KEEP IT SIMPLE

The Citroën 2CV is so well-established as a shorthand for ‘France’ that it’s inserted into almost any scene with the regularity of Breton stripes, garlic, or a Routemaster bus in London. And with good reason, this clever little car was instrumental in mobilising France. But following the launch of the Renault 4, the 2CV’s popularity waned – and while it enjoyed a revival in the 1970s, sales were never again as strong as they had been before Renault waded in.

But why was this? Was the Renault a better car, or was it simply something new? There can only be one way to settle this over 60 years later – to take comparable examples of both cars and to assess each in the context of the other.

CITROËN 2CV

The story of the 2CV begins before the Second