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Citroen 2CV 6

Citroen 2CV 6

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Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6
Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6Citroen 2CV 6
Lot number 84
Hammer value £2,200
Description Citroen 2CV 6
Registration D896 LWL
Year 1986
Colour Blue
Engine size 602 cc
Chassis No. VF7AZKA00KA245501
Engine No. 0906010179

Although it was not launched until 1948, Citroen’s 2CV had its origins in 1935 when company boss Pierre Boulanger ordered the development of a minimal cost vehicle for farm and family use with considerable cross-country ability.

The brief was for a car that would carry two persons and a 50kg sack of potatoes across rough ground at a speed of 60km/h (37mph) with a fuel consumption of no more than 3 litres per 100km (94mpg) – not, as has been suggested, to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field, although this it could achieve with ease.

A masterpiece of minimalist design, the finished ‘umbrella on wheels’ was made from mostly flat stamped panels, cheap and easy to repair, and was held together with just 16 bolts. The roof and (initially) the boot lid were made of canvas.

Although the original 375cc air-cooled flat-twin engine grew, eventually, to 602cc, the 2CV's performance remained modest at around 70mph flat-out, not that that concerned the majority of its devotees for whom the roomy interior, full-length sunroof and frugal fuel consumption were of far greater importance.

Thanks to its soft, long-travel suspension and high ground clearance, the 2CV possessed remarkable off-road abilities together with a very smooth ride. Less than half the price of a VW Beetle, it was a massive success, transforming the lives of the rural poor and selling over 3.8 million examples before production finally came to an end in 1990.

Its heyday was in the fuel crisis years of the mid-1970s when it became a symbol of the hippy/environmentalist lifestyle, cunningly exploited by Citroen’s marketing department which organised a series of intercontinental endurance ‘Raids’ including the ‘Raid Afrique’ which saw 60 2CVs cross the Sahara, and the ‘Raid Kabul’ which sent 500 2CVs on a 16,500km epic from Paris to Afghanistan and back.

We are advised by the vendor that this 1986 2CV has been fitted with a galvanized chassis. Purchased by her in 2011, it has covered just 300 miles in the last two years and we are advised that it runs and drives well and will be sold with a quantity of spare engine parts. It is MOTd until August 2015.

The task of fitting a new galvanized chassis to a 2CV is not as easy as it may first appear, making this nicely presented example look particularly good value at the modest guide price suggested.
 

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