Cars in the wild: a galvanised duck
A what? Well, we Dutch call it "eend", the Germans call it "Ente", both meaning "duck". Officially, it is known as a Citroën 2CV. It is one of the most iconic cars ever built. I found this one parked in my home town:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 75mm, ISO800, f4, 1/25s
The Citroën 2CV was produced from 1948 to 1990 (yes, for 42 years!) and about 4 million were built, well over 6.5 million if you count the closely related models. It is a cheap and simple car, but surprisingly comfortable because of the ingenious and very soft suspension. It does make the car lean precariously in corners, but it will not tip over (I tried).
When first introduced, it came with a flat, 2-cylinder, air cooled, 375cc engine putting out 9 bhp, which over the years evolved into a 602cc engine putting out 33 bhp, increasing the top speed from 64 km/h (40mph) to 115 km/h (71mph). These little engines are remarkably robust and can be run flat out all the time (I tried), which you will have to do to keep up with traffic. A slightly enlarged version (652cc) was later used in the Citroën Visa, my first car. This larger engine is sometimes retrofitted into the 2CV for some extra power.
The car in the picture has been galvanised by a specialist company just over the German border here. You can tell by the grey bits that haven't been painted; you're looking at the zinc layer. Many owners have done this, to prevent rust problems once and for all. They do like to rust, especially in wet climates.
It's a fun and idiosyncratic little car, it oozes character and the top opens for extra fun. It has a huge cult following and there are many 2CV clubs. Maintenance is simple and parts, new and used, are readily available. Hopefully, this will keep these little ducklings on the road indefinitely.
The car in the picture is owned by the husband of the owner of this Renault 4; two French icons in one household.
Previous car in the wild: an Opel.
Oho! What a find! Oldtimer Chic!
Cute, isn't it? The hubcaps and chrome headlights aren't standard, but they do add some class.
I like that idea of galvanizing the car. I would have done that to my 1988 Yugo. But it is too late for it, alas. I liked that little car.
It will be hard, but maybe you can find a decent one somewhere, and restore it.
hahahahahahahaha or hmmmmm.....
still follow n upp
Very cool!
Luxury retro car...
It looks like it, but on the inside it is as bare as when it rolled off the production line, all original, meaning no luxuries.
It turns out that it is a complete original?
Mostly. Chassis and bodywork have been galvanised, the front fenders have been replaced with polyester ones, hubcaps and fancy headlamps were added, the ventilation air intake flap is stainless steel, it has retrofitted electronic ignition, etc. Many details were changed to make it better, but it still looks like, and largely is, an original 1983 2CV.
Great post! I learned a lot about the 2CV reading this. Must be a fun little car to drive.
It is! It does take some getting used to though, what with the lack of power, the leaning in corners, and the gears being in an unusual order on the gear shifter.
I hate it when they put reverse where 1st is supposed to be! I would probably back into someone at a stop light. I guess you'd get used to it though.