I had one in the 80th for about 8 years. Best car I ever owned. And: acutally very good off road. I made trips from Germany to Spain, took it to the alps... It never let me down. Thumbs up for this car.
In Germany, where I lived for 7 years, they were called "ducks", and many had duck stickers. Now I am in SE Asia, and you still see them here. They are perfect for here. Few to no superhighways, great secondary and offroad capability, high petrol prices, if they were ever made again, they would be the Ford Model T of Asia. A people's car that almost anyone could afford. But in these modern times, there's not enough profit to suit wealthy investors.
You finally found the best car ever built. Only if you ever owned one of these you will ever know the true meaning of motoring. 2CV a true masterpiece ❤️❤️
The commentary is jaw dropping in its lack of historical context. It's like someone reviewing a stone aged piece of flint used to cut meat and saying, 'To save money, and reduce the mechanical points of failure, the designers decided to go for a non-motorized blade.' Why is someone who specializes in reviews of old cars so entertained by that fact that they didn't use 21st century technology?
@@danielsinger1 I'm pretty sure your comment only confirms my argument. My analogy with the knife could have been better though. What I really meant to emphasise is that there was a whole lot of judging the car on the basis of 21st century design standards.
I forgot who said it, but driving a 2CV kinda forces you into a relaxed mindset, making you more observant of things around you, and even if you do arrive a bit later, you'll likely arrive in a better state of mind, more relaxed, and at the same time still have much more energy reserve. It's a car that helps you enjoy the journey.
I have had 4 of thèse cars ans even drove one from London to Biarritz for a surfing holiday, great cars and as we used to say they'll do a hundred kilomètres on just thé smell of an oily rag, very economical. On thé older versions they had a centrifugal clutch which meant you could sit at thé lights with thé first Gear engaged and thé engine ticking over and the car wouldn't move until you pressed on thé accelerator pédale, great fun. I once changed thé engine in half an hour
But also it's rounded appearance also makes it appear very friendly and relaxed. There is a reason they were used on children's showns all the time because they are a very soft and non-threatening car.
Tommy, 1. Impressed with the French accent. 2. You want to keep this car, esp with the trajectory of current economy. I wish we could current vehicles with much simpler and cheaper technology.
Its all about the suspension with this car ! You can drive on realy rough terrain and still feel no shock , like a flying carpet ! I think its suspension is still unmatched today , by even the most expensif cars , GENIUS !
@@carolramsey6287 It's true, they even invented an unprecedented (still to this day), ultra-sophisticated horizontal suspension system for such a small car. Very efficient and reliable for four totally independent wheels that really stick to the road in great comfort with great crossing capacity (the horizontally articulated suspension arms offered impressive wheel travel). It was only used for 2CV and its derivatives for over 40 years. The horizontal suspension arm system (but with hydraulics) then continued for the DS and partly for the SM, GS, etc..., always with such a movement specific to Citroëns. If the horizontal suspension pots under the body with the integrated springs always remained until the end of the construction of the 2CV, the shock absorbers were put in place only in 1970. Before 1970, it was a very ingenious friction system which acted as shock absorbers to calm the crazy travel of the springs (Ferodo jaws, like small drum brakes, were integrated at each end of the large cross tube which allowed the fixing and rotation of the suspension arms). This caused these funny movements of the 2CV which pumped gently from the front or the rear. This friction system was completed by a small metal bottle fixed at the end of the suspension arm inside each wheel. This small bottle contained a very heavy flyweight suspended by a spring and bathed in graphite oil. At each bump or hole in the road, the play of the suspended flyweight kept the wheel glued to the road. It was really impressive, given the flexibility of the suspension and indestructible and I even preferred it to the shock absorbers installed in 1970 because it was perfect, even on very degraded surfaces, where the shock absorbers could admit some weaknesses and less smoothness. It just had to be adjusted if necessary in the event of excessive pumping, but that did not affect its handling. Besides, I never changed either the friction system or the shock absorbers, or the springs. But it was necessary to lubricate all the tie rod attachments, the horizontal pots containing the springs and the cardan joints every 5000 km (at each oil change), a guarantee of indestructible reliability.
@@louloufildezinc9041 My favourite piece of idiosyncratic French engineering was during WW1. When pilots got fed up with shooting at each other with revolvers and wanted to use machine guns instead, they couldn't put the gun in front of the pilot without it shooting the wooden propeller to bits and mounting them outboard on the wings would tear the flimsy wings apart so they tried pusher propeller designs and strapped machine guns above the pilot st the centre of the top wing on existing aircraft. This meant that the pilot had to stand up, gripping the stick between his knees to fire the gun with the unfortunate result that the plane would frequently turn upside down and the pilot who had no parachute would make his way rather rapidly to the ground A Frenchman, Roland Garros came up with the simple solution of screwing metal plates to his propeller blades so that any bullets hitting it would bounce off ( the Army School of Infantry tells me that ricochets are wildly unpredictable and no computer model can show where they will go). Msr Garros was the scourge of the sky for about three weeks until an oil blockage in his engine forced him down behind German lines. The Germans tried copying his idea but their ammunition was more powerful than the French and simply shot the propeller clean off. Anton Fokker and Tommy Sopwith both came up with interrupter mechanisms , one using cams and a mechanical linkage, the other using hydraulics to cause the propeller to fire the gun only when it wasn't in the way. In WW2 some German fighters used this system but most fighters had the guns fitted in the much stronger wings of the monoplanes then in use. The interrupter mechanisms became redundant with the development of the jet engine. Msr Garros put me off French engineering for a long time and I'm still not comfortable with it.
@carolramsey6287 Garros actually designed a interruptor mechanism which worked quite well, but because some cartridges would fire a bit later than others he would sometimes hit the propeller. They were actually L-shaped metal plates so if a bullet bounced towards the engine, the perpendicular part would (hopefully) bounce it outward again. He later realised that he could save on weight by not installing the interruptor and let the metal plates handle any wayward bullets. It worked quite well apparently, although I dont know what made his engine seize up of course 😊
Tommy just took me down memory lane. My dad had two from 1987 to 1990. One was the identical one he's reviewing and the other was the cargo van (like the first gen transit connect). I remembered him saying they go around 50 mpg. You can still find those things driving down the streets in some French speaking countries in Africa.
A simple car, with no computer modules to go wrong! They really do drive well over fields and poor surfaces, including snow. They were also fuel efficient for the times.
Well.....there's an issue with the points and setting them, also the tiny box thats holds the sistem it's up front the engine behind the fan and bassically becomes a reliabillity when going on flood spots if the gasket fails, your done....it happened to me XD
They were also dreadful pollutants,it was funny when the all the lentil munchers who used to rave about the virtues of the small engine only to then find out how bad they really were. One test in particular showed that a 2cv on the same journey produced more pollutants than a V12 Jag of all things😂
@@krisphoton7304I'd suggest you read the comment properly and maybe arm your self with some knowledge on the matter. Emissive pollutant levels have absolutely nothing to do with fuel consumption.
Owned about 4 of them in the 80s, fell in love with them when I was at University and needed cheap easy to fix transport. Just been trying to find a good example to electrify. I have never been a car person and this is the only car I held any affection for.
I really like your video! I'm a very young driver and my first car actually had to be a 2CV. I'm so impressed by the simplicity of this car which makes me happy at any time when I drive it. It's super easy to repair in case of a failure (which actually never happens) and it doesn't really need much fuel. Wherever you go in this car, there are always people laughing and being happy when they see you driving by or they really want to get to know where you got this car.
I had one as my first car and it was a Great way to learn how to really drive. With only 20ish horsepower it meant that one got really good at correct gearbox use and 'planning ahead' (therefore Situational Awareness). Wish I still had mine, great fun especially in the summer.
This is a wonderfully well done video. I lived in France as a student in the 80s and it was my dream to own a Charleston, maroon and black! Thank you for the tour. As a gear head, I love all of the little idiosyncrasies of this car.
I have a spot in my heart for the 2CV. My most terrifying and best Autobahn experience was in a 2cv that wasn't even close to being maintained well. Best 18KM ever! lol
Been on same German rollercoaster 👍🏻 You keep thinking this is going to roll, this is going to roll, nope it won't 😋 But just hang on till rides over 😲
I took mine from near Cologne right down to southern France with a friend and two bicycles in the rear. Great experience and at about the speed of a semi - it was an older one with only 23 horse - not too slow. It helps, that people don't see the 2cv as a threat, so they think it more to be funny than annoying when they have to wait for you to overtake a truck, even if you don't manage it and have to give up :-)
@@brookeking8559 Late 602cc 29 Hp models can quite easely follow the LKW's on the autobahn on the right lane. At the true speed of 90 Km/h the engine runs at 4200 rpm, max rpm is 5750.
@@uwekall6281 In 1977 I had to drive many times on the autobahn between Brüssel and Spich (Köln - Bonn) with a 435cc 24 Hp 2CV4. It was a torture for the screaming engine, pedal to the metal, unless I could hide behind a LKW to get advantage of the vortex. The Ente would so be shaking and the roof would wobble... At 50.000 the engine was exhausted - until she was totaled by an idiot on the road.
What a beautiful 2CV. I bought one new in 1982 and covered over 40,000 miles in just over 2 years. Also had a DS21 Safari, CX, BX and GS, they were all quirky and brilliant in their own way. The time just before the PSA era reliability went seriously downhill and after they just became boring boxes. The 2CV was fantastic on country roads in the summer with the roof open and the windows flapping! Unique ride, great road holding for the brave. The dash on the Charleston was sophisticated, mine was much simpler, also no heater blower etc. I’ve also seen the doors adjusted by dealers by getting hold of them and bending! Great little car, just don’t have a collision.
I had the pleasure of driving a fairly new DS21 (sedan) in the mid 60s. It was fantastic. glad I had the opportunity. I would love to own/even drive a 2cv. My favorite of all is the unobtainable DS 21 convertible ....... a work of art. Citroen had the antiquated Traction Avant from the 30s(?) and in 1955 they came out with the space ship (DS21/19)!! it must have been a real shocker.
I too had a new 2CV6 in the 80's. I drove approaching 100,000 miles in it with one replacement engine (from a crash write-off). I could cruise all day at 70mph, the speed limit in the UK. I traded it in for a Citroen C15D.
No, a head on collision can be quite dangerous. A friend had extensive face injuries from hitting the top bar, over the windshield. The seatbelt does not hold one down, luckily the surgeons were able to do a reconstruction. Other than that. It really brings a smile, on the odd occasion of seeing one on the road.
Hi. I was the head supervisor for the quality control department in the assembly plant here in Argentina, Long before that my first car was a 62 model. As regards the speedo/wiper cable, this had a good idea. If the cable broke you could still work the wipers turning a little wheel next to the speedometer. (A little clock like on an old motorbike on top of the "dashboard" next to the windscreen..)
While stationed in Germany in the 1980s, I owned 5 Citroens, including two 2CVs. I paid $25 for each, which was scrap value, as they wouldn't pass the very stringent German inspections any longer. Fortunately our vehicle inspections were less stringent. I drove each for about a year, with no significant issues. 50 mpg and 65 mph top speed.
The 2cv was sold new, in 1990, for less than €5000. It was the cheapest car one could buy. Pull the front seats forward and you can recline them down to fit the rear seat and make a two person bed, with no hand brake or gear shifter sticking up. The hand brake even has a safety latch so you don't kick it in your sleep. You can fit almost anything inside a 2cv. Removing the seats is super simple and then you can fit 2,5m long items inside the car. Or remove the top and you can fit whatever standing up. Or remove the hatch and you can carry longer stuff hanging out. And a lot more. My mum is almost 80 years old and still owns the Citroen Dyane (a 2cv variant) she bought new in 1980. I drive it almost everyday. In 2000 I drove from Portugal to Poland in winter. It's a super comfy car and will get you there for sure, even in those ice roads, with the thin tyres. Pure genius.
