France celebrates its little old Citroen

Since it's spring in Paris and I'm taking a few days off, let me indulge in some four-wheeled nostalgia. You see it in the picture --  the Citroen Deux Chevaux.

It's 60 years since the rustic, quirky "deudeuche" was offered to an initially unimpressed public and it's 18 years since the last of five million left the assembly line. You don't see many around any more but the intrepid little 2CV is the object of fond memory for anyone lived those decades. If you're one of them and around Paris, it's worth a visit to the show that the Cité des Sciences has just opened in homage to the little car.

In the post-war years, Italy had its Fiat 500, Germany its VW Beetle and Britain, a little later, its Mini. The Gallic motoring icon was la deudeuche, or the deux-pattes (two paws), as the two-horse car was also nicknamed.  The 2CV Expo Show offers a parade of deudeuches through the decades, from the austere, grey-only 1948 model to the retro-chic "Charleston" of the 1980s. 

You can climb aboard and revisit the rocking suspension and the canvas seats that unclipped for use in picnics. There is the reassuring umbrella handle gear lever sprouting from the dashboard and, in the earlier models, the long accelerator (gas pedal) that was designed so peasant farmers could drive with their wooden clogs. And the show supplies the music of the chugging little two cylinder motor that somehow hauled 1950s families and then a generation of youngsters on long road trips.

As a student and trainee journalist, I managed to drive my bright red one thousands of miles around the continent and once even to Morocco without a breakdown. The main drawback was sunburn from motoring with the cloth roof rolled back. There was so much wind you didn't feel the rays.

The Cité des Sciences says dryly that its show is a "salute to a very little car that was technically innovative and which was able to anticipate the needs of generations of users." Le Monde was more lyrical, hailing the "vibrant homage" and talking of the "joyous oscillation of suspension from the good old days." The 2CV triggered memories of youth like Proust's Madeleine, it said.. "It is difficult to feel anything but affection, given the service it rendered and the memories it gathered."

The more proletarian Parisien said: "Who does not have a memory of the 2CV? The first holidays with the mates, the roof open, hair in the wind at the top speed of 80 kph (50mph) on the autoroute". 

Only the Volkswagen can compete for longevity with the 2CV. Both were invented before World War Two. The first 2CVs were ready for the market in the summer of 1939, the result of specifications for a very simple "very little car with four seats which can cross a ploughed field with a basket of eggs on the seat without breaking any."  Citroen destroyed most of the 100 production models to keep them from the invading Nazis and hid a few in farms and sheds. It was not until 1968 that anyone found one of the originals. Launched in slightly more modern form in 1948, the 2CV disappointed a motoring press that saw it as rustic and behind the times. But the public soon latched onto its simple charm and the waiting list stretched to five years.

In the 1960s the 2CV was part of the landscape across Europe and South America, where Citroen churned out tens of thousands. It starred in movies, including James Bond's For Your Eyes Only in 1981 and in Apocalypse Now. Its most famous movie appearances in France were in Louis de Funes' Gendarmes of Saint Tropez comedies. The gendarme's first ride with a speed-crazy nun at the wheel of her 2CV is a classic. Here it is, below:

Here's another 2CV chase from Le Gendarme en Ballade

And this is the bizarre way that Citroen is now selling it's cars -- by pretending they are German. Here's the commercial that they are showing in Britain and Germany, but not France. Some French commentators say that Citroen is glorifiying Nazi Germany with the ad.

[Footnote: I'll be off in the Cévennes for a week and back at the blog from May 3. But I'll be posting comments so keep them coming please]

Comments

[Romain]

La deu-deuche ! My grand mother driving style was like the sister's on the clip; so I used to take the wheel most of the time (too young to die). After I got my drivers licence, she gave it to me and I toured around Morocco like Charles.
You could repair anything with a pair of pliers, and some wire.
I saw a 2cv in Singapore in 1985, it was belonging to an English publicist, and I hired him for our company's advertising.(talk of a bias). He was excellent anyway.

[Romain]

I saw the clip from your link; I don't understand why people should be obsessed with the third Reich in 2008. The advertising message is simple : C5 is at least as reliable as a german car.

[Peter Newman-Legros]

More concerned about why the left hand side of the text is slightly cut off....!!!

[textibule]

Thanks for the memories, Charles.

Back in the old days, I had 3 2CVs parked around the farm. One was transport, one ran if someone was willing to push, the other was for spare parts and to keep the chickens out of the rain.

Cars are not the same anymore.

[Ros]

Pity we can't send photos to this blog - I've a lot of lovely ones of our several 2cv ranging from the original grey to the last green ,which my son bumped into a tree in 1985 - otherwise it could still (perhaps) be with us today - living in the Provençal hills as we did and as says TEXTIBULE, it was used for everything!

[Blendi Progri]

‘France celebrates its little Citroen’ and rightly so, I say;
few thing evoke France of that time, like lil’ Citroen does ( I don’t wanna spoil the ‘memories’ of anyone who uses onions and berets to do so, by all means…) and connecting it to L.D.F. is a great treat. ;)

C.B. Thanks for the link, reminding us all of Louis De Funès.

I saw few other links too, just to have a good laugh in the morning. For me he is a real genius cinema, and a giant of XX century comedy, the best in the planet (without a doubt) outside the Anglo-Saxon world and up there with the very best of them.

Particularly I like, Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob, as it is a masterpiece (it provoked some controversy at the time, but most gr8 work does) or watch how

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GkZFBmBYSM&NR=1

(on Lui und Herr Müller ) a wonderful transformation inside 1 minute takes place. lol

Also remember seeing him (on the web) in a talk show in Germany (with a famous german talk show host- but, can`t recall his name right now- to put the link in here) it was brilliant too.

---------------------------.
Totally off topic, but an off-topic that concerns us all.

The Torch!

Today it will go to a country, a special one, where no protests will be held (few say where protests aren’t tolerated) and according to gossip, there may even be few celebrations. Phew. At least the Torch will breath free, it deserves that after the endless world-wide abuse. Any lesser-torch would have asked to be back to its mummy ( Athens/ Greece) or at the very least refused to lit up, ‘till proper respect was shown to Him. (one can’t call It, ‘something’ that has 10+ bodyguards and a private room every-night…and a bus too…and….

And the country is called...

Another O.T.T, Just to wish CB, a wonderful week if he’s going on hols…
even if he’s Not ;)

[Blendi Progri]

Check these out:

Rabbi Jacob Y va danser !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaYOeRARwfU&feature=related

-

Leçon de le bon français

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdrBK6XiPLY&feature=related
-

De Funes - La décadence de la restauration française

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-kDi0ah_g
--

La Grande Vadrouille

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayPxRa2UrPo&feature=related
---

La Grande Vadrouille - "Tea For Two"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLrtkFJ-6-w&feature=related

;)

The guy is inimitable!!!!!

