Originally Posted by
JDNSW
The 2CV was designed as a farmer's vehicle (among other things). One of the design criteria was to carry the eggs across a ploughed field without breaking them.
In some respects it was designed for the same market as the original Landrover, but just before the war, and without the example and pattern of the Jeep, and consequently was a much more innovative design.
My brother owned a Dyane when he lived in Denmark, the slightly more upmarket version of the 2CV (developed about 35BHP at 7000rpm from the 2 cylinder 600cc engine at 11.5:1, up from the original 17BHP at 4000rpm and 6:1). I toured Europe in it in 1973. As you say, rather amazing. - comfortable seats, good ride and excellent handling, although the body roll tends to frighten other road users. Main drawbacks were sluggish performance and noise level similar to the interior of a single engined aircraft!
John