This absolutely the best and most informative video on a 2CV that I have ever seen by anyone... and an American with the correct pronunciation - Both the O & E get sounded separately because of the 2 dots (diaeresis) over the E... So often I hear CITRON... which is lemon in French.... for a very sweet reliable little tin snail. I am on my third new 2CV6 in 42 years and 550,000 kms bringing them back to Australia. So simple that after a year working in London, 2 friends helped me strip and crate my 1978 2CV6 Club RHD to ship home to Australia as spare parts. Reassembled by 2 friends in the Citroen Car Club in Sydney. My second was a new 1982 2CV6 Charleston RHD (English spec) for Tourist Transit delivery in Paris before setting off for a 15 month tour of the Europe, UK, Ireland, Canada & USA. Then shipment home from San Francisco to Sydney. Made so many friends along the way.... More Smiles Per Mile. My current Portuguese manufactured 1990 Charleston also delivered TT new in Paris, has covered 187,000 miles, top speed of 72 mph, 40 mpg. You are so right about speed humps. My top speed over a 10 mph speed bump was 55 mph.... limited only by my length of run up. A crazy 2CV6 driver can maintain surprising velocity at 60-65 mph and even 80 mph on down hills. You don't slow down for corners and plan your driving to maintain revs. I once had a Jag driver pull into a gas station on the New England Highway after 40 miles of terror as he observed the crazy roll angles in corners. "By God that goes well for a V6!" I replied "It is a twin." He exclaimed "Twin Turbo!". I took him around and opened the bonnet... He said..."Is the second motor in back?" He thought I meant twin engines...not cylinders.... and indeed in the 1960s there was a twin engined twin gearboxed 2CV Sahara 4 x 4.... only did 60 mph. He drove a Jag V12 saloon which poured out lots of haze from the exhausts as he used the power to overtake uphills. I would maintain velocity and pass him on down hill corners scaring him silly that the tin rocket was about to fall off the road. When you learnt to drive like a crazed Frenchman, you will surprise many motorists.... except up long hills...
I’m a great fan of your channel and I’m French. I have to say that you nailed the description of what is probably the most famous French car ever produced… I’d add one thing: while the car was known to be impossible to roll over, doors could randomly open in sharp turns, and the fear of dying from falling off a 2cv was a real thing for kids from my generation haha The nostalgia of the 2cv is what made me buy the Jeep Wrangler that I call my American 2cv… simple, can go anywhere, and most importantly is ALWAYS convertible.
My parents had the 2CV 6 special, the "special" Is only an ever more simplistic dashboard 🤣🤣🤣, we used to go from north Paris suburbs all the way down to Toulouse to visit my grandparents and then to Zaragoza to visit my Spanish family. The trip were epic 😁😁, I miss so much that era, but there is other iconic French car, the Renault 4L, Renault Estafette, 5 Alpine, 5 Alpine 5 turbo, Supercinq GT turbo, Citroën type H, CX, DS, Peugeot, 205, 504, 505, 604, 206CC and many others... 😉
My friend used to have one in the early 80's. We took it on our trip to the French riviera. This is a fun car. They are litteraly impossible to flip over. At one point, we open the roof and cramed 15 people inside and drove it for a few miles that way. Indestructible.
My favourite car! I owned the Indonesian version, called the Citroen Faf. Identical engine and running gear, etc, but a body made of flat steel. Straight lines everywhere. Drove it on bitumen, gravel, rocks, grass and reversed up really steep hills. Lots of room; carried nine adults at one point. Not quickly but we got there. Wonderful! Such fun and the whole family enjoyed it.
Not sure if someone's mentioned this, but the 2CV was the vehicle of choice for the USA Green Berets in Vietnam during the build up to war. They could not get their Jeeps to go where the 2CV would go, at least not and find parts and have it be reliable.
Pleased to have you reviewing this french icon. I have great memories on the back seat, my dad driving at full throttle, wheels squealing at every corner... I remember seeing the needle of the speedo over the 130km/h limit... A friend of mine is currently restoring one from the seventies, quite rusty, a lot of bodywork, but every single bit is available here.
Super memories of being driven to school in France daily in one of these! You could see the road through the bodywork from the front passenger seat where there was a little hole to let any water out. The suspension was designed to be able to drive across a ploughed field in the absence of roads. Pronounced “See Troh Enn” - a hugely influential car designer, he invented front-wheel drive!!
You've overlooked Lancia, a true rival to Citroën for automotive innovation. Their Lambda had FWD in 1922 (also first with monocoque construction, the first V4, and independent front suspension). André Citroën didn't introduce FWD until 1934.
@@marclemire1414 Cord didn't come along until 1929, seven years after the Lancia Lambda. I think it's more likely André Citroën was influenced by the Italians than the Americans. But, who really knows?
Thanks all, interesting to find out more about early automobile history. The “Traction” was apparently the world’s first mass produced front wheel drive car, indeed several years after the Cord, it was designed by two Italians.
@@RikMaxSpeed I suppose it all hangs on the meaning of 'mass produced'. Nonetheless, over 11,000 of the front-driven, unitary-bodied, Lancia Lambda were built from 1922, far ahead of Citroën, Audi, Cord, or any other maker. Indeed, an Italian was one of the designers of the Traction Avant, but he'd worked for Voisin, another eccentric French car company. The second designer was, however, French.
@TFLclassics Congrats! Former 2CV owner here...some things that will really help: Add a 123Ignition--huge drivability improvements. New Michelin tires (call Coker). Don't inspect the kingpins unless you have the tool to pop 'em back in. Then send it! Just remind everyone they can't lean on the inner fender when the hood is open or it'll fold like tin foil. You can also unbolt & slide off all four doors *and* the trunklid for a true beach experience. Remove the seats at will. You'll also have to try the built-in crank start--grab the wheel jack and insert into the front fan...and crank... Should I have sold mine? Nope.
I remember seeing these all over Europe when I was stationed there. Thanks for assembling this comprehensive summary of the design of the "French Volkswagon"; you answered many questions I had that I had no idea where to ask!
I'd say the 2CV, the Beetle, the Fiat 500, and the Cooper Mini were all in this unique basic family car class of its era. Each with their own distinctively different angle of engineering.
I owned a Peugeot 505, and had a friend who's father collected Citroën ID's and DS's. ALL French cars from my experience wallow to the edge and then just plant themselves through the corners. If you ever get to ride in or drive an ID or DS, they are the most comfortable riding vehicles ever made. The hydro-pneumatic suspension is brilliant!
I have a DS that is currently not running. I heard the ride called "cloud-ride", and with good reason. Ride in a DS just once, and when you ride in any other car (except the 2CV) you will feel every bump on the road! I can't wait to get my DS back on the road.
A small piece of information about the 2CV name. 2CV (literally two horses) has little to do with the actual power of the engine. It is a fiscal notion, that is to say the basis to calculate the tax on automobiles, the "vignette", since abolished). As far as I remember, the actual power of the original engine (1947) was 9HP, for a maximum speed of 50 km per hour (approximately 30 miles per hour)...! Pretty impressive!
I was hitchhiking when I was picked up in a 2CV. I climbed in, looked around seeing the exposed rivets and plastic curtains for windows and said to the owner, "Hey! This I'd pretty neat! Did you make this yourself?" I got the dirtiest look. 😂
My friends kid, a bright 5 year old, sat in the front seat watching me operate the controls (very unlike the ones in parents 'modern' car) as we drove along in my 2CV. After I had wound open the air vent (literally a screw-open flap under the windscreen) she matter-of-factly asked me "Is this a Toy car?".
Fun fact about Citroen:- The Citroen logo is a stylised representation of a double-helical (or herringbone) gear, which was invented by Andre Citroen, the founder of Citroen.
Actualy André Citroën bought the patent from his inventor. His part of the invention is not the concept of the double-helical gear itself but an efficient industrial production process to carve the gears.
@@srfrg9707 I didn't know that! I knew Andre Citroen was an innovative engineer & all the cars/trucks made up to the 1990s reflect that. He also put up the most tasteless advertising display ever in Paris and it last years hung up there on the Eiffel Tower, lol.
I traveled through northern France (toward Belgium) with a French college friend in 1970. He had a very used CV2 from the mid fifties, driven mostly around Paris by students. On the flat terrain in the north, the car would barely do 45 miles an hour. After we passed through a small farm village, we were pulled over by a motorcycle gendarme. He said he had stopped us because he had clocked us at fifty in the sleepy village. My friend, speaking through his dropped half-window, laughed at the charge and said, "Fifty - in this?" The gendarme stepped back, looked the car over from end to end, smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken." He wished us a good day, replaced his helmet, helped us back into traffic and drove away. It was hysterical and I've loved the cars ever since.
Great memories of this car, It was my first car hauled everything with it. Moved house with it, open roof, take out rear seat there you go... one thing though in winter you had to wear gloves shawls etc Also best car in the snow didn't weigh much so would go over instead through the snow
@@Alienking01 Yes this model was produced by Citroën as the Deux Chevaux Sahara. They build just 694 examples between 1958 and 1971. In 2012 a 2CV Sahara was sold for 110.000 $ and prices are still raising.
One of the best car ever build after the S class 600😉 Some guy went around the glob with the beast. Easy to fix and cheap to run and an amazing ability to stick on the road. Fun car to drive on snow. Thanks for your upload.
In Argentina, the 2cv and the fiat 600 were seen as starter cars, untill the 600 S hit the strrets with it's almost 1 liter engine. That produced a little more power and the car screamed for a 5 gear system that never got. It launched like a bullet at stoplights.
Thanks for your very informative video. You make us love this car. I own one and restored three. 2CV - deux chevaux, two steam horsepower as you say, is not the nominal output of the car. It is a former French tax name which classified vehicles according to the power of the engine. For example, the Traction avant was so classified as a "11 chevaux" or "15 chevaux" for the 6 in - line engine models. The roof locker system did not exist on the early models. The engine has an oil radiator. No, there was never a fuel injection system.
Valid points. I could also add a couple ones: The 2CV was never officially imported to USA, not because it was too slow but because it would never have passed the local crash-test regulations. The grille screen is not intended to keep the driver warm in the winter, but the carburettor. Indeed, the long intake manifold is very exposed to air flow yet needs to be kept warm enough to prevent a rough runnng. Or even a total freeze.
Excellent review! Well done on the historical details, the pronunciation, and the engineering 😃 It is one of the originals, one of the cars that got Europe back on its feet after the war. As you correctly mentioned the design was pre-war, just like it's main rival from Germany, the Beetle. Fun idea: comparison review of these two cars and discover two totally different engineering philosophies that root back into culture (France and Germany). Here in Europe we say that Germany is the birth place of the car, and France the nursery where cars grew up. One last fun fact: Mr. Citroën was actually Mr. Citroen (citroen is Dutch for lemon), a Dutch business man who went to France and started the car company 😉
In the UK, as far as I know, we don't call Germany the birthplace of the car and France the nursery. The history of the "horseless carriage" is pretty complicated to say the least, with no single inventor or country being responsible for it's development. I believe many countries have their own post war car icons, several being pre-war designs... the VW being more famous because of it's direct links to the Nazis and Ferdinand Porsche. Still the 2CV is a true classic, I still see several in my local area even today.
@@another3997 I first heard this "Germany the birthplace of the car and France the nursery" meme in Jay Leno's Garage. Jay loves French cars and often use the meme. Is it historically accurate? I frankly don't know, but I'm sure of the fact that French cars, specially those from Citroën, were once the most innovative (traction avant, DS, 2 CV, SM, etc.)
