Think the 2CV was designed with very soft suspension so producers could get their eggs to market (over rough fields and roads) without breaking them. Apparently the suspension was simple, but ahead of it's time.
Citroen have produced wonderfully innovative cars from the post war Traction Avant right up until they were taken over by the conservative Peugeot Group. The 2CV was a brilliant solution to the original brief of a peoples car for France for minimum cost. Today, the 2CV is both hated and loved in equal measure. Its crash protection is dire and no sane parent would sanction its use on a daily basis. Its interesting though that they enjoy a magnificent reputation for fun motorsport.
@@0megaming The soft suspension was a design solution to the brief that it had to be able to traverse a ploughed field (without breaking a basket of eggs) and to be cheap to buy and maintain for rural France. It was designed as a rural workhorse to support the typical French small holder farmers, allowing them to load up the rear with a bale of hay or a pig!. Irrespective of the soft suspension the car had good road holding so that it could be driven with a brick or a farmer's size 47 (UK12, US12.5) planted to the floorboards. Go watch any 2CV racing to see what its possible of.
Thanks to this suspension, the offroad capacities of the 2CV are remarkable. As a general rule, if you can drive a ath with a 4x4 Jeep, you will also be able to drive there with your 2CV. Maybe not at the same speed or with the same load - but if the Jeep doesn't get stuck, neither will the 2CV.
The cross country capabilities of the 2CV are legendary, I remember a report of an classic car rally , one of the stages was through Dakar, through the rock desert , apparently for the 2CV driver it was so fun that he did it twice.
My father had several 2CV Citroëns. The most special one he had was the 2CV Sahara with 2 engines, one in the front (for the front wheels) and one in the back (for the rear wheels) so you have a 4x4 for the desert. It also has 2 petrol tanks under both front seats, a tank for its own engine. The spare wheel is on the hood because there is no room in the trunk. The gear lever is the black ball in the video next to the steering wheel, it only moves forward and backward and the black ball moves left or right to find the right gear. In the Netherlands, the 2CV was also called "duck" or "Ugly Duck".
@@Spip-yt6dx no surprise it was so rare. Car was ridiculously expensive and at the same time impractical (no trunk as the space was used up for the 2nd engine; also basically the double fuel consumption when you drove in 4 wheel mode). It is an absolute technological oddity, though. Even had 2 seaparate ignition keys, one for each engine.
What a nice car with Dutch number plates 😄 These plates and other specs of the car tell me this car is from 1981 or 1982, not 1964. Looking forward to see you driving one 👍
@@97bowie97 are licenceplates not erased from the system once the car is taken off the road? Also i think this is a pre-computer age plate, so they may have it on file in some old paper. I dont know i'm not sure how that works. Enlighten me if you know. ✌️❤️
I had several 2CVs, but I as a slim European man fit in it wonderfully. Generally, I don't like it when people from foreign countries make fun of our 2CV, because they don't understand the car and its history and how it fits into the French landscape. The man in the example was impressed, after all.
That's a 60 years old car designed almost 80 years ago. Just stating that, we need to look at it with a different look. Et puis, quand cette voiture est conduite par une bonne soeur, Louis de Funes peut confirmer que c'est la voiture la plus rapide du monde 😉🤣
I wouldn't care so much about the fun they make on the 2CV, because I would not be surprised if those people did not have anything native or national that could resemble the 2CV in general characteristics (when simplicity and effectiveness come together into avant-garde), with a suspensions that works so effectively and therefore their fun on it is some kind of masked jealousy. I have never driven a 2CV, and possibly never even rode in one, but we do own a GS, the 2CV "son", and our original car, the one that saw me been born.
The name is basically "2 Cylinder Vehicle" = 2CV. The lever with the white ring cap is the Park brake. Yes, The plain black handled lever higher on the dash is the gear shifter for a "Dog Leg" layout. 1st is all the way to the left then Backwards, 2nd is where 1st would be on most modern cars then straight back for 3rd. These little cars were designed as a simple little workhorse that you could thrash and bash about in as a cheap little car. Despite there size they are surprisingly comfortable to use for distance driving. The suspension was weird in that it was a pair of self contained suspension units mounted on the frame parallel to the sills. Each one provided suspension for the front AND rear wheel at the same time. One 'dual' unit on each side. A really interesting little 'post war' car to learn about. Every 2CV had a canvas roof from factory as it was cheaper than fitting a solid metal roof. Built from 1949 (375cc 8hp) until 1990 (602cc 30hp). If you want a real laugh, check out the Peel P50. The smallest UK production car. A single seater tiny thing.
No, 2CV actually means 2 Chevaux Vapeur (Steam Horses), the horsepower produced by a steam-engine of that capacity with around 7 psi (48 kPa) of steam would develop. That's quite a low steam pressure, illustrating how long ago the CV metric was used to calculate tax.
Oh yeah, the 2CV. Unfortunately there were no windowpanes. You would love them. To open you just flick them up. This was in my early youth the second most sold car (after the beetle) in Europe.
My driving teacher always told a story that he once passed and left behind a Porsche on the Autobahn with his 2CV - in heavy rain! Because while the Porsche had to temper his horses to avoid sliding off the road, the 2CV could go full throttle since there's no aquaplaning with wheels that look like cut-off discs... 😂
Cool thing about these is how much they roll in corners, coupled with the fact the handbrake was a disk mounted to the drive shaft, if you pulled the handbrake whilst wallowing in a corner you could stop the car and get out with it leaning at comedic angles
first black stick you grabbed.. you slide it back and forward and rotate left or right.. the last one you touched, is handbrake..to unlock, pull a bit and rotate and push down..
i still love the fact the 2cv is called "ente" in germany wich translates to "duck". idk the reason for it i just call it like that ever since my family had one when i was a kid
I can confirm the Dutch license plate on it is from around 1981. The model also looks from around that time. The model plates on the back are also more modern than 1964 and confirm it's a 600cc model, not a 425. What probably happened is that the exhibition plaque was just copied from when they (or another museum) had an older 2CV.
