Citroën 2CV

A rather unusual sight in Japan : a Citroën 2CV. For those who don’t know (?), the Citroën 2CV was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1948-1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer quality of its underlying engineering. It was designed to move the French peasantry on from horses and carts. It is considered one of Citroën’s most iconic cars. In 1953, ‘Autocar’ in a technical review of the car wrote of, “…the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford.” It was described by CAR magazine journalist and author LJK Setright as “the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car.” – wikipedia