Citroen 2CV: 80 year old folk car
On August 23, 1939, a new Citroen 2CV model was registered in France. She was positioned as a model for the people. But if the management of Citroen managed to make it such, learn from the article.
In the mid-1930s, Citroen Vice President Pierre Boulanger decided to develop a niche that was not particularly favored before his invasion. He made an attempt to transplant the inhabitants of rural remote places to motor vehicles. Prior to this, they preferred horse-drawn transport. This was a shock, especially for a country like France.
He formed a very specific technical task: the car was supposed to be extremely simple, cheap, weigh no more than 600 kilograms, accelerate to 60 km / h, transport two passengers and 100 kg of cargo. Her roof should be cloth, so that rural residents could transport various kinds of objects. It was also decided not to abandon the innovations of the technical process - front-wheel drive and torsion bar suspension.
The implementation of the ideas of Pierre Boulanger was taken up by designer Andre Lefebvre and designer Flaminio Bertoni. They coped with the task: at the Paris Motor Show in 1939, the Citroen TPV was to appear to the people. But due to the not entirely successful design and the beginning of World War II, the car almost fell into a coma.
In 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the French decided to revive the people's car. Only the leadership of Citroen significantly modified it: two headlights and full seats appeared in the model. But despite this, the Citroen TPV still remained the same simple model. The doors, hood and trunk could be removed without any problems, and the front and rear wings were mounted on screws, which made their dismantling also very quick.
The debut of the people's car took place at the Paris Motor Show in 1948. He went on sale a year later. The first few years, the Citroen 2CV was painted in a single gray color and only then did other colors appear in the gamut. The nine-horsepower engine was subsequently replaced with a 12-horsepower 0.47-liter engine, and at the end of life, the Citroen 2CV was equipped with a 28-horsepower 0.6-liter engine.
In 1988, production of this model in France was discontinued, and in July 1990 the last national car was launched at the Portuguese Citroen plant. In total, from 1949 to 1990, more than 8.7 million Citroen 2CV of all modifications were produced.
And although they laughed at the Citroen 2CV for a very long time, it became one of the favorite cars not only in France but also in Europe.
In the mid-1930s, Citroen Vice President Pierre Boulanger decided to develop a niche that was not particularly favored before his invasion. He made an attempt to transplant the inhabitants of rural remote places to motor vehicles. Prior to this, they preferred horse-drawn transport. This was a shock, especially for a country like France.
Photo © popmech.ru
He formed a very specific technical task: the car was supposed to be extremely simple, cheap, weigh no more than 600 kilograms, accelerate to 60 km / h, transport two passengers and 100 kg of cargo. Her roof should be cloth, so that rural residents could transport various kinds of objects. It was also decided not to abandon the innovations of the technical process - front-wheel drive and torsion bar suspension.
The implementation of the ideas of Pierre Boulanger was taken up by designer Andre Lefebvre and designer Flaminio Bertoni. They coped with the task: at the Paris Motor Show in 1939, the Citroen TPV was to appear to the people. But due to the not entirely successful design and the beginning of World War II, the car almost fell into a coma.
Photo © popmech.ru
In 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the French decided to revive the people's car. Only the leadership of Citroen significantly modified it: two headlights and full seats appeared in the model. But despite this, the Citroen TPV still remained the same simple model. The doors, hood and trunk could be removed without any problems, and the front and rear wings were mounted on screws, which made their dismantling also very quick.
The debut of the people's car took place at the Paris Motor Show in 1948. He went on sale a year later. The first few years, the Citroen 2CV was painted in a single gray color and only then did other colors appear in the gamut. The nine-horsepower engine was subsequently replaced with a 12-horsepower 0.47-liter engine, and at the end of life, the Citroen 2CV was equipped with a 28-horsepower 0.6-liter engine.
Photo © popmech.ru
In 1988, production of this model in France was discontinued, and in July 1990 the last national car was launched at the Portuguese Citroen plant. In total, from 1949 to 1990, more than 8.7 million Citroen 2CV of all modifications were produced.
And although they laughed at the Citroen 2CV for a very long time, it became one of the favorite cars not only in France but also in Europe.
