The Most Interesting Engine In The World 😍 Citroen 2CV / How does it work in 3D?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ส.ค. 2023
- In this video we analyze the mythical boxer engine of the Citroen 2CV and we discover why it is so good. Its manufacture lasted more than 40 years for the reason that we will watch today.
#repairman22 #cars #citroen #2cv #power #meahri #turbo #speed #horsepower #torque #car #cars #engine #oil #boxer #gasoline #citroën #french #beetle #vw #volkswagen #england - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I own a 2CV Special, model 1986. Works like a clock, goes everywhere. Simple, «rustique», 6 liters/100km, easy to maintain, but be careful with the rust. Not only the engine, but everything is simple and basic on this car. The dashboard is so simple! It is my only car, so it drives almost every day, and every year I make a quite long trip to visit friends all around France. Hope to keep it for a long time.
I know one shouldn't be envious, but... I ENVY YOU!! 😁👍
Felicitations! My dream would be to own a Mahari, but keep it on a Mediterranean island for holiday visits. They are so over-priced, however (I saw one for sale in the Balearics just before the pandemic, and the owner wanted e10,000). The Two Horses was an amazing car - the French just didn't think like anyone else in those days.
@@travelbugse2829 "the French just didn't think like anyone else in those days." An understatement.
I visited a small regional airport that has a museum in Chino, California and saw a French motorcycle around the WW1 era. The front wheel has a small displacement radial engine in place of where the center hub and spokes should be. The tire rim is fastened directly to the cylinder heads with spacers. the crankshaft is bolted to the front forks and does not rotate, the rest of the engine does! The carburetor is fastened to one side of the crank and somehow two-stroke mix is delivered to the cylinders. The fuel tank is mounted to the handlebars. The most unique bike I've ever seen.
@@cayankeelord3730 Good grief! But I suppose the Gnome Rotary did the same thing on aircraft, so the French engineers smoked a Gitane and said: "Alors, zat will go well on a moto - miniscule!"
@@cayankeelord3730 en france on a pas d'argent mais on a des idées 😂
"That thing gotta a HEMI?"
was thinking the same thing😂
The Citron Hemi would have been a better marketing plan, than 3CV. It definitely was better designed for rough roads, and beat the socks off the bug in that department. I wonder how it compares to a DKW 3 cylinder.
Yup all two cylinders !!!!! 😀
Sweet
Has the "hemispheric" head configuration. Sounds like a "hemi".
My dad won a 2CV back in 1954 in a contest with Gulf Oil. His jingle was, "fill up with Gulf and you will see, no tailpipe smog or exhaust debris". The theme was emissions. I may have never been if not for that car; he sold it, and used the money to marry mom and honeymoon in Niagara Falls!
Wonderful story!!!!
Well at least something good came from at least one of these miscarrages of automotive justice
Your dad was a simp
Comment of the week! Congrats
@@maddhatter3564I would always prefer this car over the monstrosities called SUVs we have today.
When I had the good fortune to live in Iran in the 70's I had one- licensed to be built in Iran- the Dyane. It was WELL used, and for the high altitude and the heat in the summer- well, it was hardly a tire-burner. I absolutely loved it. Handled so well on the streets and very reliable. I loved the gearshift coming out of the dash, the adjustable headlights, the smooth ride, and the great suspension. One winters day, on the way up to the mountains NE of Tehran, with 3 wonderful skiing companions in the car, going uphill- we chanced upon a VEERY SLOW heavily loaded truck, emitting huge clouds of heavy, thick, black smoke. Even this wonderful loaded Dyane 2CV, had enough HP to pass the truck. Unfortunately, after we passed the truck, we could smell lots of smoke still. I then realized that, coincidentally, new smoke was coming from under the hood of the Dyane.We pulled over and evacuated the car and I raised the hood and found that every inch of all the wiring in the vehicle was burnt to a crisp- all the insulation melted off and only bare copper strands visible. What to do?? I disconnected everything, and then ran one wire (bare,twisted strands) from the battery to the ignition. turned the car around rolled it downhill and drove back to Tehran without further incident. A day or so later I purchased a complete new wring harness, and installed it in about an hour. Car ran perfectly from then on, of course. I really regretted leaving Iran, and that wonderful car. I wish I had one now for commuting, here in northern Nevada- USA. Great memories from this video and great engine explanations, though I watched it with subtitles ON, and the audio OFF. Thanks so much.
Same here
Had lots of fun with this car in Iran when I was young. So many friends made a fun of the car but it was a fun car...!! 😊
I remember that when I was young (in the sixties), 60 to 70 % of my generation owned or had owned a 2CV here in Belgium. They were cheap and easy to maintain. We where all mechanics in those days, or so we thought we were😄.
Wasn't a Citroen factory in Belgium making 2CVs? I seem to recall in my country the guys that were 2CV owners mentioning something like it.
.."We where all mechanics in those days, or so we thought we were" You make it sound like a bad thing in 2023?
With so few parts to have go wrong, you could easily be a mechanic in those days.
@@ottopartz1 ...cause You're NOT allowed - these days?!?
Oddly enough, my '52 2cv came from Belgium in 1968 or 69
I've had a -59 B425 and a -79 2CV6, 605cc. Both absolutely lovely everyday cars. On twisty gravel roads I could keep many times more powerful cars behind me. The body roll wasn't a problem and all 4 wheels stayed on the ground at all times. The time I lost on the 'straights' I easily gained through the tight bends. Very annoying to some... They never broke down and I used them as my every day cars, all year round...even below -25C°, completely closed air intake and plastic foam sheets in the roof lined with corduroy fabric. There are so many clever solutions incorporated in this technically advanced car, that even formula one tech people know of them and refer to the 2CV regarding certain aspects. The whole story would take to long to tell here. Thank you for bringing the 2CV back into the limelight where it belongs!
>2CV
>Body roll wasnt a problem
Do you just like, lean left and right as you walk or what lol
@@dragonbutt 😄 you could be right, but I'm not a sailor.. though I know how to handle a boat. No, seriously, the front end geometry does actually benefit from a bit of body roll. That's why. Body roll can definitely be a problem if it's not taken into consideration when designing a car. Citroën did though. Cheers 😉
One of the most enjoyable cars I ever had, the most comfortable seats ever. This vehicle needs to be brought back, cheap and economical to run, I wish I had one today. I really miss my 2cv.
