Show me your 2CV and other A Series Citroens please

[Six-cylinder]

My 2CV took a back seat this year and my interest had waned until DW started his 652cc conversion and Brownova bought his yellow one. Talk of taking 2CVs to Cholmondeley 2019 got me blurting out I will take mine, then realty set in its 140 miles that I usually do comfortably in my luxury Visa Diesel.

 

I have been aware of 2CVs for ever and then was fully exposed to them in 1987 when I sold Citroens. Somehow it always tickled me that I sold a new plumbs and custard Dolly to a district nurse. Ownership did not come until 1995 with a 1988 red Special that had had a new chassis under warranty by Citroen Glasgow and it was great, in fact so great a friend wanted it for his sister-in-law and for many years we got to hear of its adventures.

 

 

Say Hallo to Dolly (Warning 2CV Collection Content)

 

Mrs6C started a Saturday 3 ½ years ago early for us by her need to prepare stuff for the AGM of an Orchard Group she belongs to so I has a quick 7am look at ebay . I noticed a 52k mile 2CV that I liked the look of so sent messages but still no response at 9.30 am so I called, I was first to ask to see it rather that “what is your best price”, but he would not be home until 6.30 pm so that gave Mrs6C  the chance to come with me. Interesting seller with a MG Maestro Turbo, Morris Marina 1.8 saloon and the 2 CV had been replaced with a Nissan Figaro.

 

 The transaction for the 2CV was strange pleasant and interesting with us acting out a scene from “Wheeler Dealers”, I made an offer he rejected it and made a speech about how well priced the car was and how much interest he had in it and suggested a price he would not go below. So I went to agree to that and he said that not how it is done and I should make another offer a little higher than my 1^st so I did, he rejected that but came back with a counter offer £50 lower than his lowest price and we did the big handshake. This seller was very pleasant and fun to deal with, gave us all the time we needed to look over the 2CV, honored nobody could see it until we had decided and then gave us a Haynes manual, Restoration book and a few spares after the deal was done.

 

 Anyway my 2CV is one of those cars that will never be a prize winner and wherever you look there is a minor rust spot or something that needs a bit of work such as it now needs a hood but it is solid, drives very well and still looks tidy.

 

I like the idea of changing my 2CV for a Tax and MOT free Dyane because of the tiny mileage I do, I can get it out for a run without much fixed cost. Somebody in the Citroen Car Club had a 1970 Dyane I liked the look of so enquired and was told I will get it MOTed and then it will be available. Disaster it looked smart but needed major body repairs so that did not happen.

 

The furthest I have driven a Citroen A series is a Dyane from Bristol to home about 100 miles so Cholmondeley is not that much more, maybe with the right encouragement…….

[somewhatfoolish]

Father and son bonding; my old man drove the two of us in his Petrel Blue Club(luxury!) to visit friends near Frankfurt in the early nineties, it gave no trouble over the ~2500 miles barring the needle valve sticking on the first day just as we hit traffic on the motorway near Doncaster, resulting in a need to avoid sitting in stationary traffic and yours truly seeking alternative routes on side roads to finish the journey to Grandma's house in Barlborough. I shall see if I can find some pics of it.

[HMC]

Great backstory, what sort of people used to buy a 2cv vs Visa at the time?

 

My longest single trek was Peterborough-Bolton-tavistock in a 425cc AZAM which was without seatbelts and mechanically sick. I made it but the chassis snapped in two not long after. Memorable in a scary way, the trip and the car in general. Saw it on e bay about a month ago in bits.

[dollywobbler]

Bear in mind that a 1970 Dyane will be fairly different to a later one. Drum brakes and a fair few other curiosities. Just use your existing 2CV more! They eat the miles up.

[petermcpete]

May have gone over the top with the pictures

 

 

 

Pre and post restoration/recommisioning (SORN from 2002-2015, many hours welding required)

 

 

Breakdown on way to first MOT

 

 

Changing the alternator belt by the side of a French motorway near Bordeaux

 

Some French landmarks

 

 

Off-roading part 1 - easy

 

 

Off-roading part 2 - stuck

 

The 900 mile weekend - Midlands to Ben Nevis and back

 

 

Peaks

 

 

The beast  with friends

[artdjones]

Am I weird?I much prefer the look of these with the body all one colour,just with a contrasting roof.

[dollywobbler]

Here's mine, at the moment she clicked up 100,000 miles.

 

Dyanes are actually much better cars. But they are not 2CVs.