Great review. The 2CV (la deudeuche in french slang) was the anti VW beetle. Le beetle was the middle class urban car dreamed by a dictator with a mustache to populate the highways network he was building. The idea was to sell the the german petit-bourgeois not only a car but also all kind of services the car needed to work proprely, paved roads, gas stations, garages... The deudeuche on the other hand was a car designed to replace two horse carriages in the french farms. It was designed as a low maintenance cost cross country vehicle. It also was the very first car with specifications designed after a public survey. The "cross a plowed fied with a basket of eggs" thing was not a legend. Of course the front wheel traction is what makes the car a good cross country vehicle along with the long travel suspensions and the low weight. The amount of ingeneering put in that signe car to match those specifications is amazing. The engine is a aluminium air-cooled 2 cylinders boxer one with no head gasket, no water pump, no radiator (an oil radiator will appear later). It's so light two people can remove it from the car along with the gearbox and transmission without a crane. The front panels are easy to remove with only 2 screws, exposing the entire mechanics. One feature no other car ever had was the inertia system called "batteur". It's a vertical cylinder attached to the wheels which contains a cylindrical mass resting on a spring and bathed in oil. The mass absorbs the shock and the wheel remains in contact with the road. The entire concept was to provide a resilient, durable and DIY service car. Concepts we try to bring back to reality nowadays. So here you have it : The freedom car produced by the company of a french Jew at the opposite of the system car of a dictator with a mustache.
I love my bugs, knowing this full well as well as how much of the design was..shall we say "borrowed" from the 2cv... Cause when a dictator says build me a car you probably don't feel too creative.. That being said if I ever get the chance to get one of these I'd be very happy. The ultimate minimalist go anywhere car!
I loved my 1979 Dyane 6. One brilliant feature you didn't spot is that the speedo has orange lines on it indicating the maximum speed in each gear. You don't need a tachometer, your speedo has four redlines! On the 602cc engine, the red lines indicate 6800 rpm.
The Citroën Dyane is also an amazing car such as the 2CV, quite similar on the basics, although more comfortable. These two, together with the VW Beetle are among the most charming and lovely cars in history.
@@tomjoad1363 But Citroën kept the Acadyane (utility vehicle version of the Dyane until 1987 because it had better characteristics than the 2CV6 Fourgonette. It was replaced by the C15 (a Citroën Visa variant).
Absolutely love these cars. I already have as many cars as I can stand, but I would tempted to sell my El Camino and dip into the fund for work on my Skylark if I found a solid 2CV for sale near my home in Kansas. Its probably a good thing for my three American classics that this isn't likely to happen.
My family owned one, traveled around Europe. You have to wave to others driving it, it is expected. And you can actually tip it over, but only if you drive it in revers, driving forward is almost impossible. It was not used for couple of years, then our new car wouldn't start, so we removed battery from the CV2, and managed to jump start the new car... :) Unstoppable on snow and mud, great clearance, narrow tires on big wheels, light, amazingly comfortable.
Here in UK, these cars are difficult in winter. The damp gets into the ignotion system making starting difficult. If you have cool damp winters, it is essential to clean and regap the spark plugs to get going at all. As you mentioned, the ignition system is weird - both plugs spark together, so the one that sparks on the exhaust stroke is helping exhaust gas flow, but this means that the plugs burn out very quickly - fit new ones about every 5,000 miles! Be very careful in flood water! The points (contact breaker) box (which does similar service to a distributor on a normal engine) lies behind the fan at the bottom ie it is very near the front bumper. Flood water will be sucked in, everything shorts out, and you come to a dead stop.
Pitch the points. Electronic ignition= $15 US. 10 minute install. No more water or cold start issues.. EVER. Then get two Platinum spark plugs $10. Last plugs youll ever buy for it.
The 2CV was a brilliant car especially considering that France was/had been devastated by the looting of the country under the Occupation and by the bombing campaigns to dislodge the Germans. Most of their manufacturing plants had been either destroyed or shipped to Germany. Roads were a mess and lets not forget that France had kept/respected a lot of the old roads/ways that had been built over centuries of history (dating back to Roman times). The Citroen 2CV was exactly what the post-war French citizen needed when gas was poor quality, expensive, and city streets were narrow. I served as US Navy Liaison Officer for the Marine Nationale (French Navy) in the nineties (Nimes-Garons, Southern France). The French military, the Foreign Legion and the everyday French citizen treated me like a king - grateful that we (Allies) had delivered them from World War II subjugation and help rebuild France after the war. One of my uncles had been shot down (killed) on a mission over France in July 1944. Thank you for this great video and all my gratitude to the French people for taking care of me during my service with their Navy. Ciao, L (Maine, USA)
I live in Israel. I was a student of industrial design in the early 80s. I also happened to own a 2CV (and later, a Dyane). We had a visiting professor of industrial design from the US on the staff. Once, she saw my car. She looked at it, amazed, and exclaimed, "Wow! A two-dimensional car!" I understood what she was saying about its design (it's almost flat on both sides) but I was shocked that an educated person, let alone a professional industrial designer, was not familiar with the 2CV and had never seen one before, given that the Citroën 2CV is an iconic car, immediately recognised all over the world. It showed me how disconnected the American design (and automotive) scene was from the rest of the world's.
We can’t even imagine that an automobile can exist with a displacement of less than a liter, and won’t buy anything smaller than a 1.6, and even that you do covering your face in shame. Funny that an American designer in the 80’s would make jokes about 2-D cars, most Detroit models at that time looked like they had been sawed from the side of a block of wood.
@@PRH123 The Renault 5 would like a chat. The Inbredistani version was the 1.4 C2J (I think) series engine 5 speed. Europe got from a 956cc to a 1.4 turbo, along with the 1.7 energy engine 100bhp, originally water-cooled and then oil jacketed (the water cooled ones had a habit of exploding in clouds of white smoke). I inherited a Carmen Red 1108cc 4 speed manual - good for 92mph and 52mpg UK. Currently have a Triumph Vitesse S3 I6 convertible and a Wolseley 18/85. I think the Vitesse got out that way, not sure the Wolseley did.
Those 2CV6 Charelstons were made in Koper, Slovenia (Yugoslavia) at that time. Check the stickers and you will most likely confirm that. And yes, you can rub your door seal against the road in the corner and will still not tip over. 2 cylinder motorcycle with weather protection that can be driven legaly without a helmet. But slowly 😁
RC Ryder I don’t know where to got this information completely wrong. Charleston modèle were produced in Portugal at Mangualde and not in Slovenia as well as in différence part of the world.
5,114,969 Charleston's were built during its run . 42,000+ were built in Portugal . If your 2CV has Covina glass fitted it was built in Portugal . The last official 2cv to run out of the Portuguese factory was a specially built Charleston although rumour has it another 5 were built after this .
@@winteronice you have some companies in France and Holland that acquired the presses and forms to continue producing 2CV and Mehari, Burton in the Netherlands is either rebuilding cars from old machine and 2CV or brand new sporty car and Mehari Club at Cassis France can build car from scratch around and old refurbished engine. So a good concept to Citroen lover for a reasonable cost (about 20 000 € or less).
Not true, they were also built in Portugal and Spain. The spanish Vigo factory turned out almost 300.000 units of all models (Charleston was a special limited edition, and I do not know how many were built here, but it was a relatively common sight, most in red/black)
After spending much time in France and much of Europe during the 90’s I fell in love with quirky French cars so I absolutely love these. Old Citroen Renault Peugeot Ligier Aixam I love them all.
The Citroën 2CV is just a marvel of simple engineering, I love it! Rust is really your only concern with these cars, other than that, they're just great fun. I have a 1982 2CV6 Charleston as well and end up driving it way more than one would imagine. Enjoy!
I enjoy my 63 Beetle - but I loved the 2CV I owned in the UK for a few months in holiday. Yes, I took out the seats for my campsites, I negotiated a surprise roundabout at some ridiculous speed without falling over or hitting the new sports car already there, and I did it all without needing a service despite its huge mileage. Brilliant, beautiful cars.
The 2CV was always the one oldtimer I always wanted the most because there used to be a 2CV on my street that I remember pretty well from childhood. Anyway, the crank start is my most favourite part, seriously! I never even knew the car starts this way 16:48 Okay, I simply love sprung vehicles
My grandmother had one of these. I loved taking rides in it. Of course, it was a different era, when safety wasnt a priority. A few years back, I had too much to drink, didnt want to drunk drive, missed the last bus, and had to hitchhike home. A nice old lady in a 2CV with her two nieces gave me a ride. That poor Citroen was cramped as hell, but I arrived home filled with nostalgia, and a big smile on my face.
Wonderful! Over the years I've worked on a few for customers. I'm also an admirer of the Renault 4 (similar gear change!) - we had two in the family - both the 2CV and the 4 were very softly sprung yet had amazing road holding. On narrow, rural, winding roads its amazing how fast one could go on so little power.
The guy who used to sevice my 2CV told me how some teenager tried to steal the 2CV of another customer, who had left the keys in the ignition. They shot off in Reverse, stopped ... looking very confused ... and jumped out of the car and ran off. That dash-gear-change 🤔
I remember getting picked up hitchhiking in Scotland in 1980, great vehicle. Last time I was in Paris, I saw there is some tour companies that will take you around Paris, great with the top rolled back. I did see on TH-cam someone converted one to electric so 2C-EV. The most innovated Citroen is the DS9 series and follow ons, amazing technology for its time.
Great review!! We live in Switzerland and had a lot of fun with our 2 CV in the 80s! We traveled all Europe with and had never a problem! Today we have still one just for fun! Thanks for this video! Best regads Daniel
I had a local version of this in Iran in the 70s. I would go skiing in the mountains behind Tehran. The ski car park was at about 9,000 feet. We could take 4 people with ski equipment. If we restarted on the hill passengers had to run alongside until we were moving. With the weight over the front wheels it could go anywhere. Once we were happily driving ahead of the snowplow
Thanks for explaining the dip-light lever. I never used that lever though I have a 2cv myself :-) but as it's so flimsy I never tried out what it does.
I had one here in the UK back in 1971 when I was 17, the car was about ten years old and very reliable; went 'up market' a year later and got a Renault 4, then a Beetle and finally a Mini Cooper when I hit 21 and could get insurancelife was sweet back then.
I've had a 2CV for the last four years as my only car and put some pretty heavy mileage on it. Done some long distance trips in Europe and semi regularly make the 600 mile round trip to my hometown. It is pretty grim for long distance ngl, the noise is pretty unbearable after 4 or 5 hours, but it's still great fun. Never a dull day driving the 2CV! Take out all the seats apart from drivers (very simple!) and you have a fairly decent sized load hauler and have used to move house a couple times. I'm hoping it will keep going for many more years to come but they are very susceptible to rust since the steel is so incredibly thin, salty winter roads take their toll every year...
I have owned 2. The best, greatest car in the world. The 1st one was a 1953 with a 375cc motor. I think to get up steap hills, turned it around and went up in reverse. The fuel gauge (this may sound wacko) was a dip stick!. The other was a 1972 2CV6 built to cross Africa. What super memories. Thank you for stirring up those memories.
I Drow my mom's 2cv down hill on the danich highway and it hit 130 km/ h with the wind and sun in my back and a little god home sickness.. man the memorys i got with a dyane and a 2cv We drove on a summer hollyday with my wooden optimistic dinghy on the top, and my brothers wooden ok dinghy on a trailer behind. All the 29 horse power went on overwork climbing the danich hills nearly Silkeborg ... Down to sekond gear and up up up we go slowly but stedely.
All the car you really need!!! One of the greatest cars! And if you think of it, now in this modern times, if we could just build this car, light and simple but with a modern 29hp efi engine, there would be no need for heavy EVs. I´m shure the gasmileage with modern tech would be astronomical!
There is a reason superminis weigh 1 ton today, where they weighed 450kg in the 50s. Safety is important to most buyers and governments, so all the door beams and space for airbags and crumple zones eat into volume and lightness. It is not that engineers are trying extremely hard, just that requirements are high today. However, I heard cars like the latest Suzuki Alto can do 100mpg. For a 2CV, you can probably retrofit a fuel injection system and control modules that improve fuel economy. Not sure how much it would cost, or if it is possible in the first place though.
