Si Crewe of course it’s quite opposite in the west.....where we drive on the right....yet we do have right side drive cars, and you can even buy them new, but you rarely see anyone passing other traffic in them. I’d buy one just to be different because that’s just the kind of people I am!
@@jonnycando I suppose it could be worse. I know somebody, in the UK, who bought an imported 90's Trans-Am that was LHD. The guy kept telling everybody that being LHD wasn't a problem but he sold it about 6 months later and THEN admitted he'd lost track of the number of near-misses he'd had while attempting to overtake other cars. Least you won't have much of a temptation to try that in a 2CV.
When I was in the UK, I had no problems overtaking a slow campervan in my LHD V70. But I have to admit I had someone with equal driving experience on the lookout in the passenger seat, it was on the A15 in Lincolnshire which is as straight as a ruler and there was little oncoming traffic.
Hubnut doing a very good job promoting the 2CV as a fun car to drive. I like simple and utilitarian small cars a lot, and I'm sure I'd enjoy driving a 2CV or Renault 4.
"Power: less is more" is probably true, but where the real driveability lies is in torque. A nice wodge of low-end torque will make a car nicer to drive even if the top-end power isn't increased much.
@@johnd8892 you think that he should ship 🛳 Betty over? Maybe somebody in New Zealand is mad to get hands on a rare Vauxhall (probably police spec) Vectra 2.2 LS. Couldn't be a police car with so few miles.
Flywheel lightness and gearing makes an even bigger difference... for instance a mk1 panda 1.1 up to 40mph feels like it wants to fly off, jittery at the throttle, rev happy, feels more "sporty" than my mk4 mondeo tdci
@@DavidColex been there with a 1990 Panda 1000 Sergio Tacchini. Little rocket 🚀. Before that a Panda 750 L 4 speed. Even the 750 was quick because of the gearing. 👍👍
@@markdowling5962 as I understand the GS engine was a good idea when GS engines were freely available, but these days it's easier to put a BMW bike engine in. If you like that kind of thing.
@@markdowling5962 My uncle had a baby blue Ami 8 fond memories of the car, realised years later that the sound was the same as the 2CV's.It would fly I guess putting a GS engine in a 2CV, change the brakes etc.?
@@garymills6702 Gearbox, brakes, suspension, even the clutch! all remain stock. Unlike in most cars they are tough (over-engineered) to begin with and the brakes are easily up to the power. 2CV's with disc brakes have very powerful brakes compared to their weight. Check out Pete Sparrow at Mallory in the test mule 1100cc car.
The fact that the standard cars don't have a great deal of power and torque, even modest improvements make a big difference. Elley displayed this with the "big block" conversion and that increase was not huge. That car sounded fantastic when wound up. I think I Know what Ian will be asking Santa for this year. Best wishes to all Hub Nut fans from Australia (stay safe)
That's properly ripping through the gears. You can really tell by the rate of rev increase how much extra power that car has over a stock 2CV, especially in first! Always wants to wheelspin!
What a car! If 2CV's hadn't become so expensive I would really want one and then have it modded like this. I've seen people shoehorn a GS engine under the bonnet, back in the 1990s already, that makes a 2CV (or a Dyane) a truly terrifying experience...
I think this has put some serious thoughts in Ian's head with regards improving Elly's drivability, will probably make better use of the 50cc extra. The front suspension is probably a worthwhile improvement, if only to save some kingpin wear
720cc producing 48 bhp is impressive and almost exactly the same cc to bhp ratio (15/1) as the 127 Sport you recently tested, 1049cc producing 70 bhp (14.9/1). That's stock standard, out the wrapper, unmodified, straight from Turin. Think you should start quoting cc to bhp figures in your reviews, it would make interesting reading don't you think?
Same here only he wasn't an amateur rally driver, just a nutter, went round a right hand bend a bit quick and l thought my elbow was going to scrape on the road!!!!
way back in the day, there was a SCCA class called "H modified" for cars of 750cc. (from wiki)-- "When Bill Devin sold his Ferrari 250 MM coupe to a buyer in Michigan in 1954 he took a 1953 Deutsch-Bonnet Le Mans barquette in trade as partial payment.[1] Devin also bought out the stock of a Panhard dealer in California, acquiring ten chassis with engines but no bodies.[3]:61 Devin designed his own ladder frame for a custom race car that used the engine and front-wheel drive transaxle from the Panhards. The wheelbase of this chassis was 2,134 millimetres (84 inches). Devin also took a mold of the body of the DB Le Mans, made some changes, and began to produce custom bodies for his new car.[4] This was his first experience working with fiberglass. With help from Norton motorcycle racer Don Evans, Devin adapted the cylinder barrels, cylinder heads and pistons from the Norton Manx motorcycle to the two-cylinder boxer Panhard crankcase, roller-bearing crankshaft assembly and piston rods.[1]:62[5] He then fabricated a custom manifold that accepted two-barrel side-draft Weber carburetors. All of these alterations did not affect the displacement of the engine, leaving the 79.5mm bore and 75mm stroke unchanged for a total displacement of 745 cc. What made the engine unique was the method Devin used to operate the valves. He abandoned the Panhard's pushrod OHV system and contacted the L. H. Gilmer company about using their toothed belts to drive the Manx cylinder heads' overhead cams.[5] Development of synchronous toothed-belts was begun by the Gilmer company around 1940.[6] Their primary application had been as a means of transmitting power in textile mills.[7] Devin's use of the technology to drive the valve train in the Devin-Panhard engine was the first time toothed belts were used in a timing belt application. " there ya go.
