The Little Citroen 2CV

Development of the Citroën 2CV began before World war II. Because of their fear that the Germans would steal the design when they invaded and occupied France, Citroën and it's biggest investor, Michelin, decided to distroy all but a handful of the Citroen 2CVs and carefully hide those few cars that were saved.

During the 42 years that the Citroën 2CV was made it was sold through out the world. In many countries it became a bit of a cult car and was known by some interesting names.

The name 2CV or Deux Chevaux simply means 2 physical horse power by the French system. Roughly translated this means two horses pulling. Other names that the Deux Chevaux was known as are the "Tin Snall" and the "Dolly" in England. In Germany it was known as "Duck". In Norway the Citroen 2CV was known as a direct translation of "Iron Bed" which is "Jemseng".

During the Citroën 2CVs production run from 1948 thru 1990, over 5 Million of the 2CV and it's derivatives were made. This put it in the top 10 cars, having the longest production run and numbers made ever.    

You can read about and see more great photos at our club blog, Citbitz. You can find technical tips and diagrams for the Citroen 2CV at Citroen Tech Tips. Visit us often.