Читать книгу 101 Romantic Weekends in Europe - Sarah Woods - Страница 19

CONTACTS Paris Authentic 2CV Tours Tel: +33 6 64 50 44 19 Email: paris@parisauthentic.com www.parisauthentic.com

Tours cost from 160 euros per couple.

The Swedish are renowned for sleek, contemporary design, the Italian’s for sexy chic while stylish ingenuity is a German strongpoint. And the French? Well, just a glance at the Citroën 2CV casts a question mark over their design panache – a car so ugly that it is actually cute. Dubbed the Ugly Duckling of the Citroën world, the 2CV enjoys a cult following these days: the iconic, slightly gawky sex symbol of French motor vehicles. Hidden from the Nazis and manufactured for 42 years, the beloved 2CV has charmed the world for over a half a century. It boasts dozens of nicknames across the globe, from jernseng (‘iron bedstead’ in Norwegian), la cabra (‘goat’ in Spanish) and chocolaterias (‘chocolate tin can’ in Portuguese) to the rather unkind ‘tin snail’. Today, millions of derivatives across 30 different models have been produced around the globe, spawning over 300 2CV automotive clubs and rallies worldwide. Not bad for something its own designer admitted looked like an umbrella on wheels.

Citroën unveiled the first 2CV at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1948, yet the original concept was a pre-war 1930s prototype developed in complete secrecy, codenamed TPV (toute petite voiture, simply meaning ‘very small car’). Made from lightweight alloys, the early 2CV had a magnesium chassis and wheels. A canvas body stretched over a frame with seats that were no more than hammocks suspended from the roof. A set of added-on headlights gave it a nerdy, bug-eyed look, yet the French country folk adored the 2CV’s go-anywhere suspension. Low earners loved its unbeatable price and even snooty Parisians considered the 600 kg (1,326 lb) design revolution beyond fashion. First produced only in grey, other colours followed, representing one of just a few changes made to Pierre Boulanger’s original design over the years.

Designed to carry four averagely-proportioned adults wearing their Sunday-best hats, this space-efficient front-wheel-drive motor boasts a top speed of 60 kph (37 mph). Economical to run and cheap to maintain, it achieves a fuel consumption of 3 litres per 100 km (⅔ gallon per 62 miles); a 3-speed gear box is equipped with a supercharger peg that acts as a fourth gear. It is capable of running on the worst of roads, of being driven by a debutante, and is reassuringly comfy. Even the removable back seats doubled up as a handy picnic bench on a country jaunt over Le Weekend. Yet its proudest boast was that the 2CV was roomy enough for 50 kg (111 lbs) of potatoes and able to transport a basket of eggs over a freshly ploughed field without a single breakage – no mean feat.

Today, the 2CV is cherished by millions for its awkward, kookily romantic looks and compact, unworldly shape. For a non-streamlined design, it delivers a ride that is incredibly smooth with a well damped suspension that is couch-like rather than springy. It is a cosy car: somehow warm, cuddly and forgiving with more heart than a mere ‘tin snail’ should rightly possess. The BBC Top Gear programme’s Jeremy Clarkson may have written the 2CV off as a ‘weedy, useless little engine’, but the Deux Chevaux (as the French call it, meaning ‘two horses’) remains the most quintessentially French vehicle to trundle the roads – an automotive that epitomizes Gallic charm. Even in Paris, a fleet of 2CVs offers two-person sightseeing trips to tourists keen to explore the city in France’s cosiest and most iconic four-wheeled, metal cocoon. Somehow the romantic character of the city is heightened by a 2CV journey along the old Parisian streets which speak of another era. Available in blue, white and red, Authentic Paris’ wonderfully cared for Ugly Ducklings offer a rare nostalgic treat around Notre Dame and the tree-lined Champs Elysées in true French automotive style. Booking a ‘Romantic Paris’ tour adds some nice additional touches for couples keen to snuggle up in this comically soft, coil-sprung motor – including heart-warming tales of candlelit Paris from a beret-wearing chauffeur.

Duke, debutante or just plain ‘deux’, find romance on the streets of Paris in this cutest of cars.