GT5 Transcripts/Citroën 2CV Type A '54

Just before World War II, there was a peculiar small car being developed at Citroën. There were actually more than 300 such prototypes, but none of them were in line with the concepts of contemporary cars and were strangely styled. Once the war started and France surrendered to the Nazis who wrought destruction to the city of Paris, Citroen destroyed most of the prototypes, afraid of their technological secrets being leaked out.
When the war ended in 1945, the only prototype car left intact was exposed to the outside world once again. The people of France, hungering for a new car, welcomed this prototype with a thunderous ovation at the Paris Salon in 1948, and the Citroën 2CV was en route to development.
Citroën's president, Pierre Boulanger, imposed strict conditions for what the 2CV should be. He stated that it should have a simple structure, like an umbrella fitted with four wheels. If the vehicle were to be driven on country roads with a basket full of eggs, the eggs should not break. Passengers should be able to sit in the car while wearing silk hats. Also, the vehicle should be able to run at a speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) loaded with four passengers and 50kg of luggage.
The 2CV, which made its debut in 1948, first appeared to be a shoddy tin toy of a car in construction. When driven however, all of Boulanger's conditions had been met.
Its earliest air-cooled, horizontally opposed 2-cylinder OHV engine had an output of 9 HP with a mere 375 cc of displacement. As the taxable horsepower in France at the time was 2 HP, the name 2CV was born. Over the years, the 2CV received several improvements and was offered in several variations until production ceased in February 1990.
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