photo by my father, 1982
Aah... the Citroën 2CV... A car originally meant for farmers that became a cult classic.
Belgium, 1982. A few months earlier my family and I arrive in Stavelot, incidentally just a stones throw from the Spa-Francorchamps racing curcuit, after pretty much escaping communist Poland. I am at the Brussels International Auto Show. The rows upon rows of shiny new cars of a multitude of colours is heaven for a 9 year old boy. And it is like nothing I had seen living in the grayness of communism. In addition, at the time, especially in the European market, there was an astonishing number of automobile manufacturers (many more than these days) that it would have taken two days to see everything.
One of the vehicles that catches my eye is the bright orange Citroën Deux Chevaux. It is the first time I see one. I immediately get behind the wheel.
Months later I am again sitting in a 2CV, this one wheel-less and perched on blocks in front of my parents' friends' house.
My last encounter with the iconic automobile before we all leave for Canada is when we are shopping. The huge, at least for our standards, department store has a selection of goods one could only dream of in a communist country. But best of all, they have a green Deux Chevaux on display outside, one that a lucky winner will one day drive away in...
Thirty-six years later I am at a car show in Waterfront Park, North Vancouver, admiring another 2CV. May the passion continue...