The Citroën 2CV Was So Basic It Was Brilliant | Jason Drives

Turning a century old is always something to celebrate, especially a company as weird as Citroën, one of the most consistently weird carmakers ever. For this anniversary special of Jason Drives, we went down to the Lane Museum in Nashville to drive the 2CV, as well as some of its strange variations.

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Drive free or die!

[colinwaylett]

I have been driving 2cv´s during the last 42 years and it is still my every day car!

[muserediscovered]

Wasnt there a guy who got stranded in the desert with a 2CV and took it completely apart and built a functional motorcycle to get out of the desert alive?

[-djurre-]

5:24 2cv from the early 50s . 5:35 2cv from late 70s/80s

[all-flat-engines]

Gotta love Lane auto museum, it’s a mandatory stop if you’re ever in Nashville

[apn]

Speedometer driven windscreen wiper means that it has automatic speed adaptation unlike an electrically driven system. A simple and brilliant idea.

[benbmxfr]

Your prononciation of Citroën at the beginning was so good I had to write that comment before seeing the video !
First time I heard an american saying it right, à la French.

[subtlez]

Fun video. One request. Show the cool things like the “spring in the can”. Car guys are visual learners.

[therickman]

The prototype to the 2CV, was called the TPV (Toute Petite Voiture "Very Small Car") and was pre-WW2. Citroën made an initial production run of 2CVA's and it was set to be introduced at the auto-show in Paris of 1939. But just one month before the auto-show, France declared war on Germany, Citroën destroyed almost all 2CVA's in fear of military application by the Nazi's. Several TPVs were buried at secret locations; one was disguised as a pickup, the others were destroyed, 3 TPV's where discovered in a barn in 1994, another 2 where discovered in 2003.

The first few prototypes of the TPV had a single headlight, untill during testing at night, a cyclist mistoke it for a motorcycle and hit the car head on. After that, it had 2 headlights

[leneanderthalien]

for information, the rolling chassis without body is a modern 602cc 29HP 2cv6 chassis, first was a old 50-60' 2cv...

[riejurv]

I've daily driven a Dyane (same everything as a 2cv but different shape) since i got my license... Have 8 other cars but... You just can't replace what a car like that gives you.

[MontieMongoose]

Can we get a video where Otto explains the Otto cycle?

[valentinexristov]

Citroen has always been clever and genius! So many advanced gadgets and incredible equipment has been developed by Citroen. Would You do a video about the DS & the SM, Jason?

[raylarkin]

The 2cv is like a French version of the model t only better thought 50 years later and still as Spartan as possible!
An absolutely great purpose built machine. 👍

[piratetype]

You know, Tatra is also 100 years this year ;)

[WittyDroog]

Don't be so hard on Otto, guys, kids can be fickle and one minute they're bouncing off the walls the next they're bored of whatever you want to do. I'm willing to suspect this had more to do with dealing with production than not liking cars.

[stephenberry]

The only car you will ever need.
More smiles per mile.

During 42 yrs and 3 new 2CVs I have covered 525, 000 joyful kilometres.

2CV6 top speed on flat is 115 kph.
Downhill 125 kph. Long uphills 90 kph. If you are ever pulled up for speeding you should ask for a credit for all the times you can't get up to the speed limit!!

[gaborcsuzdi]

*Correction: It is STILL brilliant.
(.°\=/°.)

[teacherdude]

I've seen many, many videos about the 2CV but thisnis the most fun.

[saturn]

Mad props to a kid that shows up in PJs.

[Threetails]

I have one with the fabric trunk! Mine is a '56 so one of the last built without a steel deck lid. It's my favorite car out of everything I've owned.