How does it compare to a Burton conversion with a BMW flat two engine? I am jealous.. I have been toying with the idea of the 652 cc engine for my 1990 series 2CV6 RHD Charleston which I have now covered 187,000 miles. Love it. More power... over to the dark side of 2CVing.... excitement plus. No longer will you have to slip stream trucks in a headwind. No longer will you have to preplan overtaking manoevures way before they are undertaken. No longer will you have gravel rash on your elbow when extremely cornering tilt angles are reached... Great fun.
I'm from Belgium and i like your video's a lot. You drove a lot of different cars and give always a good impression from the cars. I like this episode a lot. Nice car 👍👌
Wow! That looks so fun to drive! Although I can't help wondering if by the time you've changed the ignition system, added a wideband lambda sensor and spent time tuning the carbs to match the rest of the mechanical work, you may as well go full EFI... I must admit that since I bought a BMW R850R, I just want that grey 2CV with the R1100 engine you drove back in 2015, even if purists might not be the biggest fans ;-)
I'm normally against modded classic cars, but I can see the point of a lot of what's on this one. Made me think of your idea of buying something like a Morris Minor and making a few subtle mods to turn it into a daily driver for the 2020s. Although personally i think you should do it to an Austin A40 Farina, which I think could be made almost bang up to date with little effort.
Fitting a BMW boxer engine to a 2CV transmission has been done a number of times and is one of the conversions that Sparrow Automotive offer. Imagine a 2CV with 125bhp...
@@ferrumignis to be reliable its better do not get over 100hp because need to use the original gearbox...and traction is limited from the size from the tires (original is 125 or 135 wide...).I have a improved 2cv engine who produce ~45hp and to have a correct traction i did modify the differencial gear for a torsen (Quaife), gearbox came from a Dyane, top speed 130km/h, limited from the gearbox ratio
48bhp is powerful for a 2CV and that cone filter makes it sound great.. Pete Sparrow is a wizard at making them faster. I remember the B reg red 2CV Turbo as well.
That's a great upgrade and if it is getting 48bhp that's impressive without forced induction. I know what you mean about tractability, I drive one of the higher powered Polos and the ability to pull up hills mostly without changing down a lot of gears is nicer than the speed.
Interesting sound - the induction noise seems to be overcoming the exhaust and engine noise, it does seem to breathe better low down. I did wonder if a wasted spark ignition coil may be a better alternative to a conventional distributor, and it seems the answer is yes! It would be interesting to see dynamometer curves for the various mods.
Hi Ian! I'm so glad you made this, and talked about the benefits of the vacuum advance ignition. There's this bizzare subcult of air-cooled VWs (unfortunately including the John Muir, who wrote the wonder "Compleat Volkswagen" book) who somehow think that the 009 centrifugal-only distributor is the right one for a beetle and anyone who doesn't think that isn't driving it right. Thanks for the video, Ian. Keep it up!
Many years ago, when I was a mechanic, I worked for a bloke who shared a workshop with another mechanic who loved his 2CV's and quite a few people bought theirs to him for work on. One of these was a turbo 2CV, belonging to a friend of his, and I'll never forget when he told me, that the turbo took 14 seconds off of the standard 0-60 time, and it still took 18 seconds to do it. The car had a black band on one of the front wings, a result of a rather nasty under bonnet fire a few years previous, which almost destroyed the car, but it was rebuilt, with the necessary modifications to reduce the risk of it happening again. A couple of years after leaving this job, I was watching "the cars the star" on tv, about the 2CV, and was surprised to see this very same car featured. I believe it's available on you tube.
I've not read all the comments but, assuming that this vacuum advance is the conventional system that advances the ignition by turning the sensor/contact plate to a more advanced position when the engine is developing an intake manifold vacuum, then this is not producing the extra power during the 0-60 run or when pulling up the incline. When the throttle is open, as it is during these manoeuvres, then engine is producing very little manifold vacuum. Vacuum is only produced when the throttle is almost closed, so when travelling at a steady speed on the flat with little load on the engine, or with a closed throttle when on the over-run. The extra power being produced by the 2CV as demonstrated during the video is therefore not attributable to the vacuum advance.
It's fully electronic using a vacuum pipe and sensor. It's tractability that's really boosted, but also response under light throttle as you say. It makes it pick up much more cleanly. As you say, doesn't affect full bore acceleration.
Fantastic! I just love it. Not so much a sparrow, more like a hawk. One of my regrets in life was not buying a 2CV, and now the good ones cost a fortune. This modded version seems to address so many concerns about the original. The only tediously boring questions surround the stresses on an uprated engine and will this shorten lifespan? And, when you take away so many of the characteristics of a stock 2CV, are you distancing yourself from the original concept? Having said all that, it looks a great deal of fun and other motorists will be amazed as you glide past them throttle to the floor.