I know you can drive a manual but I dare you figure out how to operate this one even after being told which lever is the shifter tbh. Very envious of you visit though. Lane is an incredibly diverse collection/interactive museum and I have only had the pleasure of seeing it online.
When my uncle visited us back in 1979 we had a Dyane (the squarer, hatchback version of the 2cv). He laughed at it at first thinking he'll never fit in it, then absolutely loved driving it considering he was used to driving pick-up trucks and a Lincoln Town Car. The first big car I bought was a Citroen CX25 GTi Turbo 2 which is as far removed from a 2cv as you could get - I also had a D Special (ID19B) which was a lovely car to drive and soaked up all the bumps on the road without a problem. The gear shift pattern on 2cv/Dyane/Ami/Mehari/Bijou/etc. (and also Traction Avants) is the other way round compared to most manuals as it's R-2-4 on the top (push forwards) and 1-3 on the bottom (pull back) - neutral is the knurled mark on the gearstick.
The shifter basically comes out of the dashboard towards you (in the middle, the black ball thing). My mom had one when we were kids. Loved that thing. (Mom loved it and hated it at the same time.)
Fun fact, if you want to remove the doors you just slide them up. The same with the bonnet and boot (hood and trunk). A single guy can replace the engine without mechanical lifting devices (not that heavy) the engine is a tiny flat twin like half a beetle engine driving the front wheels. It’s air cooled. Simple cars to work on.
Yes, the gear shifter is the big knob in the dashboard. And you were lucky that they took the windows out, that helped a bit getting in. The 2CV was basically the french beetle. It was designed after WW2 to be cheap and easy to produce, affordable for many people but yet practical in use. The first ones only had 1 headlight, 3 bolts on each wheel ect., everthing they could do to cut cost. The engine was kind of a BMW flat 2 cylinder motorbike engine design with 500cc. Easy to maintain and low on fuel consumption. If you really want to know what a small car feels like, try a Fiat 500 from the post war era. That was the italian version of the beetle and the 2CV. Just about half the size... :) Just make sure the folding sun roof is open - you gonna need it.
Actually it isn't only the very first 2CVs that have 3 bolts in the weel. All of them have that, down to the very last one that was produced in 1991. And yes, Fiat 500 and Nuova 500 are FAR smaller than the 2 CV. I once saw a Nuova 500 parked next to a 2CV, and next to that was a VW Beetle. Pity I didn't have a camera with me. At any rate, the 2CV looked big next to the 500. And the Beetle looked HUGE.
@@stuborn-complaining-german Or buy a normal 500 and then get a Abarth wiper shield and the different lock for the rear flap - the rest nobody will notice anyway. :)
@@petebeatminister For me it's the inner values that are more relevant than the looks. The exterior will be completely overhauled anyways, but getting that engine, exhaust, aso. is way more difficult...
My parents took me to France on occasional holidays from 1959 onwards, and I remember there being many of these there. They can be called "deux-chevaux" (two horses) (pronounced der-shuh-voh), which is where the abbreviation comes from. My mother thought they looked like coal-scuttles. You must remember that many French roads at that time were cobbled, and these were designed for this. (This was even true in the North of England, and, remember, there was still bomb damage from the Second World War. My grandmother was going with my mother through, I think, Leeds, just after the War, and said to her, "Eileen, I've just seen daylight under all four wheels of the car in front!".)
My best memories with a 2CV are back in high school times at the early 80s: we had a teacher, a very pretty, relatively young lady, we all all loved her and she lived in the same village I and some of my friends were living and she gave us pretty often a ride home - so we were up to 4 hormone bursting teenagers with this lovely lady and she drove this thing like hell, she had one with the hinged windows and in summer they were not locked and flapping open and closed in every corner through which she raced... 🥰🥰🤩
That black lever is your gear shifter its simple but it was made for farmers so they would have something to take their family to town kinda like the international scout or the Australian UTEs
The gear shifter is indeed "that thing coming out from the dashboard". There's a very good video, made by an American, explaining every quirk of that car, including the shifter. The name of the video is: The Citroen 2CV Looks Like A Snail & Drives Like A Water Bed But Here’s Why It’s Awesome by TFLclassics Jump to 9:00 on that video for the shifter.
Yes. The gear shifter is the black lever with the ball on top. And the handbrake is the lever with the white button. Notice the position of the first gear. The 2CV was designed to be very affordable. The first prototype was built before WW2 in the early 30’s. Production was cancelled by the war. It was built until the early 80’s’ the 2CV6 being the most powerfull and « modern » one. Something like 28 hp. That’s not a lot, but the car is very light. It can drive at 125kph (80 mph) and has disk brakes on the front wheels. They are pretty rare nowadays in France but German and Dutch love them. I think the plates on the car are from the Netherlands. There was even a 4x4 version with 2 engines. One on the front, one on the rear.
@@justhouz I'd never heard of a 4x4 2CV, with two engines! Sounds fun. Very rare here in Portugal too, nowadays, but you may still see one on the road, ever so often.
