Produced from 1948-1990, this is 42 years off production, the Deux -Chevaux or ‘Two Horse Power’ was solely produced to be an affordable,
easy to maintain and practical car for the masses.
Over its lifespan it was produced with various forms of engine size and power output starting, as the name suggests, with a 2 Horse-Power (taxable) from a 375cc, two-cylinder engine thumping out a whole 9bhp. But that was enough for a 40mph top speed, proving adequate for the design specification.
Later, upgrades to the flat twin provided 14bhp and then a hefty 16hp in the early 1960s, eventually reaching a peak of 33bhp from a monster 602cc motor in the ‘70s.
The ‘Pliable’ suspension and lofty ride height was a design feature to cope with bad roads and farm tracks allowing ease of driving to those it mattered most.
Ever since its import this car has had not a penny spared, and this is clear by the vast amounts of receipts that have been retained, not just by he first owner but also by the current.
Everything from engine rebuild gasket sets to individual hard to source parts from Germany, it's all there in abundance. Some small booklets for information on the exact model are included too giving the buyer a good basis for maintenance. Pictures of which are in the gallery.
The original English and French import documents are present too as well as a up to date V5 document sporting 1 previous keeper. The car has a current MOT expiring on 9th January 2023 however, worthy of note is that since this car is classed as an 'Historic Vehicle' it is, of course, MOT exempt and the Tax is rated at nil-£ in the UK
We were fortunate enough to view this car on a particularly sunny day in Scotland, and with the roof rolled back the full airy simplicity of this interior could be felt.
Everything looked in place and pristine. The seats were upholstered with an original blue stripe hammock style seat upholstery and we were hugely impressed by the quality of these, and a complete set of new seat rubbers with hooks has also been fitted. Thanks to how simple these cars are to fix and lack of ‘Tech’ everything appeared to be in working order including the ammeter and speedometer .
Really it was difficult to fault and we are sure this particular car wouldn’t look out of place at any show.
Finished in an original 1958 Citroen colour (AC210), Fern Mist Green, this little 2CV looked really tidy and exceptionally well kept. The paintwork done by the previous owner was finished very well and was hard to fault with the exception of some slight signs of corrosion around the rear bumper mountings. The paint had a really good shine and was clearly well looked after. A new roof in dark blue was also fitted.
All the doors and accesses worked as they should and the satin finished window trims were in really nice condition with only a couple showing signs of light damage....nothing out of the ordinary.
The vendor in his ownership had all the lights upgraded to a 6V LED system by a specialist. This is a huge advantage for this type of vehicle due to the low voltage system being notoriously dim at night and also using less power while the engine is in idle where unlike modern cars, it doesn't charge.
Original direction indicators were fitted in the front wings, and in the rear on the bumper to improve safety since many drivers are not aware of the side indicators on the 2CV.
All this makes for a much more usable than original 2CV.
Due to the vendor being a retired professional mechanical engineer, this car has not been short on proper attention and care. All work was completed with reference to the official Citroen Workshop Manual of the time (see photos).
In between 2018 and 2019 the 425cc engine and gearbox were rebuilt . With new pistons and barrels completely rebuilt engine, gearbox cleaned checked for wear and forks reset (see photos). New centrifugal clutch bearing fitted and centrifugal clutch and main clutch recommissioned. 123 ignition unit fitted and set up for A79/0 engine.
The chassis and body shell box sections have been thoroughly injected with Waxoyl and multiple coats of Waxoyl underseal applied over the underside of the 2CV. In 2020 and 2021, the 6 Volt dynamo was rebuilt with the armature skimmed and new carbon brushes fitted. All charging and working perfectly with new ammeter fitted.
The clutches also had been replaced and had a working ‘traffic clutch’ allowing slow movement of the car in town traffic without use of a traditional clutch, instead working similarly to a moped, using a ‘centrifugal clutch’ system.
Underneath was nothing short of spotless, with virtually no corrosion of any form that we saw anywhere.
The full 6V system had been refreshed using traditional wiring and original parts sourced from France, keeping reliability and originality as top order. She drove beautifully about town and zipped along without any fuss, a testament to the owners passion.
If you know, you know. A little marmite for some but if simplicity and practicality are your thing then this will work wonders.
The super soft ride won’t go amiss in the UK that’s for sure, and the frugal engine will likely never complain either, this was a purposeful car when produced and that was to be practical....and today it retains that but along with it, it will bring smiles to the faces who see it too.
Much love has gone into this car and its definitely ready to be enjoyed...Just don’t forget your beret!
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1961 Citroen 2CV
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