Billy Joel had one of these. He crashed it through a hedge and into someone's front yard, but unfortunately not into their swimming pool like Inspector Clouseau. Still you have to admire the effort to propel such a lightweight tin-can auto through such sturdy vegetation!
I have one! mine is 3cv in Argentina, yes i think on crash but.. worst is a motorcycle! , the problem is idiots driving at ilegal speeds and without driving skills too..
I was born and used to live in France, but have spent most of my life here in the States. The 2CV champions minimalism, accessibility (meaning it was cheap to buy and maintain) and frugality. These were strong selling points in Europe, but fairly alien concepts on this side of the Atlantic, where people tend to place far more emphasis on flash, luxury and excess. Which is why it never could have enjoyed mainstream popularity here, as beloved as it is by a niche segment of the population.
My father, a French civil engineer, worked in the 1950s and 1960s in East Africa on many construction sites. He had a Land Rover, a Jeep and a 2CV. When he had to urgently solve a problem on a bush site, no asphalt road thank you, but bush tracks full of potholes turning into mud river during the rainy season, and he did not need to carry heavy and enormous tools or heavy spare parts, he favoured his 2CV to spare his back. He used to say that he would get there faster with his 2CV, ... yes even with a 2CV.
@@francinesicard464 Ça en dit long sur la fiabilité et la polyvalence de la 2CV ! (For any non-French speaking people who happen to read this: That speaks volumes about the 2CV's reliability and versatility!)
You're right, 2CV are way more environment friendly to build, and with modern tech, you could easily make them even more economical to drive. Damn safety rules, this car could be the best answer to global warming!
I never saw the appeal of the 2CV when they were commonplace on UK roads. But now I kind of do. It's motoring at its most simple. I'd have one as a 3rd car.
0-60 in 28 seconds is still better than the 1982 Pontiac 1000/Chevy Chevette, which took 30 seconds (also featured in another Motorweek Retro Review). Braking distances are comparable to modern compact/midsize sedans. Not bad for a 29 hp, 2 cylinder "put-put" motor
cadsux Good point, But the 1982 Pontiac 1000 had a automatic transmission. The Citroën has a manual transmission. A manual is about 2 seconds faster then the automatic. Citroën deux chevaux never came with a automatic. So if it had a automatic if would of been 30 or 31 seconds to go 0-60 if it had a automatic.
Windows 95 Still, with those untested numbers, it's not bad for a 60 year old design with half the horsepower. The manual transmissions by Citroen and GM were 4 speed, while the GM's automatic was 3 speed. Not all manual transmissions are faster, more fuel efficient, nor more reliable than automatics.
sekopiski I'm aware of that. It wasn't capable of exceeding 50 mph anyway. I'm also aware it doesn't have a turbo/supercharger, power brakes, power steering, performance tires, airbags, on-board computer, AC and other creature comforts, which may or may not have given it an advantage. I can't believe some are nitpicking with a bunch of "if's" over this 60 year old minimalist design in which I had commented as "not bad". Mr. Davis even said "you can't really measure the 2CV's qualities by statistics..."
+cadsux Top speed from the 2cv"6" (29hp) is 115kmph= 71mph This speed can be reached without problem on flat road without wind (i drive one), and the engine can run without duration limit at this speed: was designed able to run full power (air and oil cooled)
Fantastic car , I've owned many over the years, from a brand new one in 1990 to my very last in around 2003 and even after buying other cars like jaguar's and Audi's I've never lost my love for the 2cv
@@MacTechG4 It is nice when people which didn't own Yugo, have lots to say about car, that they only seen on media. I love how american people love their more than half century old V8 push rod, 2 valves per cylinder, low rew, uneconomical, environment destroying engines. This only show that people dont have their own opinion and are easy manipulated.
I have owned my 2cv Charleston for over 20 years and driven almost half a million miles with it. It turns heads and creates interest wherever I go. Would not swap for anything else.
+mipmipmipmipmip The same as every old car in the case of a crash but, with greater brakes, stability and grip to the road than any other, which is also safety, and if its not ocasioned by someone else, to have an accident by yourself in one of this... You'd better not drive anymore. I've owned a few, and many other cars, modern and old ones, and this one is just great.
@ you don't need to know how to fix them - there's hardly anything that goes wrong with them, and when it does, you can fix it with some chewed gum, some steel wire and pliers. You could actually take the whole car apart using only the emergency crank handle/hubcap remover/wheel nut remover/etc. tool provided with it.
