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History
The 2CV belongs to a very short list of vehicles introduced right after World War
II that remained relevant and competitive for many decades - in the case of the
2CV, 42 years.
Pierre Boulanger's early 1930s design brief - said by some to be astonishingly radical
for the time - was for a low-priced, rugged "umbrella on four wheels" that would
enable two peasants to drive 100 kg of farm goods to market at 60 km/h, in clogs
and across muddy unpaved roads if necessary. France at that time had a very large
rural population, who had not yet adopted the automobile due to cost. The car would
use no more than 3 litres of gasoline to travel 100 km. Most famously, it would
be able to drive across a ploughed field without breaking the eggs it was carrying.
Boulanger later also had the roof raised to allow him to drive while wearing a hat.
André Lefèbvre was the engineer in charge of the TPV (Toute Petite Voiture - "Very
Small Car") project. By 1939, the TPV was deemed ready and several prototypes had
been built. Those prototypes made use of aluminium or magnesium parts and had water-cooled
engines. The seats were hammocks suspended from the roof by wires. During the German
occupation of France during World War II, Michelin (Citroën's main shareholder)
and Citroën managers decided to hide the TPV project from the Nazis, fearing some
military application. Several TPVs were buried at secret locations, one was disguised
as a pickup, and the others were destroyed, and Boulanger had the next six years
to think about more improvements. Until 1994, when three TPVs were discovered in
a barn, it was believed that only two prototypes had survived. As of 2003, five
TPVs are known. For long it was believed that the project was so well hidden that
the all the prototypes were lost at the end of the war (in fact it seems that none
of the hidden TPVs was lost after the War, but in the 1950s an internal memo ordered
them to be scrapped. The surviving TPVs were, in fact, hidden from the top management
by some workers who were sensitive to their historical value).
After the war, internal reports at Citroën showed that producing the TP V would not be economically viable,
given the rising cost of aluminium in the post-war economy. A decision was made
to replace most of the aluminium parts with steel parts. Other changes were made,
the most notable being an air-cooled engine, new seats and a restyling of the body
by Flaminio Bertoni. It took three years for Citroën to rework the TPV and the car
was nicknamed "Toujours Pas Vue" (Still Not Seen) by the press.
Citroën finally unveiled the car at the Paris Salon in 1948. The car on display
was nearly identical to the type A version that would be sold next year, but lacked
an electric starter: the addition of this one was decided the day before the opening
of the Salon of Paris. It was enormously criticized. In spite of that, it had a
great impact on low-income population.
It was laughed at by journalists, probably because Citroën had launched the car
without any press advertising. Boris Vian described the car as an "aberration roulante"
(rolling aberration) and the car was qualified as a "Spartan car" or a "sardine
can" by many. History has confirmed that the car was charming in a lot of people's
views, and a revolution in consumer transportation, at least on the French market.
The 2CV was a great commercial success: within months of it going on sale, there
was a three-year waiting list. The waiting list was soon increased to five years.
At that time a second-hand 2CV was more expensive than a new one because the buyer
did not have to wait. Production was increased from four units per day in 1949 to
400 units per day in 1950. Some of the early models were built at Citroën's plant
in Slough, England but the 2CV sold poorly in Great Britain. Expecting to boost
sales, Citroën introduced a coupé version called the Bijou that was briefly produced
at Slough.
Construction
The level of technology in the 1948 2CV was remarkable for a car of any price in
that era, let alone one of the cheapest cars on the planet. While colors and detail
specifications were modified in the ensuing 42 years, the biggest mechanical change
was the addition of front disc brakes in 1980.
The 1948 2CV featured:
four wheel independent suspension
trailing arm rear suspension
front-wheel drive
inboard front brakes
small, lightweight, air-cooled flat twin engine
4-speed manual transmission
bolt-on detachable body panels
front suicide doors
The body was constructed of a dual H-frame chassis, an airplane-style tube framework,
and a very thin steel shell.
The suspension of the 2CV was almost comically soft - a person could easily rock
the car back and forth dramatically. The swinging arm, fore-aft linked suspension
system together with inboard front brakes had a much smaller unsprung weight than
existing coil spring or leaf designs. This made the suspension more responsive,
enabling the 2CV to indeed be driven at speed over a ploughed field. Since the rear
brakes were outboard, extra shock absorbers or tuned mass dampers were fitted to
the rear wheels to damp wheel bounce.
Front-wheel drive made the car easy and safe to drive and Citroën had developed
some experience with it due to the pioneering Traction Avant.