@@charlesc.9012 Its possible - but you'd have to use single point EFI, step down the injector size, change the ECU to register two cylinders and go from there. Or you could shoehorn the gs engine in there and put efi on that. EFI on that engine might get you 10-15% more power so maybe 35hp - but tuned properly it'd transform torque.
Thank You, I always wanted one. My brother moved a piano in his in Germany.Someone said if you were hitchhiking in Europe that is what you would get a ride in!
There are some amazing Citroen 2cv EV conversions in Europe. Imagine the EV horsepower delivered to that little car, and they handle like crazy it's like a rollercoaster you get to drive. 😲 They make great local commuter cars incredibly popular on thoughs Narrow European city streets. There are EV shops that can't keep up with the conversion demand and they're not cheap. Wouldn't be surprised if Citroen doesn't bring back a new retro 2CV EV⚡ Winner-takes-all on First affordable fun Electric City car to hit American streets. Or any where 🌎
My dad had a white one with racing stripes when I was a kid, really good memories of taking it to the beach and going for rides. Sadly rust got a hold of it and literally ate it up, as I’m sure you can imagine didn’t take long with the thin metal body pieces that make up the 2CV. Very capable car! Especially over dirt roads and over pot holes.
My brother had a 2cv. He always let me drive it (I was 13 at the time) around field roads when I gave him my pocket money so that he could go out. That was in the seventies. Great car.
The coil is mounted up front so the airflow can cool it -- even so, it tends to overheat and cause the engine to stall in stop-and-go traffic in hot weather. And I like guys with glasses who drive quirky old cars. :-)
Some parts manufacturers are now making solid state coils that fixes that issue - it's an insane upgrade as I had that hot traffic stalling thing happen in all the worst places before
What a nice way to present this legendary car to the US public. All the stories are true, as a die-hard fan I've been driving 2cv like cars since 1984. There are several derivates like the Dyane, Ami, Mehari as well as specialized kit-cars and beach-buggies like Le Patron, Lomax and Burton. To me the most appealing part of a 2cv is the minimalistic bare-bone concept of an 'automobile'. Driving with the essentials that are required by law. It's a therapeutic response to the 21st century information overload and the car humbles you as a driver and reminds you of the early days of traveling: farmers got out of their horse-and-carriage for motorized transport. I would like to stress though, that a 2cv, contrary to popular belief, is not always 'easy to fix'. There are quite a few items of the car that need specialized tooling and experience to repair. A home mechanic will have a hard time servicing the rear drum brakes, or the suspension spring boxes for example. And the headlights (featured in the video) are difficult to exchange should you need to. So, very special to own and drive, but make sure you have the right mechanical expertise to back you up.
One of my favourite cars, really good video dude. The simplicity belies the extremely clever thinking and engineering behind this car. A true exercise in function over form.
I have had 3 of them, great cars. Super easy to repair, great on gas, convertible, and you can get quite a lot of stuff in them. Great for summer trips in the country or going to the beach. My final one was a grey charleston and it has an lpg system installed making it super cheap to run but lost some HP, so much so that a good head wind would have me constantly downshifting back to 3rd gear on the highway. I would have one in a flash.
The early dampers were really smart: A piece of metal (Weighing the same as a wheel and swingarm) with a spring in each end, in a tube on the swingarm! Being pressed up, the spring and weight resisted the movement, but didn't add to the weight of the wheel, so it gave this impressively comfortable, French ride, which is still a French specialty. My first French car, a new diesel Peugeot 306 (After an early, new 1966 Mini (Oh my God, how bad it was built!), some new BMW 2002 and 320 and a number of, new VW Golf (Diesel), was the most comfortable and well suspended car I had ever, ever driven!! So I never looked back and today drives a luxury Peugeot 208HDI! Go French, friends!
I had several of these vehicles, also Dyane, Amis, Visas, belonging to the same family (same chassis and engines). My whole family drove these Citroëns. These are great cars for the French countryside with its small undulating roads.
Tommy now you opened a can of worms and need to find a 4 wheel drive version of the duck (2cv) They are popular in some South American countries. Take a trip to Patagonia and find one to review. Be safe.
The 4wd version was never popular, because so few were ever made from the factory. It really mucked up the car's personality anyway. Fun concept, but overrated for what it was.
Wonderful cars. I drove my first for four years and my second for elven. Mine were the more basic "special" model. No battery monitor and a smaller speedo. Fitted my own voltmeter and an internal light as well as a warning light for the indicators. The wire loom was the same for any model of 2CV, so the plugs for the cabin light and indicator warning were already present.
Suggesting it is not a 1982, it is likely later than that. Most 2cv's in the USA are 'back dated' to allow import under the 25 year rule. This looks to be a late model built in Portugal for export to Germany as that is the only model to have the flasher stalk on the dashboard.
I remember my grand fathers'2CV (model approx.1960) in which the windshield wiper can be rotated manually. But also there was a clever automatism: the wiper is connected to the speedometer ! 🙂
Tommey, I agree, 2 CVs are amazing. And considering that VW Beetle owners got a golden watch back in the days from the manufacturer once they brought there care over a distance of more than 100.000 KM with one engine, the 2CV will do at least three times as much as long as you keep an eye on oil and ignition. The only real issue these cars had and still have is rust! So if you want to keep your car in this great condition as it is now, do some protection.
Very nice presentation of the 2CV6 and part of the history of the 2CV in general, this fabulous car (ingenuity, handling, comfort, reliability, low cost, winter/summer capabilities, versatility and so endearing...). Thank you very much for this delicious moment. Congratulations for driving ! A small detail much appreciated by real 2CV drivers who take care of their car, the fact of shifting into second before first or reverse to prevent the gearbox from creaking (first and reverse not being synchronized). And you seem to know very well how to take engine revs so that the engine works correctly (neither too low nor too high). We can see that the owner takes care of it because he even put a little carpet behind the boot door to avoid any bumps from luggage on the sheet metal. Icing on the cake, this superb 2CV6 Charleston in its Yellow/Black livery is my favorite version. You probably know them, but here is a small anthology of the most common familiar French nicknames for the 2CV: - Deuche, Deudeuche, Deudeu, Deux Pattes (two legs), in reference to its name Deux Chevaux (2CV) or its flat bicylinder engine, - Titine, La Calèche (carriage), La Torpédo, Le Parapluie (Umbrella).
It is light enough that power steering and power brakes are not needed. Mechanical controls, no computer needed to adjust the heat. No electric motors to adjust a mirror. What is wrong with sheet metal showing in the trunk, it was painted.
Excellent and very informative presentation, TFL! Basically, the 2CV was a French equivalent of the Ford Model T; "Let's make it possible for MILLIONS of people to afford a car, and make it one that can be kept running by the owner with a basic toolkit, and occasional help from the village blacksmith." And the reason for using the minimum amount of steel? It did save money, but that wasn't the primary purpose; in early post-war France (as in Britain), there was VAST amount of reconstruction to be done, and so rebuilding damaged and destroyed housing stock and railways took priority on what steel was available. When you look at the 2CV in the context of its time - and allow for the fact that the great majority of France was still very rural (and still is, come to that) - the design, from the ground up, made perfect sense.
2 things I want to add being a frequent driver of a '84 2 CV6: Your car seems to be missing the bottom cover of the trunk, which would normally cover the spare wheel and give you an even surface to store your load. And of course you can't just take out the rear seats for picnic, but also to have a bigger trunk for larger loads. You can't imagine how much you can transport in a 2CV without the rear seats and the roof open. ;-)
@@christianronn5301 Not wasted - it’s a true boxer engine, with separate crank shaft eccentrics 180 degrees apart for each cylinder. Both cylinders fire at the same time, once every two revolutions.
Hello, Dave Baker here, I own the oldest 2cv in north America, this was documented in the early 70s, it is most likely the oldest all original, running, driveable, non restored 2cv on the planet, it has the 375 cc engine still in it, and can be started and driven anytime, it's been in my family for about 50 years, the cloth top goes from the top of the windshield all the way to the rear bumper, I believe it's the only one in the USA with the full length cloth top, I even have the original keys for it. weird car but I love it
I had one in the 80th for about 8 years. Best car I ever owned. And: acutally very good off road. I made trips from Germany to Spain, took it to the alps... It never let me down. Thumbs up for this car.
In Germany, where I lived for 7 years, they were called "ducks", and many had duck stickers. Now I am in SE Asia, and you still see them here. They are perfect for here. Few to no superhighways, great secondary and offroad capability, high petrol prices, if they were ever made again, they would be the Ford Model T of Asia. A people's car that almost anyone could afford. But in these modern times, there's not enough profit to suit wealthy investors.
I'm sure it'd feel right at home between Germany and Spain :))
It's pretty much bulletproof.
What happened to it in the end?
@@markcollins2666 same in the Netherlands... here it's unofficially called the "Lelijke Eend"
You finally found the best car ever built.
Only if you ever owned one of these you will ever know the true meaning of motoring.
2CV a true masterpiece ❤️❤️
My first car was a 2CV6 'Dolly'. Like driving a biscuit tin, but definitely had the grin factor 😁
Sadly, any crash would kill you dead, because the car was never built to protect you in an accident.
❤️❤️❤️🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵💕💕💕
TeamWombatMTB. Why doesnt someone make them zgain?
All the things you called weird , I call ingenious and clever.
It’s young speak for something they haven’t seen on socialist media before.
The commentary is jaw dropping in its lack of historical context. It's like someone reviewing a stone aged piece of flint used to cut meat and saying, 'To save money, and reduce the mechanical points of failure, the designers decided to go for a non-motorized blade.' Why is someone who specializes in reviews of old cars so entertained by that fact that they didn't use 21st century technology?
Stupid car.
@@danielsinger1 I'm pretty sure your comment only confirms my argument. My analogy with the knife could have been better though. What I really meant to emphasise is that there was a whole lot of judging the car on the basis of 21st century design standards.
@@danielsinger1 You win
I forgot who said it, but driving a 2CV kinda forces you into a relaxed mindset, making you more observant of things around you, and even if you do arrive a bit later, you'll likely arrive in a better state of mind, more relaxed, and at the same time still have much more energy reserve.
It's a car that helps you enjoy the journey.
I have had 4 of thèse cars ans even drove one from London to Biarritz for a surfing holiday, great cars and as we used to say they'll do a hundred kilomètres on just thé smell of an oily rag, very economical.
On thé older versions they had a centrifugal clutch which meant you could sit at thé lights with thé first Gear engaged and thé engine ticking over and the car wouldn't move until you pressed on thé accelerator pédale, great fun.
I once changed thé engine in half an hour
This is the real french technology secret😉
But also it's rounded appearance also makes it appear very friendly and relaxed. There is a reason they were used on children's showns all the time because they are a very soft and non-threatening car.
Tommy, 1. Impressed with the French accent. 2. You want to keep this car, esp with the trajectory of current economy. I wish we could current vehicles with much simpler and cheaper technology.
Its all about the suspension with this car !
You can drive on realy rough terrain and
still feel no shock , like a flying carpet !
I think its suspension is still unmatched
today , by even the most expensif cars ,
GENIUS !
Gaston Lagaffe drives a 2cv.
The best Citroen is the DS.
I read that in the original design specification shock absorbers were to be left out to save money but the engineers put them in anyway.
@@carolramsey6287 It's true, they even invented an unprecedented (still to this day), ultra-sophisticated horizontal suspension system for such a small car. Very efficient and reliable for four totally independent wheels that really stick to the road in great comfort with great crossing capacity (the horizontally articulated suspension arms offered impressive wheel travel).
