The Citroën 2CV: An Umbrella on Four Wheels, 1948 to 1990

The Citroën 2CV was a small, cheap, simple French car that went on show at the Paris Salon on 7 October 1948 and stayed in production until 27 July 1990. It was designed around the needs of people in the countryside, with a soft long-travel suspension, a small air-cooled engine and a body built to be light and practical. More than five million were sold, depending on how a count is made.

The brief

According to Wikipedia, a Citroën market survey in the mid-1930s led to a brief for an inexpensive and rugged car described as an umbrella on four wheels. It was to carry four people and 50 kg of farm goods at 50 km/h, use no more than 3 litres of fuel per 100 km, and let the driver cross a ploughed field with a basket of eggs unbroken. Pierre-Jules Boulanger, then head of the company, sent the brief to the design team in 1936.

The original name was TPV, short for Toute Petite Voiture, meaning very small car. The Drive reports that about 250 trial cars with water-cooled engines were built over the next three years.

War delays the launch

A launch had been planned for 1939, but Wikipedia says the outbreak of war cancelled it. The Drive adds that the Michelin family, who owned Citroën, hid the prototypes from German forces after the occupation of France in 1940. The car that appeared in 1948 was reworked from the TPV. Sources differ on exactly when series production began, with some suggesting 1948 and others mid-1949.

How it was built

• Engine: the first car had a 375 cc air-cooled flat-twin rated at 6.6 kW (9 hp). Later versions used 425 cc, 602 cc and, from 1970, an updated 435 cc engine, according to Wikipedia.
• Suspension: long-travel springs linked front and rear wheels, which gave a soft ride and helped keep the body level over bumps.
• Body and seats: The Drive describes removable seating, and a design aimed at rough ground.

Because the engine was air-cooled, it had no radiator or coolant to look after. The car was designed to be simple to repair and to run on little fuel.

From car to family of vehicles

The 2CV platform was reused for other models. Wikipedia names the Ami, Dyane, Acadiane and Méhari among the derivatives. The Drive notes that vans and pickups used the same underpinnings.

How many were built

Counts vary with what is included. Wikipedia gives about 3.8 million 2CVs and over 9 million vehicles once derivatives are added. The Drive says Citroën sold more than 5.1 million 2CVs, and that the platform's underpinnings went into nearly 9 million vehicles in all. One search result for the last car's number gave 5,114,961, while another source gave 5,114,969, so the exact final figure is not settled. Treat all these numbers as approximate and dependent on whether vans are counted.

The end of production

French production ended in 1988 at the Levallois-Perret plant, and Wikipedia gives the date of the last French-built car as 25 February. Production continued in Mangualde, Portugal. The last car was finished there on 27 July 1990, and The Drive says it was a two-tone grey 2CV 6 Charleston built for the plant manager, with a marching band marking the occasion. The same article says series production had run for 42 years across 11 plants. Reasons reported for the end include stricter exhaust and safety rules that the design could no longer meet.

Timeline

• 1936: the brief is sent to the design team.
• 1939: planned launch cancelled by war.
• 7 October 1948: the car is shown at the Paris Salon.
• 1970: updated 435 cc engine introduced.
• 25 February 1988: last French-built car at Levallois-Perret.
• 27 July 1990: last car completed in Mangualde, Portugal.

Why it is remembered

The 2CV is remembered because the design brief was followed so closely, and because the car stayed in production for 42 years with limited change. The brief called for low cost, low fuel use and ride comfort on bad roads, and the car's long-travel suspension and small engine were direct answers to those aims.

Sources

• Citroën 2CV, Wikipedia
• The Final Citroen 2CV Was Built on This Day in 1990, The Drive