Marques & Models
For a car that looked essentially unchanged for decades, there were a lot of different cars that Citroën spun off the one basic 2CV package.
The Citroën 2CV and its many spin-offs.
When Citroën unveiled the 2CV on 7th October 1948 at the Paris Motor Show, Autocar described it as ‘the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with an almost masochistic fervour.’ Some dealers urged the company to improve its looks, but it was also the car that founded a dynasty of over nine million A-series models, from hatchbacks to offroaders – and even vehicles with more than one engine.
The narrative of the Deux Chevaux – so named for its two taxable horsepower rating – commenced in 1936 when Citroën’s vice-president Pierre-jules Boulanger revealed his plans for a peasant’s car.
When travelling through the French countryside, he encountered a traffic jam of horses and carts. A survey of 10,000 farmers, shopkeepers, artisans and other rural workers further demonstrated the need for cheap motorised transport.
Boulanger tasked the design team headed by André Lefèbvre with creating the Toute Petite Voiture – TPV
– to an exacting brief: ‘A car that can accommodate two farmers in boots and a hundredweight of potatoes or a keg of wine, can do at least 60km/h and uses only three litres per 100km. It has to be extremely well sprung so that a basket full of eggs survives a journey over bumpy dirt roads without damage.’
The original 2CV fulfilled these criteria without containing any distracting luxuries. The speedometer powered the wipers by cable, the boot had a canvas cover, there were no direction indicators, and the colour choice was metallic grey, metallic grey or the ever-popular metallic grey. However, countless French motorists cared less about the (lack of) trim and more about how the 375cc, flattwin engine was capable of 60mpg. The latter detail had to be taken on trust as the Paris show cars had no power plants and Citroën sealed their bonnets shut.
Equally importantly, the Deux Chevaux’s price of 185,000 Old Francs meant it was cheaper than Renault’s 4CV. Production began on 23rd June 1949, and in 1950 the 2CV gained a lockable driver’s door and an ignition key. Citroën also displayed the Fourgonette van at that year’s Paris Salon, which had a more robust platform and increased ground clearance. The 2CV news for September 1954 was the AZ with a 425cc engine, optional centrifugal Trafficlutch, indicators fitted behind the rear doors and illumination for the speedometer.
Two years later, the AZL boasted a demister (albeit on the driver’s side only), a chrome strip down the centre of the bonnet and a larger rear window. September 1957 marked the introduction of
the AZLP with a metal boot lid, and in March 1958 Citroën unveiled one of the most remarkable Deux Chevaux versions – the Sahara. Earlier in the decade, officials of the fire brigade and the forestry service in Cogolin devised the Bicéphale, a 2CV consisting of two front halves, each with an engine and controls. It could be driven off-road in all-wheel-drive mode by using both power plants and putting the rear motor in reverse.
By contrast, the Sahara was an in-house design, and Citroën devised it for oil companies and colonial officials. Drivers used the front motor on the road and deployed a second 425cc engine in the boot via a lever mounted in the passenger footwell for more challenging conditions. A central floor gear lever simultaneously moved both sets of transmission rods, and the front occupants sat atop the fuel tanks – both front doors had cutouts for the filler caps. Autocar reported: ‘Even with four up, it proved able to overcome the drag of sand which made walking quite a labour, and attacked slopes of about 1 in 3 on the same surface.’
Compared with the standard 2CV, the Sahara had a strengthened body and modified suspension arms and used several unique panels to accommodate the extensive mechanical alterations. Production began in December 1960, and at 10,259 francs the Sahara cost more than twice the amount of a basic Deux Chevaux.
Production ended in 1966 after 693 units,
80 of them for the Spanish Guardia Civil. However, Citroën built one more Sahara in 1971.
Meanwhile, the standard 2CVS gained an improved demister in May 1959 and another colour choice – blue glacier – and new wheels in 1960. The 1961 models sported a new bonnet and grille, plus two new shades of green and yellow. Of more interest to the keen motorist was the demise of the 375cc engine. The 1962 Mixte featured a hatchback and a folding rear seat; the ENAC company devised the conversion. At the end of 1962, Deux Chevauxs had an upgraded dashboard and even the luxury of electric windscreen wipers.
By 1963, the range consisted of five models. The AZL was for the highly economy-minded owner, the AZA had a metal boot lid and more power, and the AZAM featured better seats and a passenger sun visor. The Mixte and the Sahara completed the line-up, and for 1965 the 2CV boasted forward-hinged front doors. The Commericale, with a flat boot floor, replaced the Mixte, and in 1966, the Deux Chevaux now had
‘six window’ styling on all versions bar the AZL and the last Saharas. In April 1967, the AMAZ was re-named the Export, with front indicators augmenting the bodysidemounted flashers and the Ami 6’s instrument panel. Citroën made it for only three months.
Citroën built the 2CV worldwide, including a British model from their Slough assembly plant. Official UK sales did not begin until 1953; before then, the government banned vehicles with inboard front brakes. Unlike their French counterparts, the British-assembled Deux Chevauxs featured a 12volt Lucas electrical system, lockable steel boot lid, trafficators, opening rear windows and a ‘Front Wheel Drive’ badge on the bonnet. The Slough 2CV cost £598 7s, and Autocar thought: ‘Make a journey in the 2CV, sample it for the handy runabout that it is, and you are apt to become a convert.’