@@jeanackle It's the 2CV Sahara. It's pretty rare. Look at this video. It's in french but you'll see what it looks like and how it runs. ruclips.net/video/jKP9My_0NxE/видео.html
It's a really clever car with an extremely clever suspension. It can be this comfortable because the front wheel being pushed up pushes the rear wheel down keeping the car level. Due trough how the front and rear suspension are connected this works perfectly at 62 km/h for a Dutch speed bump. Go a bit slower and you're going too fast for the speedbump. It's a lovely car to drive, it was actually the first car I drove. It keeps you very much involved and you have to work to get any speed out of it, but any speed feels speedy in this car. It rolls a lot in the corners but it won't roll over or be otherwise unpredictable, only in reverse you can roll it. You can get a lot of stuff in it with the roof open, and you can take 3 tall friends and one person you don't like. You can fit that one in the middle of the rear seat and hit a bump.
this is a later 2cv where the interconnection was disconnected. Certainly in 1964 they were interconnected but this is a 'funny money' 2cv exported to USA where it took on a false identity to get around their rules.
Lol, brilliant. Well done Ian, you wore that car haha. Originally used for carrying fresh eggs across French farms, well according to Jeremy Clarkson on top gear anyways.
Here in Germany one of our teachers in the 80's had a 2CV for ages. It was however eventually replaced by a Fiat Uno which was of course lightyears ahead in terms of technology, refinement and economy. A friend had it's competitor, the Renault R4 (1961 - 1994), for a short while. This was a spiritual successor and competitor to the Citroen 2CV, being more modern (4 door hatchback design), more powerful and capable of comfortable motorway travel. It had a dash-mounted pistol-grip type manual gearchange and served a long time as entry-level french motoring. He soon replaced it with an actual 80's era car 😉
It may be slow and underpowered but has one of the best suspensions ever created. 🤗 If you really want one, it is cheaper to import them because scalpers charge nearly 20 grand for a decent example on American shores.
The license plates are from the Netherlands the shifter is the one with the ball, the other one with the button is the parking break the red button is the starter, that tweaks the carburettor setting
The nickname of the 2CV in The Netherlands is "eend" which means "duck" and the Citroen DS is called the "snoek" which is the fish called "Northern Pike" in the U.S.
The shifter is that brilliant ball at the dash, left push inside is reverse, left pull outside is 1st gear, center inside 2nd, center outside 3rd and right inside 4th
The gear shifter does indeed come out of the dash. It was the Rod with the shiny black ball on it. You can see it on the right of the screen when you froze the video. It’s an unusual gear pattern. If memory serves me correctly, you pull the lever towards the driver and pull back for first, over to the right and forward for second, straight back for third and push to the right and forward into forth. Reverse is toward the driver and forward ( marked as AR on the gear selector diagram).
According to the Dutch license plate and the big dashboard, the car is not from 1964, but from 1981. And yes, the shifter is that thing in the dashboard. Very handy, close to the steering wheel.
Yeah, the grille looks too modern. And thanks to a video I watched some time ago, I know those round headlights at the time were offered for the retro look. Rear lights look way too modern for 1964 or even the 1970s too.
French manuals are pretty simple: For making the carriage walking at the first speed, take back the drag of the wheel backward crowbar of the right completely and progressively, while you hurl the mover till his starting. For taking the second speed, push rapidly at the crowbar forward without brutality and engage all its strength. For stopping, though, you're on your own.
@@laupstad this is a car built by aeronautical and race car engineers the brakes are inboard to reduce unsprung weight, the suspension system is designed to keep the maximum of tyre tread on the road. all in all its a car designed for the purpose of transporting people and things cheaply and in the maximum comfort. its a magnificent study in minimalism using design and engineering. it is fantastic evidence of the capabilities of french car design with italian help (styled by Bertone and engine and gearbox designed by walter becchia). altogther a master piece of european co-operation.
My uncle had the Diane, a sort of luxury version of the standard 2cv. As a kid I thought they where fantastic. He also had a original mini cooper. Those where awesome as well!
When I was a little kid I drove one time in the backseat of the "Ente" (Duck). The father of my best friend in primary school had this model, but I think with a little bit more horsepower (between 30 and 40?!?). However, this car is famous for his speed around the corner. You can do whatever you want, it won´t fell over. Riding in the backseat felt like in a rollercoaster. Btw, you can see this model still driving on the streets in Europe. I have seen one a few days ago.
My mom had one back in the 80's when I was a teen. I just pottered over the fields a little and never drove it on the road. Here in Germany it was hugely poupular among students and other folks who didn't have much money to spend and generally called "Ente" ("duck") for the chatter of the engine sound. However, the rusted through rather quickly, so in the 90's they were scrapped in droves and you could pick up a dozen ducks in need for some welding for a fiver. Now you can spot the occasional specimen which is usually restored and kept spotless. I really enjoy the minimalism of European post-WW II cars. There was a real need to be clever and unorthodox when resources are limited to non-existent. Check out the BMW Isetta or Messerschmitt Kabinenroller for example. Btw. this car is front-wheel driven. Citroen was pioneering front-wheel drive in the 30's with their "Traction Avant" (in Germany often called "Gangster-Citroen"; apparently a popular get-away-car). Back to the 2CV: since front- and rear-axles shared many parts, it was easy enough to produce a 4 wheel drive "Safari" version, which had a second complete engine and gearbox in the trunk.
you literally touched the shifter and said you don't know what it is for.. and then asked where the shifter knob is.. yeah.. it's the black thing protruding from the dash 😄
Those cars were the backbone of the rebuilding of France after WW2, they were cheap to build and maintain and were built to drive through a field with a basket full of eggs on the passenger seat and the eggs should not be broken, it was literally in the Citroën's specifications. The gear lever is where wipers would be now btw ;) Cheers from Provence :)
@@E_Dtl in fact the story is insane. they did hide it. Citroen R&D went to work on the 2cv as a military car but when the German were 10km away they called the local military leader to ask for divisions to fight to gain time to destroy documents, prototype, technologies etc.. The french army being outflank with speed the division defending Citroen h.q. fought until the last man to buy time for everyone working to hide and destroy everything. 3 engineers and 10 workers went to burn 3 2cv prototypes and the last one they took it part by part and hide it in the wall, in the roof, in the garden of the factory just before the German went to occupy the company. Louis Renault has kind the same story with the Renault 4cv
Hey, this is a thing for you as an American... The shifter is near under the dashboard and we European called it "Revolverschaltung" means revolver shifting
My grand parents had one with the suicide doors (front doors open the opposit way). This car is pretty amazing on old road. The second best Citroën After the DS
That's a Dutch license plate from the beginning of the 80's , so it was probably sold there first before crossing the ocean! These were very popular when I was a kid hahaha
I never drove it in the mountains but according to a friend it was excellent because of it's weight. His girlfriend was tiny and it would be different with four big guys I assume, but he had vacation luggage too.
