citroën was afraid that the Germans would steal their idea. At the Auto show in 1948 it was finally time: the foundation from before the war, provided with some adjustments to the “modern times”, was shown to the public. Among all the big expensive cars this little car stood out immediately. In the Netherlands it was soon nicknamed “ugly duck” because not everyone was as enthusiastic about the appearance of the car. In Belgium a 2CV is also called a 2PK (according to the Dutch translation for horsepower). The car certainly didn’t lack popularity, until the end of the production in 1990, more than 4 million 2CV’s rolled of the band.

There are different versions of the 2CV, depending on the country in which they were produced. A Belgian 2CV looks slightly different as the French version, and the latest models produced in Portugal were often composed from parts that were still available…

The 2CV lends itself well to conversion: the chassis is easy to detach from the carriage, which has various derivatives as a result. There are for example the Mehari and the 2CV vans but also numerous variants are built as a kit-car like Lomax, Le Patron, Burton,… In short, the 2CV is the perfect car for a nice ride in the countryside, in the mountains, and they can also drive smoothly along the highway, with a top speed around 110 km/h.

There are still thousands of fans of this car, which can be noticed for example on the second annual “World Meeting of 2CV Friends”, where many owners and lovers of this classic car are united. In 2011, this meeting took place in France, where around 6000 2CVs and derivatives were exposed.

Annually, there are different races with 2CVs or derivatives. Each year in October, a 24-hour race with 2CVs take place at the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. There are several classes during a race, so not every racing car is as authentic as the others, but all strive for one goal: to finish the race well.

We ourselves support the students of the Catholic University of Leuven: the CQS Group Racing Team, in their search for the combination of durability and technology, applied to the Citroën 2CV.