David M You don't need to know much. Take the wheels : they auto balance. They have special "cowboy hat" nuts allowing the wheel to find its center of mass while you are driving. You can change a tire and put it back in place without realising that wheels in general need to be balanced. The idea was that the engineers had to provide the french famers with a self sustainable car. Also it was the fist tubeless car. The engine is air cooled. It's an aluminiun casted flat 2 cylinders boxer designed by a race engineer. An aluminium engine in 1945! The onboard brakes also are common on race cars. There are no head cylindre gaskets, cause the don't open. Some model have a trafic cluch, disengaging the motor in urban trafic when the car stops. The front and read suspension interact.
I've been waiting for this one! The 2CV, while an acquired taste, is a great little car and a brilliant feat of engineering and packaging, if not build quality and speed. Thank you for uploading this.
It was build to be cheap to buy and cheap to repair. Almost everything is bolted on so you can just unbolt it. It was mainly for farmers while didn't own cars at the time. I think another thing that has made the 2CV what it is, is it's exterior design. It's very rounded and cute even when compared to other European cars at the time. Americans especially found it very remarkable when compared to cars from the same era like the Mustang. It just looks cute and appealing which is a big reason why you see the car in children's shows all the time.
A 2CV in running condition , not restored , with logical scratches , sells at 5 ooo Euros here....Some are reaching more than 12 000 in neat condition , concours of elegance.Wich is stupid cause they were cheap cars ,made for the people ,and not for being upgraded until they look like a RRoyce...
Excellent review. Nailing so many parts of its character. More smiles per mile. We have a few more here in Australia than you do in the US. I have done 550,000 kms in 3 new 2CV6s across 42 years. I will never be without my 1990 RHS Charleston. The friendliest car on the planet. Yah.
0:23 lmao that intro is pure wooden acting, crazy how that was the finished product John: well I guess we’ll just have to wait, thank you, Joyce. Joyce: *blank stare.*
Robert Pierson the planing of the VW started in 1931 and the 2CV in 1934. The first 2CV rolled out in 1939 and production was stoped due to WW2. There where also other companies trying to develop a “peoples car” these two cars were the first to achieve that with success.
@Robert Pierson Answer doesn't mean copy. In fact, they are totally diferent cars, from the engine to the architecture itself. The 2cv was an incredible innovative car. And let me say that nazis, I mean, VW started it's project in 1937, not 1931, so in any case the Bettle was the copy. Did you know the Frenchs hide this project because they were afraid of Nazis to steal it? That's why.
The VW Bug had independent but the got 25 mpg tops and was even slower and the top speed was 80 mph . So the French did their work in art and engineering . A true sense of form and function . A sensible car . Cant go so fast to hurt your self and built in safety that your arms get tired before the steering does . Enough room for not one but two sheep . LOL . It also has enough room for three French women and a bottle of french wine . LOL
Anyone recall what year this review aired? Last time I saw one on the road was when I was in college in the early 1970s. A young lady owned it; was always stalling it in traffic; maybe she had problems with that shifter.
Acceleration don't matter in this kind of car, it's like VW 1200, it's classic, beautiful and exclusive, not sports or fast. It's a pos-war european car, it's history over wheels.
i grew up with one of those, every mother in the neighborhood had one, i remember at least 5 2CV, our had a hole in the back floor just covered by a floor mat, my mother told me this hole is to escape when the car is upside down, i believed her for years....at least it was fun seeing the street under your feet’s...
Not “coil springs” at all four wheels. only two coil springs each one laying lying horizontally between the front and rear wheel on each side of the car with incredibly long suspension travel making it almost impossible to lift a wheel off the ground. An amazing car. I presently.own three versions: One 50s look sedan, one fourgonette.AK400 and one plastic. bodied Mehari. All with the same engine, transmission and chassis. NOTHING charms like a 2CV. re
I watched an engineering video on the suspension by a guy that has written a book on 120 years of car suspension - its truly genius how the tube the springs are in move back and forth to limit the back and forth pitch of the car.
@@FlixTV101 Maybe but at least a 2CV can avoid colision, try to avoid hitting a deer, for example, with an SUV going 50mph you'd end up in a ditch or on the roof.
Mr. Davis, you're wrong: the 2CV wasn't named after its engine's physical horsepower (it had 9hp, after all!)! It was originally named after its number of taxable horsepower, 2hp (or ''2CV'', since it was a french tax)!
I've seen 2 2CV's in the US. One was at a car show in New Jersey, and the other was being driven around as a sort of rolling advertisement for a business in Bar Harbor, Maine.
