Minneapolis Street Sighting: Citroen 2CV

While Germany introduced the Volkswagen Beetle as its people's car, the French had a different--but similar idea of what a car should be; simple, slow, but able to handle areas of land where there were  no roads. The initial task of the 2CV was to carry farming supplies and food across land without ruining its precious cargo. With only two horsepower (Deux Chevaux), the little Citroen was far from fast; that wasn't the point, though. For the job it did, it did it quite well. And Citroen learned from this, and all of their cars rode as smoothly as the 2CV--a trait that is lost in modern Citroens (thank, Mitsubishi!)

  I love spotting Citroen's cars; sadly, most of the ones I've spotted have been either oddball  2CVs or the ever-so-often Mehari, but that doesn't mean they get old. I am a sucker for the early cars, but I don't mind shooting later cars. In fact, most of the 2CVs I've spotted have been the later cars.I've seen them in a whole slew of colors, but I tend to prefer the two-tones versus the mono-tone cars; the two-tones look a bit more classy.

As with most cars, the earlier 2CVs look heaps better than the later cars; details, man, it's all in the details. From the simpler lighting, and more crease-free styling, the early cars were the most simple cars. This model, which is likely a 1980s model , has ugly taillights and bumpers.Other than those two nitpicks, I like the styling of almost all 2CVs equally-- because nothing drastic was done to ruin the styling theme.

 As far as Citroen 2CVs go, this one is fairly mild; the color combination is decent, but not amazing, and the paint itself isn't spectacular shape either. Like most other French cars here, this example shows no signs of rusting or patched up bodywork; however, there are little bits missing from the grille, which suggests a minor run-in with either another car, or perhaps an obstacle.

Inside was standard Citroen fare; but this interior shines where the exterior doesn't. Even though this is likely a daily driver in the summer, the interior is in wonderful shape, albeit a tad cheap-looking. I do quite like the steering wheel on these, even if this one does look a bit flimsy. On the plus side, it isn't ugly.

I do have fun shooting 2CVs, and I wish I had shot this one better; I know these pictures are horrible, but how often do you see 2CVs? Okay, I do see them fairly often, as far as "rare" cars go. I still like them, and shooting them will never get old.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Citroen 2CV

By now, readers know that I enjoy quirky, offbeat cars as much as traditional American classics, and judging from all my different posts here, one would think that the Citroen 2CV is rather common. Not exactly so. While I have posted my fair of these quirky French classics, they're far from an everyday sighting; these cars are just too cool not to document every example I run across.
This particular car is one I've seen around Minneapolis a fair share of times, and I've 'car-stalked' it for about a year or two, at least. Ever since I first spotted it downtown near MCTC, I've been on the hunt. And here it is.
Obviously, this baby blue example is a daily driver, judging by how many times I've caught it driving around. It's quite rare that I'll see a car driving, and not try to track it down, but this is proof that persistence pays off. Big time.
Walking around this French classic, it's evident that it its history can be traced back to the 1930s-- and it can. The 2CV was originally conceived as a farmer's hauler that could carry his eggs across a field in the back seat, with a passenger up front. By no means are these luxury cars, though. With only two horses, (Deux Chevaux) the 2CV was far from fast-- or quick for that matter. Designed to be a rugged little workhorse in France and nothing more, their quirky styling and undeniable charm gained them a new following; cult following, even.
I realize I am probably one of very few people walking around who could name this car when pressed, but the hoards of people that gathered around this parked version gave me some hope when it came to others. Apparently, even though no one else knew exactly what it was, they were definitely curious. And far a huge car junky, that alone is a good sign. I just wish more and more people cared about interesting four-wheeled phenomenons to take notice and appreciate them.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Citroen 2CV6 Club

On my quest for shooting, I usually try to hunt for offbeat cars; cars I haven't seen a while. For the most part, cars from the big three generally don't interest me unless they're appealing in some way or another. On the flipside, I have a huge interest in foreign cars, and even deeper than that, obscure cars. This Citroen certainly fits that bill quite well.
Upon the surface, one tends to notice the drab red color, and white (gray?) wheels. To the average person, this combination screams generic old car, but for an enthusiast, this combo is quite appealing. Okay, maybe not in this application, but whatever. I like it. I'm glad this example is free of rust, and its quite free of the oft-tacky period decals that adorn these cars. The wheels are factory correct too (not that 3 lugs are common anyway), so that's a plus. I didn't get to inspect the interior as the owners came out when I was shooting, but if the exterior is any indication, the interior is in fairly good shape. While I would've preferred an earlier car, finding a 2CV of any sort is always welcome in this rustbucket-dense city. This 1986 model is awesome in its own right, I just wish I could find one of the pre-1960 vehicles. Now that would be a treat. If I had fun shooting the "common" 2CVs, imagine how much fun I'd have with a much earlier, prettier car.