Description
The Citroën 2CV is a low-cost car from Citroën. Produced between 1948 and 1990, it was one of the brand's most popular models, with 5, 114, 969 units produced, 3, 868, 634 of the saloon version and 1, 246, 335 of the AK. The acronym CV that forms part of the model's name comes from "cheval fiscal" or fiscal horsepower, a unit used to tax the vehicle that does not express the real power of the engine.
History The 2CV was created by French engineer Pierre Jules Boulanger, who began development of the TPV (French acronym for Toute Petite Voiture), and was chairman of Citroën until the end of 1934, when the Michelin family took control of the company.
The designers (who had worked on the creation of the Traction Avant), under the direction of André Lefèbvre and the Italian Flaminio Bertoni, who was responsible for the bodywork, set about the TPV (Toute Petite Voiture) project to develop this "4-wheeled umbrella", the ironic name given to the first 2CVs. Particularly noteworthy was the work of engineer Alphonse Forceau, who designed the suspension that formed an essential part of the 'two horsepower' philosophy. In 1939, 250 prototypes (still water-cooled at the time) of the TPV were produced. During the German occupation of France in the Second World War, it was decided to keep the project secret. What's more, all the production warehouses from the start of the war were used to build Renault-branded combat vehicles. Any attempt to continue producing prototypes would be impossible, especially given the danger of the Germans using the project for their own ends. Some prototypes were hidden, but most were destroyed. In 1994, three TPV prototypes from this period were rediscovered in a barn in France. By 2004, a total of five TPV prototypes had been discovered. On 8 October 1948, at the Paris Motor Show, the version of the TPV as we know it today was finally presented for the first time, with an air-cooled twin-cylinder engine of 375 cm3 and a power output of 9 bhp. That's why, from its first public appearance, the car drew both admiration and laughter. Apparently, an American journalist, on seeing the Citroën 2CV for the first time, asked: "And where's the can opener?" The last 2CV models were produced in Mangualde, Portugal, on 27 July 1990. Our Citroën 2CV6 is one of the vehicles that came out of Mangualde and was owned by a former Citroën dealer until I acquired it. It underwent a complete restoration regardless of cost and was ready in May 2025. It's a brand new car!For those interested, we can send photos of the restoration.