As you can tell from my avatar, I think the 2CV is just about the cutest thing on earth. What a shame it isn't made anymore. But used ones are being refurbished and are selling for top dollar. They will be around for a while longer! Yay!
Well, back in the 80s it would be better than a yugo. More relaiable, comfortable, more room, better road handling, more economic. Just 1 thing... It would be slower, but then again you WOULD arive.
The road holding of this car makes it unique in the world of simple democratic cars since it is outpeforming even some sport coupes. Plus, this car was made for the farmers since you could just go on the field, no need for 4WD, better then every SUVs around. Indeed,this simple car had impressive engineering ideas like all Citroen always had such as front wheel drive (in its 1939 prototype as well), independant suspension, transerval torsion bars connected together, long wheel displacement, soft suspension, air cooled boxer engine with two fixing bolts, easy to remove, simple chassis. Efficient simplicity.
There was a 4WD 2CV called the Sahara. It had 2 engines, one running the front two wheels and running the back two wheels with absolutely unmatched and perfectly balanced traction. Created for doctors needing such traction in the snow covered mountain roads of
Gott, was würde ich geben, um so ein Auto besitzen zu dürfen .... Ich würde darin schlafen, darin leben, ich fände das größte Glück auf dieser Erde, könnte ich von München, wo ich lebe, nur ein Mal noch nach Barcelona, nach Faro und dann zu den liebsten Menschen, die ich kenne, den Franzosen, fahren und bei ihnen essen und leben. Wir Bosch haben verdammt viel falsch gemacht, weil wir Idioten uns von sonem A... verführen ließen, aber in realitas haben wir absolut nichts gegen die Franzosen, zumal sie ja viel besser verstehen zu essen und zu leben als wir Bosch, die wir nur einfach reinschlingen, was billig ist ...
Take out passenger seat and back bench, push forward the driver's seat, and voila: you have over 8 feet of almost flat surface on which to place matrazes to sleep 2 to 4 people sardine like... I have pictures to proof
I wonder why Renault, Citroen and/or Peugeot haven't tried to get back into the American market. I would think at least Peugeot could hold down the hot hatch segment. But please, Renault, no sneaking in the ugly through Nissan.
Renault ruined the party with several of their models and there wasn't a Ferrari to redeem the country when we got French schlock. I also think Fiat has a lot of ownership in the French market, and after the Ritmo they buggered off with their tail between their legs for over 3 decades and only now have tenatively come back as the demand for econo-cars has risen in the US.
@@harleymitchelly5542 I have to think Stellantis is planning to spring Citroen or Peugeot on us, since they don't seem interested in plugging Fiat or Alfa Romeo anymore. Fiat's only got one model in the US now. I'm hoping they don't pull back out again, but it doesn't look good.
@@cubdukat It's for the best if they do. The new version of the 500 is known to be fraught with reliability issues, so the Ritmo problem has already ingrained itself and Fiat just is not recognized as a good brand to buy. Really, they should have avoided the compact car market altogether and made a modern incarnation of their old convertibles. Italian cars have reliability issues, but the cheap sports car market is way more forgiving of that, especially if parts are easy to replace. In general European to US crossovers should start with more performance and luxury oriented vehicles to build up prestige before the econoboxes, Fiat was going toe-to-toe against Japan's pre-existing economy car cred in the US and no one really should have expected that to go well. If a Citroen/Peugeot/Renault brand is going to do well, I think they need to go the Ford route with their business model and have a relatively independent branch in the US that can make US cars, akin to Ford Europe being a very different brand than Ford US. Fiat's got the IP for AMC, bring them back as a US branch with a lot of autonomy. I could definitely see support for an Eagle wagon return that's not just another crossover SUV again.
More accurate would be with the original VW Beetle. Both, in their own ways, were never intended to compete with cars, but horses and buggies, hence extremely simple design, ease of maintenance, and robust build quality.
Honestly, it's a good competitor to the VW Beetle or VW Thing in terms of what it set out to do. It was never meant to compete with cars originally, Andre Citroen originally devised the car to compete with the horse and buggy, and that sardine-tin top was so that a man could ride comfortably in one without removing his top hat. Hence the pure simplicity of the thing. The entire body can be removed with the undoing of I believe 29 bolts. 'Twas but a simple car for simple driving.
I have a 1988 Burgundy/Black Charleston like the one in the video. I love this car, driving it is always an event with people giving us a thumbs up, a smile or taking our picture. It's surprisingly simple and very reliable, I'll have other cars but this one will always be in my garage!
