Whist Britannia Ruled the Waves after WW2 and turned her industrial might into once again manufacturing motor vehicles of the sound but ordinary type of Austin, Morris etc., France Waived the Rules and built some strange devices.

This could be because there was little in the way of raw materials, perhaps oddments from pre-war parts bins and a fair bit of farmyard detritus.

Add to this the fact that her roads were potholed and poorly maintained at the time (a bit like ours are now) and there was the need for cheap transport that could reliably cover large distances over dubious terrain.

Hence the arrival of the Deux Chevaux or 2CV, a flimsy looking creation of corrugated metal with accommodation for 4 persons or a number of animals, or some of each.

Power was from a 425cc horizontal air cooled twin cylinder engine driving through a manual 4 speed gearbox, the lever of which protruded from the dashboard and caused much disconcertion to the operator.

The Dyane was a much improved ver...