Citroën introduced the 2CV in 1948 as an inexpensive car designed for rural France.
The 2CV grew from Citroën’s TPV project, whose French name referred to a very small car intended to carry people and agricultural goods across poor roads. Development began before the Second World War, but the finished production car was revealed at the 1948 Paris Motor Show.
Its air-cooled, horizontally opposed two-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive, soft suspension, and simple fabric roof emphasized practicality rather than speed or luxury. The suspension was designed to cope with rough rural surfaces, and the car became especially popular in France and other European countries.
The name 2CV refers to “deux chevaux,” or two tax horsepower, rather than the engine’s actual horsepower. The 2CV remained in production until 1990, making it one of Europe’s longest-lived popular cars.