[Blendi Progri]

Check these out:

Rabbi Jacob Y va danser !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaYOeRARwfU&feature=related

Leçon de le bon français
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdrBK6XiPLY&feature=related

De Funes - La décadence de la restauration française
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-kDi0ah_g

La Grande Vadrouille
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayPxRa2UrPo&feature=related

La Grande Vadrouille - "Tea For Two"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLrtkFJ-6-w&feature=related

;) The guy is inimitable!!!!!

[dot king]

The second car of the household where I was an au pair was a 2CV, and it was used to do "Lady Bountiful Good Works" and it did transport us, myself and Lady B, across ploughed fields with baskets of eggs. Exactly that! I was astounded - bounced too - more than the eggs - and none of us broken (or cracked)!
But it had to pull over under a torrential downpour because the screen-wipers couldn't swish fast enough. Fortunately we were on a road at the time . . .

I heard on the radio about a year or so ago that a young man in Paris had started a business taking tourists around Paris in open-topped 2CV's, and hearing him describing the venture, I thought it was a simple and wonderful idea.
Does anyone know if it took off?

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Now do you believe me? GIVE THE NAZIS A CHANCE -- and my TV screen is filled with a beaut. Citroen 5, then, horror of horrors (I drove Citroens for many years in France) they say it is so good it could be G e r m a n !! Beware: This ad. is PROPAGANDA and all the adverts should be stopped and the wording altered (Yes, we have been here before - in Paris last week!)

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

British Journalists covering an air crash in the mountains near Perpignan in the early 60's (one of the early package tours which had to re-fuel en route to Majorca from London) were told by the Gendarmes: "We can only let you visit the site if you can hire or borrow a 2CV. It is the only car than can make the climb."

[Edward Johns]

Maybe I missed something but the driving sister seemed a normal French driver to me, if not one of the more cautious ones. :0)

[Lily]

KINSLEY:

ever heard of German ENGINEERING ??? of the famous MADE IN GERMANY ??? - Wake up!

In the name of freedom of speech: Your anti-German sentiment is racist and DISGUSTING.

Is this the British way of attracting readers? Who are these people who are interested in your effort to reiterate Nazi atrocities, or 'German'-made cruelty? I wonder. I don't see any desire for peace and harmony in your words, i.e. in the author of these words: you.

Lest we forget...

There are words that need to be said. For some, however, it should be better to remain silent.

Take good care of all your precious body parts. I am German, you know...

-----

My uncle was wounded in WWII, and he was kept in Scotland as a prisoner of war; he had a huge hole in his back where he had received a bullet. My great grandmother lost a son during the war. My father-in-law's family lost everything due to bombing and had to start anew with four young children. One of my grandfathers died due to the consequences of the war, and the other one was a first-aid attendant. My parents were young children.

During WWII Germans were hungry, suffered from losing loved ones or from being seperated from loved ones. They killed and wounded others, and they were wounded and killed, too.

German Jews were Germans, and German society mutilated itself in the Holocaust. Isn't this enough of a terrible truth. Is there ANY need to enumerate details of torture and killings, calling them 'German'?!

I don't deny anything about German history, but when you talk about Nazi Germany, you talk about WAR and the enemy in your eyes. War is never kind to anyone. War is a human tragedy, no matter who is involved and who or what caused it.

-----

I could ask you to give Germans a chance but you must already be annoyed enough by Germany's economic power and subsequent strong political presence. So, "we" will keep you going and some will continue to enjoy (?) reading your words. Sad...

[carmen]

I grew up in Germany and most of my friends drove one of the Citroens at some point or another. Well, we call them 'Ente' which means Duck. Same as we call the VW a Bug. I spend many hours driving around town and I can't say we ever crossed a ploughed field, but in sharp turns the car seemed to separate the from the chassis and somehow bounce back into place (Without breaking eggs). They never broke down, used just about no gas and were very comfortable. So why did they stop making them. I would love to have one

[Jerry Hissong]

Once in 1959, I was one the Autobaun in Germany. I witnessed an accident when an Italian in a Fiat, traveling at a high rate of speed, sideswiped a Frenchman in his Citroen while passing him. I stopped to offer a statement for the Frenchman; there were no police on the scene. The Italian was minimizing the extent of damage to the rear fender. He put his foot on a rear left wheel of the Citroen and attempted to pull the fender out from the tire. After an intense pull, the entire fender came off in his hands, and he nearly fell. He then started laughing uncontrollably. The poor Frenchman was silently unimpressed. I left my name and address for both parties and left. I spoke neither Italian or French. The next year, while in graduate school in the U.S. I received a letter in French. I assumed it regarded the accident, and I responded, explaining that the Italian was clearly at fault.

[colin grayson]

one of the great tragedies of france happened 15-20 years ago ; at a time when the majority of french people still bought french cars , the french manufacturers were nevertheless in trouble for sales ...so the government offered about $1,000 dollars to anyone who scrapped their old car and bought a new one in france

and almost every 2CV disappeared overnight

[jack shimano]

dragged abandoned c2v out of forest about 40 years ago-had been there estimated 15 years-roof rotted and all rusted-managed to get started and ran around block in 1st?gear-no seats or floor-dashboard gear changer rusted and ran on "generator" alone

-friends scrapped car before i could get for me to try to restore since only one in canada that i could find out about -decades before internet and bbs's--

[John]

My favourite is the cartoon chase in "La belleville rendez-vous". Particularly the bit with the pram!

[Allan singleton]

I think you will find that the Morris Minor was the Brits first post war car of choice, the Mini being much later.

[Yes Allan, I thought about writing Morris Minor -- my mother had one and I learnt to drive it -- but it was not really an icon, a symbol of its era and nation, like the Fiat, the VW and the 2CV, and later the Mini... CB]

[Lily]

"Here's the commercial that they are showing in Britain and Germany, but not France."

It will be interesting to follow German versus British reactions to this commercial. IMO the commercial is clearly OTT in its Nazi allusions. It is 'attractive' in its lack of sensitivity and taste. Does Citroën care, as long as they get the attention they want?

