By Pauline Hamel…..
The Burton is a design by Burton Car Company in The Netherlands based on the 2CV frame and running gear. Inspired by legendary sports cars such as Bugatti, Jaguar, Talbot-Lago, and Alfa Romeo, two brothers Dimitri and Iwan Göbel (one a graduate in administration and the other a designer) both with a passion for car mechanics, joined their forces: the first Burton was launched in the Netherlands in 1998.
Mine crossed the Atlantic in November 2007 and was offered to me as Christmas present! (There it was, a fiberglass body built in 2003 on a Citroën 2CV 1968 chassis, reconditioned with parts from a 1984 2CV.)
As my grandson Philippe demonstrates here, the Burton has the distinction of being very monocoque — a characteristic that results in it having no doors!
It was in the fall of 2019 that the creation of doors was considered, to make life easier for me. (The car had not aged very much, but its owner had — a little!) On the recommendation of my brother-in-law and Citroënvie member Richard Boudrias in Montreal, the idea was discussed with vintage car specialist Gino Gervais who agreed to undertake the project.
Although adding doors to a Burton is an operation that has been practiced for some time in a workshop in France, the challenge is significant since Burton Car does not provide directives for this purpose. A first on our continent, the transformation put Mr. Gervais’ acute sense of engineering and great creativity to the test as the following pictures illustrate:
By April of 2020, my two-door Burton was ready for the road and I went to pick it up with the assistance of Richard, Michel and Gino.
The result meets all expectations! Hours of extra happiness are now awaiting me behind the wheel of my Burton “without borders”!
I would like to thank and congratulate the craftsmen of this great adventure: Michel, my “generous” companion; Richard, one of the most passionate Citroënists of his generation, Gino, whose ingenuity and know-how never ceases to amazed us, as well as Francine, his spouse and collaborator at all stages including that of the interior finish.
My partner just bought a Burton last year. He’s Dutch and we went to pick it up together in the charming city of Zutphen. But I happened to stumble upon your article when I was looking for information about the first wife of my Great Uncle Romeo Hamel, whose name was also Pauline. Romeo perished in Operation Market Garden in October 1944 and we are on our way to visit his grave now in the village of Margraaten. Anyway, my grandfather’s family is originally from Canada, so I thought I would reach out and see if we are distant relatives. That would be a funny coincidence. Then we can take our Burtons out for a ride sometime together. 😂 All the best, Liz Kraft (granddaughter of Sylvio Hamel, great-granddaughter of Dorilla Hamel and Eva Sansouccy)
Je suis habitant à Montréal et voudrais acquérir une Burton.