Books Lately: Citroën 2CV by John Reynolds

My experience of car books suggests that most titles fall into one of two categories. There are thorough, in-depth studies carefully researched and lovingly written. Then there are books turned out as money-spinners. Some have titles like “Great Sports Cars” with a few performance specifications and glossy photos that look strangely familiar because you’ve seen them in half a dozen similar books before. Others will have a celebrity name on the cover and be smaller in format covering odd cars or bad cars, picking on the familiar whipping boys (Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Reliant 3-wheeler etc).

John Reynolds’ history of the Citroën 2CV belongs firmly in the first group. First published in 1997, seven years after production of the 2CV ceased, with a 3rd edition published in 2005. It is a tribute to Mr Reynolds’ skill that you don’t need to be fanatical about the subject to enjoy the book. The background story, looking at the history of Citroën, the men responsible, the development story and even the way France changed in the 40 or so years all add colour to what might otherwise be a dry chronology of specification changes and model variants.

Of course details of the changes made as the 2CV was developed are recorded and the 2CV derivatives, the Dyane, Ami, Mehari and Bijou all receive fair coverage. Unlike plenty of one model books there is even a chapter devoted to the 2CV’s rivals. The way the book is written allows the reader to choose whether to read each chapter in order or to dip in and out depending on what captures the interest. There are even plenty of informative sidebars detailing areas of particular interest.

Even if you have little love for the 2CV (and it seems to be a love or loathe sort of car) but enjoy a good read this book is worth seeking out. It might not be packed full of glossy colour photographs (colour is confined to a couple of small sections) but there is plenty of intelligent content. Like the subject it covers the book is slightly quirky but has an undeniable appeal.

C-Crosser makes me cross

I like Citroëns. I hope that is clear from my previous posts; as well as the C6 and my current BX I have fond memories of the C5 V6 (now sadly discontinued), the Visa and the iconic 2CV. The firm has blotted its copybook with the Xsara Picasso; an absurd vehicle good for nothing.

Now Citroën are jumping on the small 4x4-cum-mpv bandwagon with the C-Crosser, the result of a joint venture between PSA and Mitsubishi. I don’t blame Citroën for making what people want to buy. What I do object to, without quite knowing why, is the cloying emphasis on how kind it is to the environment.

Maybe if there was something identifiably Citroën about the C-Crosser it would be less annoying. Something minimal, lightweight, practical and go-anywhere - like an updated 2CV - would be brilliant. Sadly I don’t think the market wants such a car. Instead it wants soft-feel plastics, MP3 player compatibility, satellite navigation, two dozen airbags and low official CO2 figures for cheap road tax.

Citroën nearly went bust making the cars people should have wanted because the world was too dumb and too cautious to appreciate them. Sometimes, when I think of the Xsara Picasso and now the C-Crosser, I wonder if I wouldn’t be happier if the firm hadn’t survived the 1970s.