RE: Chris Harris video: Citroen 2CV
Discussion
I can only compare the 2CV to my own classic 49cc moped, I too can put my hands on all manner of road/race superbikes but instead find myself out on deserted back roads cursing any sort of incline that has me dropping gears as the gradient increases.
Top speed is around the 50 mph mark, 55 mph flat on the tank holding onto the left hand fork leg (only done when no one is around to see)
It does not stop to well with its twin drum brakes, the handling is down right dangerous with a near 15 stone middle aged man sitting on its back, the 6 volt electrics produce a warm milky glow from what is supposed to be a headlight and it is quicker to use hand signals to indicate than wait for the indicators to wake up and warm up.
I could go on and on about it as I built it from scratch at a cost of £1000's.
I don't care though, like the author says in his video, it makes him smile and it makes others smile.
Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bVV6hzRBHA&li...
Top speed is around the 50 mph mark, 55 mph flat on the tank holding onto the left hand fork leg (only done when no one is around to see)
It does not stop to well with its twin drum brakes, the handling is down right dangerous with a near 15 stone middle aged man sitting on its back, the 6 volt electrics produce a warm milky glow from what is supposed to be a headlight and it is quicker to use hand signals to indicate than wait for the indicators to wake up and warm up.
I could go on and on about it as I built it from scratch at a cost of £1000's.
I don't care though, like the author says in his video, it makes him smile and it makes others smile.
Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bVV6hzRBHA&li...
Hellbound said:
See, now a chicken s
t like me would end up getting a Suzuki Lapin with a Renault 4 kit with roof rack and pretend it was just as cool.
I know, I'm shameless.
That's actually quite cool - in the same way those Subaru vans which are 'reimagined' as VW Camper lookalikes are also quite cool tbht like me would end up getting a Suzuki Lapin with a Renault 4 kit with roof rack and pretend it was just as cool. I know, I'm shameless.
The Japanese get away with this stuff - if we did it, it would be s
t - but they do it and it's kitsch...
I'm glad there's been some sort of backlash against all the fawning over this latest Harris purchase. Although I can see the attraction (sort of) and I can empathise with the sentiment in the vds, I can really only see very limited practical use for this contraption - for one thing it would make you the most hated man on the road in much the same way as those old buggers in their Hyundai i10 dawdling along. For every 1 person saying 'awesome, look at that old thing - bet that bloke's having fun', there'd be 10 others saying 'get that old POS off the road - fack me how can anyone be doing 30 along here'. Seems slightly mascochistic to want to drive a 425cc car on today's roads. And this coming from someone who owned (and loved) a series 3 landie.
EggsBenedict said:
I'm glad there's been some sort of backlash against all the fawning over this latest Harris purchase. Although I can see the attraction (sort of) and I can empathise with the sentiment in the vds, I can really only see very limited practical use for this contraption - for one thing it would make you the most hated man on the road in much the same way as those old buggers in their Hyundai i10 dawdling along. For every 1 person saying 'awesome, look at that old thing - bet that bloke's having fun', there'd be 10 others saying 'get that old POS off the road - fack me how can anyone be doing 30 along here'. Seems slightly mascochistic to want to drive a 425cc car on today's roads. And this coming from someone who owned (and loved) a series 3 landie.
You're imagining the car will be used for commuting or on busy roads or something. Whereas it might just be very easy for the owner to pick his times and enjoy himself on quiet, isolated country lanes....RoverP6B said:
No such thing as a quiet, isolated road on this overcrowded little island any more...
Don't be so ridiculous. I ride a 1920s motorbike and sidecar, that probably does 25-30mph as an average. It gets nothing but positive reactions everywhere. I ride it on quiet lanes and no doubt I have held the odd person up but it's really not difficult to adjust your route and riding/driving style to suit a lack of speed.
Do people on here really want to rule slow/older vehicles off the road on safety grounds? Honestly, this site reads more like mumsnet than a car enthusiast's site sometimes!
srob said:
Don't be so ridiculous.