It was powered by a flat-twin air-cooled engine designed by Walter Becchia, with
a nod to the classic 'boxer' BMW motorcycle engine (it is reported that Becchia
dismantled the engine of the BMW motorcycle of Flaminio Bertoni before designing
the 2CV engine).
The car had a 4-speed manual transmission, an advanced feature on an inexpensive
car at the time. Boulanger had originally insisted on no more than 3 gears, because
he believed that with
four ratios the car would be perceived as complex to drive
by customers. Thus, the fourth gear was marketed as an overdrive, this is why on
the early cars the "4" was replaced by "S" for surmultipliée. The gear shifter came
horizontally out of the dashboard with the handle curved upwards. It had a strange
shift pattern. The first was back on the left, the second and third were inline
and the fourth (or the S) could be engaged only by turning the lever to the right
from the third.
In keeping with the ultra-utilitarian (and rural) design brief, the canvas roof
could be rolled completely open. The Type A one stoplight, and was available only
in grey. The windscreen wipers were powered by a purely mechanical system: a cable
connected to the transmission, to reduce cost, this cable powered also the speedometer.
The wipers' speed was therefore variable with car speed. When the car was waiting
at a crossroad, the wipers were not powered, thus it was also possible to power
them by hand.
The reliability of the car was increased by the fact that, being air-cooled, it
had no coolant, radiator, water pump or thermostat. It had no distributor either
because both spark plugs were fired at the same time, on every two strokes. Except
for the brakes there were no hydraulic parts on original models as the shock absorbers
were based on an inertial system.
Engines
The car featured an air-cooled, flat-twin, four-stroke, 375 cc engine, with the
notoriously underpowered earliest model developing only 9 bhp DIN (6.5 kW). A 425
cc engine was introduced in 1955, followed by a 602 cc (giving 28 bhp (20.5 kW)
at 7000 rpm) in 1968. With the 602 cc engine the tax classification of the car changed
so that it became in fact a 3CV, but the commercial name remained unchanged. A 435
cc engine was introduced at the same time in replacement of the 425 cc, the 435
cc engine car was christened 2CV 4 while the 602 cc took the name 2CV 6 (nevertheless
it did take the name 3CV in Argentina). The 602 cc engine evolved to 33 bhp (24
kW) in 1970; this was the most powerful engine fitted to the 2CV. A new 602 cc giving
only 29 bhp (21.5 kW) at a slower 5750 rpm was introduced in 1979. Despite being
less powerful, this engine was more efficient, allowing lower fuel consumption and
better top speed.
The last evolution of the 2CV engine was the Citroën Visa flat-2, a 652 cc featuring
an electronic ignition. Citroën never sold this engine in the 2CV, however some
enthusiasts have converted their 2CVs to 652 engines.
The End
The 2CV was built from 1948 to 1990, and sadly became a victim of its own success.
Citroen had a major image change in the '80s and decided they wanted to disown the
model completely. Plans were put into place to cease production in 1990...and here's
the devious bit. Because Citroen didn't want these 'funny little cars' around any
longer than was necessary they started putting inferior chassis in them from around
'83-'84. The chassis was designed to last for approx 10 years and then Citroen hoped
these funny little cars would die off gracefully. However, Citroen didn't reckon
on the worksmanship on the pre-83 cars...whose extremely solid chassis just kept
going and going. The majority of pre-83 2CVs are still on their original chassis,
including some of the very early ripple bonnets. Citroen also didn't reckon on the
huge following these little cars have worldwide, similar to VWs with their huge
following of diehard fans. A few specialist companies started making their own reinforced
replacement chassis....and as it's so easy to lift the body off, a chassis replacement
really isn't that much of a headache. A pair of competent mechanics could complete
this in just about a day.
In 1988, production ceased in France but was continued in Portugal. The last 2CV,
gray with chassis number VF7AZKA00LA376002, rolled off the Portuguese production
line on July 27, 1990. In all, a total of 3,872,583 2CV sedans were produced. Including
the commercial versions of the 2CV, Dyane, Méhari, FAF, & Ami variants, the
2CV's underpinnings spawned over nine million cars.
The 2CV was outlived by contemporaries such as the Mini (went out of production
in 2000), VW Beetle (2003), Renault 4 (1994),
VW Type 2 (still in production) and Hindustan Ambassador (still in production)
Year by Year Changes
1948: Release at the Paris Auto Salon. This car, designed by Pierre
Boulanger is the most extraordinary design of the show. The Citroën stand has never
been this crowded. It looks revolutionary and its mechanics are as well. It is
designed to take a basket full of eggs over the country roads without breaking an
egg. It is light, very economical and cheap. A car for the masses. The engine is
an 375cc 9hp, air-cooled, 2 cylinder boxer. Top speed is 40 mph. and the cars are
happy to rev flat out all day long. The early cars can be recognized by the oval
ornament on the grill of the one-piece bonnet.