Strange to see a 2CV in the U.S
Little late to the party, but I've seen one or two in the US. I've also seen one Citroen DS.
@@marcohooghoed715Interesting! The examples I saw were in the metro area of Minneapolis
0-60 in.... Never
Billy Joel had one of these. He crashed it through a hedge and into someone's front yard, but unfortunately not into their swimming pool like Inspector Clouseau. Still you have to admire the effort to propel such a lightweight tin-can auto through such sturdy vegetation!
@@marcohooghoed715 i'd reckon they probably came from quebec haha.
From european france to north american france
Do not forget, that you can easily take all seats out of car and have a nice picnic with comfy seats.
awesome
Don't the doors come off real easy also on purpose?
And you can literally get everywhere with this car, no 4x4 needed . Simple, comfy, reliable and easy to maintain. That is the spirit of the real 2cv
My dad had one the same color as in the video.
That car was great, economic, with low maintenance.
A great urban car and good for the highway as well.
I cant imagine how terrifing a 2cv on the highway would be.
@@MeDicen_Rocha In a word......................................DEATHTRAP!!!!!
2 CV Charleston .
Cool little car, getting expensive here in Ireland. Wouldn't like to be inside one in a crash though... You would end up wearing it like a hat
Very Panze-- sorry Merc S Class then and a top "gangsta" one as well ! see
You Tube for DEAD MANS SHOES
I have one! mine is 3cv in Argentina, yes i think on crash but.. worst is a motorcycle! , the problem is idiots driving at ilegal speeds and without driving skills too..
Still quicker than some home produced V8s lol
it's basically a lawn mower for the road.
cool little car aint it
I remember seeing one in New Jersey as a boy. But then again, a lot of weird things were in New Jersey as well.
I was born and used to live in France, but have spent most of my life here in the States. The 2CV champions minimalism, accessibility (meaning it was cheap to buy and maintain) and frugality. These were strong selling points in Europe, but fairly alien concepts on this side of the Atlantic, where people tend to place far more emphasis on flash, luxury and excess. Which is why it never could have enjoyed mainstream popularity here, as beloved as it is by a niche segment of the population.
My father, a French civil engineer, worked in the 1950s and 1960s in East Africa on many construction sites. He had a Land Rover, a Jeep and a 2CV. When he had to urgently solve a problem on a bush site, no asphalt road thank you, but bush tracks full of potholes turning into mud river during the rainy season, and he did not need to carry heavy and enormous tools or heavy spare parts, he favoured his 2CV to spare his back. He used to say that he would get there faster with his 2CV, ... yes even with a 2CV.
@@francinesicard464 Ça en dit long sur la fiabilité et la polyvalence de la 2CV ! (For any non-French speaking people who happen to read this: That speaks volumes about the 2CV's reliability and versatility!)
Here in Iran it was produced for so long and still it's used for wedding rides 😉
S.Mohsen Mousavi isn’t the internet banned there
KS 451 that’s iraq. and no.
Engineering masterpiece
Who needs a Prius?
kill 'em with fire!
albear972
I meant Prius's
You're right, 2CV are way more environment friendly to build, and with modern tech, you could easily make them even more economical to drive. Damn safety rules, this car could be the best answer to global warming!
Climate change darn you, climate change! We don't call it global warming anymore.
loophole is build it with 3 wheels and call it an autocycle ;)
safety regulations for those are basically seatbelts and a roll bar
I never saw the appeal of the 2CV when they were commonplace on UK roads. But now I kind of do. It's motoring at its most simple. I'd have one as a 3rd car.
Superbracey I never understood why British people always hated french cars. Now I do, jealousy
Sedna S Rubbish. Particularly in the 80s and 90s, French cars were *wildly* popular in the UK.
@@h.s.5995 Well, English cars are generally pretty rubbish
H Souza
Peugeot Citroen Renault are the best in the world at building crap cars. The last time they built good cars was the 90’s.
Thank you, Joyce.
+Scott K :| the only facial expression... just :|😐
Joyce isn't having any of his shit.
@@corrodesthefilm Joyce is fucking done.
That is one bitter woman...
I sense sexual tension.