It was only used for 2CV and its derivatives for over 40 years. The horizontal suspension arm system (but with hydraulics) then continued for the DS and partly for the SM, GS, etc..., always with such a movement specific to Citroëns.
If the horizontal suspension pots under the body with the integrated springs always remained until the end of the construction of the 2CV, the shock absorbers were put in place only in 1970. Before 1970, it was a very ingenious friction system which acted as shock absorbers to calm the crazy travel of the springs (Ferodo jaws, like small drum brakes, were integrated at each end of the large cross tube which allowed the fixing and rotation of the suspension arms). This caused these funny movements of the 2CV which pumped gently from the front or the rear. This friction system was completed by a small metal bottle fixed at the end of the suspension arm inside each wheel. This small bottle contained a very heavy flyweight suspended by a spring and bathed in graphite oil. At each bump or hole in the road, the play of the suspended flyweight kept the wheel glued to the road. It was really impressive, given the flexibility of the suspension and indestructible and I even preferred it to the shock absorbers installed in 1970 because it was perfect, even on very degraded surfaces, where the shock absorbers could admit some weaknesses and less smoothness. It just had to be adjusted if necessary in the event of excessive pumping, but that did not affect its handling.
Besides, I never changed either the friction system or the shock absorbers, or the springs. But it was necessary to lubricate all the tie rod attachments, the horizontal pots containing the springs and the cardan joints every 5000 km (at each oil change), a guarantee of indestructible reliability.
@@louloufildezinc9041 My favourite piece of idiosyncratic French engineering was during WW1. When pilots got fed up with shooting at each other with revolvers and wanted to use machine guns instead, they couldn't put the gun in front of the pilot without it shooting the wooden propeller to bits and mounting them outboard on the wings would tear the flimsy wings apart so they tried pusher propeller designs and strapped machine guns above the pilot st the centre of the top wing on existing aircraft. This meant that the pilot had to stand up, gripping the stick between his knees to fire the gun with the unfortunate result that the plane would frequently turn upside down and the pilot who had no parachute would make his way rather rapidly to the ground
A Frenchman, Roland Garros came up with the simple solution of screwing metal plates to his propeller blades so that any bullets hitting it would bounce off ( the Army School of Infantry tells me that ricochets are wildly unpredictable and no computer model can show where they will go).
Msr Garros was the scourge of the sky for about three weeks until an oil blockage in his engine forced him down behind German lines. The Germans tried copying his idea but their ammunition was more powerful than the French and simply shot the propeller clean off.
Anton Fokker and Tommy Sopwith both came up with interrupter mechanisms , one using cams and a mechanical linkage, the other using hydraulics to cause the propeller to fire the gun only when it wasn't in the way.
In WW2 some German fighters used this system but most fighters had the guns fitted in the much stronger wings of the monoplanes then in use.
The interrupter mechanisms became redundant with the development of the jet engine.
Msr Garros put me off French engineering for a long time and I'm still not comfortable with it.
@carolramsey6287 Garros actually designed a interruptor mechanism which worked quite well, but because some cartridges would fire a bit later than others he would sometimes hit the propeller. They were actually L-shaped metal plates so if a bullet bounced towards the engine, the perpendicular part would (hopefully) bounce it outward again. He later realised that he could save on weight by not installing the interruptor and let the metal plates handle any wayward bullets. It worked quite well apparently, although I dont know what made his engine seize up of course 😊
Tommy just took me down memory lane. My dad had two from 1987 to 1990. One was the identical one he's reviewing and the other was the cargo van (like the first gen transit connect). I remembered him saying they go around 50 mpg. You can still find those things driving down the streets in some French speaking countries in Africa.
A simple car, with no computer modules to go wrong! They really do drive well over fields and poor surfaces, including snow. They were also fuel efficient for the times.
Well.....there's an issue with the points and setting them, also the tiny box thats holds the sistem it's up front the engine behind the fan and bassically becomes a reliabillity when going on flood spots if the gasket fails, your done....it happened to me XD
They were also dreadful pollutants,it was funny when the all the lentil munchers who used to rave about the virtues of the small engine only to then find out how bad they really were. One test in particular showed that a 2cv on the same journey produced more pollutants than a V12 Jag of all things😂
@@notpoliticallycorrect1303 'pollutants'? That sounds like Clarkson being disingenuous. What, all pollutants, or just unburnt hydrocarbons?
@@notpoliticallycorrect1303 so, the Jag V12 consumes as much fuel as the 2CV ? think!
@@krisphoton7304I'd suggest you read the comment properly and maybe arm your self with some knowledge on the matter. Emissive pollutant levels have absolutely nothing to do with fuel consumption.
Owned about 4 of them in the 80s, fell in love with them when I was at University and needed cheap easy to fix transport. Just been trying to find a good example to electrify. I have never been a car person and this is the only car I held any affection for.
you can get all parts including framing from France so no worry. go for it.
I really like your video!
I'm a very young driver and my first car actually had to be a 2CV. I'm so impressed by the simplicity of this car which makes me happy at any time when I drive it. It's super easy to repair in case of a failure (which actually never happens) and it doesn't really need much fuel. Wherever you go in this car, there are always people laughing and being happy when they see you driving by or they really want to get to know where you got this car.
I had one as my first car and it was a Great way to learn how to really drive. With only 20ish horsepower it meant that one got really good at correct gearbox use and 'planning ahead' (therefore Situational Awareness). Wish I still had mine, great fun especially in the summer.
This is a wonderfully well done video. I lived in France as a student in the 80s and it was my dream to own a Charleston, maroon and black! Thank you for the tour. As a gear head, I love all of the little idiosyncrasies of this car.
I have a spot in my heart for the 2CV. My most terrifying and best Autobahn experience was in a 2cv that wasn't even close to being maintained well. Best 18KM ever! lol
LOL! I can’t even imagine driving a 2CV on the Autobahn. You are amazing.
Been on same German rollercoaster 👍🏻
You keep thinking this is going to roll, this is going to roll, nope it won't 😋
But just hang on till rides over 😲
I took mine from near Cologne right down to southern France with a friend and two bicycles in the rear. Great experience and at about the speed of a semi - it was an older one with only 23 horse - not too slow. It helps, that people don't see the 2cv as a threat, so they think it more to be funny than annoying when they have to wait for you to overtake a truck, even if you don't manage it and have to give up :-)
@@brookeking8559 Late 602cc 29 Hp models can quite easely follow the LKW's on the autobahn on the right lane. At the true speed of 90 Km/h the engine runs at 4200 rpm, max rpm is 5750.
@@uwekall6281 In 1977 I had to drive many times on the autobahn between Brüssel and Spich (Köln - Bonn) with a 435cc 24 Hp 2CV4. It was a torture for the screaming engine, pedal to the metal, unless I could hide behind a LKW to get advantage of the vortex. The Ente would so be shaking and the roof would wobble... At 50.000 the engine was exhausted - until she was totaled by an idiot on the road.
What a beautiful 2CV. I bought one new in 1982 and covered over 40,000 miles in just over 2 years. Also had a DS21 Safari, CX, BX and GS, they were all quirky and brilliant in their own way. The time just before the PSA era reliability went seriously downhill and after they just became boring boxes. The 2CV was fantastic on country roads in the summer with the roof open and the windows flapping! Unique ride, great road holding for the brave. The dash on the Charleston was sophisticated, mine was much simpler, also no heater blower etc. I’ve also seen the doors adjusted by dealers by getting hold of them and bending! Great little car, just don’t have a collision.
I had the pleasure of driving a fairly new DS21 (sedan) in the mid 60s.
It was fantastic. glad I had the opportunity.
I would love to own/even drive a 2cv.
My favorite of all is the unobtainable DS 21 convertible ....... a work of art.
Citroen had the antiquated Traction Avant from the 30s(?) and in 1955 they came out with the space ship (DS21/19)!!
it must have been a real shocker.
I too had a new 2CV6 in the 80's. I drove approaching 100,000 miles in it with one replacement engine (from a crash write-off). I could cruise all day at 70mph, the speed limit in the UK. I traded it in for a Citroen C15D.
Have you ever used your passing switch thing
No, a head on collision can be quite dangerous. A friend had extensive face injuries from hitting the top bar, over the windshield. The seatbelt does not hold one down, luckily the surgeons were able to do a reconstruction.
Other than that. It really brings a smile, on the odd occasion of seeing one on the road.
Hi. I was the head supervisor for the quality control department in the assembly plant here in Argentina, Long before that my first car was a 62 model. As regards the speedo/wiper cable, this had a good idea. If the cable broke you could still work the wipers turning a little wheel next to the speedometer. (A little clock like on an old motorbike on top of the "dashboard" next to the windscreen..)
and the little wheel was used when you were stopped, so you could see outside -- handy before you would take off again. ;-)
While stationed in Germany in the 1980s, I owned 5 Citroens, including two 2CVs. I paid $25 for each, which was scrap value, as they wouldn't pass the very stringent German inspections any longer. Fortunately our vehicle inspections were less stringent. I drove each for about a year, with no significant issues. 50 mpg and 65 mph top speed.
The 2cv was sold new, in 1990, for less than €5000. It was the cheapest car one could buy.
Pull the front seats forward and you can recline them down to fit the rear seat and make a two person bed, with no hand brake or gear shifter sticking up. The hand brake even has a safety latch so you don't kick it in your sleep.
You can fit almost anything inside a 2cv. Removing the seats is super simple and then you can fit 2,5m long items inside the car. Or remove the top and you can fit whatever standing up. Or remove the hatch and you can carry longer stuff hanging out.
And a lot more.
My mum is almost 80 years old and still owns the Citroen Dyane (a 2cv variant) she bought new in 1980. I drive it almost everyday. In 2000 I drove from Portugal to Poland in winter. It's a super comfy car and will get you there for sure, even in those ice roads, with the thin tyres.
Pure genius.
This absolutely the best and most informative video on a 2CV that I have ever seen by anyone... and an American with the correct pronunciation -
Both the O & E get sounded separately because of the 2 dots (diaeresis) over the E... So often I hear CITRON... which is lemon in French.... for a very sweet reliable little tin snail.
I am on my third new 2CV6 in 42 years and 550,000 kms bringing them back to Australia.
So simple that after a year working in London, 2 friends helped me strip and crate my 1978 2CV6 Club RHD to ship home to Australia as spare parts.
Reassembled by 2 friends in the Citroen Car Club in Sydney.
My second was a new 1982 2CV6 Charleston RHD (English spec) for Tourist Transit delivery in Paris before setting off for a 15 month tour of the Europe, UK, Ireland, Canada & USA.
Then shipment home from San Francisco to Sydney. Made so many friends along the way.... More Smiles Per Mile.
My current Portuguese manufactured 1990 Charleston also delivered TT new in Paris, has covered 187,000 miles, top speed of 72 mph, 40 mpg.
You are so right about speed humps. My top speed over a 10 mph speed bump was 55 mph.... limited only by my length of run up.
A crazy 2CV6 driver can maintain surprising velocity at 60-65 mph and even 80 mph on down hills. You don't slow down for corners and plan your driving to maintain revs.
I once had a Jag driver pull into a gas station on the New England Highway after 40 miles of terror as he observed the crazy roll angles in corners.
"By God that goes well for a V6!"
I replied "It is a twin."
He exclaimed "Twin Turbo!".
I took him around and opened the bonnet... He said..."Is the second motor in back?"
He thought I meant twin engines...not cylinders.... and indeed in the 1960s there was a twin engined twin gearboxed 2CV Sahara 4 x 4.... only did 60 mph.
He drove a Jag V12 saloon which poured out lots of haze from the exhausts as he used the power to overtake uphills.
I would maintain velocity and pass him on down hill corners scaring him silly that the tin rocket was about to fall off the road.
When you learnt to drive like a crazed Frenchman, you will surprise many motorists.... except up long hills...
