1983 Citroën 2CV Beachcomber

Unlike most of the other limited editions Citroën offered, the Beachcomber was only produced in 1983, timed to coincide with the French firm sponsoring the French America’s Cup yacht entry of the same year. In the care of the vendor’s father for around a year, it was bought on a bit of a whim to tick another classic off his Bucket List.

Drawn to it because of the lack of rot and rust that plaques the model, it sits on a galvanized chassis and a set of matching tyres. Freshly serviced and fettled, it runs beautifully and drives as it should.

Being offered to free up some cash to facilitate the purchase of his next classic car, the 2CV benefits from a very sensible guide price and a remarkably level-headed reserve. So, if you’ve ever fancied getting behind the wheel of a genuine icon, you could do a lot worse than pop a speculative bid on this charmingly well-preserved example.

The white bodywork looks utterly terrific being neatly aligned and very straight. No real rust to speak of either, plus gleaming white paintwork that adds a timeless elegance to that familiar shape.

The Beachcomber’s blue stripes are in equally good condition and the colour scheme is picked up on the folding fabric roof, which is not only in great shape but also the correct one for the model; no corner-cutting here during its inevitable replacement at some previous point in time.

The frame is also in good shape and the whole roof can be deployed in one of two way: either by rolling back the whole ensemble to give a full-length sunroof, or by merely unfurling and furling the very front section, in which mode it can be arranged very quickly without setting foot outside the car.

The painted steel bumpers are straight and free of dents, dinks, and other damage and it looks like the Citroën is wearing a pair of recent numberplates as well.

In fact, all the little details add up to a convincing whole. This means that the glass is all good and the front windows fold up and latch as they should. The stick-on badges also look terrific, as do the light lenses.

However, in case you’re looking for a few jobs to take you out of the familial home and into the sanctuary of your garage, you’ll be pleased to note that the steel wheels are starting to bubble with surface rust. This is only a mild problem but it is one that gives you an excuse to get busy with the wet ‘n’ dry paper and a rattle can of paint – and given they’re only shod with 125R15 tyres, tyres whose width is now easily exceeded by those of some fat bikes, popping them on and off the rims with nothing more than a pair of strong thumbs and the tyre levers from your pushbike’s toolkit should be a doddle (ed: please don’t actually try this at home…)

The narrow MCC tyres are a matching set too, including the spare. Sporting the classic Michelin X tread pattern and bought from the 2CV Shop, the vendor estimates he’s only done about ten miles on them. Given the 2CV’s light footprint, they’ll last forever so it’s likely that you’ll never need to buy another set no matter how ripe an age you live to. Even better news comes with the news that the tiny chrome hubcaps are in great shape.

Problems are few. There is some bubbling starting that’ll need catching (please see photos #47 and #59) as well as some cracking (#71) - and the black centre trim on the bumpers looks suspiciously like a strip of gaffer tape…

What can we say about the interior? It’s minimal, clever, lightweight, versatile, and in surprisingly good nick for a car that’s sneaking up on its 40th birthday.

It’s true that the fabric on the seats is a little grubby but then this is a very usable car, one that’ll transport you and three mates wherever you need to go on a whiff of an oily rag so you shouldn’t object to a bit of a patina. Besides, when you get there you can slip the rear seat out in the blink of an eye, giving you somewhere comfortable to sit while you eat your picnic. (Du Pain, du vin, du Boursin, anyone? I’ll get my coat…)

The door cards, such as they are, are in good condition and the floor covering is supplemented by a pair of carpets, an addition that adds a touch of luxury it certainly didn’t leave France with. Lifting them out to clean them is a case of, well, just lifting them out and once removed you can admire the well-painted and ultra-solid metal floor that lies beneath.

Speaking of decadence, there’s a Bluetooth-enabled Kenwood stereo in there plus a pair of half-decent Pye speakers set in the front doors. (The latter would be very easy to upgrade because they’re standard size, which means you’ll have your pick of ones to replace them with.)

The boot is solid and home to a spare wheel and a matching tyre plus a car cover, the toolkit, and the grille muff. (Stop sniggering at the back.)

In fact, the worst we can say about the interior is that the cardboard trim in front of the passenger is a little scratched and jaded and there’s a small hole in one door card (#84).

Oh, and in the spirit of ingenuity that 2CV owners are famous for (one even used bananas to lubricate the gearbox when he cracked the casing somewhere improbable and lost all the oil) someone has fastened a bicycle water bottle cage in the cabin to use as a cup holder. We’ll leave you to decide whether that’s a genius move - or the work of a nutcase…

Freshly serviced in August 2019 and sporting recently rebuilt brake calipers plus new brake pads and a coil, as you can see it starts promptly, revs and ticks over well, and makes an awesome throaty burble that hints at the performance potential. (One of those statements might be hyperbole but only the one…)

We’ve also driven it and enjoyed every single moment; few cars are as life-affirming as this and it genuinely makes every journey a joy. Sure, it creaks and groans a little but, as the boss himself put it, ‘they all do that sir’.

The engine bay is clean and tidy. Sound-proofed with some good underbonnet insulation, there’s little to find fault with under there bar some scruffy cardboard heater trucking. Still, that’s a common enough fault and this is far from the worst we’ve seen but if you’re looking for an excuse to escape for a couple of hours, have this one on us.

The underside is solid and, as we might have mentioned, features the expensive and highly sought-after galvanized chassis. The rest isn’t pretty thanks to some surface corrosion on the suspension components and the rear of the steel wheels but the important stuff like the chassis and the floorpans is solid and straight.

You might like to add some extra rust-proofing by way of some Waxoyl and a decent coat of underseal but that’s very much a nice-to-do job for the future rather than anything more essential or pressing.

The 2CV’s MOT certificate is valid until June 2021, and the online MOT history shows a gradual accrual of miles over the years that is entirely consistent with the mileage on the odometer.

The car also comes with a number of old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The Citroën 2CV is a perennial favourite. As classless as the original Range Rover (although considerably cheaper to run…) it can be taken anywhere without worry, and parked with merry abandon as no thief would steal it.

(Pre-occupied with their lack of self-worth, your average car thief will only steal stuff that is likely to attract like-minded wastrels and idiots rather than anything that will appeal to the sort of discerning enthusiasts we count ourselves as being.)

But, the trouble is that the days of being able to buy a good ‘un for a few hundred pounds are long gone thanks to the fact that the world and his wife have now woken up to just how good they are. This means you’re going to have to dig deep to make this one yours.

How deep? Well, somewhere between £8,000 and £11,000 should do it, and if that sounds like a lot you can draw comfort from the fact that it’s a deposit rather than an expense because you’re almost certain to get it all back when the time comes to sell.

In fact, if the Bank of England makes good on its warning about negative interest rates, we can’t think of a nicer place to store our money for a few years.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.