I bloody love this!

Here goes.

So, there I was leaving through the internets last week when upon the 2cvdollyclubGB website I spied an advert for a 1977 2cv that was going begging to a good home. I'm not a good home for any car, I crash cars a lot and I don't maintain them very well because I am both lazy and mechanically inept. However, when further inspection of the advert revealed the car was 4 miles up the road, I let the 'IDIOT' side of my brain override everything else and sent the guy an email. I went to see it in all its glory the next day and that bit of my brain was still in full flow as I agreed that despite the fact it's completely fucked and very, very rotten, not been run for a decade and was collapsing around itself that I really needed it in my life, so I said yes please and arranged a Vehicle transport company to collect it. Malcolm, the man with the beavertail (lorry, not a medical condition) met me at Steevs (the vendors) house this afternoon and while I signed yet another V5 for a car I don't need Malcolm looked under the car for a suitable place to winch it up with. No suitable place was found because it's all rotten so he went round the front of the chassis and we crossed our fingers.

With most of the car on the truck (a fair portion of it still needs sweeping up from Steevs drive) we set off for my work. Steev waved goodbye to the car he's had since the late '80s, probably a little emotionally.

Following it was like following a council gritter in a snowstorm, as chunks of it came adrift and bounced off the front of my van whilst the Wendy roof disintegrated and flapped about with increasing ferocity. Malcolm put his foot down and the bonnet started to flap about so we had to stop and lash it down properly. The bonnet catch had seized against the fan cowling. Once we'd arrived at my work and unloaded it, Malcolm stood back, looked at it and said: 'Hmm, I do see all sorts of weird and wonderful things in this job...But that's right up there...'

Then, he looked at the rusty cornflakes that'd formed a kind of carpet on his flatbed and became quite upset. So I fetched a broom and swept it up, paid him and he left, probably not before vowing never to answer one of my emails again.

I took some photos and came home to tell the missus what I'd done, although she is quite used to me buying rubbish I don't need with the rent money and it kind of washes over her now.

I would quite like to get it back on the road, although I am potless (SNAFU) so it won't be any sort of megabuck rebuild, more like I'll assemble some slightly better parts than I have now and bolt it all together until it looks like it might pass an MOT. First things first, I need a chassis for it, and the bodyshell is beyond salvage, so I'll spend a couple of evenings stripping the car down and storing what's left of it in a stillage until I get a chassis and I can start assembling it again. A friend of mine wants a 2cv but can't afford the inflated prices people are asking nowadays, because he lives in the real world like me, so hopefully we can nail this together for a few hundred quid so he can get an introduction to A series fun.

Here's the pictures of it being moved and a few of its general condition.

Love that write up! Great stuff!

Couldn't help but be reminded of this song.

There's lots to admire here. The seats look good, the wheels are nice. Rear wings and boot rock! AND it's a genuine 1970s 2CV.

is this the one you have told me about? i hope so now i have seen it.

It is indeed.

Still not seen the shell, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't want much. just a chassis to find really.

Well i best get the Scamp sold then hadn't i so i can give you some ££'s

whats in the yellow duck shaped box on the shelf then?

what state is the bucket in?

No idea what that yellow box is, but the bucket is in very good condition. Original Citroen bucket too, much better than the reproduction buckets and it's barely got any holes in. I'll be listing it on eBay for somewhere around 150% of the current market price of a new bucket.

Nice speakers! Genuine accessory worth a mint perhaps?

Ditto for that long (original Citroen) demist pipe?

Ken