I’m a great fan of your channel and I’m French. I have to say that you nailed the description of what is probably the most famous French car ever produced… I’d add one thing: while the car was known to be impossible to roll over, doors could randomly open in sharp turns, and the fear of dying from falling off a 2cv was a real thing for kids from my generation haha
The nostalgia of the 2cv is what made me buy the Jeep Wrangler that I call my American 2cv… simple, can go anywhere, and most importantly is ALWAYS convertible.
tell citroen to start making them again. cheers!
Ja, lach er maar om.
😆😆😆
Its 'rolling to the side' on corners was also great for scaring the hitch-hiker you had just picked up 😃.
My parents had the 2CV 6 special, the "special" Is only an ever more simplistic dashboard 🤣🤣🤣, we used to go from north Paris suburbs all the way down to Toulouse to visit my grandparents and then to Zaragoza to visit my Spanish family. The trip were epic 😁😁, I miss so much that era, but there is other iconic French car, the Renault 4L, Renault Estafette, 5 Alpine, 5 Alpine 5 turbo, Supercinq GT turbo, Citroën type H, CX, DS, Peugeot, 205, 504, 505, 604, 206CC and many others... 😉
My friend used to have one in the early 80's. We took it on our trip to the French riviera. This is a fun car. They are litteraly impossible to flip over. At one point, we open the roof and cramed 15 people inside and drove it for a few miles that way. Indestructible.
My favourite car! I owned the Indonesian version, called the Citroen Faf. Identical engine and running gear, etc, but a body made of flat steel. Straight lines everywhere. Drove it on bitumen, gravel, rocks, grass and reversed up really steep hills. Lots of room; carried nine adults at one point. Not quickly but we got there. Wonderful! Such fun and the whole family enjoyed it.
just had to google that - never heard of them, or seen one. unusual looking car!
Not sure if someone's mentioned this, but the 2CV was the vehicle of choice for the USA Green Berets in Vietnam during the build up to war. They could not get their Jeeps to go where the 2CV would go, at least not and find parts and have it be reliable.
Pleased to have you reviewing this french icon. I have great memories on the back seat, my dad driving at full throttle, wheels squealing at every corner... I remember seeing the needle of the speedo over the 130km/h limit... A friend of mine is currently restoring one from the seventies, quite rusty, a lot of bodywork, but every single bit is available here.
Where was this?
130 km/h in a 2CV is mind-bending :-D - 90 kmh was already an adventure.
@@marcnobel3938 the front wings get a little wobbly. I tried that, too :-). Never felt so fast in any other car!
@@ofirs5830 In France in the 80s... It might have been on some downhill motorway.
Ça fait plaisir de voir des francophones regarder les vidéos de TFL !
Super memories of being driven to school in France daily in one of these! You could see the road through the bodywork from the front passenger seat where there was a little hole to let any water out. The suspension was designed to be able to drive across a ploughed field in the absence of roads. Pronounced “See Troh Enn” - a hugely influential car designer, he invented front-wheel drive!!
You've overlooked Lancia, a true rival to Citroën for automotive innovation. Their Lambda had FWD in 1922 (also first with monocoque construction, the first V4, and independent front suspension). André Citroën didn't introduce FWD until 1934.
Citroën copied front-wheel drive from the American-made car Cord.
@@marclemire1414 Cord didn't come along until 1929, seven years after the Lancia Lambda. I think it's more likely André Citroën was influenced by the Italians than the Americans. But, who really knows?
Thanks all, interesting to find out more about early automobile history. The “Traction” was apparently the world’s first mass produced front wheel drive car, indeed several years after the Cord, it was designed by two Italians.
@@RikMaxSpeed I suppose it all hangs on the meaning of 'mass produced'. Nonetheless, over 11,000 of the front-driven, unitary-bodied, Lancia Lambda were built from 1922, far ahead of Citroën, Audi, Cord, or any other maker.
Indeed, an Italian was one of the designers of the Traction Avant, but he'd worked for Voisin, another eccentric French car company. The second designer was, however, French.
One of the best features of first 2cv was centrifugal clutch witch allow to only use gaz pédale to start shift gear ... Great in trafic jam
@TFLclassics Congrats! Former 2CV owner here...some things that will really help: Add a 123Ignition--huge drivability improvements. New Michelin tires (call Coker). Don't inspect the kingpins unless you have the tool to pop 'em back in. Then send it!
Just remind everyone they can't lean on the inner fender when the hood is open or it'll fold like tin foil. You can also unbolt & slide off all four doors *and* the trunklid for a true beach experience. Remove the seats at will. You'll also have to try the built-in crank start--grab the wheel jack and insert into the front fan...and crank...
Should I have sold mine? Nope.
I remember seeing these all over Europe when I was stationed there. Thanks for assembling this comprehensive summary of the design of the "French Volkswagon"; you answered many questions I had that I had no idea where to ask!
I'd say the 2CV, the Beetle, the Fiat 500, and the Cooper Mini were all in this unique basic family car class of its era.
Each with their own distinctively different angle of engineering.
You forgot the Renault 4 - which I have a soft spot for as it was my first car.
AND the Vespa 400! I own one.
I owned a Peugeot 505, and had a friend who's father collected Citroën ID's and DS's. ALL French cars from my experience wallow to the edge and then just plant themselves through the corners. If you ever get to ride in or drive an ID or DS, they are the most comfortable riding vehicles ever made. The hydro-pneumatic suspension is brilliant!
I have a DS that is currently not running. I heard the ride called "cloud-ride", and with good reason. Ride in a DS just once, and when you ride in any other car (except the 2CV) you will feel every bump on the road! I can't wait to get my DS back on the road.
Loved the Peugeot 505 (of late 70's) which many French cabbies drove. The 2cv brings back memories 👍🇺🇲
A small piece of information about the 2CV name. 2CV (literally two horses) has little to do with the actual power of the engine. It is a fiscal notion, that is to say the basis to calculate the tax on automobiles, the "vignette", since abolished).
As far as I remember, the actual power of the original engine (1947) was 9HP, for a maximum speed of 50 km per hour (approximately 30 miles per hour)...! Pretty impressive!
I was hitchhiking when I was picked up in a 2CV. I climbed in, looked around seeing the exposed rivets and plastic curtains for windows and said to the owner, "Hey! This I'd pretty neat! Did you make this yourself?" I got the dirtiest look. 😂
My friends kid, a bright 5 year old, sat in the front seat watching me operate the controls (very unlike the ones in parents 'modern' car) as we drove along in my 2CV. After I had wound open the air vent (literally a screw-open flap under the windscreen) she matter-of-factly asked me "Is this a Toy car?".
You guys have cracked me up.
Fun fact about Citroen:-
The Citroen logo is a stylised representation of a double-helical (or herringbone) gear, which was invented by Andre Citroen, the founder of Citroen.
Actualy André Citroën bought the patent from his inventor. His part of the invention is not the concept of the double-helical gear itself but an efficient industrial production process to carve the gears.
Andre was a Dutchman.
@@sjefhendrickx2257 Not quite. His father was a dutch jew who migrated to Paris in 1873 and his mother was a polish jews. Andre was born in Paris.
@@srfrg9707 I didn't know that! I knew Andre Citroen was an innovative engineer & all the cars/trucks made up to the 1990s reflect that. He also put up the most tasteless advertising display ever in Paris and it last years hung up there on the Eiffel Tower, lol.
One of my favourites, full of character and great ride missing on so many modern cars.
I traveled through northern France (toward Belgium) with a French college friend in 1970. He had a very used CV2 from the mid fifties, driven mostly around Paris by students. On the flat terrain in the north, the car would barely do 45 miles an hour. After we passed through a small farm village, we were pulled over by a motorcycle gendarme. He said he had stopped us because he had clocked us at fifty in the sleepy village. My friend, speaking through his dropped half-window, laughed at the charge and said, "Fifty - in this?" The gendarme stepped back, looked the car over from end to end, smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken." He wished us a good day, replaced his helmet, helped us back into traffic and drove away. It was hysterical and I've loved the cars ever since.
My second car was a 2CV. LOOOOVED IT!!!! Loved the shifter, loved the "bounce", loved that nobody would steal it.
Great memories of this car, It was my first car hauled everything with it. Moved house with it, open roof, take out rear seat there you go... one thing though in winter you had to wear gloves shawls etc Also best car in the snow didn't weigh much so would go over instead through the snow
It was an awesome car,some of them had a 1 st gear centrifugal perfect for off roading. In turn, you scrap the mud flaps but no flip.
*is
Great video Tommy. I remember seeing these "Ducks" when I was in Germany in 1973. They were cool then and remain cool today. Thank you so much.
A weird video
We need an off road comparo between this, an old beetle, and a model T.
Add the 4x4 versions of these to the mix.
There are guys who put a second engine in the back for all wheel drive.
@@Alienking01 Twin engines 2cvs were factory!! They were named Sahara!
Easy! The 2cv wins! You don't need roads with a 2cv!!
@@Alienking01 Yes this model was produced by Citroën as the Deux Chevaux Sahara. They build just 694 examples between 1958 and 1971. In 2012 a 2CV Sahara was sold for 110.000 $ and prices are still raising.
YES!
9:00 you should also demonstrate the reverse gear.
One of the best car ever build after the S class 600😉
Some guy went around the glob with the beast. Easy to fix and cheap to run and an amazing ability to stick on the road. Fun car to drive on snow. Thanks for your upload.
In Argentina, the 2cv and the fiat 600 were seen as starter cars, untill the 600 S hit the strrets with it's almost 1 liter engine. That produced a little more power and the car screamed for a 5 gear system that never got. It launched like a bullet at stoplights.
Thanks for your very informative video. You make us love this car. I own one and restored three.
2CV - deux chevaux, two steam horsepower as you say, is not the nominal output of the car. It is a former French tax name which classified vehicles according to the power of the engine. For example, the Traction avant was so classified as a "11 chevaux" or "15 chevaux" for the 6 in - line engine models.
The roof locker system did not exist on the early models.
The engine has an oil radiator.
No, there was never a fuel injection system.
I nearly spilled my coffee when he mentioned the mere thought that there might ever have been a fuel injected 2CV. We were lucky it had an engine!!!
Valid points. I could also add a couple ones:
The 2CV was never officially imported to USA, not because it was too slow but because it would never have passed the local crash-test regulations.
The grille screen is not intended to keep the driver warm in the winter, but the carburettor. Indeed, the long intake manifold is very exposed to air flow yet needs to be kept warm enough to prevent a rough runnng. Or even a total freeze.
Amazing car in every way.
My best friend when I was 16 had it, and we use to go cruising around.
That was madrid, Spain.
Excellent review! Well done on the historical details, the pronunciation, and the engineering 😃
It is one of the originals, one of the cars that got Europe back on its feet after the war. As you correctly mentioned the design was pre-war, just like it's main rival from Germany, the Beetle. Fun idea: comparison review of these two cars and discover two totally different engineering philosophies that root back into culture (France and Germany). Here in Europe we say that Germany is the birth place of the car, and France the nursery where cars grew up. One last fun fact: Mr. Citroën was actually Mr. Citroen (citroen is Dutch for lemon), a Dutch business man who went to France and started the car company 😉
In the UK, as far as I know, we don't call Germany the birthplace of the car and France the nursery. The history of the "horseless carriage" is pretty complicated to say the least, with no single inventor or country being responsible for it's development. I believe many countries have their own post war car icons, several being pre-war designs... the VW being more famous because of it's direct links to the Nazis and Ferdinand Porsche. Still the 2CV is a true classic, I still see several in my local area even today.
@@another3997 I first heard this "Germany the birthplace of the car and France the nursery" meme in Jay Leno's Garage. Jay loves French cars and often use the meme. Is it historically accurate? I frankly don't know, but I'm sure of the fact that French cars, specially those from Citroën, were once the most innovative (traction avant, DS, 2 CV, SM, etc.)
