Citroen 2CV Charleston

An immaculate example of the rare, elegant variant of the iconic French classic, the Citroen 2CV (deux chevaux). The two-tone grey Charleston was introduced in 1983, with this example built in 1985. Interestingly, this colourway was used on the very last 2CV ever produced in July 1990, which can now be viewed at the Citroen Conservatoire heritage collection in France.
The 602cc air-cooled engine likes being run hard, and will happily chug along at 70mph on the motorway – possibly a little more if we’re travelling downhill! Everything is within easy reach, so you could say she has central locking – all four door handles can be reached from the driver’s seat. She has air conditioning if you open the cranked vent at the front, and has an automatic soft-top (as long as my husband is with me)!!. Additionally, she has been modified to have fuel injection, as I often forget to bring the choke in.
Used as inspiration for my business branding, I believe that the two-tone grey colourway is sophisticated and stylish. It is at odds with the relative primitivity of the car and its quirky design – which is what attracted me to it as my first car when I was 17 years old. Since then, I have had a further three 2CVs, two of which have been grey Charlestons.
I bought this one from a 2CV fan in Tiptree, Essex, who had had the car completely renovated by a classic car restorer. Having told me to head back on the A1, M25 and M4 carefully, suggesting a limit of 55mph, she was so comfortable cruising, I had edged her up to 70mph by the time I’d reached the M25. We made it back home without incident, probably because 2CVs are so well made.