Exotic company for a 2CV

by George Dyke…..

I had a blast on June 26 at the Unionville Ontario Exotic Car Show.  They had arranged to show 150 cars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini and Porsche on the charming old main street of the town.  So I figured, why not show up in my 1959 2CV and provide a little contrast?   When I arrived the street had just been closed and last of the exotics lined up in a row.  At first the organizers were reluctant to let me in but then a crowd started gathering around the 2CV generating enough interest that they opened the gate and directed me to park between De Tomaso Pantera and a brand new Porsche 918 hybrid supercar!

Both the owners of the De Tomasso and the Porsche were really nice fellows who appreciated and actually envied the 2CV.  The Porsche owner even took the time to explain to me in detail the incredible technology on the 918.  Things like;  its 5 driving modes, how Porsche managed to get more horsepower by actually loosing 2 cylinders (the air intakes to the engine are on the bottom and the exhaust on the top), the electric motor regenerative system, 3 air conditioning systems (one that is dedicated to just to keeping the batteries at optimal temperature) and the dashboard configuration that automatically displays controls for the sound system, climate control, etc as it tracks the driver’s eye movement to those physical areas.  We both thought it was pretty cool to have the the most sophisticated and the most basic of automobiles side by side.  All afternoon, people came up to us and said the same.  And many said to me that the 2CV was the coolest car on display!