But Motor Sport’s editor Bill Boddy noted why the conservative-minded British public would not accept the 2CV: ‘(a) They cannot believe that such a small-engined car will be speedy enough for their needs, or comfortably spacious. (b) They do not trust a design so outrageously unconventional as to embrace an air-cooled engine with but two cylinders and front-wheel
drive. (c) It is too expensive. (d) It is ugly.’
By 1959, just 673 2CV saloons and 577 vans and pick-ups had departed the Slough works. The last-named was unique to the UK; the Royal Marines used a fleet of 65 as they were ideal for being dropped by helicopter. The heir to the British Deux Chevaux was the two-door Bijou, with GRP bodywork by Peter Kirwan-taylor of Lotus Elite fame. It resulted from the ideas of Citroën GB’S sales manager Nigel Somerset-leake and director Louis Garbe. Their aims were a Deux Chevauxbased second car for an affluent Ds-owning family and the marque in the UK losing its ‘beard and sandals’ image.
Bijou production began in June 1959. Motor Sport rudely referred to its ‘ugly two-door plastic 2/4-seater saloon body’ and wondered who would pay £674 for the Citroën when a Mini De Luxe was £536. But Autocar believed the bodywork had made the 2CV ‘acceptable in British eyes.’ By 1961, the price was a more reasonable £493 5s 3d, but sales ended in 1964 after just 211 examples, two years before the company closed the Slough assembly plant.
The second attempt at an upmarket 2CV derivative was more successful – albeit not in the UK. In the late 1950s, Citroën initiated Project M to compete with the Renault Dauphine and appeal to the affluent female driver. The company’s president, Pierre Bercot, stipulated the new model needed four doors, a large boot, room for five and an engine capacity of less than 1-litre. The resulting Ami 6 used the Deux Chevaux floorplan and a 602cc version of the 2CV motor. As for the bodywork, Flaminio Bertoni stated the Ami was his favourite design, and the rectangular headlamps were a first for any Citroën.
The Ami debuted on 25th April, 1961. Citroën issued a stern warning to all potential buyers, saying: ‘If you believe that the characteristics of a car – performance, comfort, safety – necessarily on the number of horsepower, the amount of superfluous chrome trim or high cylinder capacity and corresponding fixed costs are to be measured, then do not concern yourself further with the Ami 6!’
Alas, few Britons did, as its lines proved a sales challenge. Mr Boddy of Motor Sport may have regarded it as ‘the best of the cyclecar-type economy cars and wish Citroën every success,’ but Autocar said: ‘Some will undoubtedly be appalled by its appearance.’ Cost was a further problem. Citroën never assembled the Ami 6 at their Slough plant, and import duties inflated the price to £776 10s 3d in 1962, making it far more expensive than a Ford Anglia Super. As a result, the Ami was available only to special order in this country, while the 1964 fivedoor Break estate became France’s best-selling car.
The Ami gained a 12-volt electrical system and an alternator in 1966, and the 1967 Club Break offered twin headlamps and separate reclining front seats. However, advertisements in the UK advised potential customers that ‘Imports are strictly limited.’ Two years later, the Geneva Motor Show marked the launch of the replacement Ami 8 with a new front and, for the saloon, a fastback rear screen. The Estate followed in September 1969 when the 8 gained front disc brakes. The five-door wagon cost £699, and Car described its looks as ‘odd’ but this did not prevent the 8 from becoming a more familiar sight on British roads than the 6.
January 1973 saw Citroën introduce the Ami Super, with a Gs-sourced OHC 1015cc engine and gearbox, a floormounted lever and in-board front disc brakes. The Super was capable of 88mph, and the UK price in 1974 was £1025. Autocar found it:
‘A lot of fun in traffic and on the motorway, and we would have loved to hear the surprised comments from one
TR4 driver and a lad in a “hot” VW.’ Production of the Super ended in 1976, with the Ami 8 continuing in saloon form until 1978 and the Estate to 1979.
As for the standard 2CV, as the 1960s progressed, many younger French motorists regarded it as dated. In 1964, Pierre Bercot, the Chairman of Citroën, initiated Project AY, an updated version of the Deux Chevaux theme.
The company would make it on the same assembly line as the 2CV and, to save costs, use as many existing parts as possible. Power was initially from the Deux Chevaux’s 425cc unit, and a two-horsepower engine rating would undercut the Renault 4, which was in the more expensive four-horsepower tax category.
Louis Bionier of Citroën’s Panhard et Levassor subsidiary devised the bodywork. Bercot was not keen on its fifth door, believing a hatchback would make the AY seem like a van. The launch of the resulting Dyane took place in August 1967, and six months later it was upgraded to the Dyane 4, with a 435cc engine in place of the 425cc unit. 1968 further marked the introduction of the 6, with the Ami’s 602cc engine. British sales commenced that year, and in 1969 the Dyane 6 cost £648, on par with a Mini 1000 Mk2. ‘What fun it is, this practical device from the Quai André Citroën,’ enthused Motor Sport.
