It is 76 years to the day that Citroen introduced arguably its most influential model of all time.
On 7 October 1948, the 2CV debuted at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile car show. By the time production ceased some 42 years later in 1990, more than 3.8million had been sold.
However, few remain in the time-warp condition of this UK-registered example that’s going under the hammer next month with an estimated sale price in the region of £20,000.
With just over 550 miles on the clock the 2CV being sold at a Birmingham auction has a ‘remarkable tale of love’ between a father and his daughter…
The ultimate 21st birthday gift: This Citroen 2CV is being sold at auction. It is a one-owner car, with the registered keeper being on the V5 document since the age of six…
The one-owner car was purchased 34 years ago by a father as a secret 21st birthday present for his then six-year-old daughter.
It is one of the last examples of the 2CV produced in 1990 at the Mangualde factory in Portugal.
It was delivered to the father and registered in his daughter’s name in the summer that year, before being ‘wrapped in cotton wool’ and stored for safe keeping to give to her as a birthday present some 15 years later.
The vendor, whose identity has not been revealed but is said to be a former athlete now turned sports journalist, knew of the car during her childhood and there is an old polaroid photograph in the history file of her with the quirky Citroen.
However, she had no idea it was to be presented to her for her 21st as a surprise gift.
The right-hand-drive example, registration ‘H490 SYA’, is a 602cc, Vallelunga Red, 2CV6 Spéciale.
It has been driven a mere 557 miles in its lifetime, surely putting it among the least used surviving 2CVs available in the UK today.
The diminutive French car’s background is described as a ”remarkable tale of love’. The vendor’s father bought it new in 1990 with the intention of gifting it to his daughter 15 years later as a surprise 21st gift
The little red motor has been used sparingly, having covered just 557 miles in its 34-year lifetime. This makes it one of the lowest mileage right-hand-drive 2CVs in the country
The vendor, whose identity has not been revealed but is said to be a former athlete now turned sports journalist, knew of the car during her childhood and there is an old polaroid photograph in the history file of her with the quirky Citroen
The 2CV is one of the last produced at the Portugal factory, which continued to manufacture the model two years after assembly ended in France in 1988
Iconic Auctioneers will be offering it to the highest bidder at the NEC Motor Show on 9 November with no reserve. Yet, it predicts it will go for between £15,000 and £20,000.
The auction house said: ‘This 2CV comes with a remarkable tale of love for a little girl by her father.
‘It was purchased by him as a surprise 21st birthday present for his daughter, a lovely gesture but perhaps a touch impulsive as she was only six years old at the time,’ it added.
Despite not being used throughout its early life, the vendor says it was regularly started and maintained to ensure it ran correctly.
It’s entirely original bar the addition of an electronic ignition for convenience.
The motor is as it was when it left the factory; it even still bears many of the quality inspection stickers that would have been present when it rolled off the production line.
The right-hand-drive 2CV, registration ‘H490 SYA’, is a 602cc, Vallelunga Red, 2CV6 Spéciale
Iconic Auctioneers will be offering it to the highest bidder at the NEC Motor Show on 9 November with no reserve. Yet, it predicts it will go for between £15,000 and £20,000
The 2CV is entirely original bar the addition of an electronic ignition for convenience
The 2CV is unquestionably one of the most enduring archetypes of global car culture
The vendor, who has driven the vehicle sparingly over the last 19 years, says a ‘loss of its storage space’ is the only reason for it being offered to collectors.
Gary Dunne, sales manager at Iconic Auctioneers said: ‘Rarely does a car of this age with just one registered keeper come to light, even less so when it is a model with such cult status, and offered as it is without reserve, we anticipate that collectors will abound.
‘This is an iconic car at an iconic sale.’
The 2CV is unquestionably one of the most enduring archetypes of global car culture.
When launched on this day in 1948, it was designed to help the French working class get on the road following the end of WWII.
But it did more than that; it became a success story for the domestic economy both from a transportation and a manufacturing standpoint.
The ‘deux chevaux’ name translates to ‘two horses’, referencing its two taxable horsepower figure when launched.
While £20,000 might appear a lot of money for a 2CV, low-mileage rare examples have in recent years been known to change hands for six-figure sums.
John Mayhead, classic car valuations expert and editor of the Hagerty UK Price Guide, says the 2CV enjoyed a post-Covid price increase in line with most other collectible cars, though that has dropped away in recent months.
‘The very top examples, especially very early ones, still command a higher price, but only in France do they really return huge prices… all the records have been set there,’ he told us.
The most expensive 2CV sold at auction: This wooden model sold for over £180,000 last year, making it the priciest example of the iconic car to change hands at a public sale
Even if this example does sell towards the higher end of the estimate, it will pale in comparison to the most expensive to ever sell at auction… which is a unique story in itself.
That’s because the title of priciest 2CV go under the hammer is one sculpted out of wood.
French carpenter Michel Robillard sold the piece last summer for €210,000 (£181,000 at the time of sale) having dedicated 5,000 hours crafting it as part of a project dating back to 2011.
The drivable model is made out of four different types of wood: walnut for the wings and a combination of pear, apple and cherry wood for the rest of the bodywork.