Citroën 2CV History

Conceived by Citroën vice-president Pierre Boulanger in the late 1930s to motorise France's rural population, the 2CV (deux chevaux — two tax horsepower) was unveiled at the 1948 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. It was strictly minimal: an air-cooled flat-twin engine of just 375 cc at launch, interconnected front-and-rear suspension for ride comfort on rough farm tracks, roll-back canvas roof, and corrugated steel bodywork for lightness. The project had been kept secret throughout the German occupation.

Production ramped quickly and the 2CV became the backbone of French motoring through the 1950s and 1960s. A commercial variant, the Fourgonnette van, gave it a second life as a delivery vehicle, and over the decades engine displacement crept up to 435 cc and then 602 cc. A cabriolet (the Méhari's spiritual predecessor) and the sporty Charleston special editions kept the model culturally relevant through the 1980s.

The last 2CV rolled off the assembly line in Mangualde, Portugal, on 27 July 1990 — the French factory had closed in 1988. Total production across 42 years reached over nine million, making the 2CV one of the most successful European cars of the twentieth century.