[azloon]

Peter --

how about this as an alternative to 'killing' the citroen ad: a testimonial from me about being picked up by a 2CV-driving french farmer, in work boots, in december, 1968, somewhere between andorra and toulouse, on a frigid and windy day, after my VW Bug had 'crapped out.' seeing my situation, this kindly Frenchman stopped, offered me a ride to locate a mechanic and a tow truck in a nearby town. i recall we chatted incoherently in french about the Apollo 8 spaceship which was then nearing the moon, mostly by gesticulating wildly with our index fingers while pointing upwards in a circular motion.

so, in at least this single head-to-head comparison, the Bug 'dies' while the 2CV surges on.

the Bug died again the next day on one of paris' ring roads', late at night, and it was nearly hijacked by bulgarian towing service pirates while i was off at a public telephone calling another towing company. a ransom was paid (the european way) to get the hijackers to release it from their hoist.

so much for german engineering genius. btw, one of my favorite experiences, which happens not infrequently, is seeing a Mercedes disabled, and abandoned, sitting on the side of a road. "and i paid $70,000 bucks for this POS?" I imagine the owner is saying to himself.

i'll take Toyota/Lexus any day of the week. the country that brought us the kamikaze brings that same intense focus and sense of purpose to auto manufacture, and the results are apparent. very few of these cars broken down and abandoned.

i am sure there are some opinions on this subject. :)

[Francesca]

The Citroen Deux Chevaux has been designed by the italian Citroen designer Flaminio Bertoni. Citroen has always kept this quite hidden. Bertoni has also designed for la Citroen: la Traction Avant, la Mathis 333, la fabulous DS, et other models.

[Terry]

"Since it's spring in Paris and I'm taking a few days off, let me indulge in some four-wheeled nostalgia."

"[Footnote: I'll be off in the Cévennes for a week and back at the blog from May 3. But I'll be posting comments so keep them coming please]"

Another vacation, Charles? That's the third or fourth one in a year since I came here. Have you, in fact, gone native?

[Francois D]

Marvellous paper. An incredible capacity to make go up forgotten feelings.
Thank you very much Charles for those memories. The "minis", the "coccinelle", the "cinquacento", the "deudeuche": Vive l'Europe des différences!
Thanks, among else details, to remember us "the canvas seats that unclipped for use in picnics".
It is a miracle that this car is still authorized to circulate in spite of the current laws.
Recently, I saw, on the motorway near Calais, a 2cv with young British inside . The car was overloaded, the panes, which can fracture the arm, all opened; the umbrella also... And they went very quickly in the descent, probably with so dangerous and specific trepidations for all the screws. They were a little unconscious.
They were going to the south, perhaps very far.
And to supplement the "passage culte" of the "Gendarme of St Tropez", another "passage culte" from "Le Corniaud" always with De Funes, but Bourvil was the conductor.

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/xoxxb_le-corniaud_blog/video/x10typ_le-corniaud-extrait_fun?from=rss

With this famous last phrase:

"Et maintenant, elle va marcher beaucoup moins bien. Forcément."

"And now, it (she?) will go much less better. Inevitably."

[mark]

I believe that my parents had 2 of these. One grey one pale blue when we were very young. Although I was too young to remember any of the specifics of how it ran I do remember fondly the trips taken in it. The car was most certainly not well appointed with cupholders and the like but it ran and it was a fun looking little thing. I know my father (an engineer) still reminisces about it and even bought a citroen pony because of how impressed he was with the Deux Chevaux. Thanks for the great article!

[Ros]

DOT KING: No credit to me whatsoever, I just "googled" it - maybe this is the link to the tourist 2cv you mentioned: http://www.4roues-sous-1parapluie.com/paris-lyon/concept.php?langue=anglais

[Lily]

Germans, according to comments on YouTube that I have just read are much less annoyed with this ad than anyone (I) would have suspected. Most commentators like the humour, say that the ad is a big compliment for German engineering or that the ad flatters German cars more than French cars.

They are aware of prejudices and stereotypes or clichés foreigners have of Germans but are favourable of this play with stereotypes. A German from Bavaria complained about pseudo Bavarian things near Berlin :). Several people wanted to add Sauerkraut and bread to the sausage meal and believed that the accompanying milk was too politically correct.

Someone said the spot played on the stereotypes British people had about Germans to which another person replied that it rather played on the stereotypes the French thought the British had… - and that the spot reawakened the impression the English got of Germany in Word War II (see PK).

The large majority of Germans took it with humour because Nazi Germany is very distant for them. It appears to be much more alive in Britain.

I am very surprised that most YouTube-watching Germans don’t appear to be annoyed to see these Nazi features confounded with the typical German character.

NB: There is a road sign in the ad that says 108 km to Berlin – 1=A; 8=H (AH)…

[Dirk]

As I recall, the 2CV was also a very frugal means of transportation. If I'm correct, it would effortlessly provide 45Mpg.
With its air-cooled engine it did not require the energy hogging water-cooling circuit and reduced the overall complexity of the whole car. I mean you could repair anything with a pair of pliers and an Opinel pocket-knife.
It was extremely easy to operate, would never leave you stranded, would take extensive abuse without protest and provided a ride so smooth and comfortable that it rivaled the cushiest of luxury cars.
I sorely miss the trusty 2CV and its more sporty spinoff; the Mehari.
Wouldn't it be nice if this excellent product could be reproduced and commercially entered into the market.

[clare de loon]

Lily --welcome back.

re German stereotypes to sell cars:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_ow0mreVA

hope my Mercedes bashing wasn't too offensive. BMW, now, that's a different story.

[dot king]

Dear Lily and Clare de Loon,
Ladies, do you remember the rusted old Beetle that Woody Allen finds in "Sleeper" (set 200 years into the future from 1970-something)? He and Diane Keaton were on the run and desperate, find this old Beetle with the key in the ignition - one turn and they're away. Zoooooom . . .

Someone has just called on me to ask me to join in with events-organising in the village. One of the hoped-for events is a 2CV rally. Councillor in question has one himself, green, lovingly restored, looks like new. He also has the pick-up version, corrugated tin-looking thing. last year when he'd finished doing it up, it had a notice on it that said:
"Pas de clime, pas de direction assistée, pas d'ordinateur de bord, pas d'emmerdes!"

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Lily, Lily of the Lamplight, what I said (in this thread) was "British Humour". I believe CB and AZloon got it, and Dot. King, I hope. Try this one: A German, a Spaniard, a Frenchman and an Englishmen. Englishman: "English is a beautiful language. For example, the word butterfly...Frenchman: "French is much more musical, the same word: Papillon...papillon. The Spaniard: "No comparison with the flow and rhythm of Spanish: Mariposa ....mariposa.
German: "Oh? And what is wrong with EIN SCHMETTERLING?"
Pax Vobiscum....smile please.

[jopo]

I used to come to France on holiday every year with my parents in the 1960s and 1970s. On the road we used to try and spot the "Daddy" citroens (the DS citroens), the "Mummy" citroens (the Ami series, I think) and the "Baby" citroens (the 2CV).

[John Gregory Flinn]

The following may have some relevance.
I read somewhere (I'm sure it was on a American website) of an old joke about European stereotypes:-

In Heaven: the cooks are French,
the policemen are English,
the mechanics are German,
the lovers are Italian,
and the bankers are Swiss.

In Hell: the cooks are English,
the policemen are German,
the mechanics are French,
the lovers are Swiss,
and the bankers are Italian.

That auto advert is surely trying to allude that French auto-makers have learnt something from their German economic allies.

