Forty-two years of career and more than five million units passed, the Citroën 2 CV is an automotive icon. But did you know that in Argentina it was a Citroën 3 CV with a real hatchback that made a career? The argus details the characteristics of this model.
We no longer present the Citroën 2 CV, which embodies the French automotive inventiveness and pragmatism better than any other model. But do you know the Citroën 3 CV, its derivative intended for the Argentinian market?
No more horses under the hood!
![Citroën 3CV South America](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/citroen-3cv-4.jpg)
The trade names being at the time faithful to the power of the engine, the Citroën 3 CV was therefore faster than the 2 CV. Concretely under the hood of the 3 CV, adapted to the land of gauchos, there was a block of 602 cm3 strong of 32 ch. The car obviously also enjoyed braking adapted to the best performance, which resulted in particular in a top speed of 20 km / h. For comparison, the block of the Citroën 2 CV cubed only 425 cm3 with, at the end of the day, a herd of 18 equines.
“The Citroën 3 CV displayed intermediate performance between those of the 2 CV and the “boosted” two-legged of James Bond.“
The Citroën 2 CV driven by James Bond was based on a reinforced Ami Super chassis and was powered by a 1,015 cm engine3 of GS with 55 hp. In order to face the bumpy tracks of the pampas with serenity, the Citroën 3 CV’s suspensions were reinforced. They abandoned the classic friction beaters of the 2 CV in favor of hydraulic elements for each of the wheels, complementing larger diameter shocks and much stiffer springs. This set of improvements transfigured the road behavior of the car, which pitched significantly less than the 2 CV.
The Seven Mistakes Game
![Citroën 3CV (1960-1972)](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/citroen-3cv-2.jpg)
Unlike a Renault 3, which is clearly distinguished from a Renault 4 by the absence of a quarter panel glass, the Citroën 3CV did not have a body that was very different from that of the 2CV. Note a suicide-style door opening, that is to say, pivoting from front to back as on the very first 2 CVs; the latter having subsequently adopted conventional doors. Affectionately nicknamed “Rana” (frog), the Argentinian 3 CVs were fitted with bumpers protecting their wings and hood from the attacks of local vehicles, which were much higher. Other distinctions: the exhaust outlet located just upstream of the left rear wheel and the rear windows descending into the door. In Argentina, the ultimate Citroën 3 CV left the chain in 1972.
![Citroën 3CV special suspensions](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/citroen-3-cv.jpg)
More powerful and faster, as we have said, the 3 CV benefited from 135 mm wide tires against 125 mm for the 2 CV, but also from more imposing rear lights. The lighting was also more efficient, the 3 CV having exchanged the dynamo and the 6 V system of the “two-legged” for a 12 V alternator. Enough to increase the range of the headlights, whose alignment was adjustable. from the driving position. Note that the latter had a graduated tachometer up to 120 km / h, maximum speed of the 3 CV, when the speedometer of the Deuche ended at 110, a speed at which it was, moreover, quite incapable of driving. In addition, when pressing the mushroom, the driver of the Citroën 3 CV benefited from a modern suspended pedals much more comfortable to use than the pedals on the floor with piston of the 2 CV.
Citroën 3 CV: a 2 CV with a hatchback
![Citroën 3CV (1960-1972) hatchback](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/citroen-3cv-3.jpg)
The convertible top mechanism was also more sophisticated on the 3 CV. It could be opened from the cockpit and in three positions. Finally, a feature of the Citroën 3 CV, the tailgate opened by integrating the rear window, as on a Renault 4. A modern equipment which has never been entitled to the Citroën 2 CV which, it should be remembered, was designed before the Second World War.
TO READ. Citroën 2CV. An almost new Charleston sold for € 120,000 at auction