That looks like huge fun and good upgrades on the standard car. You can really see and hear the differences to performance and handling in the video. I suspect Pete’s going to be receiving quite a few calls from 2CV owners after this one! Great HubNut video.
What a machine! Really good review with your in depth 2CV knowledge to discuss all the changes and improvements. "Power- less is more, bit more is brilliant!"
It surprises me that my Honda 420cc TRX/Rancher quad bike has the same power output as a standard 2CV. The Honda is a single cylinder of course, but it is fuel injected and has a cat to meet current emission standards. It easily outperforms a carburetted 500cc previous model while using less fuel. I bet the 2CV does more than 23mpg though.
Fantastic creation. For me, it would only be better if it was a van version, but that’s just my thing. Nice interior upgrades, too. I’d be interested to know how he heated the seats. You can get the heated covers, so maybe he got those under the original seat covers? Also the heated windscreen - can you get those for any car now? Ford family of cars only when I was in the UK last. I gather the heated glass has moved on since the days of being able to see the fine wires, too. LHD in the UK or RHD here in Canada just requires care in passing others, as mentioned, but biggest pain is car park machines and drive-throughs of any kind. Insurance is steep for RHD here, though.
One of the stickers is a Dutch one that says 'VerEend'. 2cv's have 2 popular nicknames in Dutch referring to animals. The one is 'eend' which means 'duck', the other, more common in Flanders, is 'geit' which is 'goat' in English. The sticker is a word game. Ver-Eend obviously refers to the duck nickname, but 'vereend' in one word is also old Dutch for 'verenigd' which means 'united'. In another video I saw recently, Ian was also in Holland visiting an event called 'Elk Merk Waardig'. Also a word game which literally would translate as 'Each Brand Worthy' which does make a bit more sense in Dutch because 'merkwaardig' in one word means 'remarquable'. So there you go.
Since I've been watch your vids on the 2cv. You have definitely warmed me over to want 1. I've always called them brolly cars because they remind of an umbrella for some reason
about 4 decades ago,a mate in NZ decided his Fiat bambina was a bit tentative so he bored the crank case and head to fit VW barrels and pistons and the sound was very similar to the red rocket.
a improved 2cv with a +652cc 35hp (from the Visa) was planed in mid 80's, but this had need a new approval and this cost too much because emissions laws (need injection + cat) and ABS requirement+ new requirements for passive safety (crash test) who was impossible to make with a so light car...
I had a LHD car for a while and the only real problem I had was with car parks, drive-through burger bars etc where you sometimes had to get out so you could use the machines/intercoms rather than just open the window.... Thats when its almost worth having a partner so there;s always someone in the passenger seat!
Not sure about Ford and their patent but a friend of mine has a pre 1963 VW Beetle with a factory fitted heated windscreen and they were available on Series 2a/3 Land Rovers as fitted to my 1976 109" FFR version.
Erh, you do know that thé eggshell is very close to perfect design by Nature, right? This is a shed on two parts of a railway - Made be The French! Yeees! I like'em BOTH!
You missed what I always consider one of the big advantages of LHD in the UK. When you pull over and park on the nearside, you get ut on to the pavement instead of into traffic - much safer. The US Postal Service had the same idea and used to use RHD jeep delivery vehicles.
The dual advance distributor allows the tuner to optimise the centrifugal advance for best power with no consideration for cruise smoothness or economy, the vacuum advance looks after that. Once the timing is right more fuel can burnt without risk of pinging. It does sound 'ballsy' and very very smooth, job well done.
They did make upmarket '2cv's. They're called the Dyane and the Ami, both built on the 2cv chassis. The dyane only had the 2cv engine, the Ami was also available with the 1.1 GS 4 cylinder boxer engine. Apparently that one revved to 7500 and went from 0 to 100km/h in less than 16 seconds.
In this case, "Sparrows Do Sing". You might need to be a film buff to get that one. That's a good mod to support the king pins. I think that might have been pinched from the 2CV Cross guys. Docked in Dunkerque in 1959 I was taken a few km's inland to Cassel where they were racing 2CV's at an Autocross. Mad then and just as mad now. Don't spoil Elly's character too much Ian. Fit and forget is better than fit and fiddle but the vacuum ignition mods might be good and not damage the wallet too much.
2cv special = factory fitted with narrow bumper. also has a two spoke steeringwheel en simple higher doorcards en simple door handles. 2cv club = factory fitted with high bumper. and single spoke thicker steeringwheel and lower doorcards with more plastic covers for door handles. (european 2cv`s ) don`t know if this is also standard for english versions. like youre video`s !
Oh my god, love it. I always wondered about boring mine out and fitting twin carbs but for me the Belgian arm mod was an eye opener. I used to go through kingpin bushes like I had shares in the company! I love how carefully thought out and well developed this 2CV is. I never had any issues with cranks so I did wonder how much room for tuning there might be. Sadly my 2CVs were always my only form of transportation so keeping them on the road was priority.
Ian, a really excellent video as most of your are but this one for me stands out! Does it have an uprated clutch and exhaust? I know there's not a dramatic load on the original clutch but I thought there maybe an upgrade. Love your channel!!
