The UK's most northerly resident Morris Minor

[Deux Chevaux]

I live on Unst and as well as my Citroën 2CV there is also an Old English White Minor 1000 Convertible resident on the island. I have yet to speak to the owner but we often pass each other on the road and give an enthusiastic wave of friendship to each other. We each own the most northerly Minor and 2CV. There's also a red MG-B Roadster sitting three garages down from mine that comes out very, very rarely. Just twice in the past 18 months. A real shame. There is a Shetland Classic Car Club that I and the Minor owner are members of. Locals tend to know the 2CV more than they know me. Lol!

[The vast minority]

I'm working on the big Total project at present. I will have to get up there very soon to be present on some of the material inspections for the gas reception plant. Never been to the Shetlands but am looking forward to this as been working on the project for 18 months. All my kit is delivered to Lerwick in February and on to the gas plant from there, might see you in the Citroen if I stop off on your island which is possible as I will have company expenses and time to spare.

Al

[katy]

To each their own, but to me a Citroen 2CV is about the ugliest car I've ever seen. The Dodge PT cruiser is a close second.

[tysonn]

One mans' meat is another mans' poison.

[MarkyB]

I'd rather have a car with some character than any number of look-alike hatchbacks or 4x4s.

[Deux Chevaux]

There's no need to be so rude, William Morris called the Minor a poached egg, so clearly found it ugly to his eyes. The 2CV was a totally original, clean sheet design that lasted 42 years in production and well over 5 million were made. When you add the Dyane, Ami and Méhari, production figures for Citroën Type-A (2CV) is almost 9 million. It was designed with function in mind (what is known as "form follows function"). The 2CV is front wheel drive and has fully independent, interconnected suspension. This was when the normal for car design was rear wheel drive and cart springs! It was engineered by Andre Lefebvre, who was a racing car driver and designer, and also developed aircraft for Voisin. The styling was by one of the greatest car designers of the 20th Century, the Italian, Flaminio Bertoni. Both also created the 1934 Citroën Traction Avant and the 1955 Citroën DS.

The 2CV is a beautiful piece of art, which has been exhibited in art museums all over the world, including The Design Museum in London.

[katy]

There's no need to be so rude,

Don' know who you're calling rude, but ifn it's me, I apologize, I didn't mean to be rude I was just expressing my opinion of the car.
As I said "to each his own".

Nuf said.

[philthehill]

In the past I have owned two Citroen 2 CVs, (one old one and one a couple of years old) and they are great fun to drive and easy to repair.
When you get them wound up they really do fly.
Roof back, front vents open, side windows folded up - for hair in the wind driving.
I always had a smile on my face when driving them - so much character.

[warweezil]

for hair in the wind driving.

Is that what you call it when the Toupe' is whipped from the drivers head by the slipstream?

[philthehill]

Do not know about slip stream - more like soda-stream
Yes with a 2 CV it is truly is hair in the wind.

[bmcecosse]

I too had a 2CV a good number of years ago. It was a great car in summer - but oh dear in winter...... Not helped by the way none of the 4 wheels actually pointed straight ahead...so on a slippy road it was uncontrollable! But the heater was totally useless...and as i was trying to do a 20 mile each way cross-country commute in a very cold Scottish winter - I had to give it up. If I lived in a temperate climate (eg Tenerife...oh how I wish...) I would have one in a minute - and yet strangely I'm not sure I have ever seen one there!

[Deux Chevaux]

Fit the grill muff and it's roasty-toasty. I've mentioned on another thread about a journey I did in my Minor convertible from Worcester to Tamworth. Was frozen solid. The same journey in the 2CV would have me reaching for the off lever. I've never known a 2CV that has wheels pointing in different directions. Must have been in an accident. 2CVs are renowned for their road holding in bad weather. Next weekend 3-4 Jan, there's two annual club runs, one to the highest pub in Scotland at Wanlockhead, the other to the highest pub in England (and the UK), Tan Hill Inn, in North Yorkshire. Only once in over 20 years have they been unable to reach Tan Hill due to too much snow. I've done it with around 5 to 6 inches without any problem.

Here's a photo of a friend's 2CV from earlier today in the Peak District.[frame][/frame]
Got there and back home without an issue.

[John Naylor]

Bought a deuche van when we lived in the Auvergne and loved it. Brought it back to the UK but sold it on as I didn't get on with the mechanics and yearned to have an A series again. Wish I had kept it and persevered. It was good in snow but the heater wasn't as good as the Minor. Got some snow chains for 125 R15 if anybody is interested...