1939 Citroen 2CV prototype

The vehicle was homologated by the French government vehicle testing service on 23 August 1939 under the 2CV A name. But the advent of World War II just several days later, on 3 September, put the car’s future on hold. The 2CV A was hidden away during the war, especially from the prying eyes of the Germans, who were developing their own “folks’ wagon”, the Beetle. The 2CV A was so well hidden, in fact, that it was only rediscovered by chance in 1968, when work was being done at Citroën’s La Ferte Vidame test track. The car they found was a real production model, not a prototype. Out of the 100 models that went into circulation, only four are left today. All of them are conserved in Citroën’s collection, one of which is on show at the exhibition.

The secret behind its off-road ability

The secret behind the 2CV’s outstanding comfort and roadholding was its use of a revolutionary suspension system. Each wheel had the flexible vertical movement necessary for negotiating poor terrain, while the front and rear wheels on each side were linked to obtain an interactive effect.

In addition, each suspension arm was equipped with an ingenious drive shaft damper. This set-up consisted of a closed vertical cylinder containing a free mass set on a spring that lifted up whenever the wheel encountered an obstacle, however small. The damper thus enabled the wheels to remain in contact with the ground at all times. And while the 2CV was low on power and capacity, its engine was thoroughly modern for the time, with a crankcase in cast aluminium, overhead valves, air- and oil-cooled cylinder heads, a connecting rod assembly set in very low temperatures in liquid nitrogen, and no cylinder head gasket.

The ruggedness didn’t stop there: the accelerator pedal was made of a large steel pallet so that farmers could drive the car in clogs!

Citroën’s brochure “Freedom with the 2CV” read as follows:

When a car becomes a legend

Potholed road? No worries! The 2CV doesn’t need a road. It takes dirt tracks in its stride and you where other people can’t go. The 2CV is perfect for the big and the tall, with space for four and a door for each. Luggage can be placed in the boot and even under the specially-designed seats. The boot cover can be undone in 3 seconds and the rear bench seat removed in 6 seconds, revealing an impressive amount of space.

The removable front and rear seats are great for camping. Wherever they go, they will always have comfy sofas.

The 2CV does 100 km on five litres, making it the cheapest kilometre in the world. And its sturdiness means it can sleep outside all year round.

Another major boon: the 2CV loses none of its value on the second-hand market.

The public had to wait another ten years for the 2CV

Citroën finally pulled off the wraps at the 1948 Paris Motor Show. The delay mainly resulted from the war and the subsequent shortage in raw materials, but also from obsolescent post-war machinery and the system of government planning that ascribed a specific vehicle category to each manufacturer. So 1948 was the real kick-off year for the 2CV. And despite the mockery of journalists, who found its performance and finish wanting, the post-war public couldn’t get enough of this economical vehicle — to the point that waiting lists were as long as five years.

Citroën released the 2CV van (AU) in 1951 and, in 1956, the 2CV AZL, a luxury version with a wide, rectangular rear window and canvas roof. The range-topping 2CV AZAM launched in 1966 offered even more luxury. The offering was further broadened in 1970 with the 2CV4 and 2CV6, with top speeds above 100 km/h.

Citroën went on to organise several 2CV rally raids, including the famous Paris-Kabul event. In 1981, it launched the Charleston, the best known of all the “starlets” and still perhaps the best remembered 2CV model. But in the end, regulatory constraints, anti-pollution standards and crash-testing tolled the bell for the 2CV.

Production in France ended in February 1989 and at 4 pm on 27 July 1990, the last new 2CV rolled off the production line, at the Mangualde plant in Portugal.

2CV A, 1939

This model, given the production green light in 1939, is the first ever 2CV manufactured by Citroën. It was original for its body styling, but also for the materials it was built with.

It had a single headlamp, placed to the left of the bonnet, and a light-weight body in aluminium. The four wings were made out of steel, while the windows were made from cellulose acetate. The car was started using a crank and the windscreen washed by a single wiper in an ellipse. It was equipped neither with starter key nor fuel gauge.

The real innovation was the car’s sophisticated suspension, featuring eight torsion bars, two of which came into action only when the car was heavily loaded. Given the low weight of the vehicle, a small two-cylinder, water-cooled engine sufficed to power it along.