I've been in one of the cars on more than one occasion. I feared for my life 😂. Impossible to roll over and the person who designed the gear stick selector definitely had a sense of humour
dunno. The gear selector is actually very easy to use once you are used to it - which doesn't take long. I like that it is easy to switch between 1st and reverse, as well as between 2nd and 3rd, as these are the 2 gear changes that you are going to need the most.
They are not at all impossible to roll over, Been there done that. Light enough to flip back onto the wheels by a couple of good lads though. Great little puddle hopper.
A funny story from my youth (about 40 years ago). We had a physics teacher who drove an orange 2CV. And he wanted to explain us something about physics and lever forces, etc. pp. Then he took us out to his car and we all lifted the 2CV together on one side. So we could have just knocked it over. That was really funny!
Think the 2CV was designed with very soft suspension so producers could get their eggs to market (over rough fields and roads) without breaking them. Apparently the suspension was simple, but ahead of it's time.
Citroen have produced wonderfully innovative cars from the post war Traction Avant right up until they were taken over by the conservative Peugeot Group. The 2CV was a brilliant solution to the original brief of a peoples car for France for minimum cost. Today, the 2CV is both hated and loved in equal measure. Its crash protection is dire and no sane parent would sanction its use on a daily basis. Its interesting though that they enjoy a magnificent reputation for fun motorsport.
It has a lot of travel and is very soft. when you take the car around tight turns, you can see, how much the wheels can drop down ^^
@@0megaming The soft suspension was a design solution to the brief that it had to be able to traverse a ploughed field (without breaking a basket of eggs) and to be cheap to buy and maintain for rural France. It was designed as a rural workhorse to support the typical French small holder farmers, allowing them to load up the rear with a bale of hay or a pig!. Irrespective of the soft suspension the car had good road holding so that it could be driven with a brick or a farmer's size 47 (UK12, US12.5) planted to the floorboards. Go watch any 2CV racing to see what its possible of.
@@clivewilliams3661 I know. And the slim tires actually help too, to find grip in loose ground like that.
Thanks to this suspension, the offroad capacities of the 2CV are remarkable. As a general rule, if you can drive a ath with a 4x4 Jeep, you will also be able to drive there with your 2CV. Maybe not at the same speed or with the same load - but if the Jeep doesn't get stuck, neither will the 2CV.
Elle vous va comme un gant.... 🤔 😁👌
Oh, look at all the nice Tatras in the background...
yeah that black knob is the gear shift sticks out of dashboard😅
This car is excellent for moving houses. One can even transport a three seater sofa by removing the car seats and opening the roof.
The cross country capabilities of the 2CV are legendary, I remember a report of an classic car rally , one of the stages was through Dakar, through the rock desert , apparently for the 2CV driver it was so fun that he did it twice.
My father had several 2CV Citroëns.
The most special one he had was the 2CV Sahara with 2 engines, one in the front (for the front wheels) and one in the back (for the rear wheels) so you have a 4x4 for the desert. It also has 2 petrol tanks under both front seats, a tank for its own engine.
The spare wheel is on the hood because there is no room in the trunk.
The gear lever is the black ball in the video next to the steering wheel, it only moves forward and backward and the black ball moves left or right to find the right gear.
In the Netherlands, the 2CV was also called "duck" or "Ugly Duck".
wow, the Sahara us really special. Less than 700 were built. If you were to sell one today, you may well fetch in excess of 70,000 Euros.
The same in Germany: "Ente"
2cv Sahara this is one of the rarest models , i'am french and never see one in my life
@@Spip-yt6dx no surprise it was so rare. Car was ridiculously expensive and at the same time impractical (no trunk as the space was used up for the 2nd engine; also basically the double fuel consumption when you drove in 4 wheel mode).
It is an absolute technological oddity, though. Even had 2 seaparate ignition keys, one for each engine.
Yes. We call this car a “Eend” in the Netherlands. It means duck
What a nice car with Dutch number plates 😄 These plates and other specs of the car tell me this car is from 1981 or 1982, not 1964. Looking forward to see you driving one 👍
I agree, the 2CV6 Club model didn't exist in 1964.
Correct 👍
Er zijn geen gegevens gevonden voor het ingevulde kenteken HK-15-PK. = No data was found for the completed registration number HK-15-PK.
@@97bowie97 are licenceplates not erased from the system once the car is taken off the road? Also i think this is a pre-computer age plate, so they may have it on file in some old paper. I dont know i'm not sure how that works. Enlighten me if you know. ✌️❤️
@@97bowie97 Het kenteken bestaat uiteraard niet meer volgens de RDW, maar de HK-serie is eind 1981 uitgegeven, kun je gewoon terugvinden.
I had several 2CVs, but I as a slim European man fit in it wonderfully. Generally, I don't like it when people from foreign countries make fun of our 2CV, because they don't understand the car and its history and how it fits into the French landscape. The man in the example was impressed, after all.
