Thank you to chrisjcieslak
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day – Citroën 2CV
– Posted on November 15, 2019
Thank you to chrisjcieslak
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The fuel economy and performance of our Prius dropped noticeably when we carried bikes on the roof, and even the empty bike rack increased wind noise a lot. I’m not sure I’d want to deal with any performance hit on a 2CV, though maybe the increased wind noise wouldn’t be noticeable. Or maybe it’s all moot.
It’s funny… only after looking at these pictures a second time — and re-reading your comment — did I even notice the bike rack on this car. The car itself is such an oddball, I didn’t pay attention to what was on the roof.
Ah, thank you. Brought back the love I felt for the 2CV when I saw them for the first time in Holland during our 1977 trip.
A beautiful 2CV, n’est-ce pas?
Oui, c’est une jolie bagnole, mais il me manque les ancien phares jaune d’epoque.
I can tell you that these are NOT common sights in Illinois. Great catch!
Thanks JP! FWIW, this was taken in the East Village / Wicker Park neighborhood at Division near Wolcott. I’ve seen it around a few times, so someone’s at least driving it once in a while.
Seeing a 2CV in the US is always such an odd experience… like suddenly seeing an animal well out of its natural habitat. But its possibly the post distinctive profile in the automotive world. I saw a 2CV in Maryland earlier this year — it was driving the opposite direction from me on a highway, and I knew it was a 2CV from seemingly a quarter-mile away, even though it’s been at least a decade since I’ve seen one.
Thinking back to my days in high school, I recall how VW Beetles offered a completely different experience than any other cars. I had a couple of buddies that were Beetle acolytes, and remember noting the unique VW features, sounds, and smells I experienced while riding shotgun.
It’s a shame the 2CV never made it over to the US in large numbers, because I’m sure it would be a unique and memorable experience, but in a COMPLETELY different way. Perhaps someday I’ll get a ride in a Citreon and see if this assumption is true.
Hard to believe these oddballs were so common elsewhere. Stumbled across this one a couple years ago around the corner from my house in upstate NY.
Lol! The frugal Veyron.
!!!
I dont see too many 2CVs though theres a club guy who will build you one new should you so desire, I doubt hes very busy, other Citroens I see everyday/night in traffic but not these nice find.
It is very understandable that the 2CV had no business in sixties & seventies US.
The old 375cc engines crawl along as they had a lot less ‘powerrr’ like the 2cv6 featured here. This engine was introduced in the early seventies
You were dead on collison when you’d encounter any American made car, the umbrella gearchange was akward and you’d be a mobile chicane for trucks on the highway.
Ralph Nader would have finished it off, although the 2CV’s handling is one of its best features.
On an icy and slippery road these are the best cars you can have : they are light, have fwd, large wheels and the lack of power makes it handle great.
My parents had Citroën 2CV Charleston for many years. One awesome feature was its ability to lean “dangerously” further during curves or turns. Adding the bikes or travel pouches to the roof would require much slower and more careful negotiations.
Of course, the 2CV would not be good fit for the hilly neighbourhoods in San Francisco or Seattle. My parents lived in a village outside Herzogenaurach, the site of adidas and Puma world headquarters. The village is accessible by a steep graded road. With my mum and her three friends on board, 2CV could barely chug up the road, taking about two minutes or so to reach the top when it normally takes any other cars five seconds or so.
Its ability to cruise through deep snow is spot on. The rail thin tyres really cut through snow so my mum always showed up for work in Erlangen about 20 km away on heavy snow days.
I like the canopy roof. I doubt the 2CV can go very fast, so the extra drag of having the top down would have very little impact.
At my university in Germany, during the mid-90’s, these were still quite common. Like Beetles, but French.
I loved riding in them because they were so bizarre in almost every way. Perfect for the city because no one could drive fast there. Not bad for the surrounding farmlands either, because there was little traffic.
A charming toy car!
CC effect: a couple of days after this post I was standing in front of Santa Monica Library when a young man drives up and parks an ancient, wheezy 2CV across the street. As the car idles the generator barely keeps the headlights functioning (and they were pretty dim when the car drove up). The driver hops out, puts money in the meter, and strolls away. SoCal is the land of CCs and so many are still seeing daily use. Sorry, too stunned to take a picture.