I‘m German and I always prefered the 2CV and not the Beetle.
Great review.
The 2CV (la deudeuche in french slang) was the anti VW beetle.
Le beetle was the middle class urban car dreamed by a dictator with a mustache to populate the highways network he was building. The idea was to sell the the german petit-bourgeois not only a car but also all kind of services the car needed to work proprely, paved roads, gas stations, garages...
The deudeuche on the other hand was a car designed to replace two horse carriages in the french farms. It was designed as a low maintenance cost cross country vehicle. It also was the very first car with specifications designed after a public survey. The "cross a plowed fied with a basket of eggs" thing was not a legend. Of course the front wheel traction is what makes the car a good cross country vehicle along with the long travel suspensions and the low weight.
The amount of ingeneering put in that signe car to match those specifications is amazing. The engine is a aluminium air-cooled 2 cylinders boxer one with no head gasket, no water pump, no radiator (an oil radiator will appear later).
It's so light two people can remove it from the car along with the gearbox and transmission without a crane.
The front panels are easy to remove with only 2 screws, exposing the entire mechanics.
One feature no other car ever had was the inertia system called "batteur". It's a vertical cylinder attached to the wheels which contains a cylindrical mass resting on a spring and bathed in oil. The mass absorbs the shock and the wheel remains in contact with the road.
The entire concept was to provide a resilient, durable and DIY service car. Concepts we try to bring back to reality nowadays. So here you have it : The freedom car produced by the company of a french Jew at the opposite of the system car of a dictator with a mustache.
I love my bugs, knowing this full well as well as how much of the design was..shall we say "borrowed" from the 2cv... Cause when a dictator says build me a car you probably don't feel too creative..
That being said if I ever get the chance to get one of these I'd be very happy. The ultimate minimalist go anywhere car!
I loved my 1979 Dyane 6. One brilliant feature you didn't spot is that the speedo has orange lines on it indicating the maximum speed in each gear. You don't need a tachometer, your speedo has four redlines! On the 602cc engine, the red lines indicate 6800 rpm.
The Citroën Dyane is also an amazing car such as the 2CV, quite similar on the basics, although more comfortable. These two, together with the VW Beetle are among the most charming and lovely cars in history.
Old fiat 500 and 600 should be in that list to...
The Dyane was designed by the late Louis Bionier, the legendary Panhard designer who also designed the mesmerizing 24CT.
The Dyane was supposed to be an upgrade of the 2Cv but sales keep being low so they removed it from sale.
@@tomjoad1363 But Citroën kept the Acadyane (utility vehicle version of the Dyane until 1987 because it had better characteristics than the 2CV6 Fourgonette. It was replaced by the C15 (a Citroën Visa variant).
@@chucku00 WOW! Lanyard, huh? And I LOVE the Dyane!
Best presenter on TH-cam. Always enjoy your videos Tommy.
Very weird
Absolutely love these cars. I already have as many cars as I can stand, but I would tempted to sell my El Camino and dip into the fund for work on my Skylark if I found a solid 2CV for sale near my home in Kansas. Its probably a good thing for my three American classics that this isn't likely to happen.
My family owned one, traveled around Europe. You have to wave to others driving it, it is expected. And you can actually tip it over, but only if you drive it in revers, driving forward is almost impossible. It was not used for couple of years, then our new car wouldn't start, so we removed battery from the CV2, and managed to jump start the new car... :) Unstoppable on snow and mud, great clearance, narrow tires on big wheels, light, amazingly comfortable.
Here in UK, these cars are difficult in winter. The damp gets into the ignotion system making starting difficult. If you have cool damp winters, it is essential to clean and regap the spark plugs to get going at all. As you mentioned, the ignition system is weird - both plugs spark together, so the one that sparks on the exhaust stroke is helping exhaust gas flow, but this means that the plugs burn out very quickly - fit new ones about every 5,000 miles! Be very careful in flood water! The points (contact breaker) box (which does similar service to a distributor on a normal engine) lies behind the fan at the bottom ie it is very near the front bumper. Flood water will be sucked in, everything shorts out, and you come to a dead stop.
Pitch the points. Electronic ignition= $15 US. 10 minute install. No more water or cold start issues.. EVER. Then get two Platinum spark plugs $10. Last plugs youll ever buy for it.
The 2CV was a brilliant car especially considering that France was/had been devastated by the looting of the country under the Occupation and by the bombing campaigns to dislodge the Germans. Most of their manufacturing plants had been either destroyed or shipped to Germany. Roads were a mess and lets not forget that France had kept/respected a lot of the old roads/ways that had been built over centuries of history (dating back to Roman times). The Citroen 2CV was exactly what the post-war French citizen needed when gas was poor quality, expensive, and city streets were narrow. I served as US Navy Liaison Officer for the Marine Nationale (French Navy) in the nineties (Nimes-Garons, Southern France). The French military, the Foreign Legion and the everyday French citizen treated me like a king - grateful that we (Allies) had delivered them from World War II subjugation and help rebuild France after the war. One of my uncles had been shot down (killed) on a mission over France in July 1944. Thank you for this great video and all my gratitude to the French people for taking care of me during my service with their Navy. Ciao, L (Maine, USA)
I love 2CVs with a passion. I'd love to own one of the Van Variants and Daily drive it everywhere.
I live in Israel. I was a student of industrial design in the early 80s. I also happened to own a 2CV (and later, a Dyane). We had a visiting professor of industrial design from the US on the staff. Once, she saw my car. She looked at it, amazed, and exclaimed, "Wow! A two-dimensional car!" I understood what she was saying about its design (it's almost flat on both sides) but I was shocked that an educated person, let alone a professional industrial designer, was not familiar with the 2CV and had never seen one before, given that the Citroën 2CV is an iconic car, immediately recognised all over the world. It showed me how disconnected the American design (and automotive) scene was from the rest of the world's.
We can’t even imagine that an automobile can exist with a displacement of less than a liter, and won’t buy anything smaller than a 1.6, and even that you do covering your face in shame. Funny that an American designer in the 80’s would make jokes about 2-D cars, most Detroit models at that time looked like they had been sawed from the side of a block of wood.
@@PRH123 Well, at least you use cc's and liters to measure engine displacement (which has always surprised me), so there's still hope for you! 😄
@@Gideon01 we also measure whiskey and coca-cola in liters… that’s the extent of our understanding of the metric system :)
@@PRH123 The Renault 5 would like a chat. The Inbredistani version was the 1.4 C2J (I think) series engine 5 speed. Europe got from a 956cc to a 1.4 turbo, along with the 1.7 energy engine 100bhp, originally water-cooled and then oil jacketed (the water cooled ones had a habit of exploding in clouds of white smoke).
I inherited a Carmen Red 1108cc 4 speed manual - good for 92mph and 52mpg UK.
Currently have a Triumph Vitesse S3 I6 convertible and a Wolseley 18/85. I think the Vitesse got out that way, not sure the Wolseley did.
Very interesting car. Thanks for showing us all of its quirks and features Doug...I mean Tommy.
Love the video! Had a 2CV6 Charleston (Maroon/Black) in the Netherlands for 10 years. Video brings back memories. Beautiful trees by the way!
Those 2CV6 Charelstons were made in Koper, Slovenia (Yugoslavia) at that time. Check the stickers and you will most likely confirm that.
And yes, you can rub your door seal against the road in the corner and will still not tip over. 2 cylinder motorcycle with weather protection that can be driven legaly without a helmet. But slowly 😁
RC Ryder I don’t know where to got this information completely wrong. Charleston modèle were produced in Portugal at Mangualde and not in Slovenia as well as in différence part of the world.
5,114,969 Charleston's were built during its run . 42,000+ were built in Portugal . If your 2CV has Covina glass fitted it was built in Portugal . The last official 2cv to run out of the Portuguese factory was a specially built Charleston although rumour has it another 5 were built after this .
Dont forget about the factory in Amsterdam. Its a museum that could be started up to produce again.
@@winteronice you have some companies in France and Holland that acquired the presses and forms to continue producing 2CV and Mehari, Burton in the Netherlands is either rebuilding cars from old machine and 2CV or brand new sporty car and Mehari Club at Cassis France can build car from scratch around and old refurbished engine. So a good concept to Citroen lover for a reasonable cost (about 20 000 € or less).
Not true, they were also built in Portugal and Spain. The spanish Vigo factory turned out almost 300.000 units of all models (Charleston was a special limited edition, and I do not know how many were built here, but it was a relatively common sight, most in red/black)
My grandparents had one in northern Germany and drove it for ages.
Front seats are equally as easy to remove as back one and can also be used as picnic chairs
After spending much time in France and much of Europe during the 90’s I fell in love with quirky French cars so I absolutely love these. Old Citroen Renault Peugeot Ligier Aixam I love them all.
The Citroën 2CV is just a marvel of simple engineering, I love it! Rust is really your only concern with these cars, other than that, they're just great fun. I have a 1982 2CV6 Charleston as well and end up driving it way more than one would imagine. Enjoy!
I enjoy my 63 Beetle - but I loved the 2CV I owned in the UK for a few months in holiday. Yes, I took out the seats for my campsites, I negotiated a surprise roundabout at some ridiculous speed without falling over or hitting the new sports car already there, and I did it all without needing a service despite its huge mileage. Brilliant, beautiful cars.
The 2CV was always the one oldtimer I always wanted the most because there used to be a 2CV on my street that I remember pretty well from childhood. Anyway, the crank start is my most favourite part, seriously! I never even knew the car starts this way
16:48 Okay, I simply love sprung vehicles
All citroens had the crack start option up until the GS.
@@simduino Well thanks for that
@@florjanbrudar692 freakin spell checker changed crank to crack.... no we're not gonna do a crack start... jeezz
@@simduino XD
My grandmother had one of these. I loved taking rides in it. Of course, it was a different era, when safety wasnt a priority.
A few years back, I had too much to drink, didnt want to drunk drive, missed the last bus, and had to hitchhike home.
A nice old lady in a 2CV with her two nieces gave me a ride. That poor Citroen was cramped as hell, but I arrived home filled with nostalgia, and a big smile on my face.
Wonderful! Over the years I've worked on a few for customers. I'm also an admirer of the Renault 4 (similar gear change!) - we had two in the family - both the 2CV and the 4 were very softly sprung yet had amazing road holding. On narrow, rural, winding roads its amazing how fast one could go on so little power.
The guy who used to sevice my 2CV told me how some teenager tried to steal the 2CV of another customer, who had left the keys in the ignition. They shot off in Reverse, stopped ... looking very confused ... and jumped out of the car and ran off. That dash-gear-change 🤔
@@alfnoakes392 Not to say anything of the unsynchronized first gear, you really needed to know how to drive this car.
I remember getting picked up hitchhiking in Scotland in 1980, great vehicle. Last time I was in Paris, I saw there is some tour companies that will take you around Paris, great with the top rolled back. I did see on TH-cam someone converted one to electric so 2C-EV. The most innovated Citroen is the DS9 series and follow ons, amazing technology for its time.
Tommy Nailed this review. Very professional. Well done. Also, cool car!
To much saying Weird. Sad.
Great review!! We live in Switzerland and had a lot of fun with our 2 CV in the 80s! We traveled all Europe with and had never a problem! Today we have still one just for fun! Thanks for this video! Best regads Daniel
The 2CV6 club was my first car. Never had so much fun anymore with all my others ars after
37kgb02 what was your fuel mileage?
I had a local version of this in Iran in the 70s. I would go skiing in the mountains behind Tehran. The ski car park was at about 9,000 feet. We could take 4 people with ski equipment. If we restarted on the hill passengers had to run alongside until we were moving.
With the weight over the front wheels it could go anywhere. Once we were happily driving ahead of the snowplow
Thanks for explaining the dip-light lever. I never used that lever though I have a 2cv myself :-) but as it's so flimsy I never tried out what it does.