I feel that Lily has a point; it was'nt the Nazis who made German engineering the envy of the world (except in Japan), it's German workmanship.
Both sides (of the cold war) plundered German technological knowhow after World War 2, while Germany plundered (perhaps 'exchanged' is a better word) some Japanese knowhow - especially in Optics - during.
Luckily for us the other side (the soviet system) was'nt able to make best use of it.

I'm afraid I can't say anything about the 2CV, except that I heard there were 3 in Newcastle-upon-tyne, which had been canabalized from pre-war washing machines and mangles....!

[rocket]

Azloon

"...mostly by gesticulating wildly with our index fingers while pointing upwards in a circular motion."

I guess I could comment on the finger in the air in a whirling motion, lost somewhere with a French farmer in the middle of the countryside between Andorra and Toulouse.

Azz

That's a well known French rural hand signal which means

"Do you want to make whoopee with my goat"

It's very common amongst the rurals.

I almost fell for it once but was able to flee before the goat wearing a garter belt was brought in.

And you did you go all the way? You!

LOL

[Monika]

"Lily, Lily of the Lamplight, what I said (in this thread) was "British Humour". I believe CB and AZloon got it, and Dot. King, I hope. Try this one: A German, a Spaniard, a Frenchman and an Englishmen. Englishman: "English is a beautiful language. For example, the word butterfly...Frenchman: "French is much more musical, the same word: Papillon...papillon. The Spaniard: "No comparison with the flow and rhythm of Spanish: Mariposa ....mariposa.
German: "Oh? And what is wrong with EIN SCHMETTERLING?""

*ggg* ...

Actually, your first post (this ad = another German propaganda) made me think that that one on the other thread was probably meant ironic, too ;)

I think this ad is quite funny and I agree it is probably more flattering to the German cars then for French (with the exception of Citroen).

The "Ente" (duck), as we call it is best remembered by me as the car of my elementary teacher who drove it. It is somehow associated to flower-power (as that famous VW van).
We as childs had a game. Whoever saw an Ente first was allowed to pinch somebody (most likely the brother or sister or one's school friend).

[Edward Johns]

What exactly are the "Nazi" elements of the Citroen advert ? Duelling, eagles, these existed long before the third Reich.Can someone enlighten me please?

[Edward Johns]

What exactly are the "Nazi" elements of the Citroen advert ? Duelling, eagles, these existed long before the third Reich.Can someone enlighten me please?

[Lily]

Re: Heidi

Clare de loon,

Thanks for that clip about long-legged and blonde German engineering :)

Heidi is highly efficient, happy and successful in private and in public; i.e. a very good choice for a car ad.

----

Kinsley,

I don't share your humour, be it as British as it may be. I was reading much of the Paris exhibition thread but was technically inhibited to comment.

----

Re: Small and ancient French cars

I have no experience with a 2CV but am happy in our very reliable and repairable charming 10-year-old (Italian) Fiat Cinquecento, although he's too weak to compete on the 'autoroute'... -

[Jerry Dorey]

We have a beautiful deudeuche -Cécile will be 31 years old in August, and still runs beautifully. We have just had her completely resprayed and de-rusted, and she should be good for another 30 years.

[Maggie]

"so the government offered about $1,000 dollars to anyone who scrapped their old car and bought a new one in france

and almost every 2CV disappeared overnight" (Colin Grayson)

Last year our group had a run in Tanneron, in the Var, famous for its mimosa. We were warned that there was a bike race, the Tour de l'haut Var, and to avoid coming by the Grasse - Draguignan road, but we didn't get any warning about the deux cheveux. Driving up this narrow twisty road towards Tanneron we met over 200 2CVs coming down. (We didn't start counting till after we'd met about fifty, and then counted over 200.) Every time we thought they'd finished, another group would appear, so it was slow going. They were all colours, and all decked out with flowers. Quite a procession.

It was a very windy day, I remember.

[justin]

What about the Quartrelle. A much superior car in every respect to the 2CV.

[jack shimano]

2nd Deux Chevaux experience was in the 1980's since on that camping trip,i met and ran a few kilometers with Terry Fox on his one-legged attempt to run across canada
i was towing a camper behind my then Toyota station wagon never designed or rated for towing-kinda gutless but came upon a c2v Deux Chevaux obviously shipped over from europe from the wide licence plate on vehicle
-since towing a loaded trailer,my car was quite gutless but somehow managed to pass c2v that was even more burdened with four tourists from "france??" with all their touring gear-
don't know where they were trying to go but such a rare vehicle in the middle of CANADA ALMOST FOOLHARDY SINCE GARAGES AND PARTS NOT CLOSE BY EVEN IF YOU HAD A DOMESTIC CAR LET ALONE A C2V WHERE NO SOURCE OF PARTS ANYWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA
-WISHED THEM WELL AND TRUST THEY MADE TOUR WITHOUT PERIL OR BREAKDOWN

[ROG]

First time I visited France, my hosts picked me up from the airport in their natty yellow 2CV. I had to hold the roof on manually all the way into Paris. A great introduction to French traditions. Thank God we couldn't go faster than 80kmh. Those were the days....

[Paul M]

Remember the dancing transformer C4 advert? Well, there's one where a 2CV does the same thing (almost) - Citroen even OKed it so long as it didn't include their emblems. I don't have a link as I only have a file copy. Worthwhile searching out though.
I misspent my youth in a series of 2CVs and Dyanes. Excellent cars but so rare today. There are more surviving Renault 4s here in Spain than 2CVs. The Spanish preferred the Renaults.
As for the C5 adverts - it's a joke, so why get heated up over it?

[David Jane]

The best thing that could happen to one of these is that someone takes it apart and makes one of these... www.bra-cars.com/html/cv3.html

[Francois D]

Belgian advert for condom. All poetry is in suspension's quality.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzfdy_durex2cv_ads

ps: it's the same term which is used in bad french for condom and in good one for 2cv soft top. (capote).

[richard jones]

I had one - like a mobile garden seat - in Switzerland for about 10 years - we called then 'deux chevaux'. It got taken out by a Geneva tram (doubtless driven by a German propagandist).

[Daniel Strohl]

The Citroen ad is really funny. And a good ad has to be funny, otherwise it does not strike the mind.

Charles' link to some French (stupid) commentators does not work. Ce n'est pas une perte!

PS : I keep my post as short as possible, since Charles is probably battling with his slow dial up connection in his Cévennes mountains ...

