1984 Citroën 2CV6 Special

This relatively late 2CV has apparently led an adventurous existence, allegedly seeing service as a ‘follow me’ car at Orly Airport, directing aircraft unfamiliar with the airport’s layout to their parking spots. We can only imagine the smiles that greeted this doyenne of French motoring from the pilots and passengers of airliners over the years…

Once its airfield duties were concluded, this 2CV was apparently bought by an Englishman, living in France, before he bought it back home to Blighty in 1997. By 2019, the car was repatriated to its native France, where it’s being offered for sale. 

The car is described as a running restoration project, with no reserve. Plenty of money has been spent on it over the years, but corrosion is now beginning to catch up with it. Despite this, the car still has a valid French ‘MoT’ which runs until 15/02/2026, a large history file and a ‘vehicle of special interest’ registration certificate, supplied by the FFVE (Federation Francaise Des Vehicules D’epoque).

After a little research, it turns out that Citroen was turning out grey 2CVs as far back as the late 1940s. We’re not sure if this one was grey from new in 1984, but nevertheless, it has been repainted and is generally still presenting well. The bodywork is largely free of corrosion, and the paint still offers a high-shine finish.

A closer inspection however reveals several areas that would nonetheless benefit from some fresh metal and/or paint. These patches of rot seem to be largely cosmetic in nature, though the last bills to mention any repairs to the underside chart welding some new floors and a lower bulkhead back in 2002.

The history file shows the date of that respray was March 2007, which explains why rust is beginning to take hold, the bodywork having last been refreshed some 17 years ago. The worst affected areas seem to be around the top of the bonnet to windscreen scuttle, with more corrosion showing down the nearside A post. The adjoining nearside front wing is also bubbling under the paint. 

Another invoice shows the front wings were painted slightly later than the rest of the body, in October 2007. There is also some more corrosion in the window frames and on the doors, in the corresponding shut areas. As 2CVs are certainly no strangers to corrosion, most specialists dealing with these charming little French classics have long since become dab hands at rectifying their rusty wrongs, leading to some surprisingly reasonable repair bills. 

Good news comes from inspecting the canvas top, which still looks good and operates as expected. The bumpers look great and there appears to be a good matching set of Michelin tyres, plus a heated rear screen.

If you’ve not driven a 2CV, you won’t know the simple joy of these clever little no-frills machines. They really are a lot more fun than the sum of their parts would suggest. In classic French fashion, the seats are supremely comfortable and squishy, just like the suspension, which soaks up even the worst of potholes with ease. 2CV cabins are the very definition of form following function, with absolutely nothing in here that isn’t considered essential.

This one looks complete and tidy, with its vinyl-covered seats and door cards appearing in good order. There are rubber mats keeping the worst of the weather off the floors, though we did see some corrosion in the outer seat belt anchor areas.

The boot still retains its liner, which aside from a few scratches, seems to also be in good order. Underneath the liner, there’s a full-size spare wheel, some spare bulbs and even a replacement grille, though there also seems to be a little more corrosion to the nearside seam, where the floor meets the inner body structure. 

These little Citroens are blissfully simple machines, they were designed to be maintained by farmers with little more than simple hand tools after all. That means there’s very little that’s beyond the scope of the competent home mechanic. Not that we think there’s a lot to do with this one in the mechanical department, the engine seemingly having seen a pretty comprehensive overhaul in 2011; more on that shortly…

We weren’t afforded a proper view of the underside of this Citroen, but considering the rust that’s showing on top, it’s probably safe to assume there’s more lurking underneath. However, the history file does show that the floors have already been replaced in the past. The engine bay looks perfectly presentable, though there’s some light surface corrosion showing on the upper section of the bulkhead at the back of the engine bay, plus evidence of a patch repair under the battery tray/washer bottle that’s starting to rust again.

The vendor states that this 2CV’s French ‘MoT’ (contrôle technique) runs to 2026 and that the car comes with a ‘huge history file’. We also saw some workshop manuals and that coveted FFVE declaration of ‘special interest’.

The most recent documentation shows a 40k-kilometre service and inspection was carried out in 2020 at 58,777kms. This included adding new brake fluid, engine oil and filter, fuel and air filters with various inspections also carried out, including one to the braking system. The accompanying report records an instrument and lighting fault, transmission leak, as well as play in the steering rack and wear in the kingpins.

There’s a pile of parts invoices dating from that inspection back to the early noughties with various jobs also carried out along the way, invoices for numerous parts can be seen from ECAS 2CV Parts Ltd for example. Welding to nearside floor took place in 2015 at a cost of £247 from Marsh Citroen Repairs, Kent (another firm that pops up regularly in the history). A new battery was added in 2019.

The bodywork repair and respray can be charted to March 2007 with a £4500 invoice from Silly CVs, also in Kent. There was evidently a mild front-end impact in September 2008, with an £1180 invoice from Panel n’ paint in Kent for repairs that included a new bonnet and over riders. A bottom-end overhaul seems to have taken place in 2011, with new pistons and a barrel set – as well as push rod tube seals – plus inlet and exhaust manifold gaskets. The bill for that work came to £270 from Marsh Citroen Repairs, Kent.

The floors and lower bulkhead were repaired/replaced in 2002, as evidenced by a £1761.82 invoice from Neortic for Citroen again based in Kent. Engine work to replace the valves and cure low compression was carried out in 2005 with a £478.87 invoice again from Marsh the result.

With its interesting and undeniably gallic aviation history, this apparently low mileage and running 2CV restoration project clearly has a lot going for it. Whether you’re handy with a welder, or know a specialist who is, this significant Citroen is surely worth saving and savouring for decades to come. Offered without reserve, you might just bag a bargain to boot. We estimate that it will sell for €6,000 - €8,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located in Mantilly, Orne, France. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.