#deuxcheveaux

[oldmotors]

It looks vaguely like #France but this is, in fact, #Victoria, British Columbia, which I’ve been to only twice but is apparently bursting at the seams with interesting cars during the summer (minutes before, I’d seen a ’57 Eldorado; minutes later, a Peugeot 106 GTI whizzed past), including this #2CV Charleston. The #2CV hung on basically forever but was a niche product by the eighties, mostly a style car like the Mini eventually became - and the last one rolled off the line in Portugal in 1990. By then, the 2CV had outlasted two of its intended “replacements” - the LN and the Visa - and its hatchback derivative, the Dyane. The #DeuxCheveaux was poorly suited to North American highways - particularly in early 425-cc form, but remained for sale in the U.S. and Canada from about 1956 into 1967, lasting a bit longer in the latter country, when safety regs forced it off the market (along with a host of other oddball imports). In the 80s, long after the U.S.-market cars had been forgotten and #Citroën itself had departed North America, the 2CV got a second wind, no longer just an economy car but a stylish retro statement at a bargain-bin price. A variety of special editions that were cheap and fun revived interest in the car beyond its original mission, and they became very popular as grey-market cars in the U.S. and Canada, where there were even “official” importers such as Escargot Motors (maybe @chapron67 can tell us more about that…). Such a significant number of them arrived that they dwarfed the original North American sales of the car, and most stateside 2CVs are later imports. The #Charleston, introduced in 1980 as a fashionable variant of what was seen by many in Europe as a bare-bones economy car, proved instantly popular - with it’s 1930s inspired two-tone paint and nicer interior than any previous 2CV. It became the definitive #80s 2CV. Most Charlestons were burgundy over black, but a pretty yellow-over-black edition and a plainer two-tone grey scheme were available. #PSA #PeugeotCitroën #Frenchcars #frenchclassics #tinsnail #francophile #vivelafrance #retro_rides #carsoffrance #voituresanciennes #Citroën2CV #citroënclassics #classique #citroënoldtimer (at Victoria, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnTv_StnnPH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1com7f0eh5ydm

[oldmotors]

With that very fast company gaining in the background, this #Citroen 2CV looks like it just stepped out of "For Your Eyes Only," but #JamesBond is definitely not driving, and keen observers will note the round headlights, as opposed to the square one's on the Bond car. They mark this out as a late 70s 2CV6 Special. The #2CV hung on basically forever but was a niche product by the eighties, mostly a style car like the Mini eventually became - and the last one rolled off the line in Portugal in 1990. By then, the 2CV had outlasted two of its intended “replacements” - the LN and the Visa - and its hatchback derivative, the Dyane. The #DeuxCheveaux was poorly suited to U.S. highways - particularly in early 425-cc form, but remained for sale in the U.S. from about 1956 into 1967, when safety regs forced it off the market (along with a host of other oddball imports). One U.S. spec was prominently featured in George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” - they weren’t popular when new but they did sell. Later on, long after the U.S.-market cars had been forgotten and #Citroën itself had departed the U.S., the 2CV got a second wind, no longer just an economy car but a stylish retro statement at a bargain-bin price. A variety of special editions that were cheap and fun revived interest in the car beyond its original mission, and they became very popular as grey-market cars here. Such a significant number of them arrived that they dwarfed the original U.S. sales of the car, and most stateside 2CVs are later imports. In the 1970s though, the 2CV was still seen as a legit economy car in Europe - and a base model variant was created to give it an even lower price point. That was the 2CV special, which at first came with a solid b-pillar and harkened back to the early 2CVs, although by 1979 it had regained the 6-window look and, honestly, the "luxurious" 2CVs at higher prices from that era aren't so different from the Special.  #PSA #PeugeotCitroën #Frenchcars #frenchclassics #tinsnail #francophile #vivelafrance #retro_rides #carsoffrance #voituresanciennes #Citroën2CV #citroënclassics #classique #citroënoldtimer