0-60 in 28 seconds is still better than the 1982 Pontiac 1000/Chevy Chevette, which took 30 seconds (also featured in another Motorweek Retro Review). Braking distances are comparable to modern compact/midsize sedans. Not bad for a 29 hp, 2 cylinder "put-put" motor
cadsux Good point, But the 1982 Pontiac 1000 had a automatic transmission. The Citroën has a manual transmission. A manual is about 2 seconds faster then the automatic. Citroën deux chevaux never came with a automatic. So if it had a automatic if would of been 30 or 31 seconds to go 0-60 if it had a automatic.
Windows 95 Still, with those untested numbers, it's not bad for a 60 year old design with half the horsepower. The manual transmissions by Citroen and GM were 4 speed, while the GM's automatic was 3 speed. Not all manual transmissions are faster, more fuel efficient, nor more reliable than automatics.
cadsux That braking distance was from 50 mph. Add 10 mph and it will need a lot more.
sekopiski I'm aware of that. It wasn't capable of exceeding 50 mph anyway. I'm also aware it doesn't have a turbo/supercharger, power brakes, power steering, performance tires, airbags, on-board computer, AC and other creature comforts, which may or may not have given it an advantage. I can't believe some are nitpicking with a bunch of "if's" over this 60 year old minimalist design in which I had commented as "not bad". Mr. Davis even said "you can't really measure the 2CV's qualities by statistics..."
+cadsux Top speed from the 2cv"6" (29hp) is 115kmph= 71mph This speed can be reached without problem on flat road without wind (i drive one), and the engine can run without duration limit at this speed: was designed able to run full power (air and oil cooled)
Fantastic car , I've owned many over the years, from a brand new one in 1990 to my very last in around 2003 and even after buying other cars like jaguar's and Audi's I've never lost my love for the 2cv
better than a yugo
But a Yugo is stronger and safer then a 2CV !
That’s a pretty low bar, to be fair, a frakking skateboard is better than the Yugo.
Far better, this have a superb ride and extremely easy to repair
@@MacTechG4 It is nice when people which didn't own Yugo, have lots to say about car, that they only seen on media. I love how american people love their more than half century old V8 push rod, 2 valves per cylinder, low rew, uneconomical, environment destroying engines. This only show that people dont have their own opinion and are easy manipulated.
I have owned my 2cv Charleston for over 20 years and driven almost half a million miles with it. It turns heads and creates interest wherever I go. Would not swap for anything else.
The best car you tested. Most beautiful, most charming, most original. And very, very reliable.
+mipmipmipmipmip The same as every old car in the case of a crash but, with greater brakes, stability and grip to the road than any other, which is also safety, and if its not ocasioned by someone else, to have an accident by yourself in one of this... You'd better not drive anymore. I've owned a few, and many other cars, modern and old ones, and this one is just great.
I don’t like how the 2CV looks...
No need for safety It's as fast as a bicycle and uses as little fuel
@ you don't need to know how to fix them - there's hardly anything that goes wrong with them, and when it does, you can fix it with some chewed gum, some steel wire and pliers. You could actually take the whole car apart using only the emergency crank handle/hubcap remover/wheel nut remover/etc. tool provided with it.
David M You don't need to know much. Take the wheels : they auto balance. They have special "cowboy hat" nuts allowing the wheel to find its center of mass while you are driving. You can change a tire and put it back in place without realising that wheels in general need to be balanced. The idea was that the engineers had to provide the french famers with a self sustainable car. Also it was the fist tubeless car. The engine is air cooled. It's an aluminiun casted flat 2 cylinders boxer designed by a race engineer. An aluminium engine in 1945! The onboard brakes also are common on race cars. There are no head cylindre gaskets, cause the don't open. Some model have a trafic cluch, disengaging the motor in urban trafic when the car stops. The front and read suspension interact.
I've been waiting for this one! The 2CV, while an acquired taste, is a great little car and a brilliant feat of engineering and packaging, if not build quality and speed. Thank you for uploading this.
It does have BETTER build quality than the FCA cars of late!
@@TheOzthewiz yes, without a doubt your right. FCA is trash
It was build to be cheap to buy and cheap to repair. Almost everything is bolted on so you can just unbolt it. It was mainly for farmers while didn't own cars at the time.
I think another thing that has made the 2CV what it is, is it's exterior design. It's very rounded and cute even when compared to other European cars at the time. Americans especially found it very remarkable when compared to cars from the same era like the Mustang. It just looks cute and appealing which is a big reason why you see the car in children's shows all the time.
"Two Horse"... Does that make it a Pony Car? 👀 Sorry...
