Beloved Classic French Car Goes Electric

[xchrom]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,799283,00.html


The pokey Citroën 2CV was derided for its lightness and simplicity when it debuted in the 1940s. But German engineers say these same qualities might make the cult vehicle an ideal prototype for the electric vehicle of the future.

The development order was issued in the fall of 1935 and was the culmination of a vast wealth of experience. The Great Depression had been surmounted, and Europe's economy resembled a field fresh for the tilling. Pierre-Jules Boulanger, then vice-president and head of engineering and design at the French carmaker Citroën, tasked his engineers with developing the practical vehicle.

Boulanger wanted "a car for two people and a sack of potatoes that could drive straight across fields using just three liters per 100 kilometers (0.8 gallons/62 miles) while not breaking any of the eggs in the basket on board." In the years to come, the fact that the engineers didn't succeed in fulfilling all of these conditions did little to reduce the renown of the product that arose out of the legendary specifications sheet.

World War II delayed the car's development for six years. But October 1948 saw the debut of the Citroën 2CV, a bare-bones vehicle that initially boasted a two-cylinder, 9-horse-power engine that made a tinny, clattering sound as well as a retractable roof that opened like a sardine can. In fact, at the car's unveiling in Paris, someone is said to have asked: "Does it come with a can opener?"

In Germany, the Citroën CV2 is fondly known as the "Ente," or "duck." Despite its initial derision, the somewhat anemic vehicle would go on to achieve cult status among the gentle-souled refuseniks of automotive performance. Over 5 million models have been produced and, strictly speaking, its manufacture has yet to be completely disrupted.



*** please, please, please keep all the retro styling -- it would be to Die!

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R!!! n/t

[NYC_SKP]

2. K/R for Progress...

[Tansy_Gold]

3. Vive le Deux Chevaux! n/t

[kestrel91316]

4. When I was growing up, for years there was an abandoned Citroen sedan

parked on my grandparents' ranch in the remotest part of the Great Basin in NV, lol. Never did get the story on that thing.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. These cars were hated in France as much as they were loved

I remember visting France in the 60s and the hatred these cars generated among non-2cv drivers. On a slight incline in a two-way highway (of which there were many) the slow 2cv would cause enormous traffic back-ups and the accidents caused by frustrated drivers trying to pass them in heavy traffic. There were a lot of peppier cars made in France at the time including the Simca, Renault, Panhard, Peugeot and the Citroen DS. The 2cvs were largely bought by students and people who could afford nothing else. Students graduated from the Solex motorized bike to the 2cv. You could buy a well-running used 2cv for the equivalent of $50. I've never understood the fascination for this particular car and the incredible prices that a 2cv is now fetching in the U.S. I've seen them as high as $20,000 on Craigslist and Ebay. If you want a vintage French car there are much better ones in my opinion, like the revolutionary Panhard.

[DCKit]

6. You completely missed every facet of every point in the OP.

Congratulations.

[madokie]

7. My neighbor has a CV2

its a 50's some model with the BMW engine. The engine looks like the same engine that is used by bmw on their motorcycles.
It came complete with friction shocks rather than shocks like autos of today use. Shocks like those found on Henry Fords model A.

The car is so ugly that its cute.