 

Practical.

[Matty]

One of the many things I have wanted and should've tried before values climbed. Sadness

[N Dentressangle]

I was always more of a Renault 4 guy myself 

 

Quite fancy a 2CV though.

[meshking]

These are my current two. Need to dig out photos of my old ones.

[Tamworthbay]

One of the many things I have wanted and should've tried before values climbed. Sadness

Same here, I ignored a couple when they were around a grand with an MoT, not sure that would even get a project these days.

[plasticvandan]

Ironic how a peasants car is now a rich boys toy.

[dollywobbler]

Ironic how a peasants car is now a rich boys toy.

 

True of many a "People's car" isn't it? Not sure they're really rich boy's toys though. I'm not rich, and nor area lot of my 2CV chums. A friend is selling a tidy one for £3250 at the moment. While that's not exactly Autoshite money, it's a lot cheaper than a Fiat 500, and they're crap.

[warren t claim]

May have gone over the top with the pictures

 

 

11058786_10206034966704599_6762264680245704574_n.jpg

Pre and post restoration/recommisioning (SORN from 2002-2015, many hours welding required)

 

12391339_10206963506037502_483845051654362296_n.jpg

Breakdown on way to first MOT

 

13442126_10208767615820818_6848973004787405089_n.jpg

Changing the alternator belt by the side of a French motorway near Bordeaux

 

13502096_10154178474475120_829143643444486491_n.jpg

13645094_10209109511648000_3549233657016032451_n.jpg

Some French landmarks

 

15095709_10209677021313688_3622150514871828816_n.jpg

Off-roading part 1 - easy

 

15078576_10154827969751661_1610633104398584395_n.jpg

Off-roading part 2 - stuck

 

14572337_10209251800403431_1066385276968251732_n.jpg

The 900 mile weekend - Midlands to Ben Nevis and back

 

21105645_10212161243897700_5254768907239823172_n.jpg

Peaks

 

14238133_10209046905881196_1819244001459864570_n.jpg

The beast  with friends

Love the Herald. It's just like the one I drove all the way from Bristol to Merseyside with minimal brakes.

[LightBulbFun]

True of many a "People's car" isn't it? Not sure they're really rich boy's toys though. I'm not rich, and nor area lot of my 2CV chums. A friend is selling a tidy one for £3250 at the moment. While that's not exactly Autoshite money, it's a lot cheaper than a Fiat 500, and they're crap.

 

 

this is one of the things that I do worry about from time to time

 

that I have arrived too late to the game/missed the boat, and by the time I have a licence etc, all the "crap" cars I want I want will be hipster-food or what have you and end up being too expensive....

 

(its one of the many many reasons im making such a push to acquire an invacar somehow)

[MorrisItalSLX]

Ironic how a peasants car is now a rich boys toy.

Very true of the Australian 2CV market.

 

Good luck getting a roadworthy one for less than $15000 and nice ones are well over the $20000 mark.

[spartacus]

Whoever is standing up in the French motorway alternator belt picture has a halo around their head, is this a sign of the saintly patience required to run a 2cv?

[dollywobbler]

this is one of the things that I do worry about from time to time

 

that I have arrived too late to the game/missed the boat, and by the time I have a licence etc, all the "crap" cars I want I want will be hipster-food or what have you and end up being too expensive....

 

(its one of the many many reasons im making such a push to acquire an invacar somehow)

A very real problem. I never managed to own a Lada while they were cheap, and only one rear-engined Skoda that I barely drove before being forced to scrap. Too many crap cars are now way out of budget.

[Lacquer Peel]

We can all afford India's people's car, the CityRover.

[plasticvandan]

They have gone up far more than other similar cars though.case in point,I bought a taxed and tested Bamboo for £600 exactly 10 years ago.I also bought a similar condition Minor for £1200. Today I could still get a Minor in the same condition for around £1500 with a bit of searching,but couldn't get a 2cv for £1500,let alone £600.

[richardmorris]

Am I weird?I much prefer the look of these with the body all one colour,just with a contrasting roof.

Me too.

Although the black and yellow Charleston is my favourite colour combo.

[Zelandeth]

Come have a proper shot of my Lada before I sell the thing (if anyone ever decides they want it)! Best thing about owning cars like this is seeing what other folks make of them.