I ride a 1920s motorbike and sidecar, that probably does 25-30mph as an average. It gets nothing but positive reactions everywhere. I ride it on quiet lanes and no doubt I have held the odd person up but it's really not difficult to adjust your route and riding/driving style to suit a lack of speed.
Do people on here really want to rule slow/older vehicles off the road on safety grounds? Honestly, this site reads more like mumsnet than a car enthusiast's site sometimes!
I assure you that your bike will irritate plenty of motorists. Why should I have to adjust my route to stick to main roads when that would add 50% to my typical annual mileage (as my commitments are mostly in rural areas)?I ride a 1920s motorbike and sidecar, that probably does 25-30mph as an average. It gets nothing but positive reactions everywhere. I ride it on quiet lanes and no doubt I have held the odd person up but it's really not difficult to adjust your route and riding/driving style to suit a lack of speed.
Do people on here really want to rule slow/older vehicles off the road on safety grounds? Honestly, this site reads more like mumsnet than a car enthusiast's site sometimes!
Classics will always have a place on our roads as long as they can keep up with modern-day traffic. MGBs, to name one very common classic, have no problem with this. Even a well-driven TA can be pretty quick. However, 2CVs are SO slow that I honestly would have them banned from UK roads.
RoverP6B said:
I've driven one. It was dangerously slow. Add into that the comical body roll (it did not take much at all to tip it onto the outside two wheels only), the horrible body flex (doors would sometimes pop open uncommanded) and the total lack of crash protection and you have an utter death-trap which should be banned from public roads.
You didn't actually get the outside two wheels in the air. It's not possible (at least going forwards), it might have felt like it but you didn't. If the doors popped open then there was something wrong with the catches. Never had that happen on any of mine.
Chris Harris's car is from 1950's and is quite rare in having the smaller 435cc engine. The vast majority of the 2CVs on the road have the bigger (ha!) 602cc unit. They are much quicker and as I often use it for my commute very easy to keep up with other traffic.
So your sophisticated Rover had out of this world crash protection did it ?
RoverP6B said:
I assure you that your bike will irritate plenty of motorists. Why should I have to adjust my route to stick to main roads when that would add 50% to my typical annual mileage (as my commitments are mostly in rural areas)?
Classics will always have a place on our roads as long as they can keep up with modern-day traffic. MGBs, to name one very common classic, have no problem with this. Even a well-driven TA can be pretty quick. However, 2CVs are SO slow that I honestly would have them banned from UK roads.
You're clearly either daft or a troll Classics will always have a place on our roads as long as they can keep up with modern-day traffic. MGBs, to name one very common classic, have no problem with this. Even a well-driven TA can be pretty quick. However, 2CVs are SO slow that I honestly would have them banned from UK roads.
So you want a minimum speed limit on single lane roads (like those I use on the vintage bikes)?
OK, I have no issue with that so long as it can be set at the mimimum I can travel on a solo motorcyle. So whilst you dither in your fancy new car doing walking speed around a blind bend (which I assume you do, otherwise it'll end badly) or reverse to a passing place I know that I have plenty of room to get through and past a car, if I need to. And that's before we get into the better visibility I have from a higher mount.
So I think your car should be banned as it holds me up!
BAN HIM. BAN EVERYTHING. braddo said:
You're right, whenever I see a Chris Harris video that is filmed on Welsh roads I am always distracted by the crazy levels of fking traffic that he's having to carve through.
You do see a certain amount of other traffic, especially in the queue behind that ruddy 2CV! king traffic that he's having to carve through.chopper602 said:
You didn't actually get the outside two wheels in the air. It's not possible (at least going forwards), it might have felt like it but you didn't.
If the doors popped open then there was something wrong with the catches. Never had that happen on any of mine.