Excellent. Well done. Thank you for posting. I have my own 1965 2CV in Bangkok, Thailand
A 2CV in running condition , not restored , with logical scratches , sells at 5 ooo Euros here....Some are reaching more than 12 000 in neat condition , concours of elegance.Wich is stupid cause they were cheap cars ,made for the people ,and not for being upgraded until they look like a RRoyce...
True for pretty much any 60s American muscle car that is selling for 50-100 grand (or more!).
Have you priced any 23 window VW vans lately?
Over $100K (U.S.) and
Climbing...now about that re-manufactured 2CV from Maryland? I want one!!
Excellent review. Nailing so many parts of its character.
More smiles per mile.
We have a few more here in Australia than you do in the US.
I have done 550,000 kms in 3 new 2CV6s across 42 years.
I will never be without my 1990 RHS Charleston.
The friendliest car on the planet. Yah.
550,500 with them combined or with a single one
0:23 lmao that intro is pure wooden acting, crazy how that was the finished product
John: well I guess we’ll just have to wait, thank you, Joyce.
Joyce: *blank stare.*
Great road test! What a car! It has about 100 times the personality of anything built today.
Especially the mundane, bloated SUV / crossover tripe.
Such neat little cars! Fun review, thanks once again Motorweek! :D
I have a 3CV argentine version of 2CV6 , i use it every day !!, best car for enjoy driving very funny and relaxing!
I remember it for Snoopy driving it in Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown
The French copy no one, and no one copies the French! Viva La France!
Robert Pierson the planing of the VW started in 1931 and the 2CV in 1934.
The first 2CV rolled out in 1939 and production was stoped due to WW2.
There where also other companies trying to develop a “peoples car” these two cars were the first to achieve that with success.
@Robert Pierson Answer doesn't mean copy. In fact, they are totally diferent cars, from the engine to the architecture itself. The 2cv was an incredible innovative car. And let me say that nazis, I mean, VW started it's project in 1937, not 1931, so in any case the Bettle was the copy. Did you know the Frenchs hide this project because they were afraid of Nazis to steal it? That's why.
SDreher58 : le mot juste & correct est ' V.I.V.E. ' non VIVA . Cher Monsieur .
THANK YOU VERY BEAUCOUP .
$59.95?
Probably 5,399 meant as 53-hundred
James About what they're worth, honestly.
Most intelligent car ever built .
Mr. Cairo The DS was about tecnology and advance, the s class is amazing when they work, except in mainteinance, the 2cv is about practicaly
loved my 1964....first set of tires went 75,000 miles
The VW Bug had independent but the got 25 mpg tops and was even slower and the top speed was 80 mph . So the French did their work in art and engineering . A true sense of form and function . A sensible car . Cant go so fast to hurt your self and built in safety that your arms get tired before the steering does . Enough room for not one but two sheep . LOL . It also has enough room for three French women and a bottle of french wine . LOL
Wow this is awesome, I never would've guessed that MW got their hands on a 2CV!!
This may be the best road test MW ever did! Love it!
Anyone recall what year this review aired? Last time I saw one on the road was when I was in college in the early 1970s. A young lady owned it; was always stalling it in traffic; maybe she had problems with that shifter.
I guess around 1986-1987. John mentions during the slalom that this car is a 38 year old design. The 2CV was introduced by Citroen in 1948.
Acceleration don't matter in this kind of car, it's like VW 1200, it's classic, beautiful and exclusive, not sports or fast. It's a pos-war european car, it's history over wheels.
This car is so stylish! I would love to have one but in Brazil Citroen never sold one.
This car is iconic. Never sold in Brazil
What a wild looking car!!! Thank you for showing us motor week!!
i grew up with one of those, every mother in the neighborhood had one, i remember at least 5 2CV, our had a hole in the back floor just covered by a floor mat, my mother told me this hole is to escape when the car is upside down, i believed her for years....at least it was fun seeing the street under your feet’s...
Yes!!! I've been waiting for this one! Thanks, Motorweek!
5:40 They should try this car in a down pour (borrow a fire truck), and see if that fabric roof leaks. It doesn't look very waterproof :)
Not “coil springs” at all four wheels. only two coil springs each one laying lying horizontally between the front and rear wheel on each side of the car with incredibly long suspension travel making it almost impossible to lift a wheel off the ground. An amazing car. I presently.own three versions: One 50s look sedan, one fourgonette.AK400 and one plastic. bodied Mehari. All with the same engine, transmission and chassis. NOTHING charms like a 2CV.
re
I watched an engineering video on the suspension by a guy that has written a book on 120 years of car suspension - its truly genius how the tube the springs are in move back and forth to limit the back and forth pitch of the car.
pretty simple cars so nothing much to go wrong, but you dont wanna have a crash in that
Despite the look and flimsy structure of the car, the 2CV chassis is surprisingly strong.
