Yet another cool car

[aczlan]

My favorite is French Citroen model "deux chevaux" that is first top left picture. It has two cylinders and drives like a dream mainly going down hill only Going uphill is a battle.It does have the most unique shifter that you can not find on any other car, you push the shifter handle in and out along with quarter turn to the right and left for different gears. it's a blast to drive

I have ridden in several similar Citroens (in Argentina) and they were interesting cars. the ones I was in were falling apart, but got people from point a to point b seemingly reliably.

Aaron Z

 

[Bird]

I have ridden in several similar Citroens (in Argentina) and they were interesting cars. the ones I was in were falling apart, but got people from point a to point b seemingly reliably.

Aaron Z

50 years ago there was a Citroen dealer in Dallas on Ross Avenue. I once took one out for a test drive. Then in 1972, when we went to Alaska, we went to see the old Independence Gold Mine. I left my truck and travel trailer where the pavement ended and we went on with my brother in his Olds. Unfortunately, when we got up there, it was very foggy that day and there was a locked gate, so we didn't get close enough to the mine to see anything. But on the way back down the mountain, a Jeep pickup came around a curve on our side of the road and we had a little head on collision. Fortunately, both vehicles got slowed down enough that there was no serious injuries. Of course, there wasn't much traffic up there, but the first vehicle to come along was a Citroen and they gave me a ride back down to my truck, where I unhooked the trailer and went to call a state trooper. The thing about Citroen that stands out in my mind was the fact that they had to be the smoothest riding cars I had ever been in.

 

[JC-jetro]

The thing about Citroen that stands out in my mind was the fact that they had to be the smoothest riding cars I had ever been in.

Bird,

Citoren "Deux shevaux" had the softest spring and shock system ever. One of the selling point of it was that you can drive it on freshly plowed field and carry a box full of eggs without breaking any. If you took the lug nuts off, then two beefy guys could lift it up for a tire change, that's how light it was.

JC,

 

[Bird]

JC, didn't they also run some ads that you could drive it over most curbs and hardly feel the bump?

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Thanks for posting Scotty,

My favorite is French Citroen model "deux chevaux" that is first top left picture. It has two cylinders and drives like a dream mainly going down hill only Going uphill is a battle.It does have the most unique shifter that you can not find on any other car, you push the shifter handle in and out along with quarter turn to the right and left for different gears. it's a blast to driveD

JC,

Great shots of some real oddball stuff Scotty. I would really love to look over or under a lot of those cars such as the Trabi, Davis, Tatra 603 and the Plastic Pig to see how they were "engineered". Some of them must be pretty bizarre judging by the looks of some of them. I remember one of the pizza delivery vehicles I used to drive back in the mid 70s was an early Renault R5 which also had the shifter that came out of the middle of the dash. I believe this arrangement was due to the tranny being in front of the engine. I vaguely recall the shift linkage snaking over the top of the engine.

I'm also curious what the Lane Motor Museum building was before. Looks like it could have been some sort of light industrial manufacturing facility, like a clothing, food or furniture maker.

 

[JC-jetro]

JC, didn't they also run some ads that you could drive it over most curbs and hardly feel the bump?

Bird,

That's right it could have been much better dune bugggy if it had a more robust engine. It really was designed to take people and cargo from point A to B with least use of resources. I think it had 60-70 mpg for normal driving.
Below you'll find a good link on it.

JC,

Citroën 2CV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bird]

With all the weird cars there, don't they have an Isetta? I took a 1957 model from a dealer and kept it over a weekend in 1958, deciding whether I'd want to buy one or not. I decided not. But it was fun to play with.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

With all the weird cars there, don't they have an Isetta? I took a 1957 model from a dealer and kept it over a weekend in 1958, deciding whether I'd want to buy one or not. I decided not. But it was fun to play with.

I think they have at least 2 Isettas (one looks like the BMW 600 version), judging from the pics on the website. They appear to have a Messerschmitt too, perhaps a KR175(?). The museum seems to lean heavily toward various little "peoples" cars, three-wheelers and bubble cars. My kind of stuff!

 

[Bird]

JC, it's an interesting website, but I don't recall ever seeing the 2CV. All I remember were the DS body style.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

The Citroen 2CV prototype from 1939 looks like basically an engine surrounded by 4 sheets of corrugated roofing.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

One of my dream cars when I was a teenager was a Citroen SM.

 

[JC-jetro]

JC, it's an interesting website, but I don't recall ever seeing the 2CV. All I remember were the DS body style.

Bird,

2CV is the same as "deux shevaux". The latter was more of a "folk name" for the car, same as twobanger or Johnny Popper for the old venerable JD two cylinder model. 2CV was popular in some parts of middle east, North Africa and Greece. Same with the old Range Rover the body was made out of aluminum and many of them are still in working order without any rust.


JC,

 

[jinman]

One of my dream cars when I was a teenager was a Citroen SM.

That's a dream car for collectors now, isnt' it?

I can't remember where I saw it, but I think I saw a movie once of the Citroen DS driving on three wheels. Their hydro-pneumatic suspension was something else...but they were sooooo UGLY!

 

[Bird]

they were sooooo UGLY!

I've heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I didn't think much of their appearance either, but in years long ago, at least all the cars were pretty distinctive in appearance. So if you were concerned about how a car looked, you had some real choices. In the mid-60s, it was very rare for me to see a car on the streets and not be able to tell you both the make and the year model. But now the body styles are all so much alike, that I usually can't even tell what brand or make a car is without reading the name on it, and no way would I know what year model it is.

 

[shvl73]

That's a dream car for collectors now, isnt' it?

I can't remember where I saw it, but I think I saw a movie once of the Citroen DS driving on three wheels. Their hydro-pneumatic suspension was something else...but they were sooooo UGLY!

They were definitely distinctive. We had one in the early '70's. It looked like a frog, being green helped. It had a hand crank if the battery went flat. The suspension was really neat. Very comfortable. We also had Renaults, a R8 & R10. I'm not sure what the attraction was to buying odd French cars.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I'm not sure what the attraction was to buying odd French cars.

I think it might be the masochistic instinct is a little stronger in some people.
My only experience in actually owning a french car was a SIMCA. That was pretty painful.

Jim, IIRC, didn't the Griswolds drive a yellow DS21 around (and jam it into a too narrow alleyway) in National Lampoon's European Vacation?
Another near classic.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

That's a dream car for collectors now, isnt' it?

I can't remember where I saw it, but I think I saw a movie once of the Citroen DS driving on three wheels. Their hydro-pneumatic suspension was something else...but they were sooooo UGLY!

I believe you could change a tire without a jack. The car was raised to its full height and a jackstand was put under it by the flat tire. Then, (or is it "than", ...just kidding!) when you lower the suspension, Voilà!, the wheel lifted off the ground.

 

[JC-jetro]

and jam it into a too narrow alleyway) [/COLOR]in National Lampoon's European Vacation?
Another near classic.

Right on , it was in Germany , when they met the cousins they never had, what a hoot!. I found it funnier when Griswolds were trying French cuisine in restaurant and the rude French garson

JC,

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Was it red? OK, its been quite awhile. I'll have to watch it again. Of course, backing up and bumping into Stonehenge and seeing it tumble down like dominos was another classic scene

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I've heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

No, it's "Beauty is in the eye of the BEER holder"