As a kid I was a very lucky boy in the holidays department. My Dad worked for British Rail which meant the whole family got free rail travel through continental Europe. For at least two weeks every summer we travelled, normally on sleeper trains thoughout France, Italy, Germany and Austria. I loved seeing the cars we didn’t have at home. I loved Panda 4x4s in the Italian Alps and Renault 4’s parked haphazardly around French markets. I loved how battered they all were, not a panel unscraped or wheel unkerbed. Most of all though I loved the Citroen 2cv’s, all fading in shades of grey, white or red, half a farmyard hanging out the back and pretty much worthless.
The first time I drove a 2cv was in France, we used it to run to and from the beach and I loved it. 4 gears and a punch change, 1st back and down towards you and then a long, elongated push and twist motion to get 2nd. Enormous thin rimmed wheel in front of you and flip up windows wide to coax in the breeze. Corners taken flat out, lifting meant losing momentum, not an option. The springy seats, no seatbelts and a door which would occasionally self open made a distinct impression. I loved how simple it was, how well it rode and how elated I was after coaxing it to 70kph. I love fast cars but for making you happy, on the right day, right road and with the right people the 2cv is the best car in the world.
Over the years the French have consistently produced some of the most innovative cars ever made. The Citroen Traction Avant popularised front wheel drive, flying in the face of convention at the time. Their DS a few decades later was and remains an extraordinary engineering exercise. The Renault Espace in the 90s revolutionised how we think about space in cars. They didn’t just innovate, they had the imagination to try things in France other manufacturers wouldn’t dare. They built mad things like Renault Turbo2’s and Clio v6’s. Anything Peugeot built with “Rallye” written on it is frankly brilliant. The 205gti looked gorgeous and drove better. The thing is though, even the base models were great. A sheddy Saxo 1.1 is a great drive as frankly is a Peugeot 406 diesel. The ZX, BX and Renault 5 were all fun in a way their German or British competitiors just weren’t. The French understood how to make cheap cars great.
Today there is a sense the French have lost their way, new laws mean the end of the hot hatch. The end of an era, a very sad time indeed. Since the mid 2000’s some truly awful cars have come out of France. Go and drive a Peugeot 3008 if you want to know how far they have fallen. All is not lost though, Alpine are producing their brilliant A110, a car that shows there are still artificers in France who care deeply. The wonderful and tiny Citroen Ami looks set to revolutionise inner cities, its cost alone should make other manufacturers take note. Lets not give up hope, they made ordinary things great in the past, lets hope for an extraordinary future.
The Driven Wheel 