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2 CV Prototypes

Whereas most of Citroën's prototypes have been shrouded in mystery, the company has been fairly open about the 2 CV prototypes. For those unfamiliar with the story of the 2CV's development, read on.

 

The rest of you can skip this bit. In the run up to WW2, a number of prototypes were built and apparently all but two were destroyed when the Nazis invaded France. The survivors are the car that has been displayed over the years plus a vehicle that was converted into a pick up to hide its identity from the Germans. The basic architecture of the TPV (Toute Petite Voiture or small car) was determined quite early - flat twin engine, interconnected suspension - 4 roues sous une parapluie (four wheels under an umbrella) and while the surviving cars share no parts in common with the vehicle that went into production, the basic silhouette already existed, together with the use of corrugated metal to achieve the necessary rigidity for very lightweight body panels.

 
Water and air cooling for the engine were both investigated.

The prototypes made widespread use of duralinox - a lightweight aluminium alloy but more conventional materials were employed in the production vehicles.

Three additional cars were found in a barn at the Bureau d'Etudes in 1995 and unlike the car above which has been fully restored, these are exactly as they were found.

 

Despite a prohibition on any photographs of the TPV, this photo was taken at the Bureau d'Etudes in Ferté-Vidame during road tests in 1939. 

 
 
 

By 1942, the TPV was beginning to look much more like the car that was revealed in 1948 although only a single headlamp was fitted. 

Mechanically too, it was far closer than the 1939 models - the over-complicated torsion bar springing had been replaced by the familiar inter-connected longitudinal coil springs of the production vehicles.  transmission was only three speed and the engine was a 700 cm3 flat twin.

 
 
© 1996 Julian Marsh