1949: This was model year
1950: No changes.
1951-1953: No changes.
1954: The oval on the bonnet disappear and only the chevrons are
left. The speedometer gets a light for the dark.
1955: A new 2CV appears. It's the AZ with bigger 425cc engine developing
12hp and a top speed of 49 mph.
1956: No changes.
1957: The steering wheel turns from black into gray. A bigger back
screen and a new model, the AZL. Aluminium strips on the bonnet and below the doors
are the most obvious differences.
1958: 2 New models. The AZLM is a AZL with the metal boot lid (
earlier cars have a roof that rolls down to the bumper!). The 2CV Sahara 4x4 is
the famous two engined 2CV. Four wheel drive is achieved by putting an extra engine
in the boot and letting it drive the rear wheels. Either or both engines can be
selected.
1959: Some heating is provided, most needed is the very effective
front windscreen demister.
1960: Different tires for all 2CVs. 135x380 instead of 125x400.
Changes to the Sahara include position of number plate, rear lights and position
of the fuel tanks.
1961: New bonnet with small grill (like the one on my car) and
separate pieces between bonnet and wings.
1962: Mixte is the name for the boot lid that opens complete with
back screen. New engine gives 14 hp and puts top speed at 52 mph.
1963: New type of bumpers for all cars except Sahara. There are
now 5 models: - AZL, Ordinary. - AZA, Ordinary with metal boot lid. - AZAM, More
luxurious with paper clip like ornaments on the bumpers. - Mixte, With bootlid that
opens together with back screen and a part of the roof. - Sahara, 2 Engines, four
wheel drive.
1964: New tyres Michelin X 125x400 instead of Normal 135x380. Electrical
windscreen wipers instead of mechanical ones driven by speedometer cable. Speedometer
moves from the windscreen to the dashboard and gets different shape.
1965: Finally all four doors open at the rear. Mixte is replaced
by commerciale which can have a flat boot floor installed so you can take bigger
objects and load the car more easily.
1966: New grille with horizontal bars. Chevrons move from grille
to bonnet. Third sidescreen for all cars except AZL and Sahara.
1967: A special version named Export appears. It is derived from
the AZAM but is only produced for 4 months.
1968: Because of the introduction of the Dyane, only 2 models of
2CV are left, the Berline and Commerciale.
Late 1968: Two models 2CV with 18 SAE hp.
1969: Two models of 2CV (Berline, Commerciale) with 425cc and 18
SAE hp. 1970: All 2CVs get a 12V electrical installation, round front indicators
and new taillights. A list of all models: - Berline 2CV4 with 435cc 26 SAE hp engine.
Top speed: 63 mph. - Berline 2CV6 with 602cc 33 SAE hp engine. Top speed: 68 mph.
1971-1973: No changes.
1974: New tyres: 125X15 instead of 125X380.
1975: New square headlights, a new plastic grill and new painted
steel bumpers.
1976: 2CV Special is the new cheaper version of the 2CV and there
is a special edition called Spot as well. The supremacy of the 2CV over the Dyane
becomes clear: 4 models of the 2CV and 1 Dyane. Because of the oil crisis, the 2cvs
and Dyanes are very popular. The hp figure is reduced from 28.5 DIN hp to 26 DIN
hp. To celebrate the 5 millionth 2CV, a special limited edition model the Spot is
introduced.
1977: Here is a list of all models: - Berline 2CV4 Special. - Berline
2CV4. - Berline 2CV6.
1978: No changes:
1979: The 2cv6 gets square headlights.The 2cv4 is discontinued
and the 2cv Special gets the third side screen and keeps the round headlights. The
2CV6 gets increased power through a double choke carburetor to 29 hp.
1980: The 2CV Special gets the 602cc engine. All 2CVs get a 6.5
gallon fuel tank instead of 5.25.
1981: New carburation adjustment and rear view mirror. 29 hp, top
speed 71 mph. The new 2CV called Charleston is introduced and for now only 5000
are made.
1982: The Charleston is a big success and is continued, but now
with chrome headlights and different upholstery. All 2CVs get front disc brakes
at last.
1983: New seat belts for all cars.
1984: A special edition. The white 2CV with blue stripes called
France 3, Transat or Beachcomber.
1985-1990: No changes. The last car was produced
the month of July in a plant in Portugal.
This page is based on an article about the 2CV at Wikipedia.org with extra contributions
and additions by club members (esp. forum member Caroline AKA
ex-2cv-er).
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