Friday 27 January 2012

It started with a Citroen

I must start by explaining this is a post of many parts. I started writing it a fortnight ago and kept saving it as I wasn't sure how it would end.
Part 1
Many moons ago when before I learnt to drive I bought this as my first car. This was the only photo I could find of him, taken after a very wet trip to Cornwall. I remember trying to plug all the leaks as I drove! Well he didn't last long. A weetabixed chassis put paid to him and he lived out his days in my dad's garage being robbed of doors, being home to a litter of feral kittens and eventually a wasps nest in the driver's seat!
But they kept on coming... the 2CVs, not the kittens and wasps. I met Mr Jam and he had to have one, then we decided we needed a van, then we needed a 'spare one' and so it went on... in fact I've never driven a boring old 'normal' car.
You can spot a couple littering our neighbourhood last winter!
The attraction? I hear you ask. Well predominantly it's a shape thing. The strokable curves, the cheerful 'face', the minimal interior, I could go on but I wont.
Having dug out a picture of my very first car I set myself the challenge of finding a photo of all the rest to show you. Whilst I'm busy scanning and reminiscing, fate strikes and costs me a fortune.
Part 2
I hear from a 2CV friend and we talk 2CVs and realise we're both watching the same one on Ebay. Trouble is he's just bought one that day so perhaps it should be mine... and my current Charlie's bodywork is pretty disastrous... and this one is local - a Dorset 2CV... and he can take a look at it for me... and it's blue! So I spend the next day dreaming, checking Ebay, checking again to make sure it's still there, then again 10 minutes later just in case.
So two days later the deal is done whilst we're on the beach. I've agreed to buy it over the phone and sell Charlie to my friend who WILL love and look after him better than I have.
Part 3
So here's the change on the drive this week. The less observant neighbour could almost be excused for not even noticing!
 Meet Tintin! He is the shinier, stronger, quieter and generally less rusty/mossy version of Charlie. I've been waiting all week for the V5 so I can tax and drive him. Today was going to be his big day out but sadly he stayed on the drive until I got home from Honiton and found the V5 waiting. So now he's ready for an adventure. We're thinking West Bay tomorrow. Somewhere to take some nicer photos. I realised doing the 2CV collage I only take photos of my cars when they go and are usually way past their best!
So the lesson is either take the photos straight away or look after the car. A tricky one but I'm pledging to do both! Did you hear that?

9 comments:

  1. Gosh! This post took me back. One of my first school friends who passed their driving test had a blue Citroen CV. What fun and adventures we had in that car! I then had another friend at Uni who again had a Citroen CV. I still laugh now as to how hopeless a driver she was - we were constantly hooking and unhooking her car from someone's bumper! Luckily its such a light car that it was fairly easy to do! Have great times in your new CV!
    June

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  2. I love your taste in vehicles....over the years I think you have an eye for a great looking car and I love that you name them also.....I have loved some of my previous cars but not my first one I inherited my grandmothers after she passed it was a brown colored Citation.....yuck!

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  3. I love the way you name your cars!
    Julie xxxxxxx

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  4. OOOh we loved all our 2CV's (I can still hear one coming from about 2 miles away!) see
    http://chippernelly.blogspot.com/2011/05/end-of-week.html

    I have so few pictures of ours but must dig them out and scan them in one day.
    I have cream van envy - would still like one of those....fee x
    (great post!)

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  5. Tintin is certainly very handsome! Super colour. 2CVs have heaps more character than a lot of cars - particularly modern ones.

    My first car was a brown mini called Chocolate Molly. Oh I did love her.

    Hx

    PS. I used to call 2CVs 'upside down prams' ... for that, I apologise. ;-)

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  6. How cute these cars are!

    They look like they have such happy personalities!

    Melxx

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  7. Oh Gosh, your first car was just very very wonderful !

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  8. hola. espero entiendas el español... mi primer auto de niña tambien fue un citroen... amamos los citroen en mi familia, mi papa trabajo en Citroen argentina ... y me case con un fanatico de los citroen...
    espero volver a tener un 2 cv en algun momento. serìa todo un placer.
    hermosos tu blog
    adriana de argentina.

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  9. I am very interested by reading this.. Many thanks for your post. It's really very well written. And i must appreciate it. Thanks a lot for sharing.
    Citroen Cornwall

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