The Dyanes had a third rear window from late 1969, and Citroën discontinued the smaller engine version in 1975. Two years later, the Dyane gained front disc brakes. The Dyane-based Acadiane replaced the 2CV van in 1978, and four years later, the Cote D’azur special edition marked the end of British market models. Saloon production ceased in 1983 after 1,443,493 units, with the Acadiane continuing until May 1987. The Dyane was the first A-series Citroën to enjoy success in the UK, and its finest tribute was by the racing driver John Miles. He raved in Autocar: ‘For anybody with any soul left, it is fun. Fun is also to drive around the outside and out-brake “hard” men in their skittish Mk1 Capris and Mk2 Cortinas.’
The next 2CV derivative was the Mehari to rival the likes of the Mini Moke. Roland de la Poype’s company Société & Exploitation et Application des brevets (SEAB) devised the ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic body with horizontal ribs to increase rigidity. Power was from the 602cc engine, sharing brakes, transmission, suspension and steering with the 2CV. The Mehari made its bow on 16th May 1968, with 20 dummies
around the launch car, each costumed in outfits reflecting its intended use by fire fighting departments, farmers and explorers.
The Mehari was briefly exported to the USA, but was never officially marketed in the UK. It was popular in its homeland in rural communities, and by 1979 Citroën offered a 4x4 version with a bonnet-mounted spare wheel and more elaborate bumpers. Four years later, the Mehari Azure in white with a blue hood, radiator grille and striped upholstery captured the Club Tropicana spirit. Production ended in 1988
Meanwhile, by February 1970, the 2CV range consisted of the 435cc 2CV4 and the 602cc 2CV6, with indicators fore and aft, 12-volt electrics and the Ami 6’s instruments. In 1974, rectangular headlamps replaced the round units, and British 2CV sales re-commenced in the wake of the OPEC fuel crisis. Only the 2CV6 was initially available in the UK, and at £898.56, it was one of the country’s cheapest models. Autocar did not seem to have changed their views much from 1948 and said: ‘Until last year, Citroën judged (and probably rightly) that the snobbish, conservative British would never buy such an ugly and spartan device in sufficient numbers to justify holding spares for it.’ Motor was more positive, saying: ‘We thoroughly enjoyed our reacquaintance with this character car, and expect it to be a great success once again.’
By 1975, the parsimonious French driver could revel in the Spécial – the 2CV4 with the four-window body, round headlights and a colour choice restricted to Jaune Cedrat. In 1976 Citroën unveiled the LN, which combined the three-door Peugeot 104 bodywork and the 602cc engine, followed in 1978 by the powerful 652cc LNA. The Visa also debuted that year, combining the 104’s floorpan and conventional suspension with front Macpherson struts. The Spécial and the Club had the 602cc plant, and the Super used the transversely-mounted 1124cc Douvrin unit. Autocar memorably described the Visa’s looks as ‘the work of a precocious wilful child curbed carefully by an intelligent sensible mother.’
In September 1978, the Spécial, with the six-window body and 435cc engine, succeeded the 2CV4. By 1979, it gained the 2CV6 motor to become the 2CV6 Spécial, while the 2CV6 was now the 2CV6 Club. The Spécial retained round headlamps. The autumn of 1980 saw the launch of the Charleston, which featured very appealing duotone paintwork. It proved so popular that it became part of the range. Meanwhile, the producers of the 12th 007 film asked the stunt maestro
Rémy Julienne what the most ridiculous car would be for James Bond to drive and still cause panic with the villains? His response was ‘the 2CV,’ so For Your Eyes Only starred a fleet of Mimosa Yellow Deux Chevauxs fitted with roll-cages and GS engines. In October 1981, Citroën introduced a special edition replica with bullet hole stickers.
By that point, the 2CV had finally gained front disc brakes, and in March 1985 the limited-edition Dolly offered even more dynamic colour schemes. British sales began in June, and dealers reported they had sold out within three days. Citroën eventually made the Dolly part of the 2CV line-up as with the Charleston.
For those who did not care for such frivolous coachwork, Citroën offered the Spécial, aka the Special in the UK. In 1985 it cost £2674, and Car thought: ‘The machine makes sense, even now.’ Russell Bulgin listed the equipment as: ‘One sun visor, driver for the use of; one door mirror, ditto; no boot floor so you plonk your luggage directly onto the spare wheel, and no low-charge warning light on an instrument panel the size of an alarm clock.’
Citroën discontinued the Club in July 1987, and on 29th February 1988, they transferred 2CV production from the Paris Levallois factory to Mangualde in Portugal. The last Deux Chevaux left the line on 27th July 1990 after 3,867,932 saloons, while van production amounted to 1,246,299 units. Very few cars merit the grossly overused term ‘iconic,’ but the 2CV truly does. Quite simply, the new Citroëns displayed at the 1948 Paris Motor Show heralded a revolution in mass transport.