1972 Citroen Deux Chevaux LHD
Following World War II, narrow French roads were often clogged by farmers’ horses and carts. The goal for the new 2CV was to motorize those farmers. It had to be inexpensive to buy and operate, be able to cross a freshly-plowed field carrying a basket of eggs, and it needed to comfortably traverse the poor and pothole-strewn French Roads. When first introduced for 1949, the 2CV was powered by a tiny 375cc horizontally-opposed, air-cooled twin producing a modest 7 horsepower. Pushed hard, the earliest 2CVs would just about reach 55mph. Those first 2CVs also had corrugated hoods and a canvas cover instead of a traditional trunk lid. Seats were basic benches, as were all the other interior controls and trim.
The power—such that it was—reached the front wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. Suspension travel was long and the, movement was controlled by four friction shops in concert with inertia dampers
By the time this 1972 Citroën 2CV 6 was built, displacement had increased to 602cc and output had jumped to 32.5 horsepower. The rear shock absorbers were switch to hydraulic components and the front inertia dampers were gone, shoulder harness seatbelts and bucket seats were standard, and top speed of the 1,290lbs car had crept up to 62 mph. The sprint to 62 mph was more like a stroll, taking 33.5 seconds. In 1972, Citroën built 198,122 units of the 2CV, despite the reality that the basic design went back to before World War II, and had already been in production 23 years. These diminutive Citroëns continued to roll off the lines until 1990, by which time more than 5.1 million cars of several variations had been built.
This charming yellow and black 2CV was one of the many surprises that the came out of the car corral at the AACA’s Hershey fall . Even more surprising was that it needed practically nothing.