@@hughleocullen9497 Me too. Miss my B425 most... smooth as silk at high rpm's 🥰
@@hughleocullen9497 There are some new Mini-Cars out there with Electric Drive. The 2CV could be builded as one, as it don't have to exceed 450kg without Batteries. We are just seeing the Isetta (Bubble Car) returning maybe the good old 2CV as well. Safety is a big concern for those cars and seeing old 2CV in modern Car Crashes, it is not something you want to be in. The 2CV has a sound safety concept but a 500kg car hit by an 1.600kg-2200kg car you know who is losing.
Fantastically balanced. It’s the only engine I’ve driven continuously at max rpm for several hours on the Autobahn. Without damage.
All the while it sounded so dry, right? We had the R4, in the 2cv i was a passenger a few times. Full rpm sounded funny, but equally funny or strange is that other cars were not supposed to be driven that way, while the 2cv could take it.
It’s basically a little aircraft engine!
When they had it on the test bank in 1946-ish they ran it for a 100 hours continuously without a hiccup. I had two 2CV's and the engine was never the problem.
So how many other engines have you driven then?
@@JonDingle Many. My point is that this little aircooled opposed twin engine is a real gem…
I drove the 2cv6, liked the dash mounted hockeystick shift lever. The red hot version. The main competitor was not the beetle but the Renault 4. Which had a rear mounted engine initially. However, Renault redesigned it with a front mounted engine. If you were really quiet, you could hear them rust. But mechanically absolutely indestructible and simple to repair and extremely fuel efficient. About as fuel efficient as todays low end models but half the weight, half the parts, half the price and super easy to repair and maintain
I believe the rear engined car was the Renault 4CV. The Renault 4 was a later front drive car designed to compete with the 2CV.
The rear engine version was the dauphin. I had the front engine version,the 4,as a van. The camshaft was driven by a composite gear which was up against the firewall and required removal of the engine. Guess how I know that.
@@martinsaunders7925 my grandfather had both the rear engined Renault 4 and the Dauphine. The Dauphine had a larger engine and was larger overall. Both great cars. Renault grew the model further into the Renault 8 and later the model 10, after which they abandoned rear engined models altogether. Every iteration the engine displacement grew a bit. Fun fact; they produced a Gordini version of the 8 for a while. That was a pretty cool car, based on the rally car Gordini prepped.
@@skydive1424 French engineering is idiosyncratic and usually excellent. The first front wheel drive car was a Citroën in 1934? Of course it had suicide doors.
......back in the days were less meant more.
My family has been the proud owner of a ‘75 Citroën Méhari in Montana Green and it’s my Dad’s pride and joy. We take it out to classic car meets every month. Most people confuse it for a mini moke, so I’m glad to see the Méhari got a shoutout! Great video 👍
I know very well the Mehari that belonged to a friend of mine early seventies and we throughly enjoyed in summertime...
Confused with a Moke? I think not!
@migliaracer1 are you referring to me? I know quite well both vehicles but in truth I travelled much less on the Moke
@@migliaracer1This video was the 1st time I've seen that odd, boxy Citroën Méhari ( Méhari = "fast camel") and I thought Mini Moke!
a Moke? Surely not, OMG.....
There was a contest in France that challenge drivers to roll over the car in any sharp curve.
This was told by my girlfriend at the time , she was driving a 2 chevaux with the gage gas broken , so from time time we were checking the level with a wood stick ...great times of my youth in France , Bretagne , marvelous people.
I remember in the early 1950's Citroen's challenge for 1 million francs to turn the car (the 2CV) over on a flat surface; with ice or oil at any speed. My school teacher had one with a dip-stick for gas, no gas gauge inside...
The one who could overturn did it by driving backwards.
Broken fuel gauge or just didn't have one? Dipping the tank was the standard way of checking fuel level on early 2CVs.
My '52 has a dipstick in the fuel tank, factory equipment
Mhm, i heard that story but was the Citroen 11 Ligero in my version. But yes they will not roll over, I drove a few of them and they are still being used in South America, indestructible cars.
The 2CV engine was designed by Walter Becchia, an Italian engineer who had been at Fiat’s race engine design department before WW1. This design bureau was at the very forefront of combustion engine engineering and would see many of its members develop famous engines for a whole range of brands.
In its latter stages the engine would rev above and beyond 7,000 rpm, and last forever. Try that with a Beetle engine...
A beetle engine can easily make power over 7,000rpm. The aftermarket for VW performance parts has been the most vast one on the planet for over 50 years.
@@nicholasagnew2792 I think he means stock (unmodified, from the factory) engines. Anything can be modified to do crazy things.
@@Kimoto504 I was about to say that
the vw is still seriously inferior like most German engineering would not give a thank you for it speaking as someone that owned a garage it was always German scrap that gave all the big problems .
@@nicholasagnew2792 not revving at the redline forever..
What a golden time for automotive design. The owner’s needs were the prime directive. No ego cars, these. The 2CV’s suspension remains unique, designed for the reality of driving at the time where it was sold and it really did the job like no other.
yes, just to see what they did with the DS today
>No ego cars, these.
they were subconscious cars
I own a Citroen 2CV6 one of the last ones build in Portugal. I have had several old cars from the 80's and 90's all leaking and at some points leaving me stranded, with one exception the 2CV. despite the fact that I drove it as my daily for some 4 years plus the remaining 5 years as a slightly more spoiled summer car. its engine is so dry that I leave a carpet underneath it in the garage just to boast of this property. Despite being far from today's standards of streamlined design It is also very economical, having a fuel mileage comparable to modern cars.
I adore the 2 cylinder air cooled engine.
If I could buy one new, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It was an awesome little car with a lot of smart engineering.
Well, not the complete car, but the chassis and body parts you can. They are surplus parts of the production in Spain and Portugal.
@@HolgerKuhrtsBetter to have a modern engine anyway. It would be a great car to use a motorcycle engine in, due to its light weight.
There is a british company that makes them new but with an electric motor. It's pretty much the same otherwise, with all its quirks. The price is quite high though, as they are made on command.
