It once served as a touring vehicle for four adventurous students from southern Germany, taking them all the way to Siberia, before spending eleven years in a shed in Heidelberg. Now the tiger duck of Daniel D., Daniel S., Lukas H. and Michael G. has found a temporary home in one of the depots of the PS. Speicher, the unique exhibition about historical mobility in Einbeck.
Making contact & history of the "Tigerente"
It all started with an article in "Spiegel Online": Under the title "Tigerente seeks new home", Lukas Hoffmann told of the hardships of finding a professional home for the beloved Citroën 2CV, more commonly known as a "duck". The reason: Papa Hoffmann, with whom the duck had previously been stored, had threatened to scrap the veteran if it was not collected soon.
This was out of the question, as the duck in question, along with another duck that was no longer there, had taken the four young men on an adventurous journey across Russia to Siberia and back again safely in 2004.
The cloverleaf experienced many adventures on its journey, of which the duck still bears eloquent witness today. For example, signatures of Russian police officers who inspected the group adorn the body, which was repainted with black and yellow stripes to resemble a "tiger duck" based on a design by artist Janosch.
You don't scrap a vehicle like that, so the four of them came up with the idea of launching the aforementioned appeal for help on "Spiegel Online". Numerous readers from Germany and abroad responded. Even a duck lover from Australia offered his help. Several readers recommended the PS Speicher as a suitable location. In fact, the PS Speicher was also referred to the article by some of its guests, and contact was quickly established.
Future of the duck
The Tigerente is now to be kept on permanent loan at PS Speicher in Einbeck in southern Lower Saxony until further notice, where it will complement the collection of small French cars. In any case, the Tigerente will remain an eye-catcher in the foyer of the PS Speicher for the next few weeks. In addition, the four owners of the duck have agreed to give a talk about their journey at the Förderfreunde PS Speicher e.V. The quirky vehicle will of course also be on display.
"We are extremely pleased about this permanent loan," says PS. Speicher Managing Director Lothar Meyer-Mertel, "because the duck is not only a piece of history, but can also tell a story. "And these are of course always the most beautiful pieces for museums, because the exhibits only really come to life through the stories associated with them". The 36-year-old vehicle is in a desolate state after all these years. Nevertheless, it will not be restored - on the contrary, efforts will be made to preserve its historical substance.
"We are delighted that our duck has found a safe haven for the time being after this long journey," says Michael Gallner.
"When we set off on our adventure back then, we could never have dreamed that our tiger duck would end up in a museum." The four of them won't lose sight of their old duck either. "We will certainly visit our duck very often with our families and friends in Einbeck...!" says traveling companion Lukas Hoffmann. In 30 years at the latest, the four adventurers will fly east again with the duck: after the trip 15 years ago, they promised each other that they would repeat their tour once they retired.
About the PS memory
The exhibition is based on a collection of historic vehicles owned by the businessman Karl-Heinz Rehkopf, which he donated to the non-profit Kornhaus Cultural Foundation and thus made accessible to the general public. The collection is one of the largest of its kind in the world. In particular, the highly professional and modern way in which the collection is presented has attracted a great deal of attention from the public and the media. Further information can be found on the website
