Racing a 2CV on water
story and pictures by Richard Douglas-Green
CitCity, the place to be for Citroën lovers...!
waterracing 2CV
I came to the conclusion that all 2CV owners are - at least- eccentric when I went to Brittany and came across the people who raced 2CV's on water. They were totally mad, carving each other up as if there were no tomorrow. What is more the 2CV's appeared to go much faster on water than on land.

I took my children to Brittany about eight years ago and stayed near St.Renan which is in westernmost Finisterre. We spotted a poster for 2CV racing on the local lake and couldn't miss the chance to see it.

What happened was that we saw all these 2CVs (There must have been about twenty or so of them). They consisted of a 2CV body attached to a metal hull (Some even had wheels painted on the side of the hull!). My french friend told me that they were all built to the same specification with 2CV engines and gearboxes, and the transmission attached to a propellor. Apparently they had to be true to type to be able to race. (I would assume they had dispensed with the handbrakes)

As I said last time, they shot around the lake like crazy and were great fun to watch. Somewhere I must have some snapshots hidden away. I will see if I can find one and scan it in.

A couple of years later I remember seeing on the local TV news here in Plymouth about one of them that had travelled over to Plymouth from Finisterre (I think it's abour eighty miles across the English Channel) to advertise the local french supermarket (Euromarché), so they must have been quite seaworthy as well.

Richard Douglas-Green

waterracing 2CV's
waterracing 2CV
more adventure in the department of 2CV expeditions in CitCity

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this page was made 11 february 1998 | last change 31 october 2003
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