[Mads]

Ah, what it was to have a real car! My favourite memory of our 2cv was the time I forgot to take a shopping bag into the local shop and came out with arms loaded and unable to open the door. (No point in locking with a soft top in those days). I put the shopping on the roof, opened the door , and put the shopping on the passenger seat. As I was driving the short distance home, I noticed that people were looking at me and laughing. As the car was running smoothly, I just carried on home. Imagine my surprise when I got out of the car and saw tins of cat food
and a loaf of bread still on the roof!! The Renault 4 was the most popular car round here for many years. There is a very old farmer who drives a beige one around still. He looks to be about 100 and can only just see over the steering wheel. Although I regularly see at least one or two every week, (R4s that is, not 100 year old farmers) most cars round here now have been replaced by 4x4s. They still do the same job of transporting the odd cow/calf, cattle feed and of course the corpses after a day's hunting.

[Mads]

Ah, what it was to have a real car! My favourite memory of our 2cv was the time I forgot to take a shopping bag into the local shop and came out with arms loaded and unable to open the door. (No point in locking with a soft top in those days). I put the shopping on the roof, opened the door , and put the shopping on the passenger seat. As I was driving the short distance home, I noticed that people were looking at me and laughing. As the car was running smoothly, I just carried on home. Imagine my surprise when I got out of the car and saw tins of cat food
and a loaf of bread still on the roof!! The Renault 4 was the most popular car round here for many years. There is a very old farmer who drives a beige one around still. He looks to be about 100 and can only just see over the steering wheel. Although I regularly see at least one or two every week, (R4s that is, not 100 year old farmers) most cars round here now have been replaced by 4x4s. They still do the same job of transporting the odd cow/calf, cattle feed and of course the corpses after a day's hunting.

[Dion Per Sona]

the best thing about the Deuche is that your teenage son cannot wrap it around a tree (it doesn't go fast enough) or make spurious grandsons in the backseat: its far too hostile even for eagerly consensual though accidental reproduction. France would really love to have her 2CV back, but it isn't allowed, somehow.

[dunketh]

OK, its a nice story about a motoring icon but some aspects are a little dubious.
For starters Britain had the Morris Minor as its classless 'peoples car' (not the mini, that came much later).
Also, the Minor was originally designed in the late 1930s although not released til much later - making it a competitor in terms of age too.
That said, you can't beat a 2CV for character.

[Jim Silverton]

Ah! the joy of being unable to pass a 2CV doing 30kph on a narrow road up a Swiss mountain pass. My rented Volkswagen bug did not have the urge to pass safely.

[azloon]

Rocket -- so that's why he invited me to tour his barn !
i demurred, not being into 'animal husbandry.'

Monika/others mentioning 'ente.' That word crept into english forty years ago with the introduction of "cold duck,' a type of sparkling wine which was disgustingly sweet, but a cheap drunk. coming from the german custom of mixing all the 'ends' of wines in the vats, and calling it 'cold ends' in german (kalte endes" ?), it became 'kaltes entes' and translated into english as 'cold duck.'

this is not a solicitation to try this stuff. the typical european would likely gag on it.

[Lily]

I have just received this authentic piece of British Humour – the way even I like it :).

# 7 justifies it as an on-topic comment… to: MARY FERNANDEZ, ROCKET, AZLOON, TERRY, and all other American bloggers. (I am sure Kinsley will like it, too ;))

“To: The citizens of the United States of America:

In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President
of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the
revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties
over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she
does not fancy).

Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for America
without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you
noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules
are introduced with immediate effect:

You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be
amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and
'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without
skipping half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced by the
suffix -ise.

Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable
levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such
as 'like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of
communication.

There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your
behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of
the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize. You will relearn
your original national anthem, God Save The Queen.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or
therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists
shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.

Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort
things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not
grown up enough to handle a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more
dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish
to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your
own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we
mean.

Holden Monaro's are also approved.

8. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start
driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go
metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables.

Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense
of humour.

9. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been
calling gasoline) - roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries
are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips
are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat,
and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

11. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually
beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as
beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be
referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are
pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be
due tothe beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth
- see what it did for them. American
brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen
Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further
confusion.

12. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good
guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play
English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in
Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears
removed with a cheese grater.

13. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of
proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in
time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American
football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds
or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try
Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly
thrash us.

14. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host
an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside
of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond
your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and
we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of
their deliveries.

15. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

16. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's
Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all
monies due (backdated to 1776).

17. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, never mugs,
with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.

God save the Queen..

John Cleese »

[parson]

My father was production manager on an open air mine. In his previous job, he had a 2CV to go around town and to the shafts. In the new one, they bought Land Rovers to drive trough it. Few months later, they reverted to 2CV as those were the only vehicles capable of climbing the slopes and going over ponds and mud without getting stuck. The Land Rovers stuck on the mud and altough in the end they got trough it, it took considerably more time, fuel and effort to reach the same places with them.
At the time (late 70s) Citroen organised raids for youngsters driving their air cooled models as a marketing trick. I remember the Paris-Persepolis jaunt. One of my neighbors took it. He told me only the plush Citroens used by the organisers (SM, DS etc) broke. They frequently had to be rescued by their humbler siblings.
There were a number of conversions designed to live in the car. One of them used the boot lid as a roof for a camping tent. It was the vehicle most used to cross the Sahara. Somewere I read that Seguela (who did the advertising for Citroen) travellled trough Central America with one of them and one day he lost the engine oil and feed it some bananas and the 2CV kept on chugging.
Anyhow what I like about the 2CV is the thinking behind it, the less is more, let's do it on the cheap and make it work attitude of those days, as opposed to the overdone cars of today, with plenty of useless gadgets and fragile electronics. Probably we'll need a lot of the former in the near future.

[Dotothy Naylor]

Love them to bits. Does anyone have a nice one (not overly renovated) for sale in the Paris area? I gotta have one.

Merci,
Dorothee

[Marc]

A great article about a great car. I am trying to find a good one (to buy), at the moment. May I take issue with one comment? Surely, the British equivalent of the Beetle, 2Cv and the Fiat 500 was the Morris Minor 1000 and not the mini. A matter of opinion, I suppose.

It is wonderful to note that these, very basic, cars are all collectors items and known for their reliability and ability to drive long distances. Well, no-one would want to drive a long distance in a Cinquecento, but it's a wonderful little car. The best that one can say about these cars is that one can still see them on the roads. Now, that's good for the environment! If a car can last tens of years, you don't have to build so many. Of course, this would be terrible news for motor manufacturers. LOL!

[siberart]

I fondly remember the 2CV in Dakar, Senegal in the early 60's. Drove to Gambia and the suspension system was so fantastic, I remember it to be a most comfortable ride over the very bad roads. Taxis in Dakar were 2CVs at that time.

I remember hearing that these cars were made so they could be parachuted to troops in WWII for use at the end of the war, therefore the great "bouncing" ability and durability. Anybody know if that is true?

[Wouter Bregman (Netherlands)]

Interesting article about the Citroën 2CV, but this is typically written for the British market as "an initially unimpressed public" was the case in the UK, but not in France and other European countries. In fact, just for the British market, Citroën tried to deliver some special models as the 2CV Bijou, but it took years before the 2CV became a hit in the UK.

