Citroen vintage cars and duck good, all good!
An ode to the 2 CV 6
Part 1
As unusual as this car is, so are its owners. Of course, the cliché of the student car was fulfilled, but it was also driven just as well by the teaching professor. That was perhaps the most unusual thing about this vehicle, there was no clear target group. If anything, from the mid-60s onwards you could say that it was mainly young people who were keen on this unusual vehicle.
The heyday of this special Citroen vintage car 11cv was probably the mid-60s to mid-80s. This car was originally designed for the simplest needs. The first ducks in the 50s only had a headlight and seats that were reminiscent of graceful camping chairs. As in all years of the manufacturer, the Citroen classic cars were built with very long legs, i.e. with a lot of ground clearance. In the beginning, this also made them interesting for the rural population in difficult terrain. Another very big advantage was the suspension comfort. Even transporting the eggs in the basket over impassable dirt roads remained undamaged.
Vintage ducks are always comfortably back on track
Which fan of ducks knows this? Pictures Not how this vehicle corners at “high” speed and leans so diagonally that you fear it will roll over. But no, they don't tip over and rock themselves comfortably back on course after a demanding cornering session.
Back then it wasn't quite as important as it was in later years, but fuel consumption was pleasantly low. The two engine variants CV 4 and CV 6 were under 30 hp and had a restrained thirst. The taxes are correspondingly low Car insurance.
Purchasing a used duck that was still fit wasn't quite as cheap as low-income buyers had hoped. In the early to mid-70s, around 3200 DM had to be put on the table for a 2 CV that was around 3 - 4 years old and had run around 50.000 km. With an average net salary of around 1000 DM in the service sector, retail, warehouse worker, etc., it was hardly possible for a student to get a good deal from BAföG. Not a classic student car...
The duck in front of the villa
It was often the well-to-do parents who gave their offspring this vehicle. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why it wasn't so rare to see a duck parked next to a Mercedes in the courtyard of a villa.
The duck was and is an individualist, so extraordinary, distinctive and simple that she didn't fit into any drawer.
Either you loved it, or the others said “this ugly thing isn’t a car.”
Headrests in the Duck 2 CV are a luxury
If you wanted it even more individual, you had it Design of the 2 CV not too many options. It was already considered a luxury to slide attachable headrests onto the backrests of the front seats, which were comfortable in the 70s Camping chair status had achieved. Parts of the headrests then pressed uncomfortably into the back during long journeys.
Chrome-plated hubcaps were also available, which could be attached to the tractor-like rims Citroen classic car could press.
A luggage holder that could be mounted on the outside of the tailgate and onto which a small suitcase could be strapped like in the 30s (assuming it wasn't raining) was almost there snobbery.
A large prefabricated felt mat that was fixed in the hood lid made more sense. It was thought that this would reduce the engine noise somewhat. In any case, the duck jumped better even in cold and wet weather. If the Citroen vintage car didn't want to take up its generally very reliable service, there was still the hand crank, another relic from the 30s.
Open the hood, insert the crank in the middle of the engine (air-cooled) and crank it up boldly. I always had great respect for that. I was afraid that the crank would kick back and dislocate my arm. It was definitely totally unfounded.
Make a Citroen classic car purr again
But I preferred the direct option of making the Citroen classic car purr again if the battery was too weak to ignite. The duck only consisted of better canned tin and some plastic. So a low weight. Even being a lightweight, it wasn't difficult for me as a young man to push the vehicle in neutral with the driver's door open, even without a sloping road.
With a slight swing I had to jump in quickly, put the gear in, release the clutch and off we went. Sloping terrain was of course helpful, but then you had to be extremely careful to jump in in time, otherwise the duck would be gone. Of course, with the two of us and my girlfriend, that wasn't an issue at all.
This approach probably wouldn't make sense with today's SUV.
Doormats were great. The feet Not having to stand directly on the vibrating floor panel was more pleasant.
The Revolver switching under the windshield was brilliant and also as fast as a revolver. However, my cavalier starts eventually gave me a new drive shaft that I needed.
The maximum speed with the large 2 CV 6 engine variant was around 120 hours/km with a tailwind. Fully loaded, and that wasn't all that rare, then a little less.
With 4 people and luggage from Schleswig-Holstein to the Black Forest, no problem, at least not back in the 70s.
The engine was as simple as a lawnmower. Even a puncture that required a tire change was little more than a tinkering lesson.
When you're young, you don't think too much about eventualities anyway.
A tour through Europe with a Duck 2 CV 6
We didn't want to go to the Dakar Rally, we just wanted to for a tour through Europe start. The duck was ready and so were we. But more about that in part 2 “Ducks don't just feel at home in France".
Lots of love from John