That's a 60 years old car designed almost 80 years ago. Just stating that, we need to look at it with a different look. Et puis, quand cette voiture est conduite par une bonne soeur, Louis de Funes peut confirmer que c'est la voiture la plus rapide du monde 😉🤣
I wouldn't care so much about the fun they make on the 2CV, because I would not be surprised if those people did not have anything native or national that could resemble the 2CV in general characteristics (when simplicity and effectiveness come together into avant-garde), with a suspensions that works so effectively and therefore their fun on it is some kind of masked jealousy.
I have never driven a 2CV, and possibly never even rode in one, but we do own a GS, the 2CV "son", and our original car, the one that saw me been born.
My cousin went from France to Portugal and back twice a year for over 10 years in one of those. That little car was a beast!
The last units were put together in Portugal, Mangualde plant.
@@jmbpinto73 Sério? Não tinha ideia disso 😃
❤Portugal❤
@@Bastet__0 nen tu nem eu.
I got super distracted by the 300ZX pacecar in the background lol
The name is basically "2 Cylinder Vehicle" = 2CV. The lever with the white ring cap is the Park brake. Yes, The plain black handled lever higher on the dash is the gear shifter for a "Dog Leg" layout. 1st is all the way to the left then Backwards, 2nd is where 1st would be on most modern cars then straight back for 3rd. These little cars were designed as a simple little workhorse that you could thrash and bash about in as a cheap little car. Despite there size they are surprisingly comfortable to use for distance driving.
The suspension was weird in that it was a pair of self contained suspension units mounted on the frame parallel to the sills. Each one provided suspension for the front AND rear wheel at the same time. One 'dual' unit on each side. A really interesting little 'post war' car to learn about. Every 2CV had a canvas roof from factory as it was cheaper than fitting a solid metal roof. Built from 1949 (375cc 8hp) until 1990 (602cc 30hp).
If you want a real laugh, check out the Peel P50. The smallest UK production car. A single seater tiny thing.
No, 2CV (deux chevaux) translates to "two horses", meaning "two taxable horsepower".
No, 2CV actually means 2 Chevaux Vapeur (Steam Horses), the horsepower produced by a steam-engine of that capacity with around 7 psi (48 kPa) of steam would develop. That's quite a low steam pressure, illustrating how long ago the CV metric was used to calculate tax.
I had one in ’mellow yellow’ and I loved it. The cheapest convertible and airco ever😆. It has a Dutch plate btw. Shifter is on the dashboard.
Oh yeah, the 2CV. Unfortunately there were no windowpanes. You would love them. To open you just flick them up. This was in my early youth the second most sold car (after the beetle) in Europe.
In Germany the 2CV is called "Ente" (Duck)...my dad had one and a DS...with the 2CV we had a lot of fun drivin on 2 wheels through curves...🤣
The design brief for the 2CV stated that a farmer had to be able to carry out simple repairs in the field using basic tools.
My driving teacher always told a story that he once passed and left behind a Porsche on the Autobahn with his 2CV - in heavy rain! Because while the Porsche had to temper his horses to avoid sliding off the road, the 2CV could go full throttle since there's no aquaplaning with wheels that look like cut-off discs... 😂
My grandmother had a beloved Citroen for many years, but she was only 5'!! 😁
Cool thing about these is how much they roll in corners, coupled with the fact the handbrake was a disk mounted to the drive shaft, if you pulled the handbrake whilst wallowing in a corner you could stop the car and get out with it leaning at comedic angles
Yup the shifter is the black ball sticking out the dash
first black stick you grabbed.. you slide it back and forward and rotate left or right.. the last one you touched, is handbrake..to unlock, pull a bit and rotate and push down..
i still love the fact the 2cv is called "ente" in germany wich translates to "duck". idk the reason for it i just call it like that ever since my family had one when i was a kid
Same in Dutch "Eend" or "Lelijk eendje" ugly duckling
if i am correct in england it was called ducky or duckling
@@eve-llblyat2576 thoght it was the tin snail.
In the Netherlands it is/was called "(Lelijke) eend(je)" which translates to " (ugly) duck(ling)"
Yes, _I fly Bleifrei_ ;-)
2:40
The upper lever where you went "what is this for" is the shifter.
I can confirm the Dutch license plate on it is from around 1981. The model also looks from around that time. The model plates on the back are also more modern than 1964 and confirm it's a 600cc model, not a 425. What probably happened is that the exhibition plaque was just copied from when they (or another museum) had an older 2CV.
I agree with you 100%: This is NOT a 1964 model as mentioned on the sign; this is definitely a 1980s model!!!
Those Tatras though!
Renault sold way way more R4s than Citroën did with their 2CV though
I belive there were some Tatra´s in the background. Greetings from The Czech Republic 🖖
And it's a 2CV 'Club' - the luxurious version 😂
It's the thing in the dash. The manual transmission.
I know you can drive a manual but I dare you figure out how to operate this one even after being told which lever is the shifter tbh.
Very envious of you visit though. Lane is an incredibly diverse collection/interactive museum and I have only had the pleasure of seeing it online.
When my uncle visited us back in 1979 we had a Dyane (the squarer, hatchback version of the 2cv). He laughed at it at first thinking he'll never fit in it, then absolutely loved driving it considering he was used to driving pick-up trucks and a Lincoln Town Car.
The first big car I bought was a Citroen CX25 GTi Turbo 2 which is as far removed from a 2cv as you could get - I also had a D Special (ID19B) which was a lovely car to drive and soaked up all the bumps on the road without a problem.
