(first posted 11/18/2017) While pushing my son in his stroller, on the way back from his nursery, it was impossible to ignore this iconic shape, but I must admit I wasn’t in a hurry to take pictures – after all, it’s just a 2CV. I could swear it wasn’t long ago that you’d be able to see these quite commonly. Why, it was just a few years back, in the late 1980s… Hold on, that was thirty years ago! Time has indeed flown, and I’ve grown old. And the 2CV is no longer common by any means.
So I duly took my phone out of my pocket, and moved in closer:
This is one of later ones, although not quite an end-of-production model. It’s funny to think that as far as 1983 is from us, that 2CV is yet “older” considering how long it’s been in production.
The back revealed this car has the “big” 602cc engine, judging from the small “2CV6 Club” plate. “Club” is what you would refer to as the more luxurious version, although I doubt you’d find too many accessories in there.
Other side shows the two-tone paint better, and it certainly livens up the 2CV. Once again I’m astounded to compare any of the classics I stumble upon with their modern successors, such as this Hyundai i20. Maybe this specific comparison isn’t fair, the 2CV’s design is much older than its 1983 age. But this still prompts the question, where was Hyundai back in 1983?
As you’d expect, Israel has had a steady import of 2CVs over the years- as a mutter of fact throughout its French production, right up to 1988. Much like the rest of the world, they were economical and cheap to run in their day, so there was always a customer ready to purchase one. Even the IDF had a fleet during the 1960s and 1970s, performing various choirs:
Of course, a local club exists, which caters to its members’ needs. They even took four 2CVs on a trip to the desert some years ago, testing the 2CV’s suspension to the fullest – note our featured car is one of the glorious participants:
Here are some photos of 2CVs I photographed in various local classic car meetings:
This one has a similar paint scheme to the featured car, although you can tell it’s better preserved and according to the license plate, is older and dates back to the 1970s.
Here are two-for-one 2CVs, almost identical suns the wheels. These were really pristine.
This blue car is one of the very late, last of the French production line (production continued in Portugal a few years later).
Parked next to a two-tone 2CV is a very early series one car, as you can tell by its triangular bonnet.
On the left is one of the 2CVs relatives, the lovable Méhari. You might refer to it as a very early SUV. It was based on the Dyane, which was again based on the 2CV.
And you can see two Dyanes parked behind this red-on-white 2CV. Ultimately, Citroën wanted the Dyane to replace the 2CV and be a fitting rival to the Renault R4. But despite the utalitarian nature of the 2CV it soldered on, outselling and outliving the Dyane.
I’ll finish off with this relatively new photo of a 2CV, showing one of the recently restored cars. And wearing typical 1970s sand color.
When I went to college in Gainesville, FL in the mid-’70s, there was a guy that puttered around town in an orange 2CV. The 1970s 2CV with rectangular headlights looks a little bit wrong – the same affliction that marred the Jeep YJ Wrangler.
I know, right? What the hell was the point of rectangular headlights on a 2CV?!? I complely forgot that that was done. Ugh! Non! No way Jose….
From the ’40s through the early-mid ’90s France had a very strong…for lack of a better term, headlamp culture. They were very, very good at engineering and making headlamps. During that timeframe, French headlamp makers—Cibié and Marchal, mainly though not exclusively—tended to field more and better innovations than their chief rivals the Germans on that front or in any other nation in Europe, or Japan (or America, maybe, though that’s a more complicated argument). And even many French standard-technology lamps tended to work better than closely comparable German (or English, Spanish, Italian, etc) lamps.
Wine, cheese, and…headlamps. Weird, but there it was, and along with that weird little cultural quirk tagged another: a fascination with rectangular headlamps, starting with the 1961 Citroën Ami 6. Slapping them (and those Cibié Airport 35 fog lamps we see on the green car here) on the 2CV was only natural, from the French perspective. It was Francois Castaing (a Frenchman) who decreed that the YJ Jeep Wrangler would have rectangular headlamps.
France no longer has any discernible leadership in headlamp technology or performance. It seemed to dry up into dust and blow away very shortly after France repealed its national mandate for yellow headlamps (I’m working on a CC Tech article on that subject). Did the one cause the other…? We’ll never know.
I wonder to what extent it’s down to the fact that Britain had Lucas, Germany had Bosch, but France had TWO major headlight suppliers.
Only the American industry was in a similar position, but faced a home-market mandate that strongly discouraged innovation (particularly prior to the establishment of NHTSA when any major new development would require 48-50 separate enabling acts at the state level) along with a corporate culture that pushed using the low-cost supplier over seeking a unique selling point.
