1988 Citroën 2CV — Late-Production Red Example from Quebec
About this vehicle
Red paint, a four-speed manual, and two years left on the clock before Citroën pulled the plug. That's this 1988 2CV.
The name is a small piece of misdirection — deux chevaux translates to 'two horses,' which references two taxable horsepower under the French fiscal rating system, not anything the engine actually produces. What's under the hood is a 602cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed two-cylinder making 29 hp (DIN) at 5,750 rpm, fed through a single-barrel Solex carburettor. Citroën ran this simple, proven package largely unchanged across four decades, and it shows in how little there is to go wrong.
Front-wheel drive. Interconnected front-to-rear suspension. A four-speed gearbox that was an unusually generous ratio count for the class. The suspension is the part worth understanding: a front wheel hits a bump, energy transfers rearward through linked spring canisters, and the pitching motion that haunts conventional setups largely disappears. The result is a ride that's soft and oddly composed given how little car surrounds you.
By 1988 the 2CV's end wasn't speculation — tightening exhaust and safety regulations across Europe were closing in fast. Citroën ended production in 1990 after 41 years. Over the full 1948–1990 run, nearly 3.9 million cars left the factory, making it one of the most widely sold European economy cars of the 20th century. Honest late examples aren't getting easier to find.
Top speed is rated around 71 mph (115 km/h), which tells you exactly what kind of machine this is. Offered on a registration title, located in Quebec, finished in red with a manual gearbox.