For me there is no other car that expresses the joy of driving but the 2CV. Being just 28 years of age and having owned several 2CV's from 2004 till 2006 and hoping to buy one again as soon as possible, I can assure you that in my country (Netherlands) I see 2CV's on the road daily, sometimes up to 20 a day. Just to show that not in every country there are few 2CV's left, as stated in the beginning of the above article.

The 2CV will last for ever, 2CV enthousiast clubs see growing number of members, more and more spare parts are newly built and more and more 2CV meeting are organised, with up to 10.000 of participants.

Long live the DeuDeuche!

[Thank you Wouter... I agree, it's a wonderful car and there are still many around in Europe. I bought my second one in 1985, a Charleston in grey and black, and shipped it from Marseille to Moscow, where I was living at the time. But the negative reaction at the start was not just British. The French motoring press gave it a very poor reception at first. CB]

[ed]

I overtook one of these on the M3 once - it was being driven happily southwards and all seemed normal except that it was on fire. The driver seemed unconcerned. I waved at him and pointed at the flames coming from his car but he just smiled and waved back. Those were the days of happy motoring.

[Dave]

What fun we had in the 1960s, "flipping" 2Cvs on their roofs!

(former) Délinquant Juvénile

[Brian B.Warren]

Two friends of ours have three of these delightful little cars. They are their only cars and have now taken one over to their home in France. Even to this day there is nothing as good and practical on the market. They are spacious, easy to drive, economical, and have a super sun roof - and - can be driven virtually everywhere. Spares are available and not expensive like modern cars. Another fabulous car was the Renault 4, marvellously practical and easy to drive + very economical. Our family had one for years, only wish we still had it.

[emily w]

I had a 2cv in Kano, Nigeria, during the Biafra war. It was blue. There was also a red Jag driving around town. My 2cv went wrong all the time. Going up hills all the passengers had to get out and walk. Once the bonnet flew open and crashed over the windscreen. Fortunately there was little traffic around and we managed to bash it back into shape with our hands. These cars though icons were truly trash vehicles! Mind you I still like them though not if I want to get from a to b. Good for a bit of posing. I also had a VW. Different class altogether. Went all over in it. It was reliable though slow and the only problem was the bandits kept stealing it. They abandoned it when they ran out of petrol.

[Frank- USA]

Bring it back! We could use more cars with character and functionality like the 'duck' today. I remember a friend who had one while I was working in Austria. It was during the summer and it was a fun car yet it got you were you needed to get and if the weather was good, just pull the roof back. It sounded like a Singer sewing machine but it didn't matter, this was a great little car. I think it had a great style about it, much more so than the utility of the VW bug. The 2CV did everything a bug did, but with French flair. Bring it back!

[Marguerite.]

Merci pour votre blog qui nous ramene a notre jeunesse !
Les Suisses appellent la 2CV la Deux-lap (deux-lapins). C'est surement parce qu''ele va moins vite en Suisse.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

The thread has tugged me back to Paris under the Nazis, where I have made Comment No, 107, if anyone is still interested.

[azloon]

[I have just received this authentic piece of British Humour – the way even I like it :).] Lily re John Cleese instructions to americans

actually, despite his protestations, john lives as a gentlemen rancher near santa barbara, california and is married to, of all things, a psychotherapist (probably his own).

he is very funny tho, and makes a wonderful living doing american TV commercials.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

A tale of three cars:
1. A clapped out heap of junk called a 2CV, owned by Crazy Hans, who had 2 Pyrenean hounds, Mr. Smith and Sir Edward: he called them back to his house from rabbitting on the mountain by playing the first four notes, loud, of Beethoven's 5th. Hans had a sucking pig for roasting that day,in Ibiza, and sat outside the |Montesol hotel with it, both of them wearing sunglasses. Mr. Smith and Sir Edward were in the 2CV on the opposite side of the street, guarding it as the sunroof had rotted years before. After several Ricards Crazy Hans draggd his little pig across the main square, scented by every dog for miles around. Otto from St Eulalia, Whisky, Tyke, Bullshit, Captain's toilet, Don Blanco.....all came running after the little trickle as Hans yelled for help and dashed for the 2CV, leaping in and driving off to the yells of all the taxi drivers.
Unfortunately no one had cine cameras in those days...
Wolfgang sold his 2CV because he was in love with Susie the beautiful British tourist guide who had accepted his proposal of marriage the night before. He flew to Munich, went through a very expensive divorce, his wife got the house and he returned to Ibiza to his great love....But when he asked for her he was told: "You're just in time, Wolfgang. She's getting married to a Spanish airline pilot right now in San Telmo's church."
The 3rd 2CV lay in Dora's garden for three years in wind, rain and the Spanish sun, the roof long gone, the paint peeling. But the owner had taken the key to Germany with him. Dora, who was from Dresden, was fed up looking at it rotting in the sun, but one day he came back. "Sorry about that, Dora. I couldn't get back sooner."
He put a litre of petrol in, put the key in and ....IT STARTED.!!
Then, in France George from Munich
searched for a spare part for the open Renault which had once been popular,but no luck. I sent him to a newsagent to examine the motoring magazines for spare parts for Renaults, but then I realised which car it was: it was the one all the girls bought for cruising around in the Bois de Boulogne. Men dared not buy it after that, and sales dropped and they stopped making it.
I told George.
"Wow, am I going to enjoy telling that to my boss," he said, laughing his head off.

[Mads]

Sorry my bit got posted twice. I know I only pressed 'post' once. What happened?

[paul merrill]

So few of them in the USA!

You lucky Brits (and French people).

[Tante Emma]

ENTEEE!!! *pinch*
hehehe

Ahhh memories! I'd love to own a DX.

[Rebecca]

One of my few good memories from growing up in Argentina was seeing and hearing the cute 2CV clatter down the cobblestone streets of Buenos Aires. The most popular car for lower middle class Argentines was the 2CV! Buying a car was not easy then and many people saved and saved to buy one so reliability was key. And run they did, as they bobbed back and forth over the cobble stones, carrying the whole family to the park on Sundays, to work during the week, to the market or to take the children to school. There were were several other Citroen models that were also popular as were a few Peugeot and Fiat's but for reliability, you couldn't beat the 2CV. And if it came with the sun roof, wow, you were definately moving up the economic ladder!

[Lina]

Nostalgic of the Deudeuch or too young to have had the privilege of seating inside one ( like me ), just go to Antananarivo and take a taxi : I never saw more 2CVs than there.

For the very nostalgic, there are also R5 and 4L. :p

But beware, oversensitive Occidentals : the suspension has usually very much lived...!

