In the Spring I will be putting a zero miles 1990 2CV on the road for a friend who bought it and had it delivered direct to his warehouse. It has sat on axle stands in dry, dark storage for 21 years and is still as it would have been delivered to a Citroen dealer with all the wax and protective wrappings it had at the factory.

I will photograph it all for "posterity". I'm expecting to replace gaiters and maybe tyres. Probably a new set of HT leads. I'll fit a new fan belt and drain and replace all the fluids. I will grease anything and everything that might need it. I will need to fill it up with fuel as it's never had petrol in the tank!!

Any suggestions for other preparations?

re set the suspension can end float etc
put the front 2 nuts on the carb
sweep up all the pop rivet shanks under the mat


suspect there would be a great deal of interest in you going over it with a fine tooth comb just to see how poorly/well set up they were when they were factory fresh - suspension heights can end float rocker clearances timing scatter and ammount of advance etc etc

condenser could be shot as well as points corroded.

Why now? I'm curious as to how such a car has existed for so long untouched? Shame to use it in a way, but I wish I could.

Yes stick it in the living room to preserve it


This Danish 2cv was sold to someone in the UK. Driven to Esbjerg and shipped across. Any news out there. It should be a daily runner

I don't want to give to many clues as to whereabouts or who owns it as he is a very private chap. Suffice to say that when your daily drives are Bentleys and you have a selection of Ferraris for the weekend then you can afford to put a 2CV away for later......

He bought 2 at the same time in 1990 (dealer was glad to get rid) - one was used as a family hack for about 10 years until it started failing MOTs with all the usual problems. That is still around and I'm hoping to get it as the reward for sorting out the zero miles one.

He's decided to get it on the road because he's not getting any younger - his brother died recently and that has concentrated his mind somewhat. I may have to drive it to northern Spain to his son's Vineyard where it will live.

Sean - It is, of course, a Portugese car and I think that Citroen had them put together by trained monkeys - so anything is possible. I may well invite somebody who is handy with a camera and knowledgeable on 2CV's to document it all because it is a unique and important opportunity. Needs some thinking about.....

2CViking - it will be the property of the guy's 5 year old grandson eventually. Another reason for resurrecting it now is that I strongly believe that another 15 years in storage will do it more harm than good. It will have light use in the dry and kinder climate of Northern Spain while it's waiting for its owner to grow up and learn to drive. It will be well looked after - maintenance costs are not an issue for this family.

Seems a shame to drive it rather than trailer it.

I would drive it to Plymouth then get a ferry to Santander so the mileage is reduced very substantially. However, it is a motor car and made to be driven ;-

they actually TRAINED them

In all fairness to the Portuguese, it wasn't so much their fault as Citroen's. From the late 60s early 70s Levallois was full of Algerians and Libyans earning a pittance in dark, dirty and quite dangerous conditions-the French refused to work there. The Portuguese loved building the 2CV and it was built in a large, light and spacious new factory. The thing that was lacking, was rust prevention and decent steel-Citroen HQ just refused to spend that little bit more.

The climate of Northern Spain is not exactly kind and dry. Seriously. Although not nearly as cold as more northerly parts of Europe, the north of Spain is frequently affected by Atlantic depressions, which can last for days, and result in lots of rain and stormy weather, particularly in the winter. This, plus the saltiness of coastal areas, will have a significant effect on a 2cv unless it is carefully cared for.

If money is no object I would contact a reputable 2CV expert and get advice on exactly what to do to make the car as protected and strong as possible, with particular attention paid to the parts of the car that always degenerate first (chassis, bulkhead, the obvious parts of the tub, wings etc etc), including a partial strip down for treatment. There are plenty of very knowledgeable people on this forum who will be able to point you in exactly the right direction, I'm sure.