Description
An exceptional–and exceptionally rare–COMPLETELY ORIGINAL 2CV Special in stunning Celeste Blue, which has covered only 8, 239k miles, almost entirely in the first 14 months of its life; it has been garaged for the past 30+ years.
FULL HISTORY & KNOWN PROVENANCE.
A 14-month-old 2CV frozen in time! When I took ownership of it in 2009, it started, ran, handled, stopped, sounded, smelled and had the feel of a 1-year-old 2CV – an utter revelation. I also owned a ‘normal’ 2CV at the time, and the contrast couldn’t have been greater!
Full Service History (PDI & two services in 1st year of use). Never failed an MOT. Never passed one either – it has never been tested!
Completely original in all respects, apart from a new exhaust and some fuel hoses.
Straight panels, NO rust perforations, COMPLETELY SOLID ORIGINAL CHASSIS & FLOORPAN. Exceptional interior. Original Citroen carpet set and mudflaps (1990), all in essentially unused condition. Even the tyres are the original Michelins, and free from cracks!
The 2CV does now need a fair bit of external tidying as it has numerous surface rust specks which were garnered during that first year of proper use; they are almost exclusively on forward-facing panels, so I suspect ‘stone chips’. The engine components show surface rust and tarnish from its 34-year life, so would also benefit from titivating to make it look as good as new. This is 99% a cosmetic task, and very few actual parts or financial outlay should be required to bring it back to its full glory – I even have 4 litres of Celeste Blue paint made up, colour-matched to one of the quarter panels. The car needs time to complete its fettling to new condition – a luxury I do not have. Obvious tasks required: a respray of the bonnet and front wings (paint included), touch-ups of other stone chips and seams, and the cleaning up of tarnished and surface-rusted engine components. The carburettor needs cleaning and refitting, and a new battery and means of securing the voltage regulator required (unless you can still get the original style of battery which has this moulded lip built in?).
The car has been extensively ‘Waxoyled’, not only to boost the original underseal, but to protect the hubs, suspension components and the insides of the door panels, door frames and every other ‘hollow’ body member I could find.
Viewings are most welcome. Please ask any questions.
GOOD BITS:
Completely original.
FSH - 1 year!
Full known provenance.
No structural rust whatsoever. No perforations. All the rust spots are either from stone chips or beginning along panel seams, but all are surface.
All panels are straight and original.
Under-panels, chassis and floorpan are all original and in completely solid condition.
Hood is original and in excellent condition.
Original Citroen carpet set in perfect condition.
4 litres of Celeste Blue paint colour-matched to a quarter panel.
All original accessories present – spare wheel, jack, starting handle, winter grill, chrome hub caps, wood wheel chocks.
Original handbooks & service book present in folder.
All mechanical components should be in excellent order as only covered 8. 2k miles over around 14 months with FSH (2 services).
Interior in stunning condition, and still smells like a new car! Rear & passenger seats look unused. Driver’s seat has the beginnings of wear to a section of ‘piping’, and a wrinkle in the seat base – ringed yellow in photo.
Still on its original Michelin tyres which are not crazed and fully hold air! (New owner will need to make the judgement whether to continue using them).
BAD BITS:
The clutch makes a shhhhh noise when depressed (similar to the noise my wife makes when I bemoan selling this car). I suspect a dry clutch release bearing. It operates as it should, and makes no noise when pedal is released and when driving.
Carb needs stripping and cleaning.
New battery required. (And a bracket to hold the voltage regulator – this was a moulding on the original battery)
Nearside rear door has a very small dink in its bottom-left corner – ringed yellow in photo.
Rear boot hatch chrome hinge is lifted at one end. This appears to be to do with the hatch prop being used – the lid weight levers up on the hinge.
Numerous surface rust spots and seams need touching up.
Plastic-chrome headlamp rings have surface pitting.
Top dashboard trim has a small crack and adhesive on it – ringed yellow in photo.
To sum up, the car should require very little expenditure other than time, and time is what I do not have to spare. To the best of my knowledge, the parts required to complete this 2CV amount to only a clutch release bearing (if deemed necessary – it does actually work fine), a new battery, and a new dashboard top trim (although I am sure this can be repaired).
Very hard to gauge what the value of the finished vehicle could be, but an all-original 2CV with less than 10k miles on the clock and full provenance will be exceptionally rare. First registered by Tates, Portslade, Brighton (still a Citroen dealer) on the 17th March 1989. I was told it was used by them as a demonstrator for less than one month before being sold.
Bought by its first private owner (I have their details) on the 7th April 1989 and used by him for just over 14 months & 8, 190 miles, when virtually all of its current mileage was added.
Subsequently advertised by Conway Car Centre, Lancing (I have the June 28th 1990 page from the ‘Evening Argus’ newspaper with the advert) as a ‘1989 Citroen 2CV Special, One owner, Demo only 8, 000 miles. £3, 195.’ Presumably part-exchanged by the first owner.
Bought (I have buyer’s details) from Conway Car Centre on the 3rd July 1990. The new owner paid £2, 900, against the £3, 195 asking price - I have the sales receipt. The owner also purchased a Citroen carpet set and mudflaps. He intended it to be an occasional Sunday-drive car, used it a few times – adding a total of 49 miles! – and then parked it in his garage. When he moved house, he trailered the car with him – see photos – and then it resumed sitting in his new garage…
I bought the car in 2009, cleaned up the ignition points, fitted a new exhaust system and fuel pipes, temporarily fitted the carb from my other 2CV (there is currently a fuelling issue to do with MFG’s carb – this will need stripping down and its jets cleaned out), and the car fired up quickly, easily and smoothly. A very sweet and tight-sounding engine.
From my few very local test drives (it, cough, wasn’t taxed or insured) everything worked & behaved just as expected for a very low mileage, 1-year old 2CV; it just felt firm, stable and smooth – no rattles, no shakes, very un-2CV :-). The panel fit is superb, and all the doors close with the smoothest and gentlest of ‘clunks’. The sole mechanical issue was that the clutch made a ‘shhhhh’ sound when the pedal was depressed, which I’m guessing is a dry clutch-release bearing – it is silent when the clutch is released and when driving, and it does operate just as it should. The work now required is almost entirely cosmetic. Apart from a couple of small points listed in the ‘bad bits’ section above, the car is - to the best of my knowledge - in excellent mechanical order as befits its mileage. From 2009 to the present day, it has sat in my garage…
All the bodywork and chassis components are original, straight & true and are completely free from penetrative rust. The interior looks virtually untouched, and even smells fresh! This 2CV is pretty much unique.
I have outlined all the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ of this lovely car to the very best of my knowledge. It last ran 14 years ago when I first bought it, and everything behaved just as it should for a one-year-old 2CV. This is a perfect project for a 2CV enthusiast, but it would also justify having the finishing work carried out professionally, as this exceptional and rare car presents a near-unique opportunity for achieving one of the very best and COMPLETELY ORIGINAL 2CVs still available, with a full known history.
Throughout this car’s life – apart from the first year of proper use – it has been stored in dry garages away from direct light. The engine has been regularly cranked over.
NB: Most of the photos are from when I purchased the car in 2009. The car is currently in my garage, sans bonnet and front wings, and sitting behind building materials. Its condition, tho’, is as shown in these photos. I hope to extract it soon, and will post fresh pics when I can!
Unfortunately, other calls on my time, including another ‘classic’, deemed that zero forward progress was made since 2009, and this is unlikely to change any time soon, hence it’s for sale.