2CV A, 1950

The 1950 2CV A, produced until 1962, was a versatile vehicle with a rural vocation requiring minimum maintenance. It was almost identical to the 1948 Paris Motor Show model, but offered one or two “extras”, including a second headlamp and an electric starter activated by pulling on a cable. The engine was air cooled, which did away with a number of parts and made maintenance easier.

The 1948 model’s light but expensive aluminium body was replaced by a steel shell. The 2CV A had remarkable suspension. It was fitted with four friction shock absorbers and wheel-mounted enclosed spring dampers that kept the wheels tight against the ground and provided that amazing ride.

2CV AZAM, 1966

The AZAM (pronounced “ay-zed-ay-em”) was the luxury 2CV with upgraded looks, comfort and roadholding. Interior trim was inspired by the Ami 6, while the front end was restyled to suit mid-60s tastes. The grille gained three horizontal aluminium strips and the traditional metal strip on the bumper was topped by a layer of black plastic. The revamped cabin featured soft benches with “diamante” fabric, a sliding front bench, a big steering wheel in chic, light-grey bakelite, a steering-column mounted indicator, and a vanity mirror in the passenger sun-visor. But the biggest change of all was made to the front doors, which now opened in the “right” direction.

CITROËN VEHICLE TIMELINE

1889 The Michelin et Cie company is founded in Clermont-Ferrand. Brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin take over the bicycle brake-pad business founded by their grandfather.

1898 Louis Renault builds his first car, the Voiturette, and shows how well it works by driving it up the hill of Montmartre.

1908 The first Model T rolls off Ford’s production lines in Detroit. The objective of the company, founded in 1903, is to mass produce a vehicle for the general public. Between 1908 and 1927, some 15 million Model T cars are manufactured, a record that would be beaten by only one car — the VW Beetle.

1919 Andre Citroën transforms his munitions factory into an automotive plant and launches the Type A, Citroën’s first mass-production car.

1922 The Michelin tyre company launches a national survey on a “vehicle for the people” with five precise questions on the ideal compact car in terms of price, number of seats, carrying capacity and top speed.

1922 First automotive crossing of the Sahara.

1924/25 The Croisière Noire, a Citroën vehicle expedition, travels from Colomb-Bechard in Algeria to Madagascar, via Niger, Chad, and the lakes of Nyasa and Victoria.

1932/32 The Croisière Jaune, an expedition from Beirut to Peking.

1934 Andre Citroën unveils the latest car to be produced at the Javel plant, the Traction Avant. Designed in one year by engineer Andre Lefebvre, the Traction was much loved for its comfort and roadholding.

1935 Michelin takes over Citroën. To sell more tyres Michelin knows it has to sell more cars. It has been calling for an affordable, mass produced car for the people since the 1920s. With the company in difficulty, Pierre Michelin orders a study to find out how much such a vehicle would cost. The specifications for the TPV (“Toute Petite Voiture” or very small car) project factor in the information collected in the 1922 survey.

1936 Citroën works on the TPV, choosing a house favourite: front-wheel drive. VW launches the Beetle.

1939 The 2CV A obtains homologation.

1946 Renault presents its “car of the people”, the 4CV.

1948 Citroën unveils the 2CV at the Paris Motor Show.

1955 Citroën reveals the DS at the Paris Motor Show. The aerodynamic design by Flaminio Bertoni is a radical departure from that of its predecessor, the Traction.

1951 The 2CV van is launched.

1956 Citroën releases the 2CV AZL, a luxury version.

1957 Fiat launches the 500.

1961 Citroën launches the Ami 6.

1963 Citroën releases the 2CV AZAM, an upgraded AZL.

1967 The Dyane is launched.

1970 Citroën presents a new luxury model, the SM. But the oil crisis rapidly puts the brakes on the car’s career: just 12,920 units are produced between 1970 and 1975.

1974 The CX replaces the DS.

1976 Citroën SA and Peugeot SA merge within PSA Peugeot Citroën on an initiative from Michelin, Citroën’s main shareholder.

1980 Launch of the 2CV 6 Charleston.

1982 Citroën releases the BX.

1989 Launch of the XM.

1990 The last 2CV is built at the Mangualde plant in Portugal.

2001 Citroën opens the Conservatoire at Aulnay sous Bois.

2007 C-Cactus reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

2008 The 2CV celebrates its 60^th birthday.

Click through to the next page to read the specs of the 2CV – the prototype, a 1949 model and a 1960 model.

A total 5,114,959 2CVs were produced worldwide.

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