So over the weekend our own Stephen Walter Gossin and Mercedes Streeter made it to my home state of North Cackalacky to pick up some cars, an old Plymouth for Mercedes and SWG grabbed the one that I’m smitten by, a Citroën 2CV. They’re in rough shape, but I’m confident they’ll get running again, and things will be exciting. This has all got me thinking about 2CVs, which made me remember the very peculiar, limited-run of British-only 2CVs dressed up in prettier fiberglass bodies: the Bijou.
It’s funny, SWG said he’s not really interested in the 2CV as such, it’s just not the sort of car he’s into, and while I respect that, it’s baffling to me. How can someone not be into these things! They’re fascinating studies in minimalism, and, I think, one of the greatest examples of how extreme utilitarianism can somehow, magically, transform into character and charm! But SWG is a guy who gets excited by 2000s-era Mopar stuff I can’t fathom getting excited by, so I suppose it’s only fair.
Here’s the 2CV he’ll be working on; hopefully I can get out there to help, too. I’m not sure what the overall plans are for this thing, but I’ll be advocating to make it an Autopian Company Car. We’ll see.
But this morning I’m not here to talk about normal 2CVs; I want to remind you that the British, in 1959, were drawn to the 2CV’s rugged and economical drivetrain but initially just couldn’t with that tinpunk snail look, so the Citroën factory in Slough, without, it seems, too much support from the mothership (vaisseau mère, I guess) in France, created their own, new, svelter and prettier body for the 2CV, and called it the Bijou:
It was sleeker and more refined-looking than the basic 2CV, which was agricultural in look, like a corrugated shed made for a mollusk. This new body, made of fiberglass, was smooth and curvy and had slender, tapering pillars – it really was pretty.
It was also heavier than the basic 2CV body, by about 150 pounds, which is basically one whole me. This was something of an issue for the car, since the 2CV engine of the era was the 425cc flat-twin that made all of a dozen horsepower. An extra 150 pounds is a lot to 12 hp, and it gave the Bijou some genuinely glacial acceleration. Glacial as in 30 seconds to get to 40 mph, not 60 mph, because 60 was a dream, as the Bijou topped out at about 50 mph.
Of course, the aero was a bit better than the regular 2CV of the era, so it was a bit faster on the top end, if you had the time to get there.
Also, the sleeker body was a lot less roomy than the 2CV, with a much smaller back seat and cargo area, though the interior was trimmed far better and had more sound deadening and other civilized traits like that.
All of this did transform the 2CV into a prettier, more refined car. But it also transformed it into basically a two-seater with occasional kid-transport room, and it was slower and more expensive than many of its rivals. As a result only 212 of these 2CVs in fancier clothes ever got sold, and eventually the British came around to the homely charms of the regular 2CV.
Anyway, hopefully we’ll have a 2CV to really scrutinize and enjoy here soon!
Hmmm. Rusty 2CV. Unsellable Nissan Leaf. That might be an interesting marriage.
Peter Kirwan-Taylor styled the Bijou, and was also the designer of the origonal 1958 Lotus Elite. I used to know a guy in Newbridge South Wales who owned two of them simultaneously, and started his own Citroen service/repair business and named it Bijou Motors.I believe Kirwan- Taylor went on to invent the Workmate, as it was known in the UK.
It’s maison mère ( motherhouse ) not mothership 😉
You definitely have to make it the Autopian company car. You can make a story of driving it cross-country to LA.
Those cheeky British, they really had some Gaul to change the design like that. But could the Bijou also carry a dozen eggs in a basket across a farm field?
BTW, the Lane as a Bijou. (Of course they do.)
I’m a sucker for a 2CV, especially a Charleston. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
All one needs to do is to watch the scene between King Arthur and the French bastards in the start of Monte Pyton and the Holy Grail.
No wonder the Brits didn’t want the traditional 2cv body style.
” Drive around in a French looking car? NFW! We have history with those pansy bastards going back to when dirt was discovered. Fuck them.”
YMMV. But those vine drinking, freedom fry hating turds can eat it…
No offense intended to the great SWG though. We all like weird stuff.
the greatest Python movie of all. We saw it the first night and had to go back the next night to try and figure out dialogue which was drowned out by laughter the first go round. I had always wanted to be a silly English kiniget and, of course, I fart in Elon Musk’s general direction.
OMG. Same here. That movie literally changed my life.
As well as my perceptions of accepted world history up until 1975.
The ” Is she a witch” scene is one of the best ever.
Even relates well to our current Congress, and Presidential race…
at least I know whose general direction to fart in.
And due to lead poisoning of the brain, and compassion. Torch gets a pass here, we all like strange things.
“And don’t return until you bring me a shrubbery!”
neep neep
The Bijou was the work of Peter Kirwan-Taylor who also designed the Lotus Elite (type 14). One of them was a six times class winner at LeMans (hint, it wasn’t the Citroen)
Did the wipers on the Bijou really park themselves there?
They were only sold in England. I imagine the assumption was that they’d always be running anyway.
No, also sold in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
I want to see a BMW 1150-1200 twin swap into the 2CV. I think that would be delightfully dangerous.
