Carl Seidlitz’s Citroën Special, a 2CV transformed into a speedster to race in an American championship in the 1950s, will be auctioned in France on May 1, 2022. It had resurfaced in the United States last year after decades of ‘oversight.
74 years after its launch and 32 years after its withdrawal from the market, the Citroën 2CV has not finished surprising. A unique version of the “deuche”, all the more rare and unusual as it is sporty, will be auctioned by the house Aguttes during the Sale of Checkers scheduled for May 1, 2022 in Cassel, in the North. This is the Seidlitz tray from 1957an American racing car!
A 2CV competing in the USA
Citroën has sold a handful of 2CVs in the United States. A 1956 copy was acquired by a certain Carl Seidlitz, who undertook to modify the car extensively to enter it in competition. According to the sparse information available about it, the body of this speedster was handcrafted in aluminum and extends to the underside of the car, resting on a tubular frame also custom-designed, and the twin-cylinder engine flat of 425 cc received a double-barrel carburettor for a power superior to the 12 hp of origin. The dashboard is equipped with American Stewart Warner meters.
First painted red which was later spray painted blue, the car raced in an American sports car championship in 1957 and 1958 with Carl Seidlitz and Pete Woods at the wheel. In its category, it faced in particular Panhard and BMW. It was listed under the name Citroën Special. Some records show five entries in the race, including one event in which the two-seater could not start and one retirement, but also an eighth position as the best result.
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California barn find
Abandoned for decades, the Citroën Special of Seidlitz was relatively protected by the dryness of the Californian climate. It remained in the hands of the same family for more than 40 years, forgotten by many, in Ventura County before resurfacing to be offered for sale there in February 2021 by an antique dealer.
It found a buyer the following month at a price that was not made public, the seller having offered it to the highest bidder with a minimum price of $35,000 (about €30,000). According to him, all period parts were present except for the double-barrel carburettor. Today in France, this very special 2CV is just waiting to be restored. It is estimated between €60,000 and €80,000.
Sources: Aguttes, Hagerty, Racing Sports Cars, Eric Berg
