Citroënvie member Peter Yasigian from Venice, Florida sent this photo of a 1956 2CV Truckette that he grew up with that he thinks has a rare rear side window configuration.
We have to agree. We’ve seen 2CV truckettes with smaller windows in the rear, but never one with such a long window – and on both sides! It appears that even the body ribbing has been pressed flat on both vertical edges of the window to accommodate a proper seal, indicating this might have come from the factory that way.
Not only are there long windows, but looking inside it would appear that there are rear seats! Lord knows how people actually got in there? In that era the front seats of the 2CV sedans had just two posts in front of the seat frame to hold them in place. Consequently, they could easily be tilted forward (and quickly removed) but even so, you’d probably have to be a contortionist to get around them if just tilted forward to crawl into the rear of this one.
Peter says there were 7 like this shipped to Cairo, Egypt in 1956. The back windows slid open.
He goes on to say; “My parents purchased one of them after my father accidentally drove our 1948 Traction Avant into an open ditch on a dark street at night. Last time we rode in it in 1964, I was 11 and my sister 8 so we got into the back pretty easily. The front and the back seats attached with just those hooks at the front base that went through holes in the floor. The seats were removed and used as beach chairs on trips to the Red Sea. The 4 of us and 4 large suitcases did visit my grandparents in Austria and visit my parents’ friends throughout Europe every other summer. I remember my father having to get out and walk the steeper slopes on the Alps because the 425 cc engine just couldn’t do it with all of us and suitcases in it.”
Could there have been more? If so, where and what were they used for? If you can shed further light on them, please contribute to this article by replying below.
Update: We did come across this brochure for the 2CV AZUL Truckette called Le “Weekend” that has a rear seat, but the side window in the rear sits forward not centred.
Although I have never seen one, I have heard of the “Weekend” version of the fourgonette, like this one. They include an additional row of removable seats. The pictures I have seen show either the addition of a second window on each side (same size as the standard), or a single longer window, but aligned with the front of the panel, not centered like this.
In the book “The Citroën 2CV and Derivatives” by James Taylor there is a short description in the section describing vans:
“A Weekend version was also introduced, with a second row of removable seats inside the van body, so that the AK and AZU vans could double as saloons at the weekend when not on duty. Home-market Weekend vans had an additional side window in the body, but certain export models had instead a single larger side window.”
Another book with a reference is Schiffer Automotive Series “Citroën 2CV 1948-86”. It shows a reproduction of a German ad for the 2CV AZUL “Week-end”. Note that the print advertisement spells the name with a hyphen. Te following is part of the description, as translated in the book from German:
“As you wish, it can become a comfortable 4-seater with bowed side windows or a delivery van with much cargo space.
The rear seat can easily be removed, and the right front seat can be folded frontward. The large luggage space is directly accessible via the rear doors.
Along with its proverbial comfort, the “Week-end” offers numerous potential uses. Thanks to the large side windows, the passengers have a full panoramic view from the front and rear seats alike.”
No additional data, but note the Cairo version has the tubular ‘export’ front bumper, and unless it’s my imagination, the big window is a split slider, hence flat.
The Week-end ad shows the later large back door windows, not present on my export ‘58 and mentions bowed or curved windows, probably fixed and plastic.
So perhaps, even more variants! At least, unlike Rolls Royce, there wasn’t a Maharajah tiger-shooting specialized 2CV.