We had two 602 Dyanes, with centrifugal transmissions, and a 2CV, also 602. Utterly brilliant cars that never, ever, went wrong. In some ways they were the pinnacle of car engineering. Thanks for the vid.
I agree the Dyane was a considerable improvement on the 2CV. I had a 1981 model years ago.
Sad that back then these engineering wonders were looked on with some contempt. Nowadays Chinese crap Maxus cars still cannot hold a candle to it.
2CV was my first car in the late 70's and a Diane for harvesting spare parts. I was able to do most repairs myself, unlike with todays's cars, I wouldn't even touch them. Still the best car and most fun I ever had!
I understand that this engine was originally designed ( pre war- 1930s ) as a generator engine and so was intended to run many hours @ relatively low power. Interestingly a friends father who was a dealer in the sixties told me they never had engine trouble as long as it was worked hard, it was the little old ladies who usually had trouble as they didn’t “ blow them out 🤭”
You go read up what causes carbon buildup and you'll understand how your friends father was right. This still applies to modern fuel injection vehicles
@@OffGridInvestor yes I recon direct petrol injection is just an answer to a non existent problem- created by those genius non engineers @EUSSR 🤯
Every gasoline powered car or truck runs better when "the cobwebs get blown out" from time to time.
@@HotWheelsBurban agreed but decoking engines seems to have become a cottage industry again having largely died out by the end of the fifties. Back. In the thirties it was recommended every approx 5K miles
no, the engine was designed after WW2, the early engine from the 1939 2cv (TPV) was liquid cooled and still absolutly not derived from a generator, but designed to be able to run without damage permanently at maximum power . The first prototype of TPV was fitted in 1937 , for tests with a BMW 500cc flathead flat twin engine, this explain more or less the later choice for a flat twin, but even the early water cooled engine was OHV and totaly different from the BMW engine...
Cam is driven by a spring loaded split chevron gear, so as it wears over time the cam timing never changes. Also notice no connecting rod bolts. The con rods are slipped onto the crank at the factory by cooling the crank in liquid nitrogen and heating the con rods. Renewing the engine, you’d purchase a piston/con rod/crank set. All new in minutes!
No need to heat the rods!
The 2CV is to cars what BREAD is food -- it is the baseline.
Let's get it back into production and make it one of the world's transportation options.
I travelled and drove a 2CV back in 1974 in Spain. It was quite an experience! This car is amazing! Very slow but unstoppable. Very roomy and surprisingly comfortable except for the noisy cabin. It was also an convertible...added bonus.
You can drive anything, fancy or not, but NOTHING come close to the unforgettable 2CV experience. Slow yet scary, way too soft yet incredibly good in curves. Love it dearly!
I liked the 2CV for its unique design and for its suspension setup. I know some people don't like it, but it's like a type of car you either love or hate. Since I see it being a lot like the Beetle, I called it "France's Beetle" since they both have a similar shape and the design didn't change a whole lot for a long time
Or a tin snail
Fun fact, the 2CV prototypes were made before the WWII, the car was supposed to be presented in October 1939 at the Paris Motor Show, but after Germany invaded Poland the Paris motor Show was cancelled and the 250 car pilot run and prototypes were either destroyed or hidden in fear of Germany stealing the project and using it against France. There are only 5 existing examples of pre-war 2CVs that we know of. The similar exterior design of the 2CV and the Beetle is completely coincidental as they were both designed in secret during the same time period.
@@arekb5951 The same applies for the beetle, which was designed and first prototypes produced by Mercedes (with engineer Ferdinand Porsche working there, then..) Unfortunately, wikipedia has obviously censored all pages about this car. (I remember very well, that a few years ago, there has been an extremely nice summary with several pictures of Mercedes beetle prototypes/predecessors. Everything wiped away, obviously. Maybe, if you look for "130, 150, 150 V und 170 H (W 23, W 30, W 130, W 28), 1934 - 1939", you´ll find a German webpage, mentioning a W28, which is close to the first 30 prototypes produced at the Mercedes factory in Sindelfingen (under the lead of Porsche) which were the predecessors of the later KdF-Wagen, after the war renamed to Volkswagen. Unfortunately, no good pictures there.. and it seems impossible to find them with google..
@@kriskross63 Unless your are in some country that censors the internet you will find lots of info on the pre-war beetle on wiki, mercedes website etc.
It is debatable when a car begins. The beetle was not really created until the final production version. Early concepts are not the car, but the idea for the car.
@@grolfe3210 You are possibly right: The last time, I easily found pages with lots of fotos of beetle prototypes, I looked for them from Germany. (I remember a variant, more or less identical to the beetle, except the „nose“, which contained a typical Mercedes grill on front, it was a Wdd with a 2-digit nr, I thought W40 or W30, but Couldn’t find it anymore now. This time, I googled it from Switzerland…
I've owned two of these quirky little cars and loved them. Really fun to drive, especially if you're not accustomed to 30 degrees of body roll in corners! 😂and so easy to repair. A bit of a death trap if you crash, but that applies to most cars of that era.
The body roll in combination with the weak engine and… let‘s call it spartanic interior meant you felt like you‘re in a race car at all times 😂
@@SahnigReingeloetetbut exceptionally comfortable one.
@@SahnigReingeloetetnah, exaggerated. There is a hint of acceleration in 2nd or 3rd,like in the Renault 4, but never even a sligtest kick in the back like you would get from some small Fiats.
@@florkgagga I meant that you basically floor it all the time, not that it‘s fast 😅 I distinctly remember the acceleration being so bad that you almost can‘t even feel it (when I was driving in a car that would lightly push you into the seat when you floor it, I was like „wow a sports car 😝“). The accelerator pedal is more like a suggestion to the engine to maybe go faster.
One of the Hungarian car journalists said once: a more fancy Swiss chocolate is wrapped in heavier, sturdier tin foil than the 2CV's bodywork sheets.😅
We bought a used 1968 Dyane 6 with the bigger engine when we first came to France, and I did a lot of maintenance on it myself. The repair manual said (roughly) "to adjust the rocker arms it is not entirely necessary to remove the mudguards, but it helps". They were right; however to do this you had to disconnect the headlamp adjustment cable and remove 16 screws each side. To adjust the points you had to take off the front bumper and the fan. Wondrous. We took ours over the Cockbridge-Tomintoul road in Scotland and over the Alps in the Haute Savoie. Another time we rolled up the roof and got all the wood to make a double bed into it, along with the mattress.
