Additional product description

The 2CV is one of a handful of cars that remained in production, virtually unchanged, over a number of decades. Other such vehicles are the Jeep, Land Rover, the Fiat 500, the Mini and the Beetle. The original design brief, back in the early 1930s, was to create a rugged, lower-priced umbrella on four wheels. It stipulated that the car would need to enable two peasants to carry 100kg of farm goods to market at 60kph, in clogs and across muddy fields, whilst consuming no more than three litres of gasoline to travel 100km (78mpg). More famous were the rigorous field trials that demanded that it be able to drive across a ploughed field without breaking a bowl of eggs! By 1939, several prototypes had been produced, but fearful that the Germans might attempt some military application, these were hidden until after the war. It was finally unveiled at the Paris Salon of 1948. Such a success was it that within a short time the waiting list had grown to five years! In 1960, the car was given a facelift, after which it remained virtually unchanged until production ceased. In the mid-seventies, it enjoyed huge sales success as the oil-crisis sent fuel prices soaring. But to maintain interest in the model, Citroen began introducing special edition models in the late seventies. The first was the SPOT model. The Art-Deco stylised Charleston was introduced in 1981, but so popular did it become that it became a full model in 1982 in a range of colours. None of the special edition models, and there were quite a few, were that special. Differentiation came from things like different speedometers, paint, seat fabric, door handles and interior lights. Yet somehow these limited run cars have stood the test of time and some of them are now amongst the most collectible of all 2CVs. Sometimes Minichamps has surprised us with its 1:18 2CV Charleston. The company loves its German subjects, its racing cars, its sporty roadcars and exotic supercars. And then, out of nowhere, comes this lovely rendition of the 2CV Charleston. It’s a cracking model and clearly we don’t have to justify the quality. The replica is brimming with neat little touches and fine points of intricacy, like the quilted seat fabric and the fully working roll-back roof.

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