|
The Citroën 2CV ( (lit. "two steam horses"), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948–1990.〔(Citroën: Automotive Industry Factsheet )〕 Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = The Independent, John Lichfield, 18 April 2008 )〕 to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9 hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance, and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods.〔 Often called "an umbrella on wheels",〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = The LeMay Museum )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = Wheels, The New York Times, )〕 the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk. The 2CV was one of the first vehicles equipped with the newly developed radial tire. Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989–1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as ''Fourgonnettes''. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami (over 1.8 million); the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.〔 A 1953 technical review in ''Autocar'' described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford". In 2011, ''The Globe and Mail'' called it a "car like no other".〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = The Globe and Mail )〕 Noted automotive author L. J. K. Setright described the 2CV as "the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car",〔 calling it a car of "remorseless rationality".〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = The Telegraph, LJK Setright, 27 Dec 2003 )〕 ==History== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Citroën 2CV」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|