[colin grayson]

isn't it nice that charles' blog attracts such a variety ....all sorts of attitudes !
daniel keeps it short because of dial up [ actually I happen to know he is dongling , daniel , maybe while sitting on his donkey ? ]

lily quotes john cleese ; enough said , I think

[Jo Persan]

Do you have a 2CV in the Cevennes, Charles ? There are a lot there, many brought by the baba-cool refugees who settled around you in the 1970s... Anyway, I hope you're resting up for another blaze of blogging on your return...

[textibule]

On the top of this blog page is a banner ad for timesonline.co.uk saying "Green Central. Bright ideas for a greener future."

Of all the nice things I can think of about my life's diverse 2CVs, I have a feeling that green-ness is not one of them :-)

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Lots of 2CVs in the Cevennes? Is it a Protestant car then? RLS would have loved one!

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Try English (Jewish) humour (The Jews here, like the Irish, are able to laugh at themselves):
Two businesmen walking down a dark street in North London:
Abe: "I think we're being followed, Hymie."
Hymie: "What do you mean 'followed'?
Abe: "By two men...what do you call them...? Muggers!"
Hymie: "Blimey, 'ere, quick, cop on to this..."
Abe: "What is it?"
Hymie: "It's the forty quid I owe you."

[Lily]

Colin, Azloon,

what bells ring when you hear/read John Cleese or if I quote him? Is he considered a traitor of the British because he's an Americanized/naturalized American (?) British citizen?

----

"PS : I keep my post as short as possible, since Charles is probably battling with his slow dial up connection in his Cévennes mountains ..." (Daniel Strohl)

[Footnote: I'll be off in the Cévennes for a week and back at the blog from May 3. But I'll be posting comments so keep them coming please] (CB)

Daniel,

I think you put an emphasis on "off" and "Cévennes" when reading Charles while I focused on "keep them coming please". :)

[Edward Johns]

1)Thanks for the Cleese piece Lily--brilliant !
2) Azloon--as an update, John Cleese is going to be divorced from the latest wife, it is expected to cost him dear!

[Pierre Bernardi]

Lily, if we get rid of the dollar (a logical extension of your post) can't we replace it with the euro instead of the pound? Like they have in Ireland?

[azloon]

[John Cleese is going to be divorced from the latest wife] Edward Johns

ahhhh, this explains all the snotty references to psychotherapists/therapy and lawyers in his list.

unfortunately, there are no 'get out of jail free' cards in this life.

:)

[(S)wine]

Beautiful, beautiful.

http://swine.wordpress.com

[dada]

Paris mai paris

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/NOUGARO%2Bparis%2Bmai/video/x4l1zy_paris-mai_music

[Bill]

One black and rainy night in 1973 I was traveling from the Frankfurt airport back to downtown Frankfurt when I noticed some headlights in the distance. As I approached what seemed to be an accident scene I came upon something lying in the middle of the autobahn. As I dodged the item it appeared to be a part of a car. (a fender perhaps). It was close to a concrete abutment so I slowed to accomodate the very poor visibility and proceeded towards the lights. All of a sudden there were more parts in the roadway. This time it appeared to be a door and some other bits. As I approached the lights one set was shining upward at an odd angle and people were standing around a car on it's side. By now anyone reading this will realize that the mystery car was a 2CV which had done everything it could to disemble itself. I deduced that the driver must have sideswiped the concrete abutment and then rolled up the autobahn for about 100 yards shedding parts as it went. All the people seemed to be mobile and the incident was under control. I have thought many times of the little 2CV and a rainy drive to Frankfurt.

[Furriskey]

I had a CV and 2 Beetles. The Beetles were much better apart from drinking fuel.
In order to repair a worn handbrake on a 2CV it is necessary to remove the engine- a 2 day job. This makes it very hard to pass a UK MOT. And the lock is almost as bad as a LWB Land Rover.
Apart from that a sweet car.

[Erik Petersen]

Great - many thanks for a very good article.

My wife had a 2CV some 30 years ago and my son and I took it to France with my daughter's junk (she was at University in Reims). It was just great, but interestingly, it would happily do 80 m/h in the UK, but when it was on French petrol, would not go above 60?!

Driving around i Paris in an UK registered 2CV was fantastic, everybody hooting and waving.

What a lovely car.

[Peter Knight]

My brother in law had a 2CV and embarked on a trip across Southern South America: With some cronies we computed a course for him, tacking like a sailing boat, zig zagging through the strong headwinds that would prevail during his journey. At first he thought it was a joke, then on the third day of making almost no speed at all (the 2CV would stall) he actually followed our chart: The trip became a huge success!

Peter Knight

[Robert Marchenoir]

Never mind the 2CV.

All I want to know is whether Boris Johnson is going to become mayor of London today, and kick out this arrogant scoundrel of Ken Livingstone.

If he does not, could you please send him packing this side of the Channel? We sure could use him.

I'd love to see Boris in the Paris mayoral seat, ruffling some feathers and all. Tell him we have a splendid public bicycle renting system here, so his own will not get stolen any more.

Also, we have some decent hairdressers.

[Colin J]

WHAT A LOAD OF OLD TOSH! They were rubbish, the VW beetle and the
Morris Minor were far superior, the
beetle was top because it didn't rot like the Morris.

[Robert Marchenoir]

How silly of me to promote Paris hairdressers to Boris Johnson. Speaking of coals to Newcastle... I see you had already covered up the Boris Hair Issue from all possible angles:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article3855717.ece

[C. Alexander Brown, Rockcliffe Park, Canada.]

The people who manufacture automobiles are not the brightest people in the world. Otherwise that would have brought back modern version of these great autos.

Jaguar Mark 7
Jaguar E Type
The Original Jeep
The Original Ford Mustang
The Gull Wing Mercedes SL
and of course the 2CV
Who knows? Miracles sometimes happen.

[ruth hilman]

When visiting my daughter in France 4 years ago I had a bit of nostalgia seeing a very old Citroen on the street and compelled my daughter to take a picture of it. That old model was seen in Portland Oregon years ago. She also gave me a postcard of a nice old red one sitting in a field. One does not have to be French or have ridden in one to appreciate them! Fun to read this.

[Mike]

Germans make great cars...given. The French make great jets and it would seem can put a rocket in space...not bad. I think you guy's still don't really like each other though...last century, ok last bunch of century's has left a pretty nasty scab and many of you insist on picking at it like 4 year olds.

[Malcolm Lambe]

What's with this glamourising of the Nazis in advertising? We've seen a lot of it lately. Like this Korean ad -

http://www.welcometowallyworld.com/frontpage/2008/4/23/korean-nazi-ad-pulled.html

I'm surprised they didn't put the toothbrush moustache on the guy while they were at it.

By the way...in French, Citroën is pronounced "Sit-ro-enne" not "Sit-ron" which means "lemon".

I live in Paris and there are still a few of the 2CVs kicking around.