Right, so here's what you want to do... Pick a car in your fleet to sell to release some funds, pop down to sparrow automotive and hand over said funds and get yourself one of those engines! You'll never look back!
Impressive, I wish I had this amount of power when I was driving one on long trips in France... around the "massif central" it was painful to go up-hill :D
Pass like a Russian driving a Japanese market car! Go as far over as you can, so you can see, and when the moment is right, zoom over to pass, and hope you saw everything! What could possibly go wrong? Oh, you've seen the videos too...nevermind...
Another video this time his Friends exotic Red Sports Car powering its way through the mountain roads flaunting his wealth and the unattainable exotic sports cars that are the 2CV with Mods.
germans had a good sticker also for the 2cv's it was a 2cv climbin' a mountain with a lot of cars behind and the text below was tellin' that french cars were the guides of the road
We are now looking forward to seeing the video series of Elly being upgraded. I was surprised that the Rev limit was so low. Given the noise that Ely makes I thought she was revving higher.
You can hear the difference with the extra torque! Really love what a difference it makes. Have a feeling Elly may come home with a few extra mods hehe
I rembember an article in Car Magazine long ago about a turbocharged 2CV, but the experiment was short lived, the car took fire because of excessive heat under the bonnet...
Very nice video! Astonishing, what you can do with a 2CV. I take it is an original Citroën flat twin brought to 720 cc, not a “foreign” engine. I wonder whether 720 cc is the limit? Another question: how’s the ride?
2 fast 2 furious 2CV😎
2cv fast 2cv furious 😆
2C 2V
In this episode, Ian is corrupted by power, as the saying goes.
Power...less is more...
Yeah right 😄
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, how much would one be corrupted by 47hp? ;-)
Carl Wyatt after plodding along with 20 odd HP I reckon 47 would be quite a revelation!
He really does Jim.
Very good Jim ! It'll be hard not to steal that one from you
"The only time LHD becomes an issue in the 2CV is when you're overtaking...."
Gotta love an optimist. :-P
Complex junctions in lhd cars... need a phd for that
Si Crewe of course it’s quite opposite in the west.....where we drive on the right....yet we do have right side drive cars, and you can even buy them new, but you rarely see anyone passing other traffic in them. I’d buy one just to be different because that’s just the kind of people I am!
@@jonnycando I suppose it could be worse.
I know somebody, in the UK, who bought an imported 90's Trans-Am that was LHD.
The guy kept telling everybody that being LHD wasn't a problem but he sold it about 6 months later and THEN admitted he'd lost track of the number of near-misses he'd had while attempting to overtake other cars.
Least you won't have much of a temptation to try that in a 2CV.
I overtake slower cars in a completely stock LHD 602cc 1978 2CV, it is easily possible. Speedbumps, that's where you get them every time.
When I was in the UK, I had no problems overtaking a slow campervan in my LHD V70. But I have to admit I had someone with equal driving experience on the lookout in the passenger seat, it was on the A15 in Lincolnshire which is as straight as a ruler and there was little oncoming traffic.
This is the most desirable car I have ever seen. I want one for myself.
Mr hub nut isnt replying to anyone on this by the looks of it!!!!
Hubnut doing a very good job promoting the 2CV as a fun car to drive. I like simple and utilitarian small cars a lot, and I'm sure I'd enjoy driving a 2CV or Renault 4.
Couldn’t agree more
"Here, try this CV", says the friendly drug dealer. Oh, I think Pete knew *exactly* why he gave you his daily :)
"accelerate in just the way 2CVs don't" - that's a Douglas Adamsism. Excellent. (Hang in the air just the way bricks don't)
This video cost me a large amount of money and transformed my Dyane. I am forever grateful!
"Power: less is more" is probably true, but where the real driveability lies is in torque. A nice wodge of low-end torque will make a car nicer to drive even if the top-end power isn't increased much.
Torque rules, it is the reason diesels and turbo diesels can lug down at low revs and hang onto higher gears uphill.
As Ian found with Betty in NZ.
@@johnd8892 you think that he should ship 🛳 Betty over? Maybe somebody in New Zealand is mad to get hands on a rare Vauxhall (probably police spec) Vectra 2.2 LS. Couldn't be a police car with so few miles.
Flywheel lightness and gearing makes an even bigger difference... for instance a mk1 panda 1.1 up to 40mph feels like it wants to fly off, jittery at the throttle, rev happy, feels more "sporty" than my mk4 mondeo tdci
@@DavidColex been there with a 1990 Panda 1000 Sergio Tacchini. Little rocket 🚀. Before that a Panda 750 L 4 speed. Even the 750 was quick because of the gearing. 👍👍
Nobody else could’ve reviewed this car better!
Yeah put that modification on Elly too now she's in the workshop 👍😁
Hubnut, I suggest you do a few mods to Elly, I think you'll enjoy her even more ☺️
@Skodaman2 Yes he did, gas flowed heads/big valves
@@markdowling5962 as I understand the GS engine was a good idea when GS engines were freely available, but these days it's easier to put a BMW bike engine in. If you like that kind of thing.
