DRIVING MISS JEANNETTE

Don’t we all wish we could embark on a road trip? If you’re living in the US, you’re probably (and wisely) eschewing any travel this week and inventing new ways to give thanks. If you’re in France –and in many other countries around the world– you’ve been stuck at home, not being allowed to venture beyond a 1 km radius from your domicile. How do we keep our sanity? Perhaps I can entice you to follow me: step into a vintage 2 CV for un petit tour on country roads along the Dordogne river? En voiture, Simone!

The cutest French car ever: la deudeuche!

After winning a photography contest organized by the département du Lot, I was over the moon when the prize was revealed: a half-day rental of a 2 CV! I rode in the back (and in the trunk!) of a 2 CV many times when I was growing up but never had the opportunity to actually drive one. My friend Raegan was set to visit us in September last year and I decided to schedule this little adventure so she could join in. The three of us rode to Blanat, near Rocamadour, where we met Benoit, the manager of Roc N’Roule. After filling in some paperwork, we were introduced to Jeannette, a beautiful Azure 2 CV6 Special! She would be mine for the whole afternoon.

Miss Jeannette takes a break in a quaint village along the way

It didn’t take me long to get reacquainted with the dash-mounted gear shift and it “cue ball” style knob: when I learned to drive, my mother had a Citroën Ami 6 equipped with the same style of manual transmission. As soon as I turned the ignition on, the familiar engine sound filled our ears. Loudly. It’s a very distinctive sound, one that never leaves your memory. Just as you can always tell when someone is riding a Harley-Davidson, you know when a 2 CV is driving by, without even seeing it. Overall, it was an easy driving experience. I just needed to remember that those cars were built before power-steering (a few biceps curls might help) and power brakes (anticipate!) The clutch felt a lot different from the one on the Citroën I’m currently driving but I’m proud to report I only stalled the engine twice. I “may” have flooded the engine after stopping to gas the car but my two witnesses have been sworn to secrecy…

The 2 CV dashboard: a prowess in minimalism

We picked an itinerary that would include mostly country roads, quaint villages, and opportunities to follow the Dordogne river. We stopped briefly along the way but the whole point of the afternoon was to drive and ride in the car, not to walk and tour churches or châteaux. Creysse, Gluges, St Denis-lès-Martel, and Carennac all deserve dedicated visits.

First time in Creysse: a (small) river runs through it. Actually, it meanders and loops around. Dotted with numerous stone bridges, the village looks like it is sitting in the middle of canals.

I was glad the tourist season was over so we could proceed at a leisurely pace. The drive along the Dordogne is sinuous; narrow roads were carved in the cliff; passing, or being passed, is pretty much out of the question. The danger here is not to get a speeding ticket but to be surprised by incoming traffic and have to slam on the brakes.

Driving miss Jeannette, a vintage 2CV, along the Dordogne river.

It helps that a 2 CV has only one pace and that’s pas très vite. I don’t think I could have pushed the car to more than 70 km/h, even if I had tried to. The upside is that you can almost make eye contact with grazing livestock when you drive 30 mph.

You’re likely to spot flocks of sheep and tribes of goats grazing on le Causse de Rocamadour

When we crossed the river on Pont Miret near Floirac, I brought my speed down to under 20 mph. This 140-meter long suspension bridge was built in 1912 and a decree specified it could be used by either one loaded car, two empty ones, or no more than five cows at a time. The cables looked sturdy enough and the wood ties seemed to be in decent shape. I just read the bridge is currently closed to “rejuvenate” the planking… Ouf!

Jeannette, a vintage 2CV, crosses old Pont Miret over the Dordogne river. Built in 1912, suspension bridge, 800 wood planks.

Sadly, the weather was mostly overcast and a bit rainy. We didn’t get the chance to ride with the top down (yes, the 2 CV is the ultimate proletarian convertible!)  On the other hand, I had several opportunities to put the midget windshield wipers into action and to use the flip-up windows, mostly to defog the windshield.

Driving miss Jeannette, a vintage 2CV, in the rain. Tiny (but mighty?) windshield wipers...

The afternoon went by too fast and I was a little bit sad to take Jeannette back home. If I were mechanically inclined, I would consider having a 2 CV of my own. Rick doesn’t quite share my excitement but, of course, he grew up with les belles américaines. Different strokes for different folks or, as we say here, à chacun ses goûts. You may recall that I previously published a photographic homage to the 2CV, an easy task since the beloved car is still commonly used in rural France: I usually spot one just about every time I drive to town and it always brings a smile to my face. Maybe I’ll run into lovely Jeannette again sometime…

A 1949 gray 2 CV (with the top down!) and a 1980 Charleston racing along the Dordogne river…

Vocabulary
Un petit tour: a short ride
En voiture, Simone: giddy up
Le département: county
Pas très vite: not very fast
Ouf: phew
Les belles américaines: beautiful American cars, usually classics from the 50s-60s
A chacun ses goûts: to each his own

To feed your dreams of Paris and plan your next trip, please consider buying a copy of my book Moments Parfaits in Paris, where you’ll explore every arrondissement through forty photographs and essays. Hint: it’s also a thoughtful holiday gift for this dear Francophile friend of yours… When you purchase the book, I will mail you a signed bookmark from France and stamp your envelope with this stunning timbre Trésors de Notre-Dame. If you are interested in buying French commemorative stamps, check my selection. Merci! Your support helps me maintain this blog.

