I’m very fond of cars that don’t take themselves very seriously. There’s a reason why intense Tesla and Porsche and BMW and so many other strains of gearhead can be such a chore to be around—they’re too damn serious about their cars. Citroën 2CVs, by their very goofy, rudimentary nature, simply cannot have owners that take themselves so seriously. And, as a result, you get cars like this: the 1CV. Yes, it’s basically a single-note joke: cut a 2CV lengthwise and make it half it’s original width and, boom, a narrow 1CV. Doing this is actually A Thing in the 2CV-rich countries of Europe, where many of these narrowed un chevals exist. Some are used for racing, but most are just built because why the hell not. Driving the narrowed 2CV feels like a regular 2CV, just more so, which is weird, because the car is definitely less so. The soft 2CV suspension combined with the narrow body makes the propensity to really lean into turns feel even more pronounced, and it sort of feels like driving an enclosed, slow motorcycle. If you have a passenger in back, like I did, it’s a great way to bounce them all around the cabin, which is important. This is a silly car, no question. I love it because a shocking amount of effort went into making this joke car with a remarkable degree of craftsmanship and skill. It’s sort of like if fake vomit was lovingly handcrafted by old Scandinavian craftsmen, carefully applying bits of rubber hand-carved food chunks into the artfully-splattered rubber base with tweezers. Oh, and this episode also covers a bit why the name Citroën is so similar to the French word for lemon, which seems a poor name for a car. It’s interesting! What a goofy car. It’s exactly what the world needs more of.
