This completely original mint condition 1965 Citroën 2CV was sold in February 2012 for a world record price of 50,000 euros ($66,000 US) at the Artcurial auction (during Retromobile) in Paris. One reason for the premium price was that it had only 116 original miles. It was bought new in Beverly Hills by Bill Harrah, and kept it in his collection for 40 years. Greg Long purchased it from Harrahs Auto Collection in the USA in 2004 when they decided to liquidate some cars.
Greg took care in preserving the 2CV and only drove it sparingly. Its biggest outing was trailering it to Rendezvous in 2009 and then driving it over to the show field. In fact, the greatest mileage in any trip was put on by Greg’s brother John, who when visiting Greg and the family in West Virginia got up early one morning (as John is prone to do) and decided to take it for a leisurely jaunt to the grocery store to pick up some food for breakfast. Greg was astonished to discover when he got up that mileage had increased by 40!
Realizing the rarity and value of the car, Greg felt it would be best going to a collector rather than piling on the miles being driven by him. Plus it’s not the best car to tackle the mountainous hills of the region. So it was off to Paris for a photoshoot and then put on prominent display in one of Europe’s most prestigious auctions.
Well done on a very astute purchase, Greg! Many of us thought that the initial price you paid was stratospheric, but given what it sold for under the gavel, you have proven that you not only believed in this 2CV’s potential but wisely invested in it.
It’s such a charmer though, we hope you don’t miss it too much!