Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024 - Cars on Saturday the 9th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. The Citroën 2CV is unquestionably one of the most enduring archetypes of global car culture. It helped put the French working class on wheels, especially important after the ravages of WWII and offered basic transportation, a boon to the French economy both from a transportation and a manufacturing standpoint.
There are a number of ‘urban myths’ concerning head of Citroën, Pierre-Jules Boulanger’s 1930’s vision for the future but, allegedly, the new car had to be able to “ transport four peasants with 100kg of farm produce to market at 50kph, in clogs, and across muddy unpaved roads if necessary. The roof had to be high enough, enabling driver and passengers to ride whilst wearing their Sunday hats to church, the car’s fuel consumption would need to average 90-95mpg, it should be able to drive across a ploughed field without breaking the eggs it was carrying and, above all, it had to stay within the ‘two horsepower’ fiscal bracket to remain affordable.”
We doubt whether any of that (apart from the 2CV bit) was in Boulanger's original design brief but what was required included a small, economical engine that can be fixed easily, a modular panel construction that’s easy to screw back together, long travel suspension that gives an easy ride over everything from ploughed fields to rutted lanes and of course a rag-topped aspect that eschews security and luxury for the most down to earth motoring experience. The aesthetic appearance was secondary, with functionality the only consideration. It was a transport solution that could replace the traditional pony and trap – and it had a roof!
There are many stories about the origins of the Citroen 2CV, in fact most of its early history appears to be anecdotal, however, it doesn’t really matter as all those stories, tall or otherwise, simply add to the little car’s charm.
One story that's definitely not anecdotal is the remarkable tale of this 602cc, Vallelunga Red, 2CV6 Spéciale. French production having finished in 1988, this example was built in Portugal and rolled off the line on June 12th 1990, the final cars doing so just weeks later on July 27th. It was registered by the supplying dealer in Somerset on 9th August which is presumably when our vendor's father took delivery. It was purchased by him as a 21st Birthday present for his daughter, a lovely gesture but perhaps a touch impulsive as she was only six-years-old at the time. Our vendor, a former international athlete and now an acclaimed sports journalist, confirms that her enterprising father managed to keep it hidden all that time and describes it as "having been wrapped in cotton wool" in the intervening years. However, despite not being used during that period, we understand that it was regularly started and maintained as required. Fitted with electronic ignition, the only modification we understand from when it left the factory, it still bears many of the quality inspection stickers that would have been present when it rolled off the production line. She has enjoyed the car occasionally when at home, with the odometer now displaying the grand total of 556miles from new, however, the loss of its storage space now gives us the opportunity to bring it to sale.
Rarely does a car of this age with just one registered keeper come to light, even less so when it is a model with such cult status, and offered as it is at 'No Reserve', we anticipate that collectors will abound. An Iconic car at an 'Iconic' sale, absolutely appropriate.
Professional photos to follow