@@markdowling5962 My uncle had a baby blue Ami 8 fond memories of the car, realised years later that the sound was the same as the 2CV's.It would fly I guess putting a GS engine in a 2CV, change the brakes etc.?
Do I detect some Ellie upgrades coming along Ian?
A great little car isn’t it.
I have a BMW R1100S in the shed. How about a 98BHP motor? :)
You'd have to upgrade the brakes and suspension, but what a great idea! A real "sleeper".
@@garymills6702 ...and a road legal cage
Where's the fun in that. The throttle goes both ways etc......
:)
Most importantly, a box to put your brain I. Before you drive.
"gorp ... fnark ... schmeggle"
@@garymills6702 Gearbox, brakes, suspension, even the clutch! all remain stock. Unlike in most cars they are tough (over-engineered) to begin with and the brakes are easily up to the power. 2CV's with disc brakes have very powerful brakes compared to their weight. Check out Pete Sparrow at Mallory in the test mule 1100cc car.
The fact that the standard cars don't have a great deal of power and torque, even modest improvements make a big difference. Elley displayed this with the "big block" conversion and that increase was not huge. That car sounded fantastic when wound up. I think I Know what Ian will be asking Santa for this year. Best wishes to all Hub Nut fans from Australia (stay safe)
Thanks Rob, I live in the prison state of Victoria, we're still in lockdown until our Premier decides to let us out.
I think this is the engine Ellie deserves 👍
I agreee m8
I think so too! This engine sounds gooooood!!!!😁
What a superb 2CV. Now that is the 2cv I would have ALWAYS wanted!!
Thats absolutely (Hub)nuts - a hot rod 2CV; brilliantly bonkers !!! 👍
What an utterly superb exemple of proper mod cons! Useful upgrades that don't ruin the originality of the car! Congrats, Pete!
I would hope that added capacity of power would make straining less and durability better.
That's properly ripping through the gears. You can really tell by the rate of rev increase how much extra power that car has over a stock 2CV, especially in first! Always wants to wheelspin!
Oh yessss! I think Mr Sparrow's phone will be ringing a lot in the near future. I wish I had the funds. How much is a kidney worth these days?
No idea but in Europe 70K or so.
@@Pfirtzer nah, 15 max…
11:58 onwards. A bit of an unfortunate door window graffiti that the sun is making apparent there...
This is what I was going to post. Surprised more folk haven't spotted it :D
You should donate this CV2 a HubNut sticker as a thank you.
This is one of the coolest CV2s I have seen.
What a car! If 2CV's hadn't become so expensive I would really want one and then have it modded like this.
I've seen people shoehorn a GS engine under the bonnet, back in the 1990s already, that makes a 2CV (or a Dyane) a truly terrifying experience...
if I was Ian I'd probably pay the guy who modded this to do the same to my own 2CV.
I think this has put some serious thoughts in Ian's head with regards improving Elly's drivability, will probably make better use of the 50cc extra. The front suspension is probably a worthwhile improvement, if only to save some kingpin wear
Was that a bit of wheel-spin going on at 9:12 ? - Hooligan!
Wheel spin, add a limited slip diff😁😁
720cc producing 48 bhp is impressive and almost exactly the same cc to bhp ratio (15/1) as the 127 Sport you recently tested, 1049cc producing 70 bhp (14.9/1).
That's stock standard, out the wrapper, unmodified, straight from Turin.
Think you should start quoting cc to bhp figures in your reviews, it would make interesting reading don't you think?
Scariest passenger experience I've ever had was in a standard 2cv driven by an amateur rally driver.
Mine was with an amateur rally driver in a 400CV MODDED EVO VIII!!! Scary
Same here only he wasn't an amateur rally driver, just a nutter, went round a right hand bend a bit quick and l thought my elbow was going to scrape on the road!!!!
😄
I think Brian May might have copyrighted the name "Red Special"!!
Also probably "Red Alert."
way back in the day, there was a SCCA class called "H modified" for cars of 750cc. (from wiki)-- "When Bill Devin sold his Ferrari 250 MM coupe to a buyer in Michigan in 1954 he took a 1953 Deutsch-Bonnet Le Mans barquette in trade as partial payment.[1] Devin also bought out the stock of a Panhard dealer in California, acquiring ten chassis with engines but no bodies.[3]:61
Devin designed his own ladder frame for a custom race car that used the engine and front-wheel drive transaxle from the Panhards. The wheelbase of this chassis was 2,134 millimetres (84 inches). Devin also took a mold of the body of the DB Le Mans, made some changes, and began to produce custom bodies for his new car.[4] This was his first experience working with fiberglass.
With help from Norton motorcycle racer Don Evans, Devin adapted the cylinder barrels, cylinder heads and pistons from the Norton Manx motorcycle to the two-cylinder boxer Panhard crankcase, roller-bearing crankshaft assembly and piston rods.[1]:62[5] He then fabricated a custom manifold that accepted two-barrel side-draft Weber carburetors. All of these alterations did not affect the displacement of the engine, leaving the 79.5mm bore and 75mm stroke unchanged for a total displacement of 745 cc.