The rail-thin tyres would just spin for eternity before grabbing any traction on the surface…
And somehow just one, and not placed under the engine, grabbed just fine on the BMW…
I came across this on YouTube a few weeks ago: https://youtu.be/JUR7p6TX0FE?si=cLKlePzoO4PbpEVT
The family garage has got a 2CV… it’s one of the most fun motoring experiences, pound-for-pound, I’ve ever had. Shifter is extremely annoying though.
A few weeks ago we had the French Consul General of New York in the passenger seat for Bastille Day.
Nice write up Jason. Bijou; yet another car I’ve never heard of. Suspect SWG couldn’t resist those puppy eyes. It looks surprisingly straight under incredible grunge. There is definitely fun to be had with deathtraps once you realize you are piloting a four wheel motorcycle, but 12hp ! unless you only intend parades, needs double minimum.
I had a 14hp 200cc dual sport as a teenager and it was barely useable on the street. I remember it slowing down to sub-35mph speeds trying to climb Kanan wide open. In post-war France where you had to go a couple miles down the road from a farm to a train station on pan flat back roads 12hp would kind of work. Crazy that it was a legitimate product that was sold in the mid-20th century in Europe.
Looking at the advertising artwork… We have the stereotypical gentlemen with brollies and bowler hats, and the lady driving the car is giving the classic Queen Elizabeth wave. Peak British-ness.
Excuse me, now I need to pop away from my keyboard for another cup of tea. Carry on, my good chaps!
Pip pip! Cheerio!
Meanwhile, she is wondering what in the world her hubby is doing wearing her white gloves.
It fits with the European penchant for stylish but low powered coupes and convertibles that were cheap to run like the Karmann Ghia and the Renault Floride. The Bijou was just more extreme than the Dauphine based Floride
Forgot to add it was also relatively expensive, costing significantly more than a Mini and about the same as a Sprite.
Briggs and Stratton motor swap and hoon it!
I have a 20HP Onan opposed-twin in my tractor in the garage… I wonder if a 2CV could handle the torque? 😛
My 2CV had the later 29bhp engine.
The chassis could have happily coped with three time the power/torque, apart from the doors. The tops of the doors get sucked outwards at “high speed”, so doing much more than 70mph means you get to see some sky between the roof and doors.
Also the brakes wouldn’t even remotely cope. Tiny inboard drums were terrible, the later inboard discs would be less likely to immediately overheat.
No, but the Bijou seems like the perfect candidate for electrification, if the upgrade was less expensive. It looks like a car that could easily do a 100 (mph, not km/h!)
In one of the Bond films they put GS mechanicals into some stunt 2CVs. Shame to mess up that lovely little Bijou but I bet that would make it a nice car. (Or BMW bike engine?)
For Your Eyes Only. It was Remy Julienne’s stunt team IIRC.
The seller has a model of the “007” 2CV in his living room and was just telling me yesterday that you could order one with the “007” livery/decals from the factory. Too cool.
Roger Moore named that 2CV as his favorite Bond car!
RED 2 gave a 2CV a thorough thrashing.
British styling with French mechanicals? Did they use Italian QC for the trifecta?
COTD here 🙂
With an interior of German tolerance for driver whims?
So SWG is rehabbing a 2CV? That’ll get him nowhere fast. Does it run, or, as the French say,” ‘Is car go?”
As for the Bijou, its name translates as “ small, dainty usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship.” I’d say that covers it right well.
Au contraire, mon ami! I believe this will be a wicked fun rehab/rescue.
My first French car; “Project FrenchBread”.
Bon chance!
SWG, don’t let this one go. Don’t deny destiny – it needs to become an Autopian company car.
Then the Jag project should be called “Project RoastBeef”!
I suggest Project Beefeater.
Sounds awesome! Needs a baguette holder
It got 3 thumbs up just in the hour drive back to SWG headquarters, and practically rolled itself off the trailer into his driveway like it was meant to be there.
Folks, Turbotictac was there for every minute and every mile of this rescue and was instrumental in making it a success.
The man is a godsend and quite the scholar and gentleman. More to come from this True Hero And Friend Of Autopia. Hear, hear!
Too bad it didn’t want to roll itself right onto the trailer! Glad y’all made it back to SWG HQUARF (Head Quarters Used Auto Rehab Facility, pronounced huh-kwarf) safely.
Compared to the Plymouth it felt like the 2CV loaded itself!
I hate I missed loading the Plymouth! Y’all scare the shhhhh out of me loading onto an unhooked trailer. Thought for sure SWG and the trailer tongue were going to get well acquainted.
I was not the biggest fan lol. I had never done it before and hope never to do it again. Only way to use the winch we had on hand so had to make do. I didn’t realize that’s how the 2CV was done until after since I had been working on preparing the Plymouth. I made sure to chock the tires when we did the Plymouth since it was so much heavier.
SWG got a 2CV?!?! OMG!
Right?
I’m looking forward to this write up!
—and I kinda low-key want it when he’s done
I not so low key want it!
De sauvetage automobile du Gossin Moteurs, son!