The gear shift pattern on 2cv/Dyane/Ami/Mehari/Bijou/etc. (and also Traction Avants) is the other way round compared to most manuals as it's R-2-4 on the top (push forwards) and 1-3 on the bottom (pull back) - neutral is the knurled mark on the gearstick.
The shifter basically comes out of the dashboard towards you (in the middle, the black ball thing). My mom had one when we were kids. Loved that thing. (Mom loved it and hated it at the same time.)
This car was really popular with students back in the day...👍
That was actually the shifter. You touched it! 😂 Nice vid, we can actually feel your pleasure 😍
that 2CV has a Dutch plate!😂
Dutch people seem to love old school Citroens, it's not that rare to see old DS and CXs and so on there.
🤣
The plate is dutch and bild bj 1982
Lol ik zag het ook
Citroën’s grand father is dutch, and took the name Citroën from is job selling lemon. This connection makes that dutch are big fan of Citroën.
Fun fact, if you want to remove the doors you just slide them up. The same with the bonnet and boot (hood and trunk).
A single guy can replace the engine without mechanical lifting devices (not that heavy) the engine is a tiny flat twin like half a beetle engine driving the front wheels. It’s air cooled.
Simple cars to work on.
You could also take the seats out for a picnic.
Yes, the gear shifter is the big knob in the dashboard. And you were lucky that they took the windows out, that helped a bit getting in.
The 2CV was basically the french beetle. It was designed after WW2 to be cheap and easy to produce, affordable for many people but yet practical in use. The first ones only had 1 headlight, 3 bolts on each wheel ect., everthing they could do to cut cost. The engine was kind of a BMW flat 2 cylinder motorbike engine design with 500cc. Easy to maintain and low on fuel consumption.
If you really want to know what a small car feels like, try a Fiat 500 from the post war era. That was the italian version of the beetle and the 2CV. Just about half the size... :)
Just make sure the folding sun roof is open - you gonna need it.
Actually it isn't only the very first 2CVs that have 3 bolts in the weel. All of them have that, down to the very last one that was produced in 1991.
And yes, Fiat 500 and Nuova 500 are FAR smaller than the 2 CV.
I once saw a Nuova 500 parked next to a 2CV, and next to that was a VW Beetle. Pity I didn't have a camera with me. At any rate, the 2CV looked big next to the 500. And the Beetle looked HUGE.
Yeah, for me rhe Fiat 500 is a one seater. But it's so cool! I'm currently looking for a good one, but I want an Abarth...;)
@@stuborn-complaining-german Or buy a normal 500 and then get a Abarth wiper shield and the different lock for the rear flap - the rest nobody will notice anyway. :)
@@petebeatminister For me it's the inner values that are more relevant than the looks. The exterior will be completely overhauled anyways, but getting that engine, exhaust, aso. is way more difficult...
My parents took me to France on occasional holidays from 1959 onwards, and I remember there being many of these there. They can be called "deux-chevaux" (two horses) (pronounced der-shuh-voh), which is where the abbreviation comes from. My mother thought they looked like coal-scuttles.
You must remember that many French roads at that time were cobbled, and these were designed for this. (This was even true in the North of England, and, remember, there was still bomb damage from the Second World War. My grandmother was going with my mother through, I think, Leeds, just after the War, and said to her, "Eileen, I've just seen daylight under all four wheels of the car in front!".)
In Spain was called "dos caballos" (two horses). It was my father firts car (later 60's).
My best memories with a 2CV are back in high school times at the early 80s: we had a teacher, a very pretty, relatively young lady, we all all loved her and she lived in the same village I and some of my friends were living and she gave us pretty often a ride home - so we were up to 4 hormone bursting teenagers with this lovely lady and she drove this thing like hell, she had one with the hinged windows and in summer they were not locked and flapping open and closed in every corner through which she raced... 🥰🥰🤩
That black lever is your gear shifter its simple but it was made for farmers so they would have something to take their family to town kinda like the international scout or the Australian UTEs
The gear shifter is indeed "that thing coming out from the dashboard". There's a very good video, made by an American, explaining every quirk of that car, including the shifter. The name of the video is:
The Citroen 2CV Looks Like A Snail & Drives Like A Water Bed But Here’s Why It’s Awesome
by TFLclassics
Jump to 9:00 on that video for the shifter.
link ruclips.net/video/QfjQw7rBgsw/видео.html
in germany they are called duck (Ente)🙃🙂
Yes. The gear shifter is the black lever with the ball on top. And the handbrake is the lever with the white button. Notice the position of the first gear. The 2CV was designed to be very affordable. The first prototype was built before WW2 in the early 30’s. Production was cancelled by the war. It was built until the early 80’s’ the 2CV6 being the most powerfull and « modern » one. Something like 28 hp. That’s not a lot, but the car is very light. It can drive at 125kph (80 mph) and has disk brakes on the front wheels. They are pretty rare nowadays in France but German and Dutch love them. I think the plates on the car are from the Netherlands. There was even a 4x4 version with 2 engines. One on the front, one on the rear.
@@justhouz I'd never heard of a 4x4 2CV, with two engines! Sounds fun.
Very rare here in Portugal too, nowadays, but you may still see one on the road, ever so often.
@@jeanackle It's the 2CV Sahara. It's pretty rare. Look at this video. It's in french but you'll see what it looks like and how it runs. ruclips.net/video/jKP9My_0NxE/видео.html
These Citroens are amazing. They were in production from 1948 to 1990.
Like a kid in a candy store, great stuff!
It's a really clever car with an extremely clever suspension. It can be this comfortable because the front wheel being pushed up pushes the rear wheel down keeping the car level. Due trough how the front and rear suspension are connected this works perfectly at 62 km/h for a Dutch speed bump. Go a bit slower and you're going too fast for the speedbump.