Of course it is, until you get destroyed by an SUV.
@@FlixTV101 Maybe but at least a 2CV can avoid colision, try to avoid hitting a deer, for example, with an SUV going 50mph you'd end up in a ditch or on the roof.
🌹05:33, j'💖 cette deux chevaux.. ....🇫🇷J'adore le fond de la musique jouée par YVETTE HORNER😘.
These are beauties !!!!!!
had one of these when i was stationed in germany........so cool
Mr. Davis, you're wrong: the 2CV wasn't named after its engine's physical horsepower (it had 9hp, after all!)! It was originally named after its number of taxable horsepower, 2hp (or ''2CV'', since it was a french tax)!
I think he said "fiscal horsepower."
This would have been great for American teens.
That description is great!
Back in the late 1980s, I probably saw a Citroen 2CV in Washington state somewhere. It must have been a black one. But then I could be wrong.
One of the Greats - I truly love these cars.
I've seen 2 2CV's in the US. One was at a car show in New Jersey, and the other was being driven around as a sort of rolling advertisement for a business in Bar Harbor, Maine.
As you can tell from my avatar, I think the 2CV is just about the cutest thing on earth. What a shame it isn't made anymore. But used ones are being refurbished and are selling for top dollar. They will be around for a while longer! Yay!
+Stuart M. You can buy them cheap in Argentina.
+Stuart M. The IES models come later. Here we have the Citroen "3CV", wich is pretty much the same as the 2CV6 (a 2CV with the 600cc engine).
I guess I can tell from your avatar you've moved on from 2CVs
"Others say a classic is anything long enough to have Rust as its permanent trim color." Lmfao, but also i agree
When I opened the air-slot (3:00) in my 2CV with my mate and his 4 year old in the car, the kid asked "Is this a toy car?" : )
It's a shame my goat likes to be a backseat driver when we go on our Sunday afternoon drive.
James Bond getaway car in _For your eyes only._
God that thing is a piece of trash. Worse than the yugo!
Well, back in the 80s it would be better than a yugo.
More relaiable, comfortable, more room, better road handling, more economic.
Just 1 thing...
It would be slower, but then again you WOULD arive.
29 horsepower and its still better than a chevette
With a design dating to before WWII, to add on the humiliation.
I don't care if it's so slow it goes backwards in time, I still want one.
NGL; being slow enough to take me back in time would be a selling point these days.
Classic design.
The road holding of this car makes it unique in the world of simple democratic cars since it is outpeforming even some sport coupes. Plus, this car was made for the farmers since you could just go on the field, no need for 4WD, better then every SUVs around. Indeed,this simple car had impressive engineering ideas like all Citroen always had such as front wheel drive (in its 1939 prototype as well), independant suspension, transerval torsion bars connected together, long wheel displacement, soft suspension, air cooled boxer engine with two fixing bolts, easy to remove, simple chassis. Efficient simplicity.
There was a 4WD 2CV called the Sahara. It had 2 engines, one running the front two wheels and running the back two wheels with absolutely unmatched and perfectly balanced traction. Created for doctors needing such traction in the snow covered mountain roads of
Switzerland and the police in the Saharan dessert. A friend of mine ones one.
Gott, was würde ich geben, um so ein Auto besitzen zu dürfen ....
Ich würde darin schlafen, darin leben,
ich fände das größte Glück auf dieser Erde, könnte ich von München, wo ich lebe, nur ein Mal noch nach Barcelona, nach Faro und dann zu den liebsten Menschen, die ich kenne, den Franzosen, fahren und bei ihnen essen und leben.
Wir Bosch haben verdammt viel falsch gemacht, weil wir Idioten uns von sonem A... verführen ließen, aber in realitas haben wir absolut nichts gegen die Franzosen, zumal sie ja viel besser verstehen zu essen und zu leben als wir Bosch, die wir nur einfach reinschlingen, was billig ist ...
There's an old 2cv that an older couple owns in the neighborhood adjacent to mine.
Firstly, you gotta know how to pronounce the Brand CITROEN - "SSITT-TROH-ÄNN".
VW = FOWW-WEHH.
At the time of this test the 2cv held the cuuar ALTITUDE record two frenchmen took it up the andes mountains in south AMERICA ..!!🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🌎
I’m surprised they didn’t just sell these simple cars as kits you can build in a couple weekends...
