Wooden Citroën 2CV drives on road for first time
A Citroën 2CV constructed nearly entirely from wood has been driven on a real road for the first time.
The car, which first made headlines in August, was created by retired builder, carpenter and car hobbyist Michel Robillard, and took him six years to make.
Built on a Citroën Dyane 6 chassis from 1966 - partly because it is sturdy enough to support the increased weight of the wood (around 250kg heavier than the normal model) - the car is constructed from French wood including trees such as walnut, pear, and apple.
After several months in the Citroën Origins virtual museum, the car this week took to the road for the first time, driving slowly around the centre of Loches, in Indre-et-Loire, at an event organised by the Loches Business and Artisan Union.
Brought to the event by Robillard himself, the model covered around a dozen kilometres in all, closely watched by intrigued passers-by.
“It was an exceptional event; the recognition of six years of work that I have done on this 2CV,” said M Robillard, as reported by car news website Autoplus.
“The goal was [always] to drive it on the road, because it would be a ‘first’ in France. I think that today, I achieved that goal. But my dream would be to drive this car at the foot of the Eiffel Tower,” he added.
The Citroën 2CV is a classic French car style, originally from 1948, and known affectionately in France as 'la Deuche'.
You can watch Citroën’s own video on the unusual motor below, and Connexion newspaper subscribers can read our interview with M Robillard here.