It's a lovely car to drive, it was actually the first car I drove. It keeps you very much involved and you have to work to get any speed out of it, but any speed feels speedy in this car. It rolls a lot in the corners but it won't roll over or be otherwise unpredictable, only in reverse you can roll it. You can get a lot of stuff in it with the roof open, and you can take 3 tall friends and one person you don't like. You can fit that one in the middle of the rear seat and hit a bump.
this is a later 2cv where the interconnection was disconnected. Certainly in 1964 they were interconnected but this is a 'funny money' 2cv exported to USA where it took on a false identity to get around their rules.
Lol, brilliant. Well done Ian, you wore that car haha.
Originally used for carrying fresh eggs across French farms, well according to Jeremy Clarkson on top gear anyways.
not sure if anyone told, but in Germany they are known as "Ente/ Duck", there´s a big fan base
You earned yourself a new subscriber. I love your approach to that myth that is the 2cv. Warm regards from France
Here in Germany one of our teachers in the 80's had a 2CV for ages. It was however eventually replaced by a Fiat Uno which was of course lightyears ahead in terms of technology, refinement and economy.
A friend had it's competitor, the Renault R4 (1961 - 1994), for a short while. This was a spiritual successor and competitor to the Citroen 2CV, being more modern (4 door hatchback design), more powerful and capable of comfortable motorway travel.
It had a dash-mounted pistol-grip type manual gearchange and served a long time as entry-level french motoring.
He soon replaced it with an actual 80's era car 😉
It may be slow and underpowered but has one of the best suspensions ever created. 🤗
If you really want one, it is cheaper to import them because scalpers charge nearly 20 grand for a decent example on American shores.
😂It has a dutch licenseplate and the black knott is gear, the Red is the Choke to start and the handle is the hand brake
PS it's also know as The Ugly Eend, when you drive it, it almost waddles like a duck but super comfy!
The license plates are from the Netherlands
the shifter is the one with the ball, the other one with the button is the parking break
the red button is the starter, that tweaks the carburettor setting
Too much sausage rolls Ian 😀😂🤣
The nickname of the 2CV in The Netherlands is "eend" which means "duck" and the Citroen DS is called the "snoek" which is the fish called "Northern Pike" in the U.S.
The shifter is that brilliant ball at the dash, left push inside is reverse, left pull outside is 1st gear, center inside 2nd, center outside 3rd and right inside 4th
in germany we call it "Duck" cuz its wobbelts like a duck tail when it comes around the corner ^^
The gear shifter does indeed come out of the dash.
It was the Rod with the shiny black ball on it.
You can see it on the right of the screen when you froze the video.
It’s an unusual gear pattern.
If memory serves me correctly, you pull the lever towards the driver and pull back for first, over to the right and forward for second, straight back for third and push to the right and forward into forth.
Reverse is toward the driver and forward ( marked as AR on the gear selector diagram).
My first car in the 80s.. lots of fun.. although I had to use the crank from time to time to start the engine.
According to the Dutch license plate and the big dashboard, the car is not from 1964, but from 1981. And yes, the shifter is that thing in the dashboard. Very handy, close to the steering wheel.
Yeah, the grille looks too modern.
And thanks to a video I watched some time ago, I know those round headlights at the time were offered for the retro look.
Rear lights look way too modern for 1964 or even the 1970s too.
You are Wright its a Dutch number plate
It's defenitely from the 80’s. A lot of differences compared to 60's models. The shifter is a sort of a push/pull/twist kinda thing. 🙂
You are right... It's an 80's car, and that is in line with the 80's Dutch license plate..
And such a shifter was back in the days used in many other cars like the Renault 4.
In bloody good condition it is. 👍🤠
My wife and I have 2 of them. We use them as daily driver. Fantastic car. If you're in the Netherlands you're welcome to take a spin!
French manuals are pretty simple: For making the carriage walking at the first speed, take back the drag of the wheel backward crowbar of the right completely and progressively, while you hurl the mover till his starting. For taking the second speed, push rapidly at the crowbar forward without brutality and engage all its strength.
For stopping, though, you're on your own.
🤣
I'm pretty sure standing up and spreading your arms like some sort of air brake is the correct procedure for stopping.
😂🎉
@@laupstad this is a car built by aeronautical and race car engineers the brakes are inboard to reduce unsprung weight, the suspension system is designed to keep the maximum of tyre tread on the road. all in all its a car designed for the purpose of transporting people and things cheaply and in the maximum comfort. its a magnificent study in minimalism using design and engineering. it is fantastic evidence of the capabilities of french car design with italian help (styled by Bertone and engine and gearbox designed by walter becchia). altogther a master piece of european co-operation.
yup that knob was idd the shifter
Man alive, you’re built like a normal tall guy, but you reminded me of Tyrone getting out of the Rover in ‘Snatch’ 😂. Original Fiat 500 next!
There's an episode of Top Gear where Clarkson goes racing in one, he spends most of the lap laughing his head off
No 0-60 mph time ever recorded, 44 s on the quarter mile. But the most fun on a dirt road you can think of. Love them😊
The shifter is the 'anyone know what this would be for' with the round handle.
black round ball was the gear lever- push me / pull you gear system :) Hockey stick was handbrake x
My uncle had the Diane, a sort of luxury version of the standard 2cv. As a kid I thought they where fantastic. He also had a original mini cooper. Those where awesome as well!
It was called Dyane.
And the other comment is a scambot impersonator. Report them too please.
When I was a little kid I drove one time in the backseat of the "Ente" (Duck). The father of my best friend in primary school had this model, but I think with a little bit more horsepower (between 30 and 40?!?). However, this car is famous for his speed around the corner. You can do whatever you want, it won´t fell over. Riding in the backseat felt like in a rollercoaster.
