The Green Snail
by Richard Reeve
Title
The Green Snail
Artist
Richard Reeve
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Checkerboard design of the iconic Citroen 2CV, aka "The Snail".
The Citroen 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. 'two steam horses'), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroen for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroen Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork - initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels," the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroen ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami: (over 1.8 million) the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroen manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
Uploaded
June 18th, 2012
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