 

Been a good few years since I was last in a 2CV. My other half has never been in one, and I really need to fix that sometime. Reckon I'd love to have one on fleet, but they're getting rich enough now it's unlikely that'll ever happen unless we see a lottery win.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I was trying to explain to my boss' 8-year-old daughter yesterday what a 2CV was.  I was in shitty work van and she was helping me move most of an orchestral percussion section.  I told her Mum used to love her 2CV (she's talked about it a few times) and what it was and the kid was genuinely interested.

 

Perhaps a shiter of the distant future.

[mercrocker]

Yeah, its great when a kid suddenly expresses an interest.....I was outside the bakery in my Cowley not long ago when a young black girl (must have been about 6 years old) pulled her mum across the pavement to look at it.    I asked mum if she often did that and apparently only if it is proper "long time ago" stuff.   

[Six-cylinder]

Am I weird?I much prefer the look of these with the body all one colour,just with a contrasting roof.

 

I like the two tone with a Plumbs and Custard Dolly being my absolute favourite.

 

I do also like the red and black Charlestons very much. 

 

Not that I don't like solid colours and if my car was a Special and not a Dolly I would have still bought it.

 

As for roofs I need a new one before the spring, but can't find the one I like. Dollywobbler's is perfect narrow white stripes on a red roof, but the current Matts Roofs one has wide stripes. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

grey & charcoal is my fave charleston

cream & blue or grey & red for a dolly (sorry Ian!)

beachcomer is my other fave

 

interesting to read that an original ltd ed dolly (1985) is based on a Club like the Charleston then beacme Speciál based when they became a normal model in the range

[brownnova]

A ride in Elly was enough to convince us... we needed a 2CV in our lives before they become unattainable

 

 

It’s such good fun to be fair, I’ve not gone a longer journey than the journey home (Sheffield to North Wales) but lots of shorter trips have convinced me of how awesome these really are!

 

Having says that the previous owners of ours went to Morocco in it!!!

 

 

It’s so under our skin I even got a 2CV birthday cake last month...

 

And you do gain a great commubity. Here’s a selection of the Cheshire/North Wales group cars at a recent meet

 

 

I’m looking forward to the 2CV events this summer and more importantly the Autoshite 2cv meet at Chumley next September!!

[forddeliveryboy]

I like the two tone with a Plumbs and Custard Dolly being my absolute favourite.

 

I do also like the red and black Charlestons very much.

 

The early Charlestons (grey-grey, maroon-black, yellow-black) were hand-painted and made half-decently from ok steel. A few of the 1983 black-yellow ones were peachy, with a whiff of what had gone before, quality-wise. After MY85, material quality took a steady nosedive (the company announced they'd altered cylinder head quality and was now suitable for unleaded petrol, but nobody realised at the time which direction the quality had gone) and transfers replaced paint with the loss of coach lines and other subtleties. Build quality changed again when they started making them in Portugal, starting off really awful. and steadily improving in some areas. The material quality carried on deteriorating.

 

In typical Citroen weirdness, the Plums n Custard Dollies were generally better put together (not that there weren't some horrors) than the other common later Dollies (white-red, blue-cream) and some of the earliest French-built ones were among the best cars made for the rhd market in 1986, better than most single colour models. The earlier red-grey and white-grey Dollies felt very different, with a real feel of Citroens past.

 

I remember seeing what must've been one of the first Charlestons in North Wales, complete with rectangular headlamps and the lovely black and white houndstooth seat material, back in the early 80s on a W or X plate. They were still hugely fashionable back then, a well driven good example would probably easily have kept up with a new Metro on a winding B road. Brakes and road holding was streets ahead of anything small and German and they were still as cheap as Eastern Bloc imports.

[chaseracer]

Thames Valley Auto Trader, November 1990.  A cheeky bid of £700 secured it.

 

 

Twelve years of hard use took its toll on the body.  The chassis had been replaced a couple of years earlier by Ken Hanna, who designs and builds his own SLC chassis.  This one is galvanised.

 

 

Musical Offspring now uses some of the same spanners to adjust timpani!

 

 

Rick Pembro (better known as 'the gearbox guru') repaired the shell.  Literally weeks after the screen pillars were laboriously patched, 2CVGB announced repair panels!

 

 

 

2CV racer Laurence Broadhurst carefully builds a 'hot motor'.

 

 

Which I painted...

 

 

She runs!

 

 

 

 

Raid Tan Hill, 2004.  Later that year, the original bonnet flipped up at 80 on the M1.

 

 

Hence... 

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

You know, I do have a hankering to take Elly to Morocco. Might have to happen one year.