I’m pretty sure that’s not it. Yes, France had Cibié and Marchal (and Ducellier and a couple others), but Germany had Bosch and Hella and a few others, Italy had Carello and Elma and Seima, Spain had PASA and Kinby and FAESSA, and Britain had Lucas and Wipac and a couple others. Moreover, Valeo owned both Cibié and Marchal by the early 1970s (and Ducellier and Signalivision and PASA and Kinby and FAESSA and Seima and Elma by the early 1990s).
Lucas are the perpetual butt of don’t-drive-at-night types of jokes, but they were on the short list of top lighting innovators—closer than the Germans usually got to French levels of innovation and achievement, especially in the 1975-’93 timeframe.
The American lighting industry was actually not hamstrung as much as is commonly believed by the sealed-beam mandate, which actually would have made it easier and less expensive than in Europe to commercialize and amortize innovation; the chief constraints were American scorn for outside ideas (“NIH”, Not Invented Here) and, as you mention, the American auto industry’s treatment of headlamps as low-bid commodity items like lug nuts. This is evidenced by some startlingly good (and accordingly costly) Japanese and European sealed beams.
Despite the extreme cost pressure and bigotry, there was more innovation than most car enthusiasts realize in American headlighting in the ’50s-’70s. Still, the almost exclusive priority on minimal cost meant a lot of really good headlighting concepts and products didn’t see the dark of night, which is a shame.
I have Cibie, Hella and Lucas lights in several of my vintage American vehicles. They work well and with H3 or H4 bulbs, easy to service. Back in the day, 80 watt high beam H4’s and 100 watt H3’s would boost lighting performance over the legal 55 watt systems. I always used 55 watt low beams to be considerate of others.
The old school standard North American light standard had some advantages. The glass faces never became scratched or foggy, replacements were cheap and widely available, and the large reflector area was easy on the eyes of others. Todays lights may work better, but are often breathtakingly expensive to service or replace. Imho this is a deliberate effort for auto manufacturers to make money on proprietary replacements as much as providing true functional benefits.
Yes to this! My father was a test lab technician at GE Lighting in Nela Park back in the late sixties, and there were absolutely innovations that were deemed not economical to commercialize.
That’s interesting and strange, as I’ve been reading French car mags for years and frequented the classic car milieu there, but I don’t think the French realize that Cibié and Marchal were the “headlamp supremos” of the late 20th Century. This is certainly news to me. Can’t wait for your post on the yellow lamps.
How did American truck lighting remain in the dark ages for so long even the ultra modern lights on a T16 KW I drove were just rubbish,
Wine, cheese, headlamps and … TIRES. Michelin remains the king of tires.
That first “scramble” video shows two French imports: 2CV and Sud Vautours, used as bombers. I had to search around, not recognizing the type at first, as I am more familiar with Dassaults used by the IDF.
Years ago, we visited Bisbee, AZ, an old company mining town, and I was surprised to see a couple 2CVs there.
I saw “Even the IDF had a fleet during the 1960s and 1970s, performing various choirs” and was disappointed that the video didn’t include a singing element…
Great howler there; I didn’t think Israelis were known for their choral abilities like the Welsh, Germans, and Russians.♫
2CVs in Bisbee likely would have belonged to the ample artist/hippie/bohemian contingent who moved there when property became dirt-cheap after local mining operations ceased.
Is it the case that, where you live, the production year of the automobile occupies the last two digits on the registration plate ? I wonder where else that is done . . .
Or is the “83” on that plate coincidental to the year of the car ?
“Is it the case that, where you live, the production year of the automobile occupies the last two digits on the registration plate ?”
That was indeed the case, but only between 1980 to 1989. This was done after Israel moved from six digit plates to seven digits (and actually right now the first cars with eight digit plates are starting to appear, so many cars take to the roads the old numbers are finished).
A 2CV (or any Citroen, for that matter) is not a common sight here in Toronto, but I’ve seen a few around and they always bring a smile to my face. I’d love to borrow one for a summer day, roll back the canvas top, and take my wife for a drive in the country.
I saw a whole bunch of Troons—2CVs, CXs, and assorted others—in High Park one fine sunny day about a decade ago. Obviously a club meeting. There was no formal activity going on, just a bunch of people checking out each other’s Citroëns, so I walked amongst the cars, respectfully (hands in pockets, look but don’t touch) appreciating them.
At least, that’s what I did for a couple of minutes, until it was made very clear my presence wasn’t welcome. No idea why; it was the opposite of the attitude I’ve encountered at almost every other informal car club gathering in the history of ever. I guess the combination of Toronto ‘tude and Citröenership ‘tude is not a good one. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kind of sums up the attitude of the French in general, unless they need help.
I’ve found some brand-specific clubs to be very clique-ie, they’re insular and unwelcoming to others. Even of you have a suitable car, you’re on the outside unless you’re part of the core group of friends running the club.
That’s a a symbol of small man shrugging! (Anyone who says I’m a fool’s no dill).