What made the engine unique was the method Devin used to operate the valves. He abandoned the Panhard's pushrod OHV system and contacted the L. H. Gilmer company about using their toothed belts to drive the Manx cylinder heads' overhead cams.[5] Development of synchronous toothed-belts was begun by the Gilmer company around 1940.[6] Their primary application had been as a means of transmitting power in textile mills.[7] Devin's use of the technology to drive the valve train in the Devin-Panhard engine was the first time toothed belts were used in a timing belt application. " there ya go.
Ive got a 3ltr in mine !!! Only joking ,great content hub nut ..... 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧😃😃😃😚
Interesting to watch an old video of Hubnut driving a 2CV with a flat twin BMW motorbike engine . It’s much faster but doesn’t sound as good.
Pure music. Hats off to Pete Sparrow. Lovely review 👍
How does it compare to a Burton conversion with a BMW flat two engine?
I am jealous.. I have been toying with the idea of the 652 cc engine for my 1990 series 2CV6 RHD Charleston which I have now covered 187,000 miles.
Love it. More power... over to the dark side of 2CVing.... excitement plus.
No longer will you have to slip stream trucks in a headwind.
No longer will you have to preplan overtaking manoevures way before they are undertaken.
No longer will you have gravel rash on your elbow when extremely cornering tilt angles are reached...
Great fun.
Just watched this and it looks like I've had the same thought as a few others here, Elly for the Sparrow treatment! :)
I have my van to Pete for this 720 coversion. The
I'm from Belgium and i like your video's a lot. You drove a lot of different cars and give always a good impression from the cars. I like this episode a lot. Nice car 👍👌
Wow! That looks so fun to drive! Although I can't help wondering if by the time you've changed the ignition system, added a wideband lambda sensor and spent time tuning the carbs to match the rest of the mechanical work, you may as well go full EFI...
I must admit that since I bought a BMW R850R, I just want that grey 2CV with the R1100 engine you drove back in 2015, even if purists might not be the biggest fans ;-)
Hi Hubnut....did Petes dad have a small garage in Wokingham, Berks in the 1980's concentrating on Citroen cars???
But can it still carry a basket of eggs across a field without breaking them?
Has anyone ever fitted EFi (fuel injection) to a 2CV ?
I know a lot of people have discussed it.
That was epic ian. Don't you want to crowd fund that sparrow conversion for elly.
I'm normally against modded classic cars, but I can see the point of a lot of what's on this one. Made me think of your idea of buying something like a Morris Minor and making a few subtle mods to turn it into a daily driver for the 2020s. Although personally i think you should do it to an Austin A40 Farina, which I think could be made almost bang up to date with little effort.
The engine sounds like an old BMW aircooled motorbike engine. Sweet!
Fitting a BMW boxer engine to a 2CV transmission has been done a number of times and is one of the conversions that Sparrow Automotive offer. Imagine a 2CV with 125bhp...
@@ferrumignis to be reliable its better do not get over 100hp because need to use the original gearbox...and traction is limited from the size from the tires (original is 125 or 135 wide...).I have a improved 2cv engine who produce ~45hp and to have a correct traction i did modify the differencial gear for a torsen (Quaife), gearbox came from a Dyane, top speed 130km/h, limited from the gearbox ratio
48bhp is powerful for a 2CV and that cone filter makes it sound great.. Pete Sparrow is a wizard at making them faster. I remember the B reg red 2CV Turbo as well.
To quote Jeremy. Clarkson - "POWERRRR!"
I think he lent you that car knowing you would be wanting the upgrade after trying it out. Sounds awesome
That's a great upgrade and if it is getting 48bhp that's impressive without forced induction. I know what you mean about tractability, I drive one of the higher powered Polos and the ability to pull up hills mostly without changing down a lot of gears is nicer than the speed.
NEXT WEEK: Super-Elly!
Interesting sound - the induction noise seems to be overcoming the exhaust and engine noise, it does seem to breathe better low down. I did wonder if a wasted spark ignition coil may be a better alternative to a conventional distributor, and it seems the answer is yes! It would be interesting to see dynamometer curves for the various mods.
Hi Ian!
I'm so glad you made this, and talked about the benefits of the vacuum advance ignition. There's this bizzare subcult of air-cooled VWs (unfortunately including the John Muir, who wrote the wonder "Compleat Volkswagen" book) who somehow think that the 009 centrifugal-only distributor is the right one for a beetle and anyone who doesn't think that isn't driving it right.
Thanks for the video, Ian. Keep it up!
Many years ago, when I was a mechanic, I worked for a bloke who shared a workshop with another mechanic who loved his 2CV's and quite a few people bought theirs to him for work on. One of these was a turbo 2CV, belonging to a friend of his, and I'll never forget when he told me, that the turbo took 14 seconds off of the standard 0-60 time, and it still took 18 seconds to do it. The car had a black band on one of the front wings, a result of a rather nasty under bonnet fire a few years previous, which almost destroyed the car, but it was rebuilt, with the necessary modifications to reduce the risk of it happening again. A couple of years after leaving this job, I was watching "the cars the star" on tv, about the 2CV, and was surprised to see this very same car featured. I believe it's available on you tube.