Simple, but not flimsy ! Indestructible... Her reputation : still holds on one bolt.
@@Matx5901 only the dip-light lever is flimsy. The rest is pretty durable, that's right. That's why I use mine as a daily driver.
I had one here in the UK back in 1971 when I was 17, the car was about ten years old and very reliable; went 'up market' a year later and got a Renault 4, then a Beetle and finally a Mini Cooper when I hit 21 and could get insurancelife was sweet back then.
I've had a 2CV for the last four years as my only car and put some pretty heavy mileage on it. Done some long distance trips in Europe and semi regularly make the 600 mile round trip to my hometown. It is pretty grim for long distance ngl, the noise is pretty unbearable after 4 or 5 hours, but it's still great fun. Never a dull day driving the 2CV! Take out all the seats apart from drivers (very simple!) and you have a fairly decent sized load hauler and have used to move house a couple times. I'm hoping it will keep going for many more years to come but they are very susceptible to rust since the steel is so incredibly thin, salty winter roads take their toll every year...
Use Fluid Film on it, keeps the rust away
I have owned 2. The best, greatest car in the world. The 1st one was a 1953 with a 375cc motor. I think to get up steap hills, turned it around and went up in reverse. The fuel gauge (this may sound wacko) was a dip stick!. The other was a 1972 2CV6 built to cross Africa. What super memories. Thank you for stirring up those memories.
I love this car. I've been in love with it since I first saw it 40 years ago. Somethign to be said about building it simple
I Drow my mom's 2cv down hill on the danich highway and it hit 130 km/ h with the wind and sun in my back and a little god home sickness.. man the memorys i got with a dyane and a 2cv
We drove on a summer hollyday with my wooden optimistic dinghy on the top, and my brothers wooden ok dinghy on a trailer behind. All the 29 horse power went on overwork climbing the danich hills nearly Silkeborg ... Down to sekond gear and up up up we go slowly but stedely.
All the car you really need!!! One of the greatest cars!
And if you think of it, now in this modern times, if we could just build this car, light and simple but with a modern 29hp efi engine, there would be no need for heavy EVs.
I´m shure the gasmileage with modern tech would be astronomical!
Yeah that would be awesome but it'll never happen...
There is a reason superminis weigh 1 ton today, where they weighed 450kg in the 50s. Safety is important to most buyers and governments, so all the door beams and space for airbags and crumple zones eat into volume and lightness. It is not that engineers are trying extremely hard, just that requirements are high today. However, I heard cars like the latest Suzuki Alto can do 100mpg.
For a 2CV, you can probably retrofit a fuel injection system and control modules that improve fuel economy. Not sure how much it would cost, or if it is possible in the first place though.
@@charlesc.9012 Its possible - but you'd have to use single point EFI, step down the injector size, change the ECU to register two cylinders and go from there. Or you could shoehorn the gs engine in there and put efi on that. EFI on that engine might get you 10-15% more power so maybe 35hp - but tuned properly it'd transform torque.
Thank You, I always wanted one. My brother moved a piano in his in Germany.Someone said if you were hitchhiking in Europe that is what you would get a ride in!
There are some amazing Citroen 2cv EV conversions in Europe.
Imagine the EV horsepower delivered to that little car, and they handle like crazy it's like a rollercoaster you get to drive. 😲
They make great local commuter cars incredibly popular on thoughs Narrow European city streets. There are EV shops that can't keep up with the conversion demand and they're not cheap.
Wouldn't be surprised if Citroen doesn't bring back a new retro 2CV EV⚡
Winner-takes-all on First affordable fun Electric City car to hit American streets.
Or any where 🌎
My dad had a white one with racing stripes when I was a kid, really good memories of taking it to the beach and going for rides. Sadly rust got a hold of it and literally ate it up, as I’m sure you can imagine didn’t take long with the thin metal body pieces that make up the 2CV. Very capable car! Especially over dirt roads and over pot holes.
Great video, Tommy! I can’t help but smile when I see a 2CV.
Weird
What more weird is is me spelling the 2CV
“2 Cylinder Vehicle”
My brother had a 2cv. He always let me drive it (I was 13 at the time) around field roads when I gave him my pocket money so that he could go out. That was in the seventies. Great car.
The coil is mounted up front so the airflow can cool it -- even so, it tends to overheat and cause the engine to stall in stop-and-go traffic in hot weather. And I like guys with glasses who drive quirky old cars. :-)
I like Renault, too!
Some parts manufacturers are now making solid state coils that fixes that issue - it's an insane upgrade as I had that hot traffic stalling thing happen in all the worst places before
I guess the quirkiest aspect of the ignition is the lack of a distributor. The wring would suit the Americans ;)
@@millomweb well I could explain it to you if you'd like.
@@garyjones7044 Why would I need it explaining ?
What a nice way to present this legendary car to the US public. All the stories are true, as a die-hard fan I've been driving 2cv like cars since 1984. There are several derivates like the Dyane, Ami, Mehari as well as specialized kit-cars and beach-buggies like Le Patron, Lomax and Burton. To me the most appealing part of a 2cv is the minimalistic bare-bone concept of an 'automobile'. Driving with the essentials that are required by law. It's a therapeutic response to the 21st century information overload and the car humbles you as a driver and reminds you of the early days of traveling: farmers got out of their horse-and-carriage for motorized transport. I would like to stress though, that a 2cv, contrary to popular belief, is not always 'easy to fix'. There are quite a few items of the car that need specialized tooling and experience to repair. A home mechanic will have a hard time servicing the rear drum brakes, or the suspension spring boxes for example. And the headlights (featured in the video) are difficult to exchange should you need to. So, very special to own and drive, but make sure you have the right mechanical expertise to back you up.
One of my favourite cars, really good video dude. The simplicity belies the extremely clever thinking and engineering behind this car. A true exercise in function over form.
I have had 3 of them, great cars. Super easy to repair, great on gas, convertible, and you can get quite a lot of stuff in them. Great for summer trips in the country or going to the beach. My final one was a grey charleston and it has an lpg system installed making it super cheap to run but lost some HP, so much so that a good head wind would have me constantly downshifting back to 3rd gear on the highway. I would have one in a flash.
Great video. I really appreciate your taste for quirky European cars, Tommy. Will you be taking it up some mountains? Truth or Dare?
Weird
The early dampers were really smart: A piece of metal (Weighing the same as a wheel and swingarm) with a spring in each end, in a tube on the swingarm! Being pressed up, the spring and weight resisted the movement, but didn't add to the weight of the wheel, so it gave this impressively comfortable, French ride, which is still a French specialty. My first French car, a new diesel Peugeot 306 (After an early, new 1966 Mini (Oh my God, how bad it was built!), some new BMW 2002 and 320 and a number of, new VW Golf (Diesel), was the most comfortable and well suspended car I had ever, ever driven!! So I never looked back and today drives a luxury Peugeot 208HDI! Go French, friends!
Really enjoyed this review Tommy , take a 10/10 from me .
Very weird
I had several of these vehicles, also Dyane, Amis, Visas, belonging to the same family (same chassis and engines). My whole family drove these Citroëns. These are great cars for the French countryside with its small undulating roads.
Tommy now you opened a can of worms and need to find a 4 wheel drive version of the duck (2cv) They are popular in some South American countries. Take a trip to Patagonia and find one to review. Be safe.
The 4wd version was never popular, because so few were ever made from the factory.
It really mucked up the car's personality anyway. Fun concept, but overrated for what it was.
Wonderful cars. I drove my first for four years and my second for elven. Mine were the more basic "special" model. No battery monitor and a smaller speedo. Fitted my own voltmeter and an internal light as well as a warning light for the indicators. The wire loom was the same for any model of 2CV, so the plugs for the cabin light and indicator warning were already present.
Suggesting it is not a 1982, it is likely later than that. Most 2cv's in the USA are 'back dated' to allow import under the 25 year rule. This looks to be a late model built in Portugal for export to Germany as that is the only model to have the flasher stalk on the dashboard.
The last ones were built here in Portugal 🇵🇹 1990
@@lusosaylor Yes I know that, I own a 1990.
I own a 1990 too ;-). For sure it is an export model, maybe resprayed in yellow (only production year for this colour is 1982).
I remember my grand fathers'2CV (model approx.1960) in which the windshield wiper can be rotated manually. But also there was a clever automatism: the wiper is connected to the speedometer ! 🙂
Tommey, I agree, 2 CVs are amazing. And considering that VW Beetle owners got a golden watch back in the days from the manufacturer once they brought there care over a distance of more than 100.000 KM with one engine, the 2CV will do at least three times as much as long as you keep an eye on oil and ignition. The only real issue these cars had and still have is rust! So if you want to keep your car in this great condition as it is now, do some protection.
He can buy a galvanized chassi from the Cassis Club too.
Brakes are hard work
Very nice presentation of the 2CV6 and part of the history of the 2CV in general, this fabulous car (ingenuity, handling, comfort, reliability, low cost, winter/summer capabilities, versatility and so endearing...). Thank you very much for this delicious moment.
Congratulations for driving ! A small detail much appreciated by real 2CV drivers who take care of their car, the fact of shifting into second before first or reverse to prevent the gearbox from creaking (first and reverse not being synchronized). And you seem to know very well how to take engine revs so that the engine works correctly (neither too low nor too high).
We can see that the owner takes care of it because he even put a little carpet behind the boot door to avoid any bumps from luggage on the sheet metal.
Icing on the cake, this superb 2CV6 Charleston in its Yellow/Black livery is my favorite version.
You probably know them, but here is a small anthology of the most common familiar French nicknames for the 2CV:
- Deuche, Deudeuche, Deudeu, Deux Pattes (two legs), in reference to its name Deux Chevaux (2CV) or its flat bicylinder engine,
- Titine, La Calèche (carriage), La Torpédo, Le Parapluie (Umbrella).
It is light enough that power steering and power brakes are not needed. Mechanical controls, no computer needed to adjust the heat. No electric motors to adjust a mirror. What is wrong with sheet metal showing in the trunk, it was painted.
Excellent and very informative presentation, TFL!
Basically, the 2CV was a French equivalent of the Ford Model T; "Let's make it possible for MILLIONS of people to afford a car, and make it one that can be kept running by the owner with a basic toolkit, and occasional help from the village blacksmith."
And the reason for using the minimum amount of steel? It did save money, but that wasn't the primary purpose; in early post-war France (as in Britain), there was VAST amount of reconstruction to be done, and so rebuilding damaged and destroyed housing stock and railways took priority on what steel was available.
When you look at the 2CV in the context of its time - and allow for the fact that the great majority of France was still very rural (and still is, come to that) - the design, from the ground up, made perfect sense.
I'd love to own one of those 2CV's!
2 things I want to add being a frequent driver of a '84 2 CV6: Your car seems to be missing the bottom cover of the trunk, which would normally cover the spare wheel and give you an even surface to store your load. And of course you can't just take out the rear seats for picnic, but also to have a bigger trunk for larger loads. You can't imagine how much you can transport in a 2CV without the rear seats and the roof open. ;-)
You forgot to mention that the 2CV has no rotor and distributor cap, both spark plugs fire simultaneously on every stroke.
"Wasted Spark" ignition.
@@christianronn5301 Not wasted - it’s a true boxer engine, with separate crank shaft eccentrics 180 degrees apart for each cylinder. Both cylinders fire at the same time, once every two revolutions.
Hello, Dave Baker here, I own the oldest 2cv in north America, this was documented in the early 70s, it is most likely the oldest all original, running, driveable, non restored 2cv on the planet, it has the 375 cc engine still in it, and can be started and driven anytime, it's been in my family for about 50 years, the cloth top goes from the top of the windshield all the way to the rear bumper, I believe it's the only one in the USA with the full length cloth top, I even have the original keys for it. weird car but I love it