Like many other towns in France, Agde and its seaside resorts regularly host events where enthusiasts of vintage vehicles can meet to discuss their shared passion and, above all, to display their own examples. One of these events, which takes place in May, is an opportunity for enthusiasts of the legendary 2CV CITROËN to get together.

For one weekend, the whole city will be able to hear and see this famous car in all its production forms and colors. And much more, as some of the prototypes built by our ingenious members will be on display.

The Deuch, the story of a myth

Nicknamed the ” deuche “, ” deudeuche ” or ” deux pattes ” in reference to its twin-cylinder engine, over five million were produced between 1948 and 1990. But do you know the story of one of the ten best-selling French cars in history?

In 1939, the prototype of the CITROËN 2CV was born. This “ugly duckling” in corrugated sheet metal, recognizable by its single headlight, windshield wiper and crank starter, was to be a concept that would never go away. At the time, no one could have imagined that this sheet-metal car, with a sheet as a roof, would become one of France’s greatest automotive successes.

It was not until the end of the war that the first model appeared, designed to meet the specifications and imperatives of the immediate post-war period.

The TPV (Toute Petite Voiture) project is launched.

At a time when, for example, the farming world was devoid of vehicles, we had to be able to offer one that wasn’t aimed at wealthy or urban customers.
In fact, didn’t the specifications for the 2CV state that this CITROEN should be able to cross a ploughed field with a basket of eggs in his trunk?

And the goal will be achieved.
The car will be ultra-economical. Its body will be made of ribbed sheet metal, its seats of tubular construction, its roof covered with a tarpaulin that can be rolled up to transform it into a convertible. Rustic, the 2CV will nonetheless be a technically intelligent car. Its tiny, air-cooled, flat-twin engine means it won’t be afraid of low temperatures. The cooling water won’t freeze, since there’s none. The suspension is original, even if it has a tendency to shake its occupants in all directions, at the mercy of potholes.

On October 07, 1948, the 2CV struggled to emerge from the shadows. Presented under a tarpaulin at the Salon de l’Automobile, it was unveiled by French President René COTY. He wasn’t very enthusiastic when he saw this tin can on four wheels. We’re a long way from the prestigious productions like the Traction of the time. The President of the Republic wasn’t the only one who wasn’t enthusiastic. The public also turned away from the car that, several years later, would produce the ” Deudeuche ” effect. Admittedly, at the end of 1948, the 2CV was not yet perfected.

Over time, this little city car, whose engine produces that characteristic noise and pleasant tone, will find its place with the public, young and old, and will evolve favorably with its new features.

And production was not always ready to meet this growing demand. This craze lasted until the early 90s. The deudeuche was to come in many models and versions, in colors ranging from sober to shimmering and dazzling. There was something for every taste, and no one could resist one of them.

La Deudeuche, the end of an era

Unfortunately, increasingly strict safety and pollution regulations were to have an impact on the 2CV, which was to be shunned by many countries. The city car was getting older and older, and was no longer up to date. Above all, it was expensive to produce. Its choice of design (entirely dismountable) is labor-intensive, as it is assembled by hand, whereas others are produced on robotized assembly lines.

In a last gasp, 8,000 units of the 2CV 6 CHARLESTON were produced, in black and DELAGE red. On July 26, 199O, the last 2CV rolls off the production line at the MANGUALDE plant in Portugal, in its latest version, the CHARLESTON, but in cormorant gray-night gray. It will be booked by the plant manager.

After forty years of production, it’s the end of a myth and of a whole era. An era that saw this little vehicle, which you could take the time to watch as it moved along the roads at a slow pace, not uncommon to see heads poking out of the roof when the hood was rolled up at the rear.

La Folie Deuch’ on the Agatha coast

Thanks to today’s enthusiasts, the myth of the deuche lives on on the Agatha coast with La Folie Deuch’. Over the course of a weekend, this event brings together 2CVs and Meharis at La Tamarissière, Grau d’Agde, Cap d’Agde and Marseillan Plage.

From May 12 to 14, 2023, over 1,000 participants are expected for this second edition. Some participants will even be staying at Camping La Tamarissière, giving you even more time to admire these classic cars. So let’s meet up again at La Tamarissière, to admire the cars that become dinosaurs as time goes by.