On next weeks episode Ian drives a 2CV with a v-twin from a bike in it and decides 130hp still isn't enough...
I've not read all the comments but, assuming that this vacuum advance is the conventional system that advances the ignition by turning the sensor/contact plate to a more advanced position when the engine is developing an intake manifold vacuum, then this is not producing the extra power during the 0-60 run or when pulling up the incline. When the throttle is open, as it is during these manoeuvres, then engine is producing very little manifold vacuum. Vacuum is only produced when the throttle is almost closed, so when travelling at a steady speed on the flat with little load on the engine, or with a closed throttle when on the over-run. The extra power being produced by the 2CV as demonstrated during the video is therefore not attributable to the vacuum advance.
It's fully electronic using a vacuum pipe and sensor. It's tractability that's really boosted, but also response under light throttle as you say. It makes it pick up much more cleanly. As you say, doesn't affect full bore acceleration.
Fantastic! I just love it. Not so much a sparrow, more like a hawk. One of my regrets in life was not buying a 2CV, and now the good ones cost a fortune. This modded version seems to address so many concerns about the original. The only tediously boring questions surround the stresses on an uprated engine and will this shorten lifespan? And, when you take away so many of the characteristics of a stock 2CV, are you distancing yourself from the original concept? Having said all that, it looks a great deal of fun and other motorists will be amazed as you glide past them throttle to the floor.
I expect that causes some upset at the traffic lights
Why
Being faster off the lights than expected
@@frazermountford What do you think, how does this mod imoact engine reliability, is it bad for the engine?
That looks like huge fun and good upgrades on the standard car. You can really see and hear the differences to performance and handling in the video. I suspect Pete’s going to be receiving quite a few calls from 2CV owners after this one! Great HubNut video.
What a machine! Really good review with your in depth 2CV knowledge to discuss all the changes and improvements.
"Power- less is more, bit more is brilliant!"
It surprises me that my Honda 420cc TRX/Rancher quad bike has the same power output as a standard 2CV. The Honda is a single cylinder of course, but it is fuel injected and has a cat to meet current emission standards. It easily outperforms a carburetted 500cc previous model while using less fuel. I bet the 2CV does more than 23mpg though.
Fantastic creation. For me, it would only be better if it was a van version, but that’s just my thing. Nice interior upgrades, too. I’d be interested to know how he heated the seats. You can get the heated covers, so maybe he got those under the original seat covers? Also the heated windscreen - can you get those for any car now? Ford family of cars only when I was in the UK last. I gather the heated glass has moved on since the days of being able to see the fine wires, too. LHD in the UK or RHD here in Canada just requires care in passing others, as mentioned, but biggest pain is car park machines and drive-throughs of any kind. Insurance is steep for RHD here, though.
I’m not even a big 2CV fan but that was a really interesting video to watch. Great content 👍🏻
One of the stickers is a Dutch one that says 'VerEend'. 2cv's have 2 popular nicknames in Dutch referring to animals. The one is 'eend' which means 'duck', the other, more common in Flanders, is 'geit' which is 'goat' in English. The sticker is a word game. Ver-Eend obviously refers to the duck nickname, but 'vereend' in one word is also old Dutch for 'verenigd' which means 'united'. In another video I saw recently, Ian was also in Holland visiting an event called 'Elk Merk Waardig'. Also a word game which literally would translate as 'Each Brand Worthy' which does make a bit more sense in Dutch because 'merkwaardig' in one word means 'remarquable'. So there you go.
Since I've been watch your vids on the 2cv. You have definitely warmed me over to want 1. I've always called them brolly cars because they remind of an umbrella for some reason
A HubNuters dream! A 2CV with power. Gentle start your Engines !
about 4 decades ago,a mate in NZ decided his Fiat bambina was a bit tentative so he bored the crank case and head to fit VW barrels and pistons and the sound was very similar to the red rocket.
0-60 is 20.44
If Citroen had produced this GT model it would have sold really well. Can't rewrite history though.
a improved 2cv with a +652cc 35hp (from the Visa) was planed in mid 80's, but this had need a new approval and this cost too much because emissions laws (need injection + cat) and ABS requirement+ new requirements for passive safety (crash test) who was impossible to make with a so light car...
What fun i would have had if i'd been down with this tuning knowledge when i had my Acadiane. Brilliant job done here, great video:)
My two friends from Croatia, twin brothers, have a 2CV 4WD. Few years ago they drove it to Kazakhstan (and back, of course) to see a football match.
I had a LHD car for a while and the only real problem I had was with car parks, drive-through burger bars etc where you sometimes had to get out so you could use the machines/intercoms rather than just open the window.... Thats when its almost worth having a partner so there;s always someone in the passenger seat!
Bridge toll booths can be a pain too.
@Skodaman2 Hmm good point. RHD car it is then :)
How do you get a heated windscreen for a 2CV? I thought they where only available on Fords as they owned the patent?
Not sure about Ford and their patent but a friend of mine has a pre 1963 VW Beetle with a factory fitted heated windscreen and they were available on Series 2a/3 Land Rovers as fitted to my 1976 109" FFR version.