It finally died in 1976 when a mechanic at the dealership in Edinburgh stripped a clutch mounting bolt and didn't tell us. Still, it took us back to our home near Paris before the engine lost all its oil and we sold it to a scrap-merchant for 400 frs, which we spent that evening on a fitting wake. Wonderful car.
Bless you for this fine article. The 2CV and Beetle are regarded by modern youngsters as weak and feeble or simply a fashion statement.
I once rode a BSA Bantam from Norwich to Preston via Leeds in 1976 with a male pillion and luggage through a rainstorm. It never missed a beat. The most humble of our creations are often the most reliable.
Just don't expect them to be "cafe racers".
Now that bantam tale is,impressive….
The BSA Bantam was the only stinkpot I ever owned. I preferred the Goldie’s I owned later. The Bantam was almost unbreakable: my pal ended up with it and “converted” it to trials iron. I did ride it from Oxford to Bristol several times during my college days.
@@robertjames6640 I had a 1947 hard tail e army job and yes it was unbreakable always started; old fuel or not it max speed 35mph
I have restored beetles and recently restored a 2CV they are completely different. But both have simple engineering that makes them endearing and fun.
Wife's grandad restores these, brilliant cars, independent suspension on all corners, inboard brakes has some mad body roll but handles bumps like a pro
The first car that I bought was a 2CV, brand new in 1970. A 425 cc 18HP engine. This version had no belt-driven alternator, but a 6V DC dynamo on the crankshaft just behind the fan.
Not only my father had one, but I taught myself to drive with it. It was soooo easy and pleasant to drive. Unfortunately, it also died in my hands a few years later (busted crankshaft). It had been ticking for a long time, but dad was not interested in fixing it.
😢
You can buy fully restored engines for about 800€
The Citroen 2 CV was the most enjoyable car to drive, it purred and made you feel you are on a carnival ride around bends. The suicide door where awesome.
😅
In Greece there was a Greek-made Citroen Pony. Same engine and drivetrain but with a jeep-like chassis. Heavier than a 2CV, but could easily fit 10 kids for movie runs! That was with the 602cc engine. I learned how to drive on my dads Pony. It was very fun to drive, especially on dirt roads, thanks to the amazing suspension. It would be interesting to get a video on the gearbox of the 2CV, the weird gear arrangement (reverse and 1st were opposite of each other), why the 2nd gear was the strongest, and why you could go from 3rd to 4th 2 different ways (one was the normal way of going through neutral, and the second was moving to the right first through the location of what would've been a 5th gear if it existed). Thank you for bringing back memories!
I couldn’t even work that out about gear changes let alone trying to drive it 😂😂👏
In the late 70's I was seconded to Agadir, Morocco to be the acting Station Manager for the Airline I worked at that time. I only had to handle one flight per week, hence a lot of free time. I rented a 2CV and explored the surroundings and even went to Marakesh on a desert road. A very reliable car, no matter if in the desert or on paved roads. I simply loved it.
My first car was a 2CV. Had a lot of fun with it, but going uphill (we have lots of hills in our area) was ridiculous. In winter, it went through the highest snow with ease.
It was my first car: a 2CV model 1956 that I bought second-hand in 1974.
You could easily fix everything.
So many good memories associated with this car.... 😎
**
C'était ma première voiture : une 2CV modèle 1956 que j'ai achetée d'occasion en 1974.
Tu pouvais sans problèmes tout réparer.
Que de bons souvenirs liés à cette voiture... 😎
Lived on a Canadian military base in NE France from 63-67, and saw the 2CV everywhere. Members of the military were not allowed to buy one, but I don’t know why. Supposedly fantastic suspension system, a point common in other Citroen models. I remember seeing one in Calgary many years ago.
One most unknown fun trick of the 2CV ( I discovered it in the 2CV of a student friend) is that you can drive hidden under the glass level.
Just open the air vents (those above the dashbord) with the screwbutton. Then bend over to hide and drive looking through the events (it's not that safe for lateral checks, attention).
Then, suddenly appear all together to look at the faces of passers-by. Garanteed laughs :D
Brilliant!😆
I never drove one but back in about 1960 as a teenage prank we did pick a 2CV up, carry it thru a gate, and placed it crossways on someone's front porch. We have no clue how it was removed from the porch. A few years after that, I did have a ride in a M.B. 300SL but that's a totally different story.
The panhard dyna had a 2cylinder horizontally opposed engine too. But my heart will always belong to the nsu prinz 2 cylinder engine, ive never seen anything like that since. Both cylinders reciprocating together, but only one would fire, the pistons swung back around by a crankshaft counterweight. No belts, as the hemi twin cam overhead valves were driven by eccentrics and straps. It was only about 36 cubic inches, just under 600 cc, and delivered about 20 horsepower. But it got over 50 mpg.
My first car was an NSU Prinz 600cc. It had a Dyno starter, so only about 20amps max Electrical output. It had radial tyres 135 r 12. Alloy finned steel lined drum brakes at the front, steel drums at rear. Cold air heat exchanger for the interior heater. Single speed fan
@@robertwillis4061 yessir, i had 2 of them, a 59 and a 60, one was red, one was black. Tiny differences between the two. One only had 19k miles on it. I also had a 65 Renault dauphine gordini R1095.
My family had two in a row in the late 80's (light blue and a green one). I remember the queues it accumulated on the 100kmh roads, the view from the rear seat was great. Was too young to test drive it, but my mom struggled to find the reverse gear and we ended up in a barn door
Being born in France, I had 2 of those wonderful cars when I was young. They were extremely reliable, cheap to maintain and operate, and extremely fun to drive.
I owned two of them here in New York. One a rest bucket van and the other a Mahari. Neither of them ever had any mechanical problems. The van finally broken in two after being vastly overloaded with lumber many times. Someone stole the Mahari and cut it up for junk.
What a fantastic little car as an Englishman what used to amaze us you could spray and paint them in any colour you wanted and they always looked good. Solid and simple brilliant little car well done France 🇫🇷 👏👏
So far, i've never seen someone go into so much details, explaining things in a clear manner.