Chris Harris's car is from 1950's and is quite rare in having the smaller 435cc engine. The vast majority of the 2CVs on the road have the bigger (ha!) 602cc unit. They are much quicker and as I often use it for my commute very easy to keep up with other traffic.
So your sophisticated Rover had out of this world crash protection did it ?
The way the 602cc one I drove tipped over, I don't believe the inside wheels were on the road at all. It was still dangerously slow.If the doors popped open then there was something wrong with the catches. Never had that happen on any of mine.
Chris Harris's car is from 1950's and is quite rare in having the smaller 435cc engine. The vast majority of the 2CVs on the road have the bigger (ha!) 602cc unit. They are much quicker and as I often use it for my commute very easy to keep up with other traffic.
So your sophisticated Rover had out of this world crash protection did it ?
My Rover had front and rear crumple zones, a fuel tank located as close to the middle of the car as possible, protected by heavy steel firewalls (my old Mk3 Cortina had a bit of chipboard!), it had a honeycomb plastic dash structure designed to absorb impact energy, and the steering set up in such a way as to pull the wheel away from the driver in the event of an impact rather than skewer him with the column, it had inertia reel seatbelts and anti-whiplash headrests... all stuff taken for granted now but extraordinary for a car launched in the early 60s. The Citroen DS was a big influence on it, but I think the Rover took it even further.
And yes, a minimum speed limit of 30mph should be enforced on rural B-roads, except where they are single track lanes. If they're wide enough for two cars to pass with room to spare and you stay on your side of the road (unlike the b
d in a red Alfa 147 who took off my door mirror a week ago and failed to stop!), you've no excuse to be going slower...You can get the rear wheel of a 2CV van derivative (Fourgonnette, Acadiane etc) in the air while cornering because the suspension is separated front to rear (to allow for a payload without removing all travel) but it's impossible in the saloons - not enough grip.
There's no anti roll bar, which feels a little disconcerting if you've not experienced it before, but it's perfectly safe. The suspension is rising rate so the more you lean (which also drops the centre of gravity) the less you will lean further, if that makes sense.
Slowness is relative but I never had any trouble keeping up with traffic or pulling out of junctions in any of mine. The Acadianes are slow/frustrating on the motorway due to a long top gear (from the Dyane) which doesn't allow the engine to stay on cam up hills...
I appreciate what you're saying about the Rover - an advanced car indeed. If it was influenced by the DS (came out in 1955) then more power to the Goddess but the 2CV came out in 1947 and the design was pretty much firmed up by the mid 1930's. You're comparing cars with 30 years between their designs.
Compare your Rover to something designed in the 90's and it'd look pretty crap and underpowered too.
There's no anti roll bar, which feels a little disconcerting if you've not experienced it before, but it's perfectly safe. The suspension is rising rate so the more you lean (which also drops the centre of gravity) the less you will lean further, if that makes sense.
Slowness is relative but I never had any trouble keeping up with traffic or pulling out of junctions in any of mine. The Acadianes are slow/frustrating on the motorway due to a long top gear (from the Dyane) which doesn't allow the engine to stay on cam up hills...
I appreciate what you're saying about the Rover - an advanced car indeed. If it was influenced by the DS (came out in 1955) then more power to the Goddess but the 2CV came out in 1947 and the design was pretty much firmed up by the mid 1930's. You're comparing cars with 30 years between their designs.
Compare your Rover to something designed in the 90's and it'd look pretty crap and underpowered too.
RoverP6B said:
The way the 602cc one I drove tipped over, I don't believe the inside wheels were on the road at all. It was still dangerously slow.
My Rover had front and rear crumple zones, a fuel tank located as close to the middle of the car as possible, protected by heavy steel firewalls (my old Mk3 Cortina had a bit of chipboard!), it had a honeycomb plastic dash structure designed to absorb impact energy, and the steering set up in such a way as to pull the wheel away from the driver in the event of an impact rather than skewer him with the column, it had inertia reel seatbelts and anti-whiplash headrests... all stuff taken for granted now but extraordinary for a car launched in the early 60s. The Citroen DS was a big influence on it, but I think the Rover took it even further.
