Did the 2CV have a nickname in other countries? Here in Germany it was called "the duck" ("die Ente"). Oooh, that suspension, great memories :)
I heard a joke in Uruguay that they were called "pedo" (fart) because only the owner could like it.
Citroen 2cv pages
21–30 of 115 posts
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
2CV: 4500 dutch guilders, Dyane 4800, AMI 6250, GS 8000, D-Special 12000, DS 17000. For French Francs multiply by three or so, German Marks divide by 1.10. I was in a crash in a 2CV, it was my first car and after that never got into another one. The damage was incredible given the kind of accident it was.
The 2CV always seemed like a death trap to me. It could not get approved in the USA for import; I’m guessing because of safety regulations…although no Citroen cars were available in the US at all.
Afaik it could be sold in the US just fine (this is a car created in 1948, safety regulations were not really a thing).
The issue is that it could not be sold: it was particularly low-powered even for french cars of the time, the original model barely reached 40 mph (out of a 9 hp engine), and the later fastest models topped out around 70.
The 2CV had literally been designed to cross freshly ploughed fields and drive on unpaved roads, it just was not suitable for the interstate-expanding American market.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#23Very cool. Would be even better if they included pricing.
2CV: 4500 dutch guilders, Dyane 4800, AMI 6250, GS 8000, D-Special 12000, DS 17000. For French Francs multiply by three or so, German Marks divide by 1.10. I was in a crash in a 2CV, it was my first car and after that never got into another one. The damage was incredible given the kind of accident it was.
I've been a big fan of Citroëns for a long time, but I cannot quite get the 2CV. I get it's cute, but I think the Dyane is actually cuter. I can see how it lives up to André Citroën's 1930s vision, but what has always truly captured me is the engineering in the hydropneumatic suspension.
Fortunately, my first car was (and is) a Citroën DS 23. I have not tried Citroën's new suspension (seems to be limited so far to the kind of car, I don't particularly care for), partly because I've grown disgruntled with Citroën since about the time PSA (or whatever they are called now) started the DS brand, but I really ought to.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Citroën sold cars in the US till around 1975, when the US introduced regulations that essentially prohibited the hydropneumatic suspension. Citroën even had US spec versions of the DS and the SM for the US market. I am not sure whether the 2CV was ever sold in the USA, but it has definitely been imported. I think in the US, the limit is 25 years before you can import a foreign car. I've encountered plenty of 2CVs and…
I've seen a DS in Canada, but only once. (Toronto)
Speaking of Toronto, I once had the pleasure of being driven around the city in a Méhari.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#25Did the 2CV have a nickname in other countries? Here in Germany it was called "the duck" ("die Ente"). Oooh, that suspension, great memories :)
In french, it is pronounced "2 chevaux", as in "2 horses" (horsepower), abbreviated "deuche", or "dodoche"
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
2CV: 4500 dutch guilders, Dyane 4800, AMI 6250, GS 8000, D-Special 12000, DS 17000. For French Francs multiply by three or so, German Marks divide by 1.10. I was in a crash in a 2CV, it was my first car and after that never got into another one. The damage was incredible given the kind of accident it was.
I've been a big fan of Citroëns for a long time, but I cannot quite get the 2CV. I get it's cute, but I think the Dyane is actually cuter. I can see how it lives up to André Citroën's 1930s vision, but what has always truly captured me is the engineering in the hydropneumatic suspension. Fortunately, my first car was (and is) a Citroën DS 23. I have not tried Citroën's new suspension (seems to be limited so far to th…
The 2CV makes perfect sense if you look at why it was designed: 'an umbrella with wheels'.
The Dyane is much better as a car but it was also a bit more expensive and people really loved the 2CV for its lines and thought the Dyane to be too blockish.
My second car was a DS (a DS 21 to be precise), I loved it and ended up touring the former east bloc with it (and ended up living in Poland because of it).
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
The 2CV always seemed like a death trap to me. It could not get approved in the USA for import; I’m guessing because of safety regulations…although no Citroen cars were available in the US at all.
Afaik it could be sold in the US just fine (this is a car created in 1948, safety regulations were not really a thing). The issue is that it could not be sold : it was particularly low-powered even for french cars of the time, the original model barely reached 40 mph (out of a 9 hp engine), and the later fastest models topped out around 70. The 2CV had literally been designed to cross freshly ploughed fields and driv…
I had one of the faster models but even those could not reliably overtake a truck, chances are that when you tried to come out ahead of the lee of the truck you'd be blown back. More than once I had to sheepishly fall back all 60 feet to go back behind and let others pass.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#28The GSA had a beautiful dashboard https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FL0xd9wXMAAdIm8.jpg
That's glorious! The 70s and 80s were a wonderful and weird time for automotive design. I see echoes of it in the interior of my early 90s Saturn. https://img.hmn.com/900x0/stories/2016/11/1991-Saturn-SL2-In...
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#29This has just reminded me that as a kid I used to nag my parents to visit car dealerships and collect car brochures. My parents were too risk averse to buy anything like a Citroen, but they were clearly the most forward thinking company. I remember the Citroen XM being the most futuristic car I'd ever read about, but now the cheapest hatchback has far more advanced technology!
The cheapest hatchback still doesn't have that suspension though.
Even in the 1990s, a Xantia would be a cheap way to buy a luxury suspension. Still amazes me that my '74 DS and my '98 Xantia can use the same hydraulic fluid. Even the pressure spheres are interchangeable, although not advisable.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#30The Pallas DS was such a beautiful car, they should resurrect it as an eletric car.