Now 2CV refers to the legendary representatives of the brand Citroen. It all began back in 1936, when the first prototypes were created. Work was carried out even during the war. As a result, the water cooling of the engine gave way to air. They introduced the famous independent suspension on four trailing arms with one horizontal spring for each pair of right and left levers. The official presentation of the Citroen 2CV was held in Paris at the 1948 Motor Show. The car aroused great interest among the public, the reviews were ambiguous, but 2CV did not leave anyone indifferent.
The novelty had a peculiar look. Therefore, then, at the auto show, she was repeatedly reproached for her unsightly appearance. Journalists did not suspect that this unattractive mouse-colored car with a grooved body would become a cult for France. At that time, many models denoted the value of the conditional, tax capacity. For the cheapest models, it was 4-5 tax horses (CV). And in this situation, Citroen proposed the 2CV model.
The French called it "de Schwo", that is, two tax horsepower. The French abbreviation "CV" corresponds to our "hp", and it must be decrypted as a "cheval vapeur", literally - a "steam horse." The body was a simple design, but was quite roomy. Its length was 3.9 meters and weight 570 kg. Most of the body parts did not require complex punches, and any mechanic could repair them. The doors of the car were hung on the so-called piano hinges - the long rod that secured them was pulled out, and the door can be removed without difficulty. The seats consisted of a frame welded from light tubes, on which stretched rubber bands, over which was a cloth.
What is especially convenient, the seat could be dismantled for a minute without much difficulty, freeing up space for all kinds of cargo. Plus a canvas roof, which could roll into a roll and carry bulky luggage. Spartan appearance 2CV complements the lack of upholstery and windows. The lower half of each side window was folded up and fixed with a primitive clip. The luxury version had bumpers with fangs, moldings, wheel covers and adjustable seats with sponge rubber cushions. The main highlight of the cabin was the one-wheel steering wheel - a symbol of the brand Citroen.
The independent suspension of all wheels of this car was amazing. It was a construction of the so-called leveling type. Its springs, placed alongside body sills, eliminated the "pecks" of the car when braking and "squatting" during acceleration. The original were shock absorbers - inertial type. Citroen engineers pulled the front brakes out of the wheels to the main gear.
A two-cylinder air cooling engine spins the front wheels. Its volume was equal to 375 cm ³, and power of 9 hp Aggregated with a 4-speed gearbox in standard equipment. In this configuration, the car developed 65 km / h and consumed 4.5 liters per 100 km. In 1950, a 2CV van was introduced with a payload of 250 kg. With a standard 375 cm³ engine, it developed a speed of 60 km / h and consumed 5 liters. In 1954, the 2CV was equipped with a more powerful power unit of 423 cm³ / 13 hp. and centrifugal clutch.
In March 1958, the 2CV Sahara version appears, all-wheel drive car is very original design with a spare wheel on the hood. Each pair of wheels was driven by one of two engines with a volume of 425 cm³ and a total capacity of 24 hp. The latest cars of this version were assembled in December 1960, and a total of 694 were made. In 1961, changed the shape of the hood. A second color appeared - blue, before that all the cars were exclusively gray. In 1963 they began to install the engine of a new design 425 cm ³ / 18 hp In 1965, an important security change occurred.
Namely, the front doors were hung on the front and not on the rear hinges. The year 1966 brought several pleasant changes: CV joints (constant velocity joint) in the front wheel drive, two additional side windows, hydraulic rear wheel shock absorbers. In 1969, Citroen offers two new engines: the first of 435 cm ³ / 24 hp, the second of 602 cm ³ / 28.5 hp There was a four-speed gearbox and rectangular headlights.
The 2CV reached a speed of 106 km / h. In April 1976 the amount1800 pcs. limited edition 2CV Spot was released. Another limited edition 2CV Charleston was introduced in October 1980. The car was painted in two tones and had round headlights. At first it was planned to produce only 8,000 pieces, but due to high demand in 1981, this series became a standard model. The next limited edition 2CV "France 3" in the amount of 2000 pcs.
was made in april 1983. Another, in the amount of 3000 pcs., Under the name 2CV Dolly, was started to be made in March 1985. Throughout its long history, the Citroen 2CV has been repeatedly upgraded and repeatedly tried to be excluded from the program, but high demand forced it to be maintained. An unsightly looking, but very practical model, she won the hearts of many French, and not only them. In 1984, they announced the end of production of 2CV, but the demand for the model has increased again. The car was produced in 15 countries. Production in France was completed in 1988, but until 1990 it continued in Portugal.
Other images auto Citroen 2CV