Anyone who doesn’t react well to being asked questions or even paid compliments about their interesting car has the wrong attitude to life. Sadly, they do seem to concentrate in clubs, y’know, the types who know a great deal and are dismissive if you don’t – or worse, who do answer in condescending tone at inordinate & unwanted length.
Definitely not a common site here (not that any French car is), but there are 2 that I see around fairly often, one of which has been sitting in someone’s yard for years.
Welded a small rust area for a customer with a yellow & Black one like one you pictured.
Such a kick to drive!
And the shifter coming out from under the dash was freaky-cool!!!!!
Thanks for the show bro!
I just realized after all the probable dozens and dozens of 2cv pictures I’ve seen I never saw under the hood before.
I knew from the specs it was a tiny motor but holy cow..that looks like it would be small on a lawnmower!
To give you perspective, my late father took his Ente (German for Duck, an affectionate name for 2CV) apart to repair the collision damage.
To make things more fun, I will leave you to guess what does this or that part do…
There’s quite an active, and friendly, Citroen group at the annual import car-show at Carlisle, PA every spring. But the only Citroens I remember seeing in the US, back in the day, were the ID/DS. The 2CV was never common. Were they ever even officially sold here?
In sort of a reverse CC effect, last month I had an appointment at the NIH eye clinic in Bethesda Maryland. When I came back to my car, right across from me in the underground lot, was a white 2CV. I walked over to get a better look for a minute.
Fortunately, no one came up at that moment, to tell me to move along!
Happy Motoring, Mark
Nice assortment of “Deuches”, Yohai. Strange how several have been repainted (i.e. all the two-time ones) to look like Charlestons, which was a high trim level for 2CVs from 1980 until they went out of production. Seems folks in Israel want Charlestons but perhaps they weren’t exported there, hence these replicas? The black & yellow one made on a pre-’65 car is particularly amateurish.
On question though: what’s the deal with the red/yellow stripes on the rear bumper of these cars? I imagine this is a local regulation – which cars need to have it?
Charlestons were indeed never imported to Israel (they must have been ludicrously expensive!), but I’m sure local restorers have seen photos and liked what they saw.
As for the stripes – the is a reflector tape that used to be mandatory for all cars in Israel. This regulation was dropped in 1995, if memory serves. However, any car produced before that still has to bare these strips for eternity…
But most classic car’s owners have found a way to round that square; they use magnets with strips attached to them, just to pass the DOT, after which they remove them and throw them in the boot. The police doesn’t bother enforcing that sticker.
I really don’t like the Charleston paint style on lots of 2CV’s, also very common on them in Aus. It’s an Art Deco effect on a clever design that is singularly not that. It sort-of trivialises the innovation of the thing by seeming to say, “hey, I’m a jaunty toy.”
A question, Yohai, are they pricey there? Prices here are silly.
Sorry, I’m not common with their prices, although I saw a recent classified for a car that needs restoration, according to the owner (for 30 years). He wants 20K Shekels. You do the conversion according to your local currency… So yes, silly.
Thirty years ago I bought a 1959 2CV ‘AZ’ model, it had suicide doors and no fan belt as the generator was bolted directly to the front of the crankshaft .
The wipers ran off the speedo making them infinitely variable .
Lots of other good touches .
It had the tiny 425C.C. engine and ran flawlessly .
-Nate
“Wipers ran off the speedo.” Wow, that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard!
Love it!
Love the plain white one w/black rims.
White is the best “color” to show a car’s line as colors can distract the eye.
Once you get past the weird aspect of French cars, they’re really amazing and good .
The French don’t really care how anyone else does a thing, they do it their way .
The speedo was mounted on the A Pillar and had a comical looking knob on it ~ for mist etc. you’d give the knob a turn and flip flip ~ clear glass .
It also had a centrifugal clutch meaning clutchless up shifts and no need to depress the clutch pedal when waiting for a red light .
The headlights were adjustable by another knob so when you had passengers and the super soft suspension settled in the rear, you didn’t blind anyone .
-Nate
Yeah, love French cars. Weirder ther better.
“Almost” bought a Douche Bonnet coupe with tons of race inspector’s stickers on the roll cage. TOO cool.
Panhard engined.
I think the same model ran at LeMans.
Old French coach building has left me spellbound many times.
Even their simple, cheap cars were interesting.
I had a 51 Vauxhall that had wipers driven off the camshaft via cable, the faster the engine ran the faster they went, too fast to clear rain sometimes but hey they did work
I love 2CVs. Used to really want one. Still do.
2CVs were never common here but seeing them in modern traffic isnt unusual there seem to be lots about, My daily is a Citroen so I tend to see Chevron badges, My car does a full systems check when it is started, this includes the swiveling lights which do an automatic alignment on startup which surprises spectators.