Buy a copy of Moments Parfaits in Paris: I'll mail you (from France) a signed bookmark in an envelope bearing this collectible Trésors de Notre-Dame stamp!

LA DEUCHE

Modesto –the California city where I lived before moving back to France three months ago– is the epitome of car culture in the USA. Native son George Lucas immortalized Friday night cruising in his 1973 movie American Graffiti. If you recall, a famous French car is featured in the film: a young Richard Dreyfuss steps out of an old Citroën 2 CV.

A patriotic specimen. Check out the roll-back roof.

I doubt I’m the only one who had a love affair with this iconic car. It was Dad’s first car when my parents ditched their Vespa and bought their Deux Chevaux about the time I was born. Truth be told: this car left an indelible imprint on three generations of French people.

Clearly, the perfect choice for a wedding: note the tulle flower at the top of the antenna.

The concept and design originated in 1938 but production in earnest only started ten years later; the car would be produced until 1990. In order to appeal to the masses (and sell more tires since Michelin had just bought Citroën…) engineers were charged to develop a Toute Petite Voiture that would sit four passengers, reach a top speed of 60 km/h (about 37 miles per hour) and burn only 3 liters of gas to cover 100 km (equivalent to 78 miles per gallon.) The cahier des charges for the suspension specified that a basket of eggs transported through a plowed field would not turn into a messy omelet. We must salute marketing genius when we see it: the car has always been extremely popular in rural areas.

I saw this one at a vide-grenier; not for sale, though.

Indeed, you will not see many 2 CV on the streets of Paris nowadays: since 2016, vehicles manufactured before 1997 have been deemed very polluants and City Hall has banned their use within the city limits unless they are registered as voitures de collection or are used for sightseeing tours, a very popular activity in the capital. But in my (current) neck of the woods, I still encounter 2 CV on a daily basis. On a bright February day ten years ago, I even saw a truffle-hunting pig stepping out of the back of a 2 CV camionnette!

There is a spiffy Charleston model in the light grey/dark grey combination that’s often parked across from the lycée. Other color combinations for the Charleston included the classic black/Delage red (it looks maroon) and a rare yellow/black model.

The car is immediately recognizable because the overall design was barely modified through its four decades of production: same rounded shape, flip-up windows, and roll-back roof. One noticeable change: the original butterfly doors were eventually replaced with a less “suicidal” set up… And the engine eventually reached a whopping 602 ccs versus 375 ccs on the very first model. A little more than 5 million units were produced worldwide. The 2 CV is so well loved that car clubs were founded in its honor: of course, they organize car shows and help owners find parts.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a one-of-a-kind 2 CV often parked at Carrefour or Intermarché. The car is mostly dark green but has gone through several paint “upgrades:” on a photo I took in 2014, the front fender on the passenger side was cream instead of black.

Many old 2 CV end up being “personalized.” Sometimes the farmer just wants to replace a rusted fender on its utilitarian vehicle. Sometimes an aficionado yearns to make his car unique through customized paint jobs or accessories.

A bright green 2 CV sits on my neighbor’s property, less than 300 feet from my office. It would need a lot of TLC to hit the asphalt!

A well-traveled 2 CV. I wonder whether it actually visited all the countries featured on its flags.

Customized hood ornament. Perfect!

Michel Robillart, a professional woodworker, made the news last year with his wooden 2 CV. Photo credit: Guillaume Souvant/AFP.

If you’re truly a fan, like Michel Robillard, you spend 6 years of your life building a 2 CV out of various fruit woods. And it runs!

Old 2 CV never die!

Some fun links to explore:

The Citroën Official Website features lots of photos and even sounds of the beloved 2 CV

This INA short film shows how the 2 CV is the perfect vehicle to take on a picnic

If you are a Netflix subscriber, check out this episode (C4:E4) of Comedians in Cars having Coffee where Jerry Seinfeld and Gad Elmaleh drive a vintage 2 CV in the streets of New York.

Vocabulary

La Deuche (or Deudeuche): nickname for the 2 CV
Deux Chevaux: lit. Two Horses; what the initials 2 CV stand for, in reference to the (fiscal) two horsepower engine
Toute Petite Voiture: Very Little Car
Le cahier des charges: lit. notebook of responsibilities; specifications
Polluant: polluting
Voiture de collection: collector’s car, vintage car
Camionnette: van; in this case, the back seat of the 2 CV was removed to increase cargo capacity.
Le lycée: high school