*** Interested parties should note, this vehicle was subject to a CAT D insurance write off in 03/1997 and 05/2008 ***

The 2CV is an air-cooled, front-engine, front-wheel-drive, economy family car, manufactured by Citroën for an incredible 42 years, from 1948 to 1990. Launched at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, the car was conceived by then-Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorise the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in post-war France. 

Literally designed to be driven across ploughed fields (due to the limited number of paved roads in 1940s France), the 2CV had a combination of innovative engineering and straightforward, utilitarian bodywork, its off-road capabilities coming courtesy of a long-travel suspension system that connects the front and rear wheels and provides a remarkably smooth ride.  

Across its lifetime, more than 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, in factories across the world, and the platform spawned a number of variants including delivery vans known as fourgonnettes, the Ami, the Dyane, the Acadiane, and the Méhari. In total, Citroën manufactured over 9 million of the 2CV and its derivative models.

In its later iterations, the car’s antiquated appearance became an advantage and it appealed to a niche market of environmentally aware consumers, an appeal that continues to this day. The popular 2CV circuit-racing series, including a 24-hour race, is organised and run by the Classic 2CV Racing Club in the UK.   

F 396 YFK was bought new by the current owner in 1988. The car is offered for sale by the owner’s son, as his father is no longer able to drive it and has reluctantly agreed that the time has come to part with it.

The car has been garaged throughout its life and has clearly been well looked after, although it has on two occasions (in 1997 and 2008) been involved in accidents that led to insurance write-offs (known as Category D). As this was a much-loved family car, in both cases the car was fully repaired and restored to roadworthy (and visually excellent) condition. 

The car was originally supplied in white, (there’s a photo in the paperwork that was taken shortly after purchase) but in 2009 was subject to an extensive restoration, at which time the front and rear wings were replaced and painted to give the car its current striking red-and-white colour scheme. This gives the car the same look as the popular ‘Dolly’ model of the same era as the Spécial. At the same time the wheels were shotblasted and repainted, and the folding roof was replaced. 

F 396 YFK has been garaged and scarcely driven for most of the last ten years, at its lifelong Midlands home, and has covered just 800 miles in that time. In recent months, the vendor has trailered the car to his home in Berkshire, had the necessary work done and the car is now MoT’d and runs and drives well.

The car comes with an extensive folder of paperwork, reflecting its one-owner status. There are numerous receipts and past MoT certificates, as well as the owners’ manual, still in its original folder. 

The indicated mileage would appear to be genuine, as this can be traced back through the car’s MoT history. The current MoT expires on 31st October 2022.   

The red-and-white colour scheme shows some signs of its age, but the car’s indoor life has meant that it’s generally very good. There’s a small patch of rust on the nearside sill, some at the base of the windscreen, and more under the window-latches, a well-known 2CV rot-spot. The offside front indicator has rust around it. 

While all four wheels are looking good for their age, there is minor evidence of rust.  All four tyres look to have life in them but are of course some years old.  

There are scuffs on the nearside wings, both front and rear, but otherwise the bodywork is generally in remarkably good condition and the car looks good for its thirty-four years.

The car’s red-vinyl folding roof is in excellent condition, again a consequence of extended indoor life since it was fitted in 2009. It rolls back readily and the straps to secure it in its rolled-up position snap into place. The car has also had a completely new galvanised chassis, as well as new front and rear bumpers

All the door handles, badges and trim strips look very good. 

Again, the car’s role as a cherished family favourite is reflected in the condition of the interior. The driver’s seat base is starting to disintegrate beneath the fabric, but this would be a relatively straightforward fix. On the passenger side, there is slight damage to the fabric on the seat base – see pictures. The rear seat looks great. 

The door panels are a bit grubby but otherwise fine. There are clean rubber mats in both the front and rear footwells and the (very basic) dashboard and switchgear all look to be in good order, while the steering wheel is in excellent condition, with no cracks or marks.  

The side windows fold up as they should and click neatly into their catches – see photos. 

In the boot, there is evidence of rather crude recent welding work, which was done to strengthen the seat-belt anchor points for the MoT test. Otherwise, there is little evidence of rust in the spare-wheel well. There’s a rather sorry looking spare wheel, plus the car’s original jack.   

The car starts on first turn of the key and the engine has the familiar air-cooled 2CV tone. The vendor assures us that the car drives well, with no issues. Under the bonnet, everything looks in order, although the insulation on the bonnet lid is a bit tired. The vendor has recently replaced the heater ducts and has installed a modern battery. 

The headlights work, although both units are suffering from condensation and the reflectors are starting to rust. The indicators work as does the (manually switched) reversing light. 

Underneath the car there are no obvious signs of rust or leaks. The exhaust had a new silencer fitted in October 2021 to fulfil the requirements of the MoT. 

 

 

The 2CV retains a huge following that belies the cars humble origins. There’s a thriving and active UK owners’ club, with more than 50 local groups and regular events up and down the country.   

As a one-owner car throughout its thirty-four life, F 396 YFK is something of a rarity. There can’t be many late-‘80s 2CVs around with this sort of mileage. It’s in very good condition for its age and has clearly been cherished and well cared-for. There are a few minor issues that a new owner might wish to address, but as a route into the popular 2CV ‘scene’, this one would seem to tick all the boxes. 

It’s a charming, practical and usable classic car that promises the new owner years of fun-filled motoring. Driving the car on a sunny day, with the roof rolled back, would be a blast.