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Motor show 1948 : Auriol President with Pierre Boulanger

An emblematic Citroën model, the 2 CV was one of the most-loved cars of the 20th century.

“More than a vehicle, a lifestyle,” read an article on the 2 CV in the French press at the end of the 1940s. Robust, practical and requiring only minimum upkeep, the 2 CV was perhaps the most most-loved vehicle of the people in the second half of the 20th century.

The origins of the 2 CV can be traced back to the 1930s. In 1936, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, the man behind the Traction, launched a project to develop a “TPV” (for “Très Petite Voiture”). He was surrounded by a team of first-class professionals, including Flaminio Bertoni and André Lefebvre. The first prototype came out of the workshops in 1937, fitted with a 500 cm3 motorbike engine.

The war put the development of the 2 CV on hold. The prototypes were hidden, often knocked down into spare parts, and dispersed throughout France. Pierre-Jules Boulanger nevertheless made a few improvements to his TPV during the war. Tests started again in 1946. To keep project tests top secret, Boulanger bought a piece of a land west of Paris at La Ferté-Vidame, which remains Citroën’s test centre today.

And then came the big day. The 2 CV created a sensation when it was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on 7 October 1948. Initial reactions were grating. The design was considered shocking. The 2 CV’s styling rattled connoisseurs of traditional Citroëns, more used to the Traction and its top-end appeal. One thing is sure: the 2 CV left nobody indifferent. And although the press was sceptical, the public was soon to embrace the new vehicle wholeheartedly. Orders came rushing in so thick and fast they “bottlenecked” the manufacturing process. At the time, customers often had to wait years before picking up their 2 CV.

The result was unequivocal: the 2 CV was a huge success. And its story was just beginning.

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