Citroen’s last 2CV, France’s venerable “people’s car” that was nicknamed the “Tin Snail” for its quirky design, rolls off the assembly line at the company’s factory in Mangualde, Portugal, on July 27, 1990.
The front-wheel-drive, air-cooled economy car was introduced at the 1948 Paris auto show. It was initially powered by a front-mounted, 375cc, two-cylinder engine rated at 9 hp and initially built from corrugated metal for added strength without extra weight.
Since its 1948 launch, Citroen produced 5,114,959 2CVs worldwide, starting in 1948 and ending in 1990.
The name 2CV -- Deux Chevaux Vapeur in French, or “two steam horses,” -- was a nod to France’s policy of taxing cars based on their engine output.