This channel has a great future !
Thank you for this great presentation! Actually, the 2CV was not only designed for the French roads and landscape, but also for the French colonies as especially North Africa Algeria (desert, heat, sand), but also all other (former) french colonies. (Btw, also the famous Peugeot 504, too..)
I had 2 2CVs, and I often think, that every driver should drive this car in the first 2 years after receiving the driver license, as you really learn, how a car works from A to Z, as everything is consequently designed "keep it simple"!
To me, the design of the Citroen 2CV is much more brilliant than the VW beetle (4 doors, 4 seats for four adults, big trunk (vs almost no trunk in the beetle), much less noisier engine with same driving capabilites (110km/h max in both cases with advantages for the 2Cv as it is lighter and more comfortable), much less weight, the front wheel drive much more convenient and save than the risky RWD. Even in snow and winter conditions, you can start any 2CV with the provided jack using it as a starting hanfdle easily while all other cars including the beetle need jumper cables and an additional vehicle when the battery is too low. (I´ve experienced this myself in a unusually cold winter in Germany..)
But, of course, the beetle just looks cuter, propably radiates more security, though its shape is more "feminine" the sound of the beetle´s boxer is much more "masculine".. and it seems, the beetle was much more reliable...
But you couldn’t get a 4WD beetle. Go Citroën.
@@clwomble Well, these few 4WD 2CVs were not really available on the public market, afaik
And I think, there were indeed a few 4WD beetles, too (for military purposes, painted in dark green, with bigger tractor-like wheels)… of course, neither available on the free market
The reliability of the Beetle is often overstated and confused with the ease of repairing it. There are fundamental design flaws in the Beetle that cause it to be less reliable than is often thought. These are often noted by people who actually owned and ran it.
The 2CV was beautifully French with a certain romantic joie d’Vie.
The Beetle was possibly designed by the guy who worked on the military Stahlhelm. My late grandfather, a WW1 veteran, referred to the Beetle as “Hun Cavalry”
The 2CV was endearing, the Beetle just a car.
I love that little citroen
Compared to a mini, Fiat 500 or 126, it was not so "little", actually.
The interiour space was much cleverer used than in the Volkswagen beetle (4 vs 2 doors, 4 adults vs 2 adults and 2 children).
I had a 2cv of 1956, with the 400 cc engine and centrifugal clutch, absolutely fantastic. Then, I used a 600 cc, smooth and refined. Finally, a Duane with front disc brakes.
Unforgettable.
I'd like to keep it.
doubt if they survived the rust and were scrapped - sadly it was a bad point, they spray painted rusty panels at least in the 1970's, and no rust protection on the chassis
The threads for the spark plugs in the cylinder heads where badly constructed, they very often broke and with a huge bang, the spark plug was shot out.
I had this and there where ready made kits to repair this, when it happened because it was so frequent.
In the first stage, there was a bigger thread cut into the hole and a spiral like thing was put in to hold the spark. When this was also blown out, what often happened, the hole was bored out even bigger and a repair kit was glued in. This was good enough to fix it permanently most times.
Great report on a great little car. Actually drove a friend's 2CV once.
Something that's possibly not widely know in the U.S. is what the CV part of the description means. it means chevaux = horses. People typically knew them as deux chevaux (two horses) but in the 'back then' tax system chevaux meant horsepower in the mechanical field. But even that is confusing. In countries like France, Switzerland etc. automobiles are or at least used to be, taxed according to engine size, not actual horsepowers. The Citroën Deux Chevaux thus was one of the least expensive vehicles to insure or to be taxed. Post War Europe was much more frugal back then compared to now. So, my dad way back in the 50s, owned a slightly more powerful Renault Dauphine, a small rear engine gizmo, and the first car I ever got to drive, illegally as I was then underage. Cheers ;- )
The French Panhard Dyna Z had a similar 2 cylinder boxer engine, but it made far more horsepower and ran quite well. They were larger and according to one man who I met at a car meet driving one, they, like other French cars, were a pleasure and comfortable to drive.
Yes, they were so simple, practically nothing could go wrong. My racing tortoise served me well for many years - I only sold it because I emigrated, but here in Mexico there aren't any! I really miss them.
Owned 3 of these over the years, but one Inparticular I loved named “Bobby Blue” after a little playing with she could get to 90mph and approximately 2 miles to stop, such great versatile motor, have many stories great times.
In the summer of 1960, our parents took us to Paris, and while we were there, we got to ride in a Renault Daphine and a Citroen 2CV! As kids, we loved riding in the back seat because they were "bouncy" like a mini-trampoline! I've always had a soft spot in my heart for them ever since!
My mom used to own several of these and some bugs.. I remember riding in the 2cv as a kid, I loved it. Especially over bumps because of the suspension. Also the sound it made was unique.. And we drove it pretty far (for european standards).. Like 600km road trips in a 20~ish hp car, most of the time behind trucks.. Fun times.. Back then they were cheap, that's why my mom had them. To think that all her old cars ended up in junkyards because of relatively minor stuff, people today would be furious
I am Brazilian. Then you already know about our love for the Beetle. My dad was in a cab with him for a loooong time. But I always found the 2CV very nice! I haven't had a chance to see one yet. Yet. 👍
The idea to fit a flat twin for 2CV was actually thanks to the Beetle and its engine, in fact the Panhard 850cc air cooled flat-twin is much more interesting then the2 CV engine, in their last model the 24BT and CT the Panhard engine could get these cars to a topspeed of nearly 160 km/h . This engine had self adjusting valves
Ich denke, zu dieser Zeit waren die deutsche und die französische Strassennetze ziemlich anders.
Das Lasterhaft vom 2cv bestand einfach im Transport 4 Erwachsener (und roher Eier....) über schlechteste Wegstrecken in der Metropole und Nordafrika mit einer Geschwindigkeit von kaum 50 km/h. Für die deutschen nagelneuen Autobahnen von den 30ern war der Käfer unendlich mehr geeignet.
The 2cv engine design is actually based on the pre-war BMW motorcycle engine
Great insight to my wonderful 3 new 2CV6s over 45 years and 550,000 kms.
