This is probably one of the best known 2cvs we’ve featured here. It’s owned by Gary Lutke, who bought the car after deciding to enter the 2004 Gumball rally.
For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the Gumball is the brainchild of Maximillion Cooper, an art and fashion graduate turned entrepreneur. It is a road rally which has become the playground of the rich and famous. A list stars turn out for each rally in a plethora of high performance sports and luxury cars, from Aston martins, Ferraris and Bentleys to Mustangs, BMWs and everything in between. Gary decided that whilst this was all well and good, simply turning up in a Porsche or something wouldn’t have made him stand out, so along with his co-driver John Docherty he went on the search for something that was sure to grab attention and be a little different. Obviously, he chose a 2cv.
It started out in life as a 1989 D*lly, which they paid £600 for. It wasn’t in the greatest of shapes, however, needing quite a lot of remedial work to the body before it was capable of completeing the 6 day 3000 mile trip across France, through Spain and to Morrocco, before heading back to the finish in Cannes. Along with the welding work, gary decided to have the car transformed into a replica of the famous ‘general lee’ Dodge Charger from the TV series ‘The Dukes of Hazzard. This meant fitting a roll cage, two spare tyres, a bonnet scoop and having the car painted in this fetching shade of orange. The final touch being a custom Confederate flag roof from Matts Soft Tops and Dixie air horns. The suspension was lowered too, and more comfortable seats were fitted.
After completing the rally in May 2004, the guys arrived very tired in Cannes for the final party of the rally (each night is a big party, but because they only had 29bhp as opposed to 600bhp, they would arrive very late just as the party was winding down). The award ceremony was held, and because the Gumball cannot be a race as such, being held on public roads, there is no award for the first person to arrive. This means the highest accolade is the ‘Spirit of the event’, for the team who have made the biggest effort and tried the hardest to compete. Naturally, this was awarded to Gary, John and the 2CV.
Gary still owns the car and it gets the occasional run out to the 2cv London to brighton run each year. I think it’s safe to say a lot of folk on the rally were won over by their plucky charm and slow but consistent progress. Thanks must go to Gary for allowing us the time to photograph his car, which although he initially saw as a bit of a joke, he now takes a little more seriously.
