Citroen 2CV6 Special 1980

[JR98]

Being produced from 1948 to 1990, the Citroen 2CV was France's answer to Germany's Volkswagen Beetle, with over 8.8 million being built. Michelin had been interested in building an economy car as far back as 1922 (when they first conducted market research for the car) and wished to expand the market for economy cars and tyres. Then CEO of Citroen, Pierre Michelin, went as far as to build a scale model of what he had in mind even before the Citroen takeover. By the Mid-1920's Citroen stopped making economy cars after the first World War and Michelin believed this contributed to their later bankruptcy.

At that time France had a very rural population that could not afford cars so Citroen used their survey results to prepare a design brief for a low priced, rugged "umbrella on wheels" that would enable farmers to transport up to 50kg of farm goods at speed up to 50 KM/H across unpaved roads. The car was also to use no more than 3 litres of fuel to travel 100 km.

In 1936, the design brief was sent to the engineering team. The TPV (Toute Petite Voiture - Very Small Car) was to be developed in strict secrecy at Michelin facilities at Clermont-Ferrand and at Citroën in Paris.

It was to be built by the same team who designed the 1934 Traction Avant and all team members were hand-picked by Boulanger, who picked those who trained at night-school courses over university-trained engineers, as he believed greater practical experience made for better engineering.

Boulanger was closely involved with all decisions relating to the TPV, and was obsessed with reducing the weight to targets that his engineers thought impossible. He set up a department to weigh every component and then redesign it, to make it lighter while still doing its job.

The very first prototypes were bare chassis with rudimentary controls, seating and roof; test drivers wore leather flying suits, of the type used in contemporary open biplanes. By the end of 1937, 20 TPV experimental prototypes had been built and tested. The prototypes had only one headlight, all that was required by French law at the time.

By 1939 the TPV was deemed ready, after 47 technically different and progressively improved experimental prototypes had been built and rigorously tested. These prototypes made use of aluminium and magnesium parts and had water-cooled flat twin engines with front-wheel drive. The seats were hammocks hung from the roof by wires.

In mid-1939 a pilot run of 250 cars was produced and on 28 August 1939 the car finally received French market homologation Brochures were printed and preparations made to present the car, renamed the Citroën 2CV, at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October 1939.

Disaster then struck as Europe was plunged into a second World War and the Paris Motor Show had to be cancelled just a month before it was scheduled. During the German occupation of Paris, Boulanger refused to co-operate with the Germans and organised sabotaging of the German war effort to the point were the Gestapo listed him as an "important enemy of the reich" under constant threat of arrest and deportation to Germany.

Citroen decided to hide the TPV project from the Nazis, fearing they would use it as a military application, like the future Volkswagen Beetle (manufactured during the war as the Kubelwagen).

Economics changed drastically by 1941 (aluminium prices shot up by 40%) a report at Citroen showed the TPV would not be economically viable. Boulanger redesigned the entire car, this time with steel panels.

The Nazi's also tried to loot Citroen's press tools, which was frustrated after Boulanger got the French Resistance to re-label all rail cars containing them in the Paris marshalling yard but Citroen was unsure if they could all be recovered.

After the war it took another 3 years for Citroen to get the TPV to it's third incarnation, resulting in the car gaining the nickname "Toujours Pas Vue" (Still Not Seen) by the press. But the car was finally unveiled at the Paris Motor Salon in 1948 and went on sale that year.

The car was a commercial success, with a 3 year waiting list as soon as it went on sale (soon extended to 5 years) and a second hand 2CV ended up being more expensive than a new one due to not having to wait.

By 1951 production was increased to over 100 cars per week and over 15,000 cars per year and Citroen introduced a van version called the "Fourgonnette".

When Boulanger died in 1950 he left a strict policy that "Priority (for buying a 2CV) is given to those who have to travel by car because of their work, and for whom ordinary cars are too expensive to buy." Dealer sales contracts were provisional and customers' needs were verified by the company. The deserving cases were country vets, doctors, midwives, priests and the small farmers that it was originally designed for.

The 2CV had evolved considerably by 1980 and Citroen decided to produce a new version called the "2CV6 Special". This model would feature a 602cc engine (the base 2CV had a 375cc engine).

According to IMCDB, the 2CV has made over 2,200 movie and TV appearances including 007 For Your Eyes Only, Mr Bean: Animated Series, Cars 2 and Red 2.

Source:

Specifications:
Body: 5 Door Hatchback
Drivetrain: Rear Engined Front Wheel Drive
Engine: Citroen "M28" 600cc 4-Stroke Flat-Twin
Power: 30 BHP
Torque: 40NM
Weight: 600KG
Transmission: 4 Speed Manual
Top Speed: 71 MPH

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