Take out passenger seat and back bench, push forward the driver's seat, and voila: you have over 8 feet of almost flat surface on which to place matrazes to sleep 2 to 4 people sardine like...
I have pictures to proof
Chris Harris has one and loves it. That should tell you a lot.
Une institution, un mythe en France.
It has a certain je ne sais quoi.
I love the Citroën 2CV. Lovely little car.
Can you imagine getting a speeding ticket in this car
I wonder why Renault, Citroen and/or Peugeot haven't tried to get back into the American market. I would think at least Peugeot could hold down the hot hatch segment.
But please, Renault, no sneaking in the ugly through Nissan.
Renault ruined the party with several of their models and there wasn't a Ferrari to redeem the country when we got French schlock. I also think Fiat has a lot of ownership in the French market, and after the Ritmo they buggered off with their tail between their legs for over 3 decades and only now have tenatively come back as the demand for econo-cars has risen in the US.
@@harleymitchelly5542 I have to think Stellantis is planning to spring Citroen or Peugeot on us, since they don't seem interested in plugging Fiat or Alfa Romeo anymore. Fiat's only got one model in the US now. I'm hoping they don't pull back out again, but it doesn't look good.
@@cubdukat It's for the best if they do. The new version of the 500 is known to be fraught with reliability issues, so the Ritmo problem has already ingrained itself and Fiat just is not recognized as a good brand to buy. Really, they should have avoided the compact car market altogether and made a modern incarnation of their old convertibles. Italian cars have reliability issues, but the cheap sports car market is way more forgiving of that, especially if parts are easy to replace. In general European to US crossovers should start with more performance and luxury oriented vehicles to build up prestige before the econoboxes, Fiat was going toe-to-toe against Japan's pre-existing economy car cred in the US and no one really should have expected that to go well.
If a Citroen/Peugeot/Renault brand is going to do well, I think they need to go the Ford route with their business model and have a relatively independent branch in the US that can make US cars, akin to Ford Europe being a very different brand than Ford US. Fiat's got the IP for AMC, bring them back as a US branch with a lot of autonomy. I could definitely see support for an Eagle wagon return that's not just another crossover SUV again.
Except, the 2CV was designed, built before the Germans invaded 1940.
When I think of this car, I think of Trabunt, Yugo. A different kind of car, for that different kind of buyer. I certainly enjoy the retro part:)
More accurate would be with the original VW Beetle. Both, in their own ways, were never intended to compete with cars, but horses and buggies, hence extremely simple design, ease of maintenance, and robust build quality.
I saw one of these in person at a cars and coffee last week!
Please say you have a DS review too ***** !!!
The Citroen 2Cv, one of the few car so likable that you want to give it extra points "for effort" X3
Honestly, it's a good competitor to the VW Beetle or VW Thing in terms of what it set out to do. It was never meant to compete with cars originally, Andre Citroen originally devised the car to compete with the horse and buggy, and that sardine-tin top was so that a man could ride comfortably in one without removing his top hat. Hence the pure simplicity of the thing. The entire body can be removed with the undoing of I believe 29 bolts.
'Twas but a simple car for simple driving.
Citroen 2CV 29 Horsepower
Joyce wasn't having any of John's cavalier "wait and see" attitude.
Fantastic car-this is what "motoring" is..
Joyce didn't look very impressed with Olds at the beginning.... 😐
Puts a massive smile on my face to drive ours, genious in design and simplicity...
Musician Lloyd Cole wrote a song called “2cv” about a girl who had the car….
Quite a beautiful car and a musette tuned accordion.
this car is like a tank
Origin of the name: you took 2 horses to the citroen dealership and they gave you a new car.
This makes the 1985 Yugo GV FAst
the 2cv6 did take 115km/h, not so bad for 29hp and aerodynamics from 1948...
Goats? What about lambs?!?!?
Or mother in law? 😁
Memories of my childhood back in Calais...
It is an umbrella on wheels
That is the weirdest shifter I think I've ever seen...lol
2CV
I have a 1988 Burgundy/Black Charleston like the one in the video. I love this car, driving it is always an event with people giving us a thumbs up, a smile or taking our picture. It's surprisingly simple and very reliable, I'll have other cars but this one will always be in my garage!
It would be nice if you would pronounce the name of the car correctly
Its Kurt's car from American Grafetti😃😃😃😃😃😃
Go backwards forwards, quickly.