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France speaks of the Deux Chevaux - Citroën 2CV in (historic) test

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Created on August 30, 1953

Text:

F. A. E. Martin

Photos:

Archiv

59

Archiv

59

Citroen 2 CV (1948) - Citroën's innovative Volkswagen posed at the 1948 Paris Motor Show, still without an engine

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Citroën "TPV" aka 2 CV (1939) - this early prototype was still equipped with a water-cooled engine that had to be started using a crank handle

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Citroen 2 CV (1939) - an early prototype that never went into series production

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Citroen 2 CV (1948) - an unfinished version was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1948

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Citroen 2 CV (1948) - the spare wheel was stored in the back of the trunk - Presentation of the pre-production vehicle at the 1948 Paris Motor Show

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Citroen 2 CV (1948) - it wasn't ready yet - a first look at the simple people's car

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Citroen 2 CV (1950) - impressively demonstrating that four people can fit comfortably in the car

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - View through the standard roll-up roof into the interior of the duck

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Citroen 2 CV (1954) - View of the exposed engine at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroen 2 CV (1953) - View of a chassis without bodywork

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Citroen 2 CV (1954) - Chassis of the AZ 425 version at the 1954 Paris Motor Show

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Citroen 2 CV (1954) - the technology of the 2 CV AZ 425 is demonstrated at the 1954 Paris Motor Show on the unclad chassis

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Citroen 2 CV (1949) - you can't call the interior a dashboard, but the continuous shelf was certainly practical

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Citroen 2 CV (1956) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the "AZ" model

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Citroën 2 CV (1951) - simple interior: charge control indicator in the center, necessary because of the weak alternators

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Citroën 2 CV (1953) - Explanation of the wiring diagram in the manual

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of transmission layout - Transmission shafts and gears are combined on two axles

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Citroen 2 CV (1954) - the "luxury version" AZ 425 at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroen 2 CV (1950) - on the early, gray-painted ducks, the trunk was not covered by a fixed flap

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Citroen 2 CV (1955) - Luxury version with fixed trunk lid

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Citroen 2 CV (1955) - the AZ 425 model already looked a little more luxurious from the outside

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Citroen 2 CV (1949) - A ride in one of the first vehicles produced

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - the air-cooled engine developed 9 hp

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Citroen 2 CV (1960) - from the outside, the AZL model hardly differed from the cheaper versions, but the paintwork was not matt

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Citroen 2 CV (1948) - View of the interior of the pre-production model - shown at the 1948 Paris Motor Show

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - the unique side windows

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Citroën 2 CV (1952) - Technology made visible - See-through drawing of the 2 CV

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - sketch of chassis frame - the chassis frame consisting of welded box girders gives the car the necessary bending and torsional rigidity

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of suspension housing - 3 front balancing springs, 4 pressure plate, 6-8 symmetrically built rear organs - the housing can move forwards and backwards

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of friction vibration damper - each trailing arm rests on two conical roller bearings

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - sketch of inertia vibration damper - the 3.5 kg casting in the cylindrical housing vibrates aperiodically

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of the details of the doors: on the left the attachment of the flexible door holders, on the right hinge construction

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of the left half engine housing made of light alloy - the cut-outs for the crankshaft and camshaft bearings can be seen at the front

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of drive block - 1 ignition coil, 3 air filter, 4 starter motor, 5 hot air into the car, 6 shift linkage, 7 gearbox, 8 brake, 9 valve cover, 10 cooling air shaft, 11 exhaust pipe

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Citroen 2 CV (1954) - View of the engine of the "AZ" model, enlarged to 425 cm3

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Citroen 2 CV (1952) - Sketch of cylinder head - uniquely shaped rocker arms for valve timing

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Citroën 2 CV (1955) - lack of elegance is sold with added feminine charm - picture in a sales brochure

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Citroen 2 CV (1953) - the simple early models were painted matt

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Citroen 2 CV (1956) - the "AZ" model variant, already with gloss paint finish

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Citroen 2 CV (1949) - this is how the car went into series production: with a roll-top roof, soft trunk lid and the famous wavy hood

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Citroën 2 CV (1959) - in the advertisement together with the Citroën DS in ADAC Motorwelt

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Citroën 2 CV (1960) - "It carries reason and right sense with little art before itself" - Advertising in ADAC Motorwelt

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Citroën 2 CV (1960) - Bitten - Advertisement in the Automobil Revue

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Citroën 2 CV (1960) - makes work easier and enriches leisure time - Advertisement in Automobil Revue

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Citroën 2 CV (1968) - a later version in a sales brochure

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Citroën 2 CV (1974) - modernized interior, from 1974 even with ashtray as standard

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Citroen 2 CV (1970) - Steering wheel and dashboard of a newer duck - it's all there

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Citroen 2 CV (1961) - the AZL model was somewhat more lavishly equipped and more friendly

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Citroen 2 CV (1963) - the rust-prone duck probably didn't enjoy this water crossing, but the others did

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Citroen 2 CV (1962) - a newer duck on a family fishing trip

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Citroen 2 CV (1973) - the economy version 2 CV 4 had a smaller engine, but was very affordable

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Citroen 2 CV (1973) - the duck remained true to itself throughout the years

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Citroen 2 CV (1970) - a duck in its 21st year - a little more comfortable, but still rustic

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Citroen 2 CV (1970) - over the years, the radiator opening was reduced in size and the wavy hood disappeared

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Citroën 2 CV 6 - 4 hp extra power takes the 2 CV to over 100 km/h, but costs 800 francs extra - shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroën 2 CV - the special 2CV Charleston model on the Citroën stand at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroen Diane (1973) - the noble duck that could not surpass the original in terms of charm

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Citroen Diane (1974) - the lady doesn't seem to be really enthusiastic about the Diane

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Citroen 2 CV (1950) - the box duck, also known as the "Camionnette", was presented at the 1950 Paris Motor Show

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Summary

The Citroën 2CV was intended to be a car for those who couldn't actually afford one. Spartan and without much ornamentation, it was practical, spacious and cheap to maintain. Despite its simplicity, Citroën implemented some interesting solutions to problems. This historical article from hobby magazine reproduces the thoughts of the specialist press at the time.

This article contains the following chapters

New solutions with tradition
Spartan and unattractive, but practical and spacious
A car as a necessity
Huge demand

Estimated reading time: 3min

Preview (beginning of the article)

After years of guesswork about the "Volkswagen" that one of the most important French automobile factories wanted to bring out after the war alongside its well-known cars and trucks, a leading trade journal was suspected of factory espionage when it reported a few things about it to its curious readers. Now around 55,000 Citroen 2-CVs are already on the road. For the first time, this car - even the bare chassis - was shown and offered abroad at the Geneva Motor Show. Technically, it is exceptionally interesting, as it features innovative solutions to various design problems. Naturally, the Citroen 2-CV had the traditional front-wheel drive and individual suspension for all four wheels. The fan-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine with overhead valves controlled by pushrods and rocker arms is installed in front of the front axle at right angles to the direction of travel and equipped with a downdraft carburetor with fuel pump, mixture preheating, air filter and an oil cooler. With a bore of 62 mm and a displacement of 375 cc, it delivers 9 hp at a compression ratio of 6.2:1 and 3800 rpm (the 2-CV are control hp). A blocked four-speed gearbox with stick shift is used to make good use of the specifically low output (24.1/hp) of this particularly robust and durable short-stroke engine. The individual gears are synchronized; the fourth gear is designed as a fast and slow gear.

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