Every bit of that video made me smile! Is Elly in for some Engine love after that? It looked like great fun!👍
Was that tire squeal when you accelerated....?.!
Just remember its the equivalent of an eggshell for a body, if you get into an accident.
Erh, you do know that thé eggshell is very close to perfect design by Nature, right?
This is a shed on two parts of a railway - Made be The French!
Yeees! I like'em BOTH!
You missed what I always consider one of the big advantages of LHD in the UK. When you pull over and park on the nearside, you get ut on to the pavement instead of into traffic - much safer. The US Postal Service had the same idea and used to use RHD jeep delivery vehicles.
True. As well as some Subarus for USPS delivery.
More classic imports with RHD are available for sale.
USPS uses RHD because the mailboxes are at the kerb on the right.
The dual advance distributor allows the tuner to optimise the centrifugal advance for best power with no consideration for cruise smoothness or economy, the vacuum advance looks after that. Once the timing is right more fuel can burnt without risk of pinging. It does sound 'ballsy' and very very smooth, job well done.
Fun to watch. It reminds me of being overtaken by a Reliant Robin.
Makes you wonder why Citroen didn't make an upmarket 2cv?.
I wonder if the GSA unit fitted into the 2cv?!
They did make upmarket '2cv's. They're called the Dyane and the Ami, both built on the 2cv chassis. The dyane only had the 2cv engine, the Ami was also available with the 1.1 GS 4 cylinder boxer engine. Apparently that one revved to 7500 and went from 0 to 100km/h in less than 16 seconds.
In this case, "Sparrows Do Sing". You might need to be a film buff to get that one. That's a good mod to support the king pins. I think that might have been pinched from the 2CV Cross guys. Docked in Dunkerque in 1959 I was taken a few km's inland to Cassel where they were racing 2CV's at an Autocross. Mad then and just as mad now. Don't spoil Elly's character too much Ian. Fit and forget is better than fit and fiddle but the vacuum ignition mods might be good and not damage the wallet too much.
Great and worthwhile mods. Now you've sold the Vectra this should b the way to go! The GSA can do the family car duties!!
2cv special = factory fitted with narrow bumper.
also has a two spoke steeringwheel en simple higher doorcards en simple door handles.
2cv club = factory fitted with high bumper.
and single spoke thicker steeringwheel and lower doorcards with more plastic covers for door handles.
(european 2cv`s ) don`t know if this is also standard for english versions.
like youre video`s !
Oh my god, love it. I always wondered about boring mine out and fitting twin carbs but for me the Belgian arm mod was an eye opener. I used to go through kingpin bushes like I had shares in the company!
I love how carefully thought out and well developed this 2CV is. I never had any issues with cranks so I did wonder how much room for tuning there might be. Sadly my 2CVs were always my only form of transportation so keeping them on the road was priority.
Jjj
I've been ĺooking forward to seeing this video!
Ian, a really excellent video as most of your are but this one for me stands out! Does it have an uprated clutch and exhaust? I know there's not a dramatic load on the original clutch but I thought there maybe an upgrade. Love your channel!!
Right, so here's what you want to do... Pick a car in your fleet to sell to release some funds, pop down to sparrow automotive and hand over said funds and get yourself one of those engines! You'll never look back!
Impressive, I wish I had this amount of power when I was driving one on long trips in France... around the "massif central" it was painful to go up-hill :D
Thank you for this great video. I like very much how you explain all those modifications. Very interesting what is all possible with a 2CV.
Bin that baseball cap, Ian. Bring back the folk festival special - the brimmed leather hat you used to wear.
Big engine small engine who cares?just an incredible iconic car 🚗 with character. Top stuff Sir 👍 Tam.
Pass like a Russian driving a Japanese market car! Go as far over as you can, so you can see, and when the moment is right, zoom over to pass, and hope you saw everything!
What could possibly go wrong? Oh, you've seen the videos too...nevermind...
Rather stunning..... i had a series of Ami's and a 2CV, and this is just superb. I loved them, but this ..........
Another video this time his Friends exotic Red Sports Car powering its way through the mountain roads flaunting his wealth and the unattainable exotic sports cars that are the 2CV with Mods.
germans had a good sticker also for the 2cv's it was a 2cv climbin' a mountain with a lot of cars behind and the text below was tellin' that french cars were the guides of the road
We are now looking forward to seeing the video series of Elly being upgraded.
I was surprised that the Rev limit was so low. Given the noise that Ely makes I thought she was revving higher.
You can hear the difference with the extra torque! Really love what a difference it makes. Have a feeling Elly may come home with a few extra mods hehe
PLEASE NEW VIDEO ROVER 416 SI
I rembember an article in Car Magazine long ago about a turbocharged 2CV, but the experiment was short lived, the car took fire because of excessive heat under the bonnet...
That looked like a lot of fun. Not surprised Pete uses it every day when it has a turn of pace like that.
Very nice video! Astonishing, what you can do with a 2CV. I take it is an original Citroën flat twin brought to 720 cc, not a “foreign” engine. I wonder whether 720 cc is the limit? Another question: how’s the ride?
Lot of 2cv are upgraded with the 1100 cc of the Citroën GS.
@@HenriBourjade And 2 extra cylinders