The Citroën 2CV is unquestionably one of the most important European cars of all time.

It helped put the French working class on wheels, especially important after the ravages of World War II and offered basic transportation, a boon to the French economy both from a transportation and a manufacturing standpoint.

There are a number of ‘urban myths’ concerning head of Citroën, Pierre-Jules Boulanger’s 1930’s vision for the future but, essentially, his car had to be able to ‘transport four peasants with 100kg of farm produce to market at 37mph, in clogs, and across muddy unpaved roads if necessary.

The roof had to be high enough, enabling driver and passengers to ride whilst wearing their Sunday hats to church, the car’s fuel consumption would average 90-95mpg, it should be able to drive across a ploughed field without breaking the eggs it was carrying and, above all, it had to stay within the two horsepower fiscal bracket to remain affordable.

Disparagingly dubbed ‘Tin Snail’ in the ...