Btw, you can see this model still driving on the streets in Europe. I have seen one a few days ago.
The only car with more doors than horsepower😅
Lol not entirely true it has like 15hp, the name is just how the insurance HP rating works.
@@bluej511 yeah I know. I just like doing the gag.
My mom had one back in the 80's when I was a teen. I just pottered over the fields a little and never drove it on the road. Here in Germany it was hugely poupular among students and other folks who didn't have much money to spend and generally called "Ente" ("duck") for the chatter of the engine sound. However, the rusted through rather quickly, so in the 90's they were scrapped in droves and you could pick up a dozen ducks in need for some welding for a fiver. Now you can spot the occasional specimen which is usually restored and kept spotless.
I really enjoy the minimalism of European post-WW II cars. There was a real need to be clever and unorthodox when resources are limited to non-existent. Check out the BMW Isetta or Messerschmitt Kabinenroller for example.
Btw. this car is front-wheel driven. Citroen was pioneering front-wheel drive in the 30's with their "Traction Avant" (in Germany often called "Gangster-Citroen"; apparently a popular get-away-car). Back to the 2CV: since front- and rear-axles shared many parts, it was easy enough to produce a 4 wheel drive "Safari" version, which had a second complete engine and gearbox in the trunk.
“How ya goin’”? Sounded VERY natural
My dad had a friend who was 6.2 ft tall and had a Fiat 600. Every time he struggled to get into his tiny car we joked that he was "wearing" the car.
Your exit from the 2CV was far more elegant than I expected 😂😂😂
Lmao same here, I was pleasantly surprised 🤣🤣
That car was probably imported from The Netherlands, seeing it has an old Dutch licenseplate on it.. 😎
Ohhhh this was so cute! You looked adorable in that tiny car. Reminded me of the Gogo mobile ads we used to have LOL!
I had one of these back in the 1990s. It was so much fun. My kids refused to ride in it in case their friends saw them 🤪
I've travelled in a friends 2CV, the front passenger space reminds me of a Cessna 152.
Great little car.
you literally touched the shifter and said you don't know what it is for.. and then asked where the shifter knob is..
yeah.. it's the black thing protruding from the dash 😄
Those cars were the backbone of the rebuilding of France after WW2, they were cheap to build and maintain and were built to drive through a field with a basket full of eggs on the passenger seat and the eggs should not be broken, it was literally in the Citroën's specifications. The gear lever is where wipers would be now btw ;) Cheers from Provence :)
And I believe they made the prototypes of the car, before the war. And kept them i hiding during the war.
@@E_Dtl It might be, I'm not a Citroën's expert :)
@@E_Dtl in fact the story is insane.
they did hide it. Citroen R&D went to work on the 2cv as a military car but when the German were 10km away they called the local military leader to ask for divisions to fight to gain time to destroy documents, prototype, technologies etc..
The french army being outflank with speed the division defending Citroen h.q. fought until the last man to buy time for everyone working to hide and destroy everything.
3 engineers and 10 workers went to burn 3 2cv prototypes and the last one they took it part by part and hide it in the wall, in the roof, in the garden of the factory just before the German went to occupy the company.
Louis Renault has kind the same story with the Renault 4cv
@@E_Dtl yes, about 250 prototypes were hidden sometimes in pieces all over the country, to avoid the war oponents to find them.
Lmao, if you got confused by the 2CV shifter lol, try the Renault 4L lol
the black ball on dash board is the gearbox lever in france we call this type off lever umbrela lever
Hey, this is a thing for you as an American... The shifter is near under the dashboard and we European called it "Revolverschaltung" means revolver shifting
In Germany we call this car "Ente" (Duck).
My grand parents had one with the suicide doors (front doors open the opposit way). This car is pretty amazing on old road. The second best Citroën After the DS
I love that car! Especially the colour. It looks really neat!
El Patito Feo 😍(2cv) how many memories
That car is so cute! It reminds me of the modern 'smart' cars. Very compact! Thank you for the video!
I can relate to the not fitting in cars thing. I need to be really careful because I won't fit on a lot of smaller models. Legs too long, lol.
That's a Dutch license plate from the beginning of the 80's , so it was probably sold there first before crossing the ocean! These were very popular when I was a kid hahaha
The first blue Cit' was called the Mountain Goat as it would go anywhere lol..
I never drove it in the mountains but according to a friend it was excellent because of it's weight. His girlfriend was tiny and it would be different with four big guys I assume, but he had vacation luggage too.
That TATRAs on BACK my love!
There's also a 4x4 version of this car which has an additional engine on the front for the front wheel drive. So dual engine 4x4
Car from France, in Nashville, with Dutch number plates 🤣
I've been in one of the cars on more than one occasion. I feared for my life 😂. Impossible to roll over and the person who designed the gear stick selector definitely had a sense of humour
dunno. The gear selector is actually very easy to use once you are used to it - which doesn't take long.
I like that it is easy to switch between 1st and reverse, as well as between 2nd and 3rd, as these are the 2 gear changes that you are going to need the most.
They are not at all impossible to roll over, Been there done that. Light enough to flip back onto the wheels by a couple of good lads though. Great little puddle hopper.
hahah you make me laugh! my grandma used to drive a 2CV yellow ;)
I love your Australian Aboriginal t-shirt with the "xray" cross-hatched kangaroo!!!
A funny story from my youth (about 40 years ago).
We had a physics teacher who drove an orange 2CV. And he wanted to explain us something about physics and lever forces, etc. pp. Then he took us out to his car and we all lifted the 2CV together on one side. So we could have just knocked it over.
That was really funny!
Funny it still has the dutch plates on it
The lever protruding from the dash is indeed the gear shifter, twist left and pull out to engage first