Shell shocker
The 2CV'S body shell gets its first paint job in 38 years
The phone rang. It was Steve Brown of HB Body. ‘I’ve done all I can with your 2CV’S shell, but it’s by no means perfect’. I’m not entirely sure how to politely tell somebody they are talking nonsense, but I gave it my best shot with Steve. You see… the quality of his work – as previously detailed in these pages – is second to none. My Citroën’s paintwork is now far beyond anything I’ve ever seen or could have expected. In fact, I’d go so far as to say Steve’s remarkably high standards are more than what the car deserves given the way Citroën originally manufactured it.
Factory fresh
The 2CV was very much built to a cost. Before André Citroën got his hands on it, the former bicycle factory of Gustave Adolphe Clément in the Paris district of Levallois-perret had been knocking out Clément-gladiator cars (800 of which were sold in the UK as Austins, with later models built at Longbridge). Thereafter, the factory produced rear-wheel drive Citroëns – the B12, B14, C4 and C6. From 1948, 2CVS would be assembled at the Levallois plant for the following four decades in increasingly contemptable conditions. Walls were crumbling and rainwater was dripping from above.
As for the cars, bodywork paint runs were normal, and completely unpainted surfaces not unknown. Despite the revival of the 2CV’S fortunes after the Seventies oil crisis and
(after a takeover by Peugeot) a decent chunk of 2CV profit in the Eighties, Citroën killed the car two years after moving production from Paris to Portugal in 1987/8. Lucky for us, the car had been over-engineered in the first place. Comparatively thin metal aside, the tough little 2CV was designed to perform as a workhorse, hence why so many of them remain in faithful service 75 years after the very first cars were loaded onto barges on the River Seine.
That includes mine, which is certainly no garage queen. The fact it has been used daily for 38 years was of no surprise to Steve, who found all manner of imperfection to deal with – both in terms of manufacturing blemishes to numerous repairs carried out over the years.
‘The factory stamps, seams and creases are all part of its appeal’
Sensitive panel repairs were the order of the day.
Many days were spent preparing the shell, which involved anything from filling in the tiny holes in the A-pillar for the dealer-fit aerial, installed as part of a radio/cassette upgrade when the car was originally sold. Alan and Phil at Creative Coachworks in Shropshire dealt with the fiddly repairs, while Tony at Paint Fusion and Mark at MLN Coachworks played host to Steve at their facilities.
Perfect defects
In the process of painting the shell, Steve was keen to note the many original manufacturing marks, seams, stamps and creases to be found. Under the expert eye of the car’s former owners and heroes of the NEC (where the car was rebuilt and started on stage for the first time since its accident), Barry Annells and son Peter detailed which areas of the car needed to remain original – manufacturing warts and all. That included the all-important upper bulkhead, which is the location of the colour code (EKB – Sunrise Red apparently) and what’s known as the ‘ORGA’ number.
Almost all Citroëns built after 1980 have a four-digit number stamped in ink on the body. From that, you can determine the production date. Steve carefully masked up the bulkhead to ensure the now faint number ‘3167’ would be preserved. I find geeky stuff like this 2CV plant was former bike factory. fascinating and an especially useful way to trace the story of your car. It shows that my 2CV emerged from that decrepit factory in
Paris on July 11, 1985. It was then transported up the Seine to the docks and shipped across the Channel to Macdonald Citroën Godalming, where it was registered and sold on August 30, 1985 for £3301 (including the optional Sharp RG910 FM radio/cassette player, which will be reinstalled when the work is complete).
And so, here it is in 2023, getting the kind of paint job that would knock the cigarettes right out the mouths of the folk at Levallois. Steve’s work on the shell is complete and he has moved onto the bolt-on panels. He has already called me to tell me they’re all rubbish – and I would expect nothing less from him. The doors, wings and rather scabby used bonnet need some extra welding work too. Let’s see how things go next month when I’m hoping this perfectionist master of his trade will be satisfied enough for the car to be reassembled (again!) and then go on display at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show on March 24-26.
■ james.walshe@practicalclassics.co.uk