Citroën 2CV '59

• Original "Ribbed Duck"
• Suicide doors
• Beautiful patina
• Dans son jus!

The Citroën 2cv was developed to free the French countryside from horse and cart. The task was simple: build a car that could take 2 farmers and a sack of potatoes or a sheep to market, transport a basket of eggs unharmed and which was economical, reliable and cheap. Looks were unimportant. Work on the design started before the war, and in 1948 the result was on display at the Paris Motor Show. The car was met with skepticism. A Dutch reporter called it, alongside the other ornate Citroën models, an "ugly duckling". Unintentionally, he wrote history with those words. In 1948, the 2CV was equipped with a 375cc petrol engine; an air-cooled OHV engine with two cylinders in a boxer arrangement. The basis of this engine remained the same until the end of production, only a little more power was extracted from it each time. The 2CV was the first car equipped with radial tires. In September of 1954, the 12-hp, 425cc engine was released, a considerably faster and more powerful engine by the standards of the time. Series production of the 2CV ran from 11 July 1949 to 27 July 1990. More than 5 million of them were built during that period, this number rising to almost 9 million when the sister models Dyane, Ami and Méhari are included. The appearance of the 2CV, like that of the Citroën ID/DS and the Traction Avant, was designed by Flaminio Bertoni.The 2CV can still count on an extensive fan base today as the 2CV remains the perfect car for a leisurely and nostalgic drive in the countryside. St.-Tropez here we come!

Technical data

Bodywork: convertible

Length (cm) : 378

Width (cm) : 148

Height (cm) : 160

Wheelbase (cm) : 240

Weight (kg) : 505

Mechanics

Engine : Boxer 2 front 424cc

Valves : 4

Petrol system : carburetor

Gear box : 4 manual

Transmission : front wheels

Left-hand drive

Maximum power : 12 hp (9 kW) at 4200 rpm

Maximum torque : 23,5 Nm at 2500 t/m

Top speed : 78 km/h