First a 1978 Club in the UK, next a 1982 Charleston and last a 1989/90 Charleston which recently received a Burton 652 cc Big Bore engine plus Power Tube for more power and torque.
The 2CV was manufactured in downtown Paris from 1948 to 1987 and moved to Portugal from 1988 to 1990 with the last rolling off the line 27 July 1990. Also manufactured in Belgium, UK, Argentina, Uraguay, Chile, Spain & Yugoslavia.
Here in Australia they were sold new in the late 1950s early 1960s.
The first car to circumnavigate Australia was a 1923 Citroen 5CV in 1925.
Citroen ID19s we assembled here from 1961-1967.
I have owned 17 Citroens over 52 years. Totally addicted.
My 2019 C4 Cactus plays big brother to my current Portuguese 2CV6 or is that now a 2CV7 with the Big Bore motor?
I can no longer say to the policeman...
But officer, can I have a credit for all the times I cannot reach the speed limit uphill.
The beetle engine shown is a dog house variant where the flow over the oil cooler is routed outside the shroud and thus no retard on cyl. 3. Also the fan on the beetle is much more effective in a pressurized system , where the axial fan will experience compressor stall rather quickly.
Still... no doubt the # 3 cyl ran hotter.....the oil cooler was placed in the air shroud airstream with the discharge directed to #3. Hotrodders of the 50's and 60's often replace the cooler with a coiled-loop of copper external to the shroud right at the intake.....to get cooling and to distribute the shroud airflow more evenly to all 4 cylinders.
@@TheWilferch No the hot air exits out behind the engine under the car on the doghouse shroud, but going external oil cooler is still an option!
And those that mounted the oil cooler at the fan intake made a huge mistake, of course they didn't know at the time. Today we know it is the absolutely worst place you can put it. They would have been far better of not running the oil cooler at all.
Many wonderful memories from my 2CV days. Simple to work on and joyful to drive.
I worked in a bakery in France in the '70s/early '80s. Not only did I make bread but I had to do the deliveries using a 2cv camionette. One of my favourite cars ever, so simple to use and service. We used it to tour France during the annual 'Grands vacances'. So many great memories. Not once did it ever break down.
Yes a truly brilliant car. On a hot day simply slip out the doors - on a wet day if you forget tom put the roof down simply tip out the rubber floor 'mats'. In board brakes, longitudinal suspension all made for a lot of fun and with those skinny tyres the lean angles were astonishing. I had a Dyane but preferred 2cv - wish I still had one but so expensive now. Ah happy days and a very happy car!
The Diane van variant of the classic van, called an Acadiane was my 1st car. It was the perfect vehicle for someone with little knowledge of cars, but didn't mind learning! Not that it broke a lot, but when something wasn't right, it was easy as hell to investigate and fix. It was a good companion, cheap to run, fix, a hoot for camping trips, easy to leave in dodgy areas when going to gigs, and could be driven hard all day, and despite the roll, it handles really well. I miss it.
>easy to leave in dodgy areas when going to gigs
Because no self-respecting car thief would steal one.
I got a lift in a 2CV once. It was quite comfortable. It did feel very basic, which is fine. It's an honest car.
When i first started work my boss had a 2xv. It's gear changer was on the dashboard. It was a great car to ride around the city.
I had a German made Isar between 1969-1973 and its engine was almost identical to the 2CV. It had a 700 cc 30 hp boxer with practically identical technical structures. Even the sound of it was the same.
Pequeños motores "boxer" de 2 cilindros opuestos, como en el BMW 700. Toda una época.
@@cesardavrieux3767 Lo recuerdo, sí
Thanks for the awesome 3-D, animated illustrations. It is helpful to see the internal parts working. I've owned a '74 2CV for the past 23 years and drive it almost daily during the summer. It loves our local round-a-bouts and puts smiles on just about everyone it meets. Parts are no problem what with several sources along the US west coast. Love the car. Hills are a challenge but most drivers behind you will be patient while you drive in low gear. We all need to slow down a bit anyway!
I own a book about the 2CV.
In 1942 Citroen has a big problem with the planned engine. It does not work at cold weather.
As Italiy was an alley of germany the italian engeneer has a Zündapp K750 motorcycle and this motorcycle work on every weather.
--> Citroen created a new engine based on the Zündapp engine designed at Nürnberg by Mr. Küchen.
1942? totaly false: none 2cv was built by Citroën during ww2...the TPV (model 1939 2cv) had a water cooled flat twin engine, this car was NEVER SALE because the war, and prototypes was hidden from the ennemy...the air cooled engine was designed after WW2, first sale in 1948
I have owned 3 Citroen vehicles in my life, one being a Deux Chevaux, a 2CV. Living in the north of France in a rural area, this little car never failed to do its job. It appeared to be bomb proof but it was imperative to keep her fettled, an easy task.
It had 80 km when I bought it and 130 when I gave it to a friend to use as a farm truck. It is still running to this day!
I also owned a 1955 Beetle, one of the worst cars I had.
My 2CV had rubber fenders, canvas seats and sliding windows. It was good for around 50 mph on a good day but there was not a field or bad, hilly road it would balk on.
My daughter owned a later model capable of 70 mph and a tad more sophisticated.
The 2CV was a product of minimal, intelligent engineering that transported French people and others for years. Today, they make fun classics if you can find a good one.
As a car enthusiast....this was very informative especially with the added animations.....both engines were simple and showed advanced thinking that were good for the times. Individually, it seems the 2CV had some advantageous design points.....shame there wasn't a 4 cyl version produced...but with the axial fan that may have been problematic as to cooling the extra 2 cylinders. Never knew about the 2-engine version.....thanks....
Thats why VW had the cooling arrangement it did: They had to cool 4 cylinders and an axial fan would not have cooled the two rear cylinders.
I have often toyed with idea of building a cut-down 2 cylinder version of the VW engine, which is what some small aircraft builders do! Would be interesting to compare such a motor to the Citroen engine.
The air cooled flat four Citroen came with the introduction of the GS, similar hemi head but with overhead cams (and still with the axial fan at the front)
There was at least one 4-cyl engined 2CV in existence in the past. This was during the production of the James Bond film in 1981 where a 1015 cc engine from a Citroën GS was transplanted into the 2CV. The reason was to make the chase sequence a little more exciting whilst still maintaining the familiar engine sound. So it was possible but never produced by Citroën. There have been other attempts to turbo charge the standard engine but, again, on an amateurish level only.
