by James May…..
Early in May I received an email from George Dyke alerting me to the availability of a 2CV. Move fast he said, it won’t last. It’s a good one! My previous two attempts had ended in disappointment so I delayed a week. Should I or shouldn’t I. I decided to have one last go. If I failed this time I would give up and remain carless.
The pictures shown on the Citroënvie website looked good. The car was represented by Bob McLeod of the Ottawa Citroën Club on behalf of the owner Beth McCollum.
Arrangements were made to have a look and so we drove and drove and drove to Nanotick just outside Ottawa. The car was as represented and after price negotiation an agreement was made to pick up the car as soon as it was certified. We returned home to wait for a phone call.
Our plan was for Diana and I to drive from our home in Brantford back to Ottawa, license the car and then I would drive it back with her following close behind. I had not driven a stick shift for about 20 years so Bob gave me a fifteen minute lesson during which I am proud to say I did not stall the car. Neither did I turn off the turn signals.
Me, Beth and Diana
We started out for Brantford heading for highway 7. The first few kilometers were a little stressful but I soon learned to avoid the 2 to 4 shift. Who needs 3rd gear anyway when you have a 2 barrel carb and 29 horsepower! It was getting on toward 5:00 PM and having been up since 6:00 AM I was looking for a place to rest. As we drove into Perth we found a motel right on the corner of Highway 7. We booked in and I went to bed! Slept right through until morning. We started out again at 7:00 AM and after a quick breakfast at McDonalds we drove and drove and drove at a steady 90 kph along highway 7 toward Oshawa where we picked up highway 407. Staying in the right lane at 90 kph proved no problem and we made it home by mid afternoon.
Her name is Marie Claire and she sits indoors next to Diana’s Prius. My car sits outside.
We cannot thank Bob enough for all his efforts. Without him it would have been a much more difficult purchase. He co-ordinated every detail of paperwork arranging the safety, the evaluation for tax purposes, locating the nearest license bureau and of course the much needed free driving lesson. Finally we have our car and are looking forward to attending the Citroën Autoclub Canada Niagara wine region outing in July.