Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 0663
Despite the French automobile industry's rich and varied trajectory
in the early 20th century, the country's large rural population
lagged behind the upper class in adopting personal cars, amplified
by the devastation of WWII. One of the three major French
manufacturers left standing after the war, Citroen, conceived an
affordable, practical vehicle with the stated aim of achieving
"maximum mobility at minimal cost."
The Citroen 2CV - or Deux Chevaux (Two Horses) - emerged in 1948
after being shelved for almost a decade, initially powered by a 375
cc two-cylinder engine delivering nine horsepower and a modest top
speed of 40 mph. By the 1950s, demand for the 2CV's robust build
quality and radical accessibility reached its peak, continuing
production in various forms until 1991. One such variant was the
2CV Sahara, introduced in 1958 to satisfy a need for a small,
lightweight, four-wheel drive vehicle to be used on the unforgiving
desert terrain of France's North African colonies. In typical
French fashion, an unusual, expedient approach to powering all four
wheels was adopted, which involved fitting a secondary rear-mounted
425 cc engine to drive the rear wheels. The additional engine
received its own gearbox and could be operated independently, or
shifted into neutral for front-wheel drive only. Further
modifications to the Sahara included twin fuel tanks for each
engine, a reinforced suspension, wider wheels, and a special
chassis modified to cope with the rugged terrain.
This finely restored Citroen 2CV 4x4 "Sahara" - officially renamed
the 4x4 in 1962 following Algeria's independence - is one of only
approximately 700 ever built between 1958 and 1971. According to
research compiled under previous ownership, chassis number 0663 is
understood to have been destined for a nunnery in the French Congo,
but was never delivered to Africa due to political upheaval.
Instead, the car was sold to Mr. Jacues Plaquet of
Vaulx-lez-Tournai, Belgium, who used the four-wheel drive Citroen
as a hunting car on his estate. The Sahara then passed to two
further Belgian owners before joining Antoon Verhoeve in February
1999 showing approximately 33,900 kilometers on the odometer.
Verhoeve subsequently sold the Citroen to his son-in-law before it
entered the care of Lukas H�ni in the 2010s. The consignor
purchased the car in 2019.
Since then, the Sahara has undergone a sympathetic mechanical and
cosmetic restoration overseen by Lukas H�ni AG in 2020 in Z�rich,
Switzerland, at a cost of over 51,000 CHF, or about $57,000. Now
complete from restoration, this incredibly rare and unique Citroen
is primed for its next off-road adventure.