I saw so many of these little vehicles while I was stationed in Germany, a very interesting automobile. Thanks for sharing this information. 😊
The heating/venting system was very simple too. To heat, adjust a lever that influences the amount of air from the fan that cools the engine to enter the cabin.
My highschool friend used to have one. Although it leaned like crazy, it would not flip. The seats looked like beach chairs, but were comfortable. But the car was so flimsy that it was scary. It was like sitting in a soda can. It was still lovable strange car that was surprisingly good tourer as it was so, so comfortable. But also dangerously slow to keep with the traffic. Having own Beetles myself, the Beetle is by far a better automobile. But there is something charming in the 2CV. It is not a car, it is something else, something that just is. A motor vehicle that has it's own category.
I drove a 2cv recently in Provence. It had adequate power for French back roads, and the quirky dashboard-mounted worked well. The main downer for me was the very heavy steering - getting it around a sharp turn at any speed required muscle. Guess I'm spoiled by power steering.
? the 2cv was very easy to drive even from a skinny woman, the steering was only heawy during slow speed manouvers ,never in normal driving...Not forgott that up to the 80' was power steering mostly optional in Europe even on large cars, as i was young, i had a 1976 Citroën CX 2000 without power steering, and i buy this used car by a slim woman who drove it during 5 years...
In France they taxed heavily cars over a certain cc, not HP. Most cars use only a fraction of the HP available most of the time. There is lots of HP available that is not being used. To access all this power you need to highly rev the engine. High revving engines vibrate producing lots of noise. Constantly highly revving an average engine will cause early failure. So the French designed smaller engines to rev highly to access all the HP available without any mechanical problems.
That is why 2CVs and Panhards (see Jay Leno on his Panhard) could move well enough in road speed terms and acceleration, but you needed to rev them hard. So, you are using most of the power available in the engine, most of the time, making them more efficient in many ways, which is not the case with most engines. All because of the French taxation system.
Right, I remember hitch-hiking in France in the early 80s, the drivers of a 2CV would rev the snot out of them, I was afraid the engine would blow up!
@@PrimoStracciatella
Yes. It sounded like the drivers were reckless doing damage to the engines. They were not.
One thing I do have to credit the French with... Good or bad, they were never afraid of taking an idea and tweaking it from the ground up.
Was stationed at at Coleman barracks in Germany in the mid 80's. The girlyfreind had a "duck" and her dad asked me to replace the exhaust on it. It was a smaller tha n most motorcycle exhaust.
Popped open the hood and was wondering what the he'll that thing down there was. Finally identified the little tiny carb, which i then identified the intake runner that must have been attached to cylinders!?
It was a engenerring feat for sure.
Was driving it back to baud sodden in pouring rain up a steep grade, the wheels would hydro plane and engine speed would shoot right up. Then it would get traction and away it would go!
This is really good. I’d still love to see a tutorial on the 2CV heater system. The Beetle has a simple yet convoluted system of piggy backing off the cooling fan, and blowing air over a few places on the exhaust manifold. Then it sends heat to the front of the car inside ducts that have a dual purpose of also giving the floor pan rigidity where it connects to the body. Then a collection of manual dampers. It doesn’t even use an electric fan-just the engine fan. So you get varying volumes of heat-directly depending on RPM of the engine and cooling fan.
I though the Heater on a VW Beetle was a Jump Rope in the glove compartment?
I recall seeing many of the CV2 when I lived in Germany, my wife always commented on the "elbow coolers" the side windows folded down, and you would rest your elbow on the opening. I also remember seeing the odd one that would venture onto the Autobahn....risky business when struggling to reach 100 kph. We had to be careful when passing them at 200+ kph as the wind could upset the little car sending it out of control.
> We had to be careful when passing them at 200+ kph as the wind could upset the little car sending it out of control.
There are so many replies to this...
DAF used the same type of engine, a 2 cyl air-cooled boxer. First 600cc, later 750cc for the 31,32 & 33, plus a 850cc for the 44 & 46.
The Daf 46 had 125 km/h as top and cruising speed.
I think just as the Citroen engine, the DAF engine was also made to be run at max rpm for extended times.
I have love for the 2CV for a long time. I travelled for a while with two French girls from Paris in one. If I could buy one today I would. A UK fellow, who was building new electric 2CV, said that all the parts are still available.
Very interesting video. I was always interested in these cars, so iconic on French roads for decades. They served post-war France well, being just was required in those days.
Cheap, reliable, and homely as a mud fence 😂
Thanks, pretty well done! Might mention the centrifugal clutch, non-rubber 8 LARGE tapered roller bearing suspension, one of the earliest rack & pinions, and no shock absorbers to wear out on the early ones, seats & doors removable in about 15 seconds.
Also, with that shift pattern, some have NOT known that there was a 4th gear available! Also, also, might mention the horrible F'up with the Mehari plastic's deterioration!
I remember the 16 HP beast of my elder sister. It was a 1966 or 1967 2CV4. Uphill in first gear... Good times!
My father had 2, for little trips in the valley and go to work, I learnt to drive on the last he had, in the 80s. Zero comfort but so funny to drive and you could go up in the mountain to places only big trucks and tractors would go (so you had less to walk to get to the top). Legendary car, I wish it would still exist.
The seats in my Diane version came out real easy too and with no rear or passenger seat AND with the roof open you could move a hell of a load …handled well round corners once the body roll is learnt
With pistons and con-rods being evenly balanced, I have often wondered why such heavy crank-counter balance weights were needed. Bearing in mìnd the weight of the flywheel keeping control. Once, I had to have it, a Volkswagen van with the most startling clanking noise you ever heard !.
I clawed the engine apart, and the noise was coming from the crank-shaft, broken in half at an angle down the center main- bearing oil drilling, as it fired, the other half followed and made the banging noise.! I put it down to the owner labouring the engine in the wrong gear, over time........
