Do I regret not going to @retromobile_paris ? YEAH. But I also had too many things to do, and I’ll be there next year. In the meantime, here’s a pair of much less exotic #FrenchClassics seen closer to home. The 2CV is not a U.S. spec car but a later 1980s 2CV6 Special, while the #Peugeot in the background is, in fact, a 1980s U.S. spec car. It seems hard to believe that both of these vehicles were on offer at the same time, but the #2CV hung on basically forever - a niche product by the eighties, mostly a style car like the Mini eventually became - 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. It had long departed the U.S. officially by then, however. The #DeuxCheveaux was poorly suited to U.S. highways - particularly in early 425-cc form, but was offered here from the mid-fifties until late 1967, when safety regs forced it off the market (along with a host of other oddball imports), and one 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 - particularly the well-liked “Charleston” edition in burgundy or yellow. The 405, meanwhile, was the only modern fwd Peugeot product ever offered here (so far), but sales were slim thanks to a high price, a recession, bad exchange rates, and Peugeot’s tiny U.S. dealer network - #PSA withdrew Peugeot altogether in late 1991, just as the 605 was about to arrive. Too bad, because the 605 and 306 might really have changed Peugeot’s fortunes in the U.S. at the time. #PSABrothers #PeugeotCitroën #Frenchcars
