The Insanely Cool Citroën 2CV 4×4 Sahara

What do you do if you really feel your Ctiroën 2CV is a bit underpowered and traction-limited? You could possibly doubtlessly swap out the engine, or set up a posh all-wheel drive transmission, take away a little bit of weight (though there’s not a lot to begin with in a 2CV). Or, and that’s what Citröen did, you drop in a second engine and gearbox, an additional gasoline tank, join every little thing collectively and create what’s primarily a twin-engine repeatedly all-wheel drive 2CV! Okay, it’s nonetheless not a barnstormer of a automobile, however it does up the wow issue fairly a bit! Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at this ultra-rare and insanely cool workhorse as soon as destined for France’s Northern African colonies.

Two horses

Citroën’s plucky little 2CV was designed to mobilize farmers in post-WWII France. The idea was derived shortly earlier than the battle, a time when lots of people nonetheless relied on horses and carriages within the principally rural nation. Owned by Michelin on the time, a survey was carried out to distil what such a automobile would must be, and likewise what it might not must be. The transient referred to as for one thing referred to as a TPV, or Toute Petite Voiture, Very Smal Automobile. The challenge was conceived and overseen by Pierre-Jules Boulanger, as he was adamant the unique parameters have been met; a automobile that would seat 4, carry as much as 50kg of (farm) items at speeds as much as 50kph, and was able to navigating farm tracks, unpaved roads and muddy fields if wanted.

By 1937, a sequence of prototype TPVs (see the clip beneath) have been constructed and testing was carried out to ensure it might do what it was got down to do. Two extra years of growth have been wanted earlier than the TPV was prepared for manufacturing. The end result was a really rudimentary car with sheet metallic bodywork, hammock-style seats, an ingenious suspension system and a water-cooled flat-twin 2-cylinder engine producing 12bhp within the entrance. Being front-engined and entrance wheel drive eradicated the necessity for a driveshaft, liberating up house within the cabin. The beginning regarded very promising, but the outbreak of the Second World Battle noticed the TPV challenge deserted. In the meanwhile that’s…

With Europe in ruins after six years of battle, there was an enormous want for affordable and dependable transportation. This led to an entire string of automobiles by varied manufacturers to get individuals transferring once more; the Fiat 500, the Mini, the Isetta, and so forth. Citroën rekindled the TPV challenge and launched numerous obligatory technical updates. To scale back prices, the aluminium bodywork was redesigned to make use of metal as an alternative. An air-cooled engine was developed to switch the water-cooled one of many authentic prototypes, disc breaks have been put in within the entrance, and it was placed on radial tyres. By 1948 the automobile was prepared and the primary automobiles have been delivered early in 1949. By then the automobile was named 2CV, which stands for Deux Chevaux, or Two Horses as a nod to tax rules the place automobiles are taxed based mostly on the ability of an engine.

The 2CV was in manufacturing for over 40 years, and in that point 3.8 million of them have been placed on the highway. If you happen to have been to incorporate all of the derivatives of the 2CV, such because the Mehari, Dyane, Ami and Acadiane, that quantity would develop to 9 million! That makes it the primary front-wheel drive automobile to promote greater than one million items after Citroëns earlier Traction Avant. It has gained a cult-like standing and is extensively thought to be probably the most essential automobiles ever made. Some of the endearing driving traits is its robust lean angle whereas cornering, but it’s just about not possible to roll because of the ingenious suspension system.

Twice as good

One of many rarest and most unconventional 2CV variants is the 2CV 4×4 Sahara. Whereas the 2Cv was completely able to tackling rural France, the rugged terrain in France’s many Northern African colonies demanded a bit extra energy, and ideally; all-wheel drive. The answer was the 2CV 4×4 Sahara, launched in 1958 and in manufacturing till 1971. Such an extended interval would possibly recommend loads of them have been constructed, however solely 693 (some sources state 694) of them rolled out of Citorëns manufacturing crops. That makes it extraordinarily uncommon, and in at the moment’s day and age, a extremely collectable 2CV!

As a substitute of creating a stronger engine to switch the 12bhp two-cylinder in use on the time, and putting in a standard all-wheel drive system, Citroën went down a distinct path. The unique 425cc powerplant within the entrance was joined by a second one within the again, which isn’t a quite common method to up a automobile’s energy! Subsequent to that, a second gearbox was put in, together with a second separate gasoline tank. The gearboxes have been linked by a rod, which luckily means you might have single controls for every little thing. The advantage of this setup is that you just keep steady drive to all wheels regardless of a number of slipping in mud or sand, because the transmission is actually uncoupled.

All this actually doubles the horsepower of the 2CV, which is claimed to have a prime pace of 65kph on a single engine, and 105kph whereas operating each! Because it was nonetheless fairly an early 2CV contemplating the automobile was in manufacturing till 1990, it comes with suicide-style doorways that flip backwards, with a filler neck for the gasoline tanks poking out of each. There’s a spare wheel on the bonnet, and it has a ragtop roof. Across the again, an uncovered fan pulls warmth out of the rear engine bay. On the within, the simplicity is hanging. The material seats are very fundamental, because it was meant to be useful, not luxurious. A two-spoke steering wheel, a gear stick between the entrance seats, and just one gauge are all you might have. But, again within the day, it was twice the value of a bog-standard 2CV, leading to lower than 700 being constructed.

With such low manufacturing numbers, and certain a good smaller variety of them nonetheless round, it must be no shock this specific kind of Deux Chevaux instructions fairly a premium at any time when one comes up on the market. And talking of which, the 1961 2CV 4×4 Sahara you see within the photographs is on the market on the French unique automobile public sale and gross sales platform CarJager, the place it positively stands out amongst the Maseratis, Porsches, and Ferraris.

However I believe it stands out for the great, because it’s maybe the best 2CV possible! Performing some digging by means of all the listings reveals a complete of 23 Citroëns at the moment listed, eight of that are 2CVs, which signifies it’s nonetheless fairly a preferred little automobile! This one has been restored by a specialist in 2019 and is in superb situation. Do be ready to shell out fairly a bit of money although, as the only 2CV 4×4 Sahara has an asking worth of EUR 109,000!

For extra data, please go to CarJager.com.

Editorial Notice: The knowledge used and pictures portrayed on this article are sourced from and used with the permission of CarJager.com.