In our student days in London, in the early 1960s, we took a 2CV to a local car park and tried very hard to prove the rumour that you could NOT turn a 2CV over. The suspension only has two springs, one for the left hand pair of wheels, and one for the right. They have an astonishing length of travel which makes for some very alarming body roll. However, we failed to make it turn over. Just as well, I suppose, in more adult retrospect... :)
They have 4 springs one for each wheel mounted in pairs inside tubular cans one on each side, this causes the front and rear springs to inter react, if the front wheel hits a bump there rear spring is pre tensioner ready for the bump.
Of the many idiosyncratic things I love about the 2CV, the sound of the indicator stands out the most: a really satisfying click-clack
Great video ! The flywheel was key to operations offroad. Had to spin it up and use all that stored torque with the clutch pedal as a secondary accelerator. Facing a very steep incline, you'd have to back-end so the front wheels receiving most of the vehicle weight would provide proper traction... err, propulsion. Never stuck with one of those, even without a winch.
I can only wish that I had a chance to drive a 2CV, or even a Dyane or Ami. I was actually happy to see one in my hometown in the American midwest. They are extremely brilliant cars that rose from being practical transportation to becoming iconic. They also have room for taller drivers. The Oliver Pickard on TH-cam is 6ft 6in and is comfortable driving his 2CV. Hmmm...that actually gives the Citroen 1 up on the BMC Mini.
Had a bright yellow one of these with the 'big' 600cc engine and absolutely loved it. The rear seats were higher than those at the front, so rear passengers could see out better than with most cars. Even now, I've never had a more economical petrol car. Only part-exchanged it when rust became an issue. I'd buy a new one now, if they still made them.
My first car was a1956 2CV which I bought in 1963. The second one was a 425 cc. This one brought us to Spain and back with thre adults and some campinggear. I did all the maintenance myself. After the 2CV's we went bigger to a 26 hp Ami and later a 35 hp Ami Grand Comfort with the double headlamps. My spouse drove a Diane 6 for several years. About 100 km a day. Wonderfull cars. Superb enginering. I bought this cars secondhand with unknown history.
these videos are sooo cool! could you do the BMC A Series some time please? 2CV, Beetle and Morris minor were 3 of a kind in my mind!
Plus maybe the Fiat 500.
The BMC A series also had a diesel version. Thousands of those still in service, in small boats.
I had one, but it was the late version of the 90ies with 23hp. The open roof was great in summer.
We squeezed the whole physics class inside, consisting of 12 people in total, mostly standing upright.
I took a sharp curve, and we´ve been on two wheels for a second - no problem at all.
However, I wouldn´t like to have a crash in that tin can.
Thanks for depicting parts operating in the correct direction (blower, gear pump,...). One of my peeves about this type of videos is how often stuff moves incorrectly (backwards).
I was at the International Car Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in 1990. The 2CV Dealer told me to remove the sparewheel from the trunk and place it under the hood for two reasons: 1. You got more free space in the trunk and 2. the Hood doesnt clatter as much afterwards...
Tenho um fusca ano de fabricação 1964, está em perfeitas condições de uso.
Boa parte de seus itens são originais.
O fusca é um carro de verdade.
Hoje só fabricam carros de plástico, cheios de sensores para quebrar, são verdadeiras porcarias frágeis.
Excelente conteúdo!
Abraços do Brasil 🇧🇷
The 2cv had inboard hydraulic front discs from the outset which was pretty amazing. Front discs didn't become standard across the Mini range til 1981.
They Really should bring this model back especially the two engined version!!! 🤠👍
I remember a friend of mine when I was at university in Denmark - he had a 2CV - in the winter he had to start it between every lesson we had, and when he took a right turn - the passenger seat would tip over into him ! - but it was old and cheap !
Great video, keep it up!
I love the way your 3D Footage is used for explanation of all functions. In all honesty, I Think it would have been better to compare it to its true rival, the Renault 4. I've driven both as they were very common on European roads for decades and really cheap to buy, until later in the nineties they gained cult appeal and at the same time declined in numbers, as they were, although cheap to fix, not really durable.
A little perspective: The two pistons going toward and away from the heads in unison is in common with many older and currently manufactured motorcycles, including some four-cylinder engines whose pistons travel up and down in pairs. The economy of wasted spark ignition also persists, as it comes with next to no added cost, and can halve the number of ignition systems required.
The need for a flywheel of higher rotational inertia in such a design is similar to the case of a single cylinder engine. Once again, many motorcycles also use this approach, going back to the first ones around the turn of the twentieth century, which were singles.
A note on evolution of engines. A lot of awkward and inefficient design features were acceptable only due to the low RPM ceiling of older engine designs such as the 2CV. Increasing power output per displacement by increasing RPM's required the round-robin improvement of many aspects of the engine. Pushrods are a casualty because their reciprocating mass could not follow the cams as the revs increased. Hemispherical combustion chambers and large irregularities in the top of pistons had to go because they lengthened the path the flame needed to travel to burn all the fuel before the next stroke. Air cooling became less and less reliable (though not impossible) as power output increased, due to the extra heat generated.
Increasing power output per displacement was also accomplished by increasing compression ratio. This was also a round-robin development of many technologies. Ensuring a complete burn was critical. This was accomplished by: Streamlining the cylinder head and piston crown design to make sure the flame front made it all the way through the combustion chamber. Improving carburetion to reduce sooty deposits, whose flakes can smolder between cycles and ignite the next fuel charge too early. Lowering the inlet temperature, to cool the inlet valve and keep the fuel charge from getting near ignition temperature until sparked. Strengthening the spark energy, to make sure it worked.
Nowadays, you could put the engine from a KTM Duke 390 single in your Citroen, and get more than 70hp, with a 13.x:1 compression ratio!
Pushrods work just fine up to 10k rpm in Nascar and 7k in street engines.
Loyalty to an iconic American platform (pushrod V8) is apparently an adequate motivation to put in the effort to make it work. Put in enough effort and you can do about anything eventually. Though recently fuel economy considerations have had engine manufacturers turning to variable valve timing to allow smaller engines with lower rev ceilings to perform adequately at lower revs. We had a Scion xD with I think a 2L engine that redlined at like 6000RPM. In that kind of platform the trick pushrod technology of today would work ok. @@krashanb5767
I did my apprenticeship at a Citroën garage. Worked on GSA, all 2CV variants, all models of BX and Xantia.
Today I am an Autotech, at Citroën.