[expatdoc]

Had a 2CV at Barts as a student in the 60s. first car I ever rebuilt. Mine was RHD Slough built model.Took it to Framce twice, they were amazed at the RHD thought I was a little mad.Put an AMI 6 engine, out of a wrecking yard in it and did it fly. Sold it to an unsuspecting student mate and bought a Lancia Aurelia B20, have never looked back. Was in Paris in February and only saw a 2CV at the Auto Salon.Vale sound motoring sense.

[Cécile Cosnes]

Three prototypes of the 2CV (designated the TPV) thought to have been lost during the war were discovered in a French barn ten years ago - all still in pretty good condition. They were shown at the 1998 Paris Retromobile show and caused a sensation! http://www.welcometowallyworld.com/planes-trains-boats-automobile/2008/5/3/prototypes-of-citroen-2cv-found-in-french-barn.html

[azloon]

if France had had their own Beach Boys, there might be a song called the "Little Deuche Coupe."

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Beach+Boys/_/Little+Deuce+Coupe

btw, the car was referred to as the Deux Cheveux when i was bumming around france during the last century. as in two horsepower? smells like horses? bites like a horse.

when did 2CV become the common nickname?

i think the closest american equivalent would be the Crosley, a product of the 1950s and arguably the flimsiest mini-vehicle even manufactured in human history. what was so nice about it, though, was that it could be 'hot wired' (started keyless) with a coin stuck between two posts behind the ignition switch, easily accessible under the dashboard. so, as fourteen-year-olds, we freqently 'borrowed' the Crosley of the parents of a friend, usually at 3 a.m., and took it for harrowing spins thru the twisting, up-and-down, roads of our locale, pretending to be Juan Fangio. we lived to tell the tale, but not our parents, who i am sure, having been one to three boys, would rather not have known.

The Anglia, a british product for the american market, would be a close second for 'flimsy honors.' my father had one, and once when i was on a trip and it broke down, a mechanic told me, "i'd rather have the clap (gonorrhea) than an Anglia." Harsh.

[rocket]

Check out this fine German engineering. I took these photos a couple years back in Switzerland

http://tinyurl.com/43mbjl

http://tinyurl.com/4jewwb

Notice the last 5 letters on the 2nd tinyurl link. I guess that they got me pegged. Is that supposed to mean from the Jew's web? I think I'll sue!

here's the description

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_KR200

[dot king]

"Deux Cheveux"

Dear Azloon, that is as in "two hairs power! You mean Deux Cheveaux. (But who's to a metter between friendly bloggers?)
2CV is probably how it appears on the Carte Grise, CV being short for Che-Veaux and 2 because it's two-horse-power, hence 2CV.
I've enjoyed explaining that complicated piece of Frenchness to you, please don't hesitate to ask if I can be further assistance :-)

PS for the Renault 4L everyone says quatrelle (pronounced katrel).
And the Citroën DS, if you say the letters separately in the French way: Dé Esse, they mean "goddess" - I saw that in a TV documentary about classic French cars a couple of years ago - I hadn't known and it struck me as being rather clever and neat.
If the family where I was an au pair's second car was a "deu-deuche" the first one, la voiture de Monsieur, was a sleek black DS.

[dot king]

The Anglia, Azloon

The Ford Anglia? Made for the US market? My dad had one, it was lime green, very snazzy.
The one in Harry Potter flies, so what's your point?
;-}

[dot king]

whoops - just seen my own goof! Deux Chevaux - not Cheveaux - that's somewhere between and hair and 2 calves!

[azloon]

Francesca called it "Citroen Deux Chevaux," not as you maintain, "Cheveaux.'

whom am i to believe? Francesca, a French/Italian?, or Dot, highly assimilated but perhaps prone to occasional lapses?

eux, aux eaux. what's a dumb american to do?

my point re anglia? got me didn't you? :)

that 'thing' was a POS by american standards, though apparently, up-to-snuff en angleterre.

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

Clap : "chaude-pisse" - rather self-explaining ... But as both of us are educated gentlemen, we will of course use the relevant technical word "blennorragie".

DOT,

"and 2 because it's two-horse-power, hence 2CV".

May be one should add that it means "2 CV fiscaux" (i.e not 2 x 736 Watts). "Fiscaux" is the plural of "fiscal" - means taxation.

The French ministry of finance has established a taxation scale for cars. It is based on motor engine power, but also on various other parameters. A rather complex formulation, or as DOT puts its perfidiously :)), a "complicated piece of Frenchness".

To put it simply, the less powerful car is right now a 3 CV and the scale goes from 3 CV up to 13 CV for small up to medium power cars. Above 13 CV, the cars are considered to be very powerful and expensive.

As an example, our small Renault Clio is fitted with a 110 CV (HP) gasoline engine; its "fiscal" rating is "7 CV".

[elli gildnes]

Five days and a ferry ride later, my father and I pulled in to the driveway of our country house in Vistdal, Norway. Having traveled from Paris, it was our reliable 2CV that taught us a lesson in patience. Reliable "Clothilde" is perfect for driving in the mountains and fjords and adds her own charm to the sleepy hillside villages where people flag us down to have a look at our now famous car.

[dot king]

"or as DOT puts its perfidiously :)"
Daniel

Perfidious? Moi?

My Clio is a 5CV, but with a diesel engine and DCI (that's Detective Chief Inspector : ))

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Eux, aux, eaux, Oh! What a Lovely War - I'm going back to the Paris under the Nazis thread.

[brian ibstock uk]

the best car i have ever owned, reliable eccomic, fun

[azloon]

Daniel --

i knew we could count on you to bring some technical sanity to the 2CV discussion (i.e. fiscal ratings) for a group that couldn't even spell the nickname of the vehicle. :)

--------

re: the clap, chaude-pisse

as former mariners, i suspect we are the only two here with any real interest/experience in this subject.

the french term is far more descriptive. i have no idea where 'clap' came from. perhaps because your friends 'clap' for you after your predicament was revealed??? or maybe even a standing ovation?

in the u.s. navy, standard operating procedure after shore leave was a 'short arm' inspection of all enlisted men to discover who had been unlucky in his amorous activities ashore, and to administer the appropriate dosage of anti-biotic.

[dot king]

For Daniel and Azloon
who particularly want to know.
By typing in "venereal disease clap" I got the following, which might explain why the English call this particular affliction "a Dose of The Clap". (give it capital letters and it makes it sound like a rock group!)

Obsolete: A sudden stroke of fortune, especially of bad luck.

[Middle English clappen, from Old English clæppan, clappian, to throb

:-)

[cathy]

I still own and drive a 2cv around as a shopper. Sadly my 2 daughters hate it so much, they duck down if we pass anyone they know from school......we call it poor mans 4x4. I love it,but the girls can't wait for it to fail it's MOT this year (we all know it will)