My Rover had front and rear crumple zones, a fuel tank located as close to the middle of the car as possible, protected by heavy steel firewalls (my old Mk3 Cortina had a bit of chipboard!), it had a honeycomb plastic dash structure designed to absorb impact energy, and the steering set up in such a way as to pull the wheel away from the driver in the event of an impact rather than skewer him with the column, it had inertia reel seatbelts and anti-whiplash headrests... all stuff taken for granted now but extraordinary for a car launched in the early 60s. The Citroen DS was a big influence on it, but I think the Rover took it even further.
chopper602 said:
The farmers will love you! What about cyclists? Do they have to do 30mph all the time (in your strange utopian world!)
What an idiot !
Speaking as a keen cyclist myself - cyclists need their own off-road cycle-paths. Nothing winds me up more than lycra louts riding two or three abreast on narrow country roads when I've got somewhere to be by a set time. Tractors can do well over 30mph with ease - I understand 45mph is possible. However, as with anything, discretion is required and the limit would apply principally to cars - I'd look seriously into exemptions for some other road users.What an idiot !
RoverP6B said:
And yes, a minimum speed limit of 30mph should be enforced on rural B-roads, except where they are single track lanes. If they're wide enough for two cars to pass with room to spare and you stay on your side of the road (unlike the bd in a red Alfa 147 who took off my door mirror a week ago and failed to stop!), you've no excuse to be going slower...
Maybe the bloke in the Alfa is now moaning about the tosser who hit him on a B road.Mimimum speed limit on rural roads of 30mph ? Yeah, obviously. As I don't drive a slicks and wings single seater I'd struggle to negotiate some of the corners on B roads where I live at 30....And blind bends- driving within visibilty ? Snow, ice ? Floods ? Slowing down for pedestrians , horses , cyclists? No EXCUSE to be going slower- maybe sometimes people want or need to drive slowly and don't really want to live under the sort of jackboot intolerance you suggest ? d in a red Alfa 147 who took off my door mirror a week ago and failed to stop!), you've no excuse to be going slower...coppice said:
Maybe the bloke in the Alfa is now moaning about the tosser who hit him on a B road.Mimimum speed limit on rural roads of 30mph ? Yeah, obviously. As I don't drive a slicks and wings single seater I'd struggle to negotiate some of the corners on B roads where I live at 30....And blind bends- driving within visibilty ? Snow, ice ? Floods ? Slowing down for pedestrians , horses , cyclists? No EXCUSE to be going slower- maybe sometimes people want or need to drive slowly and don't really want to live under the sort of jackboot intolerance you suggest ?
Considering that I'd have been into the trees if I'd been any further to the left and he had plenty of space to spare on his side, I doubt it. I don't drive a single-seater either, I drive a BMW 5-series and I have no problem maintaining 30mph minimum at all times when conditions allow. Clearly, weather, visibility and other road users (some of whom should be off the roads using off-road paths, of which there isn't much shortage) all have to be taken into account. When the weather is decent, you've got a wide enough road not to come into conflict with oncoming traffic and there aren't other road users in the way, for God's sake push on a bit and don't dither and hold up those of us whose livelihood is earned entirely in rural areas.[/quote]
You're imagining the car will be used for commuting or on busy roads or something. Whereas it might just be very easy for the owner to pick his times and enjoy himself on quiet, isolated country lanes....
[/quote]
You're imagining there are such things as quiet isolated country lanes! Maybe in France, or in Bumfack-Nowhere in Wales or something, but there's nothing like that close to where I live, and I live in a small village with no shops in Kent. I'm OK to agree to disagree, but I think the opportunities to use a car like an ancient 2CV are few and far between, however idyllic the notion.
EggsBenedict said:
t-upon-Mole, the roads really are pretty busy.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff