In my 15 years altogether of driving two original 2CVs all across Europe from the Lofoten Islands to the Ebro Delta, from thousands of Kilometers across Swiss mountain passes to Istanbul,.. I do agree with you. Although doubling the original horsepower with a GS motor conversion and a longer legged box was what I always dreamed of, this one tops it already by not requiring the elongated and therefore out of proportion glass fiber fenders and bonnet kit, ....not mentioning the weight and its distribution.... ..... a dream conversion this one ! My wildest dream was a modded white one, red cross signed, with blue lights and siren, back in 1990, when I was doing emergency runs with similarly prepared Golf MK II GT all across northern Germany delivering blood bottles from Europes largest blood bank in the south of Hanover to hospitals in unforeseen needs.
What colour? I think the Tricolour, Blue, White, and Red, would look excellent. Or the colour Known as Gordini Blue, or that Blue that the Bugatti team cars were painted. Or YELLOW, the same colour as an ambulance.
@@maszkalman3676 It's only your assumption. Plenty of decommissioned US police R1200RT-P with 100,000+ miles gets sold and runs fine. If they were even remotely unreliable, the cops wouldn't be buying Boxer BMW bikes generation after generation. Will Holman was not dumb for using that 1150 BMW Boxer.
@@shawnlister2730 Hahahha you are delulu police of course can kep them in working order they are serviced by your taxes so they don't have to worry about the keep up costs....
@@maszkalman3676 If your logic is true, then all police would have Porsches. Unlike the military, police in US are ran by local cities, and are fairly transparent in their budget and are certain budget-conscious. But no word coming from me can convince you to be openminded and learn about something that you actually know nothing of (Such as BMW's oil-cooled boxer twin). So my duty is done here.
@@shawnlister2730 Well if we look up the facts the only reliable mdoels of these bmw bike engines were pre 2013 (1170 cc models) the later ones had camshaft issues some outright the engine block failed and the pre 2010 (1254 cc models) so only a range of them the older ones and from those select few were reliable
Im amazed at how much power the standard gearbox can handle. There's even a green Supercharged 2CV with a BMW 1200 bike engine with 150bhp. Could be one of the fastest tin snails outhere
Wonderful little car had 2 of they few in South Africa , my father was a Citroen nut .I had the 498 cc and the 603 cc .Father had DS20 AND the Citroen Maserati SM , we used to fix them. A ll motor cars way ahead of there years at the time (1970's) . Miss you dad.
When we bought our first house in 1985 we were really skint and needed a car. A three year old 2CV filled the bill perfectly. We bought a bigger car in 1990 but I kept the 2cv till 1993 when sadly it suffered terminal chassis rot. Although I'd sprayed Waxoyle into all the drain holes in the chassis, I didn't realize there were blanking plates in the chassis tubes which stopped the waxoyle getting into the section under the front passenger footwell. Brilliant little car , perfectly driveable, although I was once burnt off by a reliant robin 😂😂😂. Happy days . What I could have done with 95 bhp tho.!!! Thanks for showing us this
Normally the under Powered cars and bikes are the most fun. I had a 2 lt 1980s 4 cylinder that to over take on Australian road had to turn of the air conditioning and wait for a down hill run painfully slow from 80 km to 120 km. So well balanced it could do a 4 wheel drift in the wet
Yes I think there is a lot of truth in that , get up to 200 bhp and no one needs more power than that. When I was young most cars had about 70 bhp so 100 bhp was a fast car !
Yes, so you know how well your BMW bike goes - well this won’t be much slower, they are pretty lightweight build- probably only weighs 50% more than a motorbike😮👍
LSD, from Belgium? are oh now I get it - limited slip differential, I thought, Wow! advertising 1970s psychedelic drugs on a UA-cam channel is a bit risqué!.
@@TheAndreykko I expect that would be easy to get hold of. BMW, Ducati, KTM, JAWA, even Norton and BSA did them in 600cc. I'll have to change the colour, ambulance yellow would not be exactly inconspicuous.
My dad had a 1975 R90 S and that motor had tons of torque, when you would shift gears it make a loud klunk sound. Had a really nice paint scheme too. Great engines run forever...
This is the best car conversion there is, I love it. Amazing that the standard Citroen gearbox will take the torque, but it results in the ultimate Q-car vibe that the car sounds exactly like a standard 2CV. The standard suspension actually never lets go despite the alarming lean angles, so I would raise it to near standard if I had the car. Belt yourself in properly and go with the sway.
hi there ! i had the chance to drive this special 2cv in France Normandy several months ago (because Robert is a friend of mine) and i have to say : "WOW !! what is this ?". As he said; i loved it because it is a real 2cv (and i can say that i know these cars well) but it has the heart that was missing in the original one : an engine !!! I was spechless and i just couldn't stop smiling while driving !!! When this beast revs about 5000/6000, it sounds like a 2nd engine begins to play !!! thank you for that Robert (and Pete !)
Love it Will. A friend of mine has been waxing lyrical about a 2cv ‘buggy’ with a BMW engine. I must show this to him to inspire him to do something ‘stupid’. Keep going with these things, loving the rebirth of PPC.
My parents had a couple of 2CV's in the 1980's. Including the exact same model. However it was painted in Ferrari red multiple layers of paint and clear coating - just for the fun of it. One of the models were a Super 2CV with 65 ponies at the wheels. It was quick and could put some serious black stripes on the tarmack. It was nimble and relativel quick. Well over 100 ponies... Dang it sounds like a lot of fun. Especially with a few mods to the brakes, wheels, tires and suspension. Going 100mph in a 2CV with everything else close to stock is quite an experience. Over 85 mph you don't feel like being in total control. I like the mods being relative subtle and looking almost stock. There's a cargo version with a Ferrari motor - it's hardly a sleeper but extremely well built. Of course there's the 4WD 2CV's - this made me realize how awesome that could be - of course with a twin BMW engine - one in the front ... and one in the back. A tad update of the original design - but built with two tanks and two ignition keys/system like the original. Even the original is surprising good at traversing the terrain. 2CV Rally Cross is indeed a thing. An original quite normal 2 CV have been driven across Europe almost to the Tibet. A 4WD - 2 CV is the only vehicle to have crossed the Sahara unsupported after traversing a good part of Africa only being sailed from Morocco to Gibraltar and being driven back to London. That of course being done twice years apart in the same vehicle by it's owner. I can't remember the full story - it's so unbelievable that it's a testimony to facts being stranger than fiction. I think it was a year or two ago it became fully restored to it's original glory and sold at an auction. It fetched more than 150 ,000 Euro - if my memory doesn't fail me. It's got an extremely unusual story. It could have been in the Guinness Book of Records - but the owner didn't do it to set a record. He fled from civil wars both times. He wanted to be getting back home and just happened to like the car so much - he simply wanted it with him back home. He couldn't afford an airlift. Why he did it twice... After the two trips it served as a daily commuter in and around London. As I recall it sat for + 20 years in a garage. Someone heard the story and tracked the vehicle down - still in possession of the original owner. As I recall only 697 vehicles were made in a production run of 25 years. It's the unicorn of cars - the story making it an even more rare car. There's only one car with that story and it's well documented - it could be in the Guinness Book of Records - if the owner asked for it .... He just didn't think it was important. A remarkable person and a remarkable car as a match made in Heaven.
Usually its not the power that is a problem but torque. And seems like this engine has similar torque down low like original engine. And with high revs, torque usually drops off so it should not be a concern.
There is another one like this that has a supercharged 1150 BMW that make 155bhp. Still on original driveshafts and gearbox. No computers to simulate load so make it strong enough.. Like old Volvos, made to be reliable by being overly strong.
@@2cvchamp80 Pretty amazing! I have an old Suzuki GS motorcycle like that, they made it super heavy and strong as they didn't have the testing to get it just right, super overkill
It was my first ever car. Drove from Croydon to Alicante in Spain and back. Completely knackered and could do about 40mph on the straight on a good day. I'd have one tomorrow without hesitation. Love the idea of the bike engine.
I cross France once a year with my 1978 2CV Fourgonnette (AKS 400). Last year, it took me 14 hours non stop from Chamonix to Lorient, average speed about 62 Km/h. I never use motorways, only go through small winding roads. France is such a charming country when you take the time to actually pay attention to it. Thanks to my 1,65m stature I can easily sleep in it. Here is a link to my bedding/seating design in my other 2CV in Florida. Total added weight is 7 kilos. I will never understand why anyone would want to drive anything else... 😉 ua-cam.com/video/Xeic37T2Ugw/v-deo.html
You can swap the stock voltage rectifier to a series one (170 pounds) and that will stop the extra 20 amps back into the stator wich is cooled in engine oil. Most bikes have that, i think this is no exception. Oil temp will be cooler (14v x 20 amps = 280 w of heat). Nice ideea for a swap.
Love this. You'd never worry about where you park it, wouldn't worry about the odd extra scuff, it's practical, & will put a smile on your face every time you drive it. If I had one though, I think I'd add some discreet air grilles into the front wings to give those cylinders an easier time, fit a recaro seat for the driver, add a meatier steering wheel & upgrade the braking (surprised that didn't get a mention).
If you haven't driven a 2cv, you'd be forgiven for expecting the brakes to be old fashioned and barely adequate like on many older cars. 2cv's from the 70's onward came with excellent front disc brakes, which like the gearbox are excellent. They're not servo-assisted, so need a firm push, but they stop the car very well, even when towing car transporter trailers and 16ft day boats (allegedly *cough*). Yes that's with the original 602cc & 29hp! Thankfully 1st gear is a very low ratio for hills, and the engine is un-burstable, so pinning the throttle all day long is no issue. Point is, I expect the brakes on this uprated tin snail are still standard and will be fine, as the car is sub 600kg in any case.
I worked for a Citroen specialist in the 80s, who decided to fit a GS semi auto engine and gearbox in his AK400, which made it rather amusing seeing people's reaction when taking of at the traffic lights 😎
My brother employed me as a gofer on the 007 Bond Film that used the 2CVs to pick olives. My job was to pickup parts and spares from Citroen, scrap yards etc. Collect the Beach buggies and generally muck around the workshop at Pinewood. Five 2Cvs were delivered, one was kept untouched as the pretty car the other four were staged modified for different aspects of the drive through the olive grove. Firstly to make sure we got the contract and not Reme Julian and son, we stripped the four cars to just body frame and chassis and running parts, scattering the doors, bonnets around the workshop this all took under 2 hrs. max, so when production walked in they just said. "Oh you have started you had better finish, and will you RMs son onto your team as he will be the stunt driver in the film" GS engines replaced the 2cvs. Honda clutch and the CVs gear box. One had a hydraulic drop arm fitted to catch stop wires on the steep banking. The usual roll cage and safety belt mounts, Koni shocks etc. A test drive was organized for the next Sunday around the lanes of Pinewood. First stop was fuel up the garage was on a dual carriage way after a few roundabouts. The four of use in convoy and we shot passed a Triumph 7 I think it was, few more roundabouts and called into fuel. The Triumph followed us in shaking his head and said " he was amazed a 2CV passed but three more was not on " To celebrate our win we called into a country pub for a pint or three, the pub emptied with all the punters looking at the 2CVs.
In the 70's I worked in France. Visiting a car-parts store, I saw a line of racks with hanging transparent plastic bags, each filled with a 2CV engine 😂 Later I drove several 2CV's and Dyanes, in the desert and on UK roads. That pram-handle gearshift and going round corners 'scraping the door handles' was iconic and great fun. Cheap, cheerful, light, comfortable, reliable. Brilliant practical engineering. It's unbelievable to me to see the prices they now command for a good-condition car.
This is the stuff of my childhood dreams. I lived in the UK from age 3 to 7, and my dad’s car history there and in Canada included a Panhard, Heinkel bubble car, two Renault 4CV’s, a Dauphine, an R8 and R16. Ones that got away included a Messerschmidt, Mini Cooper S and a Lotus Elan. As a boy, I imagined stuffing a BSA 650 twin into a Heinkel. This is on a whole other level, and strange as it may sound, far more practical!
What a great concept. That must shock a lot of people. Those big BMW motors have power. How Kool that is just about seems to bolt in. They should produce this combo.
Awesome guys, I ran a Vauxhall chevet with a tuned 400 Ci Pontiac engine. car ran @11.02 best Q Mile. Great to see thinking out of the box, have to say that this is extreme - amazing.
This video makes me grinning! The engine sound and the gear whine are exactly from BMW Motorrad Motor. I also owned the predecessor R1100R and owns R1200CL of the same R259 engine. That model is like a tank. Respect!🎉
Fascinating. Some years ago I had a very nice Fiat 500F, and by chance had a spare BMW R90S engine, and I thought that would be an interesting swap - 18hp to 72hp! I seriously wanted to do it, but circumstances changed and I never got the opportunity. This Citroen is genius! Thanks for this video.
Nice ! Went with 3 friends on a month long holiday from holland to greece with it. Lovely car !, just could not overtake lorries on the autobahn or autostrada. Was fun everytime we tried. Had a good chassis, 2cv's. Nearly half the weight of the car .. And consumed 1 on 16
What a madly wonderful thing! When owned a 2CV, a Dyane, and then an Ami 6 back in the 1970s. After that a succession of French, German and Italian cars, but there is always something appealing about the 2CV.
Drove an unmodified 2CV to Andorra and back from UK once, 4 people and camping gear. The fascinating thing about the original engine is, it's absolutely fine just to leave your foot flat on the throttle the entire time. Made it there and back without the slightest incident. The car is so basic and direct, some things really make you smile, like the design of the front air vent. It couldn't be simpler (or more prone to rust, see also the boot hinge)
2:24 If you push it hard - you get everything broken. If it doesn't break you didn't try it hard enough ... 😀 Thanks for showing. That would be a car Ian from Hubnut would surely like to lend out for a road test as well.
Brilliant. I love the fact it is in a worn '80s car. In 1996 i had a 1960 that was running later running gear and looked standard. I wanted to do a BMW engine then but couldn't find anyone or any help in the conversion. Roll on 20 years later, plenty of them out there. I no longer have a 2CV so i no longer have that itch
One thing that 2Cyl novices might be unaware of, is how low the RPM's sound. Why? Because as a car enthusiast one "keys" one's ears to a 4 or more cylinder, and the result is when winding a 2cyl out it sounds like you are short shifting. There are 1/2 or less as many exhaust pulses to hear at any given RPM. Some of the drive bys in the video were probably 7K+ rpm. When the interviewer is driving, he's probably shifting at 5 or 6K. Doesn't sound like it, but it's true. Additionally, that weird aspect makes it somewhat relaxed sounding at road speed. You can gear it to run 4k, but your ears say it's 2K. Back in the day the manufacturer of Panhard Dynas felt that was their ace-in-the-hole...gave relatively relaxed long trip driving. In that aspect at least.
My brother had an R65 and fitted it out with a sidecar. I used to ride in the sidecar, right down and forward near the front wheel and used to love the sound and feel of that thing hauling through the gears - all that grunt pulling one way under acceleration and the opposite between gears and downshifts. I felt like Fangio - without doubt one of the most enjoyable ways to travel fast.
Probably ~30 years ago I was driving along the Plymouth Parkway, downhill toward the Tecalemet roundabout when three 2cvs came diving down the sliproad from Buckland, straight into lane #2 past me & on their merry way: I was doing a conservative 75mph.
What an awesome car!! A 2CV6 was my first car, with crazy wild 23hp 🤣🤣🤣 once I drove it on the Autobahn going almost 130km/h on a long straight downhill section. Felt like flying 😂
Many years ago I nearly bought a Diane with a 4 cylinder 1100 engine.. The builder had started with an Ami Super which had a 4 cyl chassis, so it would take a GSA engine. then dressed the chassis with the Diane body panels. It was a monster. He generally held that the 1100 engine was a good starting point. it was seriously quick.. There was a factory 4 cyl 2CV as well following the use of a 2CV as a Bond chase car. They were yellow with stick on bullet holes on the boot lid..
I had both the R1100 and R1200 BMW bikes, both engines were quite strangled with lean burn emissions. I had the R1200 remapped on a rolling road and it made a huge difference, torque was up and so was the engines ability to rev, it went like a turbine in the higher revs making for a lovely road bike.
I loved my 2CV Fifi, she wasn't fast but I did make a full crash cage when I built her up onto a new chassis. The body sat up on some wood and four deck chairs while the chassis work was done ! Great memories 😂
I've owned a BMW bike with that engine, and when he accelerated away from the junction, the sound transported me right back to riding it. PS - the Bee Emm in the bike world is more a tourer, than an out of out sports bike, and being a big twin has lots of low down torque, but doesn't rev that high. I found it rode better just revving up to a couple of thousand revs , then changing up.
My, own, first car was a Citroën 2CV, she was yellow and I called her Fifi ❤. An absolutely fantastic time we had together before, sadly, her drive shaft went kaput 😢 Shall I get another one...WHY NOT!!
I miss my first car a green bamboo 2cv. Great to learn how to drive fast, revving it out and braking for those slow corners...😂 This 2cv is very special indeed.
2CVs are great in any configuration. I used to clean and wax the neighbor's one when I was young. It was very nice to clean. Curves everywhere. She loved it too.
A while ago i see a black 2vc with bmw engine on a race track. The curve speed was very high. Was fun watching the 2 cv overtake the others in the corners on the outside and stuff.
Congratulations on having achieved this beautiful machine, I have been thinking about the idea of something like this for a long time, and I am very happy that someone has achieved it!!! Another idea that I tell you is to run a 2Cv engine, at 2T, rotating the camshaft at the same speed as the crankshaft, using direct injection and an air compressor, to make more explosions per rpm, so that the HP could be doubled, and so could the engine torque. Nissan is developing something like this, but you can still experiment with these 2-cylinder engines, and even with a small 4-stroke 50 cc Honda-type engine, converted to 2-stroke, it would be the easiest test to experiment with, you may never be able to do it. , but I would be extremely happy to see someone else achieve it.
These BMW engines can make for good aircraft conversions as well. Their power to weight ratio is quite good. A reduction is needed for the propeller but some of the weight can be recovered by removing the original gears and even the gearbox section itself. A dry sump is also preferable.
Some 35 years ago, I saw an unusually low riding unusually grunty sounding and most unusually fast 2CV going through my home village here in the mainland, in that Germany. I never got my head around what might have been done with it to be that much of a beastie. I get a rough idea what it actually was now. 🤗 Wondeful! 🤩
Amazingly, this car seems to keep the savor of legacy 2CV but with much more power. It should be a piece of pleasure to drive it. Congratulation from France!
There's one 2CV fitted with a 6-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine in the Netherlands. And there's even one with a Ferrari F355 V8. And not to forget the factory made Safari. Which had one engine in the front for the front wheel drive, plus a second engine in the rear.
great line ......" it s not a Volvo ....." ........ i would suggest there is more steel in the bonnet of a Volvo than the whole of a 2CV body ......... but a great piece of work & a good sound ...
If I remember correctly, the very first 2CV's were equipped with the BMW boxer engine from the R50 / R60 models. Later Citroen developed their own engine but kept the boxer architecture.
As someone who was born in the 1960's, I have seen many of these on the road. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to drive (i was then too young) or even travel in one of these,. From what I've heard, I guess it would be a great experience.
One of my biker friends has a van. 2cv. He put harley davidson cylinderheads on the enginge. And ive never rode in it. But ive seen it fly past a couple of times over our country road. It moves like the wind.
Lose those sandals 😂 that 2CV is absolutely amazing. Awesome sleeper. Usually I would not bother with these cars . My brother bought one in 1985 . Was very difficult to change gear and had little power. This machine is really what the French should have built. Great fun . Good luck with this project
Dream project 🙌 And technically the BMW R1100, R1150 and early R1200 engines are not air cooled. They are oil cooled. So a decent size fan on the original oil cooler (or an up rated oil cooler) should keep the engine running cool in hot conditions. The police motorcycles (1100/1150 RT-P) had that additional fan on the oil cooler. Mine doesn’t.
My dad used to run New Forest 2cv's and then French car company in my childhood. He converted a Diane nicknamed the Diane-amite to include a Citroen GSA 1300 flat four, that was quite fast. I remember seeing a 2cv bodied Sierra Cosworth also, no idea whatever came of that.
Take care with the heat, people who forgot their R1150RT wenn letting the bike warm up for checking Oil level, had the bike burn down… But you could always ad a fan for each cylinder. Great sleeper in any case😊
I recall that back in the 80s (might have been 90s, I’m an old bloke now!) the editor or one of the writers of Car Magazine stuck a turbo onto a tweaked 2CV with which he used to surprise hot hatches back in the day. It caught fire on a one trip and I believe never saw the light of day again.
Steve Cropley was his name. The car still exists, I have it here somewhere but its very rusty, fire is never good for metal. It will get rebuilt and modernised a bit.
In my 69 years I never been able to accurately define my favourite sort of car. THIS ONE ticks all the none existent boxes. Fabulous. Thank you.
You are most welcome. Glad you enjoyed it so much - kudos to Rob and Sparrow Automotive for building it 😎
In my 15 years altogether of driving two original 2CVs all across Europe from the Lofoten Islands to the Ebro Delta, from thousands of Kilometers across Swiss mountain passes to Istanbul,.. I do agree with you.
Although doubling the original horsepower with a GS motor conversion and a longer legged box was what I always dreamed of, this one tops it already by not requiring the elongated and therefore out of proportion glass fiber fenders and bonnet kit, ....not mentioning the weight and its distribution.... ..... a dream conversion this one !
My wildest dream was a modded white one, red cross signed, with blue lights and siren, back in 1990, when I was doing emergency runs with similarly prepared Golf MK II GT all across northern Germany delivering blood bottles from Europes largest blood bank in the south of Hanover to hospitals in unforeseen needs.
Someone needs to show this to Hubnut. I wonder if a Cossack Ural motor would fit. 😂 @@ppcmagazine
WTF!
Alfaholics GTA
Never in a million years would I have thought I wanted one of these. I want one.
Get help! 🤣
What colour? I think the Tricolour, Blue, White, and Red, would look excellent. Or the colour Known as Gordini Blue, or that Blue that the Bugatti team cars were painted. Or YELLOW, the same colour as an ambulance.
@@Demun1649any of those would be brilliant. What a fun car.
The BMW Boxer or the 2CV ?
Imagine this in an old 2CV Fourgonette 🤪
Wanting is free. Excellent use of zero emission effort!
What a true gentleman willing to show us his wonderful creation. A true sleeper of a 2CV kind. Definitely not something you will see too often.
not too unusual in the UK hill climbing fraternity.
There's something about putting modern engines in old cars that makes me so happy.
It's the best of both worlds.
Too bad it's bmw engine :D if those got out of warranty age they aren't very reliable...
@@maszkalman3676 It's only your assumption. Plenty of decommissioned US police R1200RT-P with 100,000+ miles gets sold and runs fine. If they were even remotely unreliable, the cops wouldn't be buying Boxer BMW bikes generation after generation. Will Holman was not dumb for using that 1150 BMW Boxer.
@@shawnlister2730 Hahahha you are delulu police of course can kep them in working order they are serviced by your taxes so they don't have to worry about the keep up costs....
@@maszkalman3676 If your logic is true, then all police would have Porsches. Unlike the military, police in US are ran by local cities, and are fairly transparent in their budget and are certain budget-conscious. But no word coming from me can convince you to be openminded and learn about something that you actually know nothing of (Such as BMW's oil-cooled boxer twin). So my duty is done here.
@@shawnlister2730 Well if we look up the facts the only reliable mdoels of these bmw bike engines were pre 2013 (1170 cc models) the later ones had camshaft issues some outright the engine block failed and the pre 2010 (1254 cc models) so only a range of them the older ones and from those select few were reliable
The sound composition of the angry 2cv-style BMW-engine and the genuine howling 2cv-gearbox is unbeatable. Exactly like it should be. Great job!
BMW sous le capot!
@@localreviewking134 Sooner see a Jaguar V12 !
Im amazed at how much power the standard gearbox can handle. There's even a green Supercharged 2CV with a BMW 1200 bike engine with 150bhp. Could be one of the fastest tin snails outhere
This proves you don't need a 6 Ltr engine and 35cm wide tyres to have fun, the essence of motoring.
It proves when you put a 6 Ltr engine and 35cm wide tyres on 2CV there will even be more fun.
@@Triggernlfrl Well,,,, maybe
Definitely a mucho fun car. Love it!
Wonderful little car had 2 of they few in South Africa , my father was a Citroen nut .I had the 498 cc and the 603 cc .Father had DS20 AND the Citroen Maserati SM , we used to fix them. A
ll motor cars way ahead of there years at the time (1970's) . Miss you dad.
When we bought our first house in 1985 we were really skint and needed a car.
A three year old 2CV filled the bill perfectly.
We bought a bigger car in 1990 but I kept the 2cv till 1993 when sadly it suffered terminal chassis rot.
Although I'd sprayed Waxoyle into all the drain holes in the chassis, I didn't realize there were blanking plates in the chassis tubes which stopped the waxoyle getting into the section under the front passenger footwell.
Brilliant little car , perfectly driveable, although I was once burnt off by a reliant robin 😂😂😂.
Happy days .
What I could have done with 95 bhp tho.!!!
Thanks for showing us this
Glad you enjoyed it, Chris! Never too late to get another 2CV - and stick a bike engine in this one 😁
😂
Normally the under
Powered cars and bikes are the most fun. I had a 2 lt 1980s 4 cylinder that to over take on Australian road had to turn of the air conditioning and wait for a down hill run painfully slow from 80 km to 120 km. So well balanced it could do a 4 wheel drift in the wet
Yes I think there is a lot of truth in that , get up to 200 bhp and no one needs more power than that.
When I was young most cars had about 70 bhp so 100 bhp was a fast car !
@@davidwright1752how much did you buy it before ?
The speed and sound must catch a lot of other motorists by surprise. Imagine being overtaken by it 😂😂 Absolutely inspired 😂😂😂
Absolutely!
The badge on the back should show "2CV very special".
We'll have to pass that one on to Rob 🤣
Im taking Rob rides the 2 wheeled donor for work ;)
@@davem4845 Wonder how many people understood this comment?
@@Thechief49-x4t Aww, rats! ;)
Spelled ‘Speshul’, surely?
Love that. I ride a BMW bike with one of those engines. The thought of one in a 2CV is very appealing.
Yes, so you know how well your BMW bike goes - well this won’t be much slower, they are pretty lightweight build- probably only weighs 50% more than a motorbike😮👍
LSD, from Belgium? are oh now I get it - limited slip differential, I thought, Wow! advertising 1970s psychedelic drugs on a UA-cam channel is a bit risqué!.
Would there be room in my Scooterpac Cabin Car? Be nice to go faster than 9 miles an hour.
You'd better put a 600cc motorbike engine on that I guess
@@TheAndreykko I expect that would be easy to get hold of. BMW, Ducati, KTM, JAWA, even Norton and BSA did them in 600cc. I'll have to change the colour, ambulance yellow would not be exactly inconspicuous.
I was a child and my father had a 2CV. At the time the police use to run R75's and I always wondered...why not?. Here is the reality. Chapeau !
My dad had a 1975 R90 S and that motor had tons of torque, when you would shift gears it make a loud klunk sound. Had a really nice paint scheme too. Great engines run forever...
Great car! Great interview! No music! Informations for gearheads!😊
This is the best car conversion there is, I love it. Amazing that the standard Citroen gearbox will take the torque, but it results in the ultimate Q-car vibe that the car sounds exactly like a standard 2CV. The standard suspension actually never lets go despite the alarming lean angles, so I would raise it to near standard if I had the car. Belt yourself in properly and go with the sway.
The interiour sound is still real 2CV! oh how I love the singing noise ot the transmission! I had that on my old VISA, too.
hi there ! i had the chance to drive this special 2cv in France Normandy several months ago (because Robert is a friend of mine) and i have to say : "WOW !! what is this ?". As he said; i loved it because it is a real 2cv (and i can say that i know these cars well) but it has the heart that was missing in the original one : an engine !!! I was spechless and i just couldn't stop smiling while driving !!! When this beast revs about 5000/6000, it sounds like a 2nd engine begins to play !!! thank you for that Robert (and Pete !)
Love it Will. A friend of mine has been waxing lyrical about a 2cv ‘buggy’ with a BMW engine. I must show this to him to inspire him to do something ‘stupid’. Keep going with these things, loving the rebirth of PPC.
My parents had a couple of 2CV's in the 1980's. Including the exact same model. However it was painted in Ferrari red multiple layers of paint and clear coating - just for the fun of it. One of the models were a Super 2CV with 65 ponies at the wheels. It was quick and could put some serious black stripes on the tarmack. It was nimble and relativel quick. Well over 100 ponies... Dang it sounds like a lot of fun. Especially with a few mods to the brakes, wheels, tires and suspension. Going 100mph in a 2CV with everything else close to stock is quite an experience. Over 85 mph you don't feel like being in total control. I like the mods being relative subtle and looking almost stock. There's a cargo version with a Ferrari motor - it's hardly a sleeper but extremely well built. Of course there's the 4WD 2CV's - this made me realize how awesome that could be - of course with a twin BMW engine - one in the front ... and one in the back. A tad update of the original design - but built with two tanks and two ignition keys/system like the original. Even the original is surprising good at traversing the terrain. 2CV Rally Cross is indeed a thing. An original quite normal 2 CV have been driven across Europe almost to the Tibet. A 4WD - 2 CV is the only vehicle to have crossed the Sahara unsupported after traversing a good part of Africa only being sailed from Morocco to Gibraltar and being driven back to London. That of course being done twice years apart in the same vehicle by it's owner. I can't remember the full story - it's so unbelievable that it's a testimony to facts being stranger than fiction. I think it was a year or two ago it became fully restored to it's original glory and sold at an auction. It fetched more than 150
,000 Euro - if my memory doesn't fail me. It's got an extremely unusual story. It could have been in the Guinness Book of Records - but the owner didn't do it to set a record. He fled from civil wars both times. He wanted to be getting back home and just happened to like the car so much - he simply wanted it with him back home. He couldn't afford an airlift. Why he did it twice... After the two trips it served as a daily commuter in and around London. As I recall it sat for + 20 years in a garage. Someone heard the story and tracked the vehicle down - still in possession of the original owner. As I recall only 697 vehicles were made in a production run of 25 years. It's the unicorn of cars - the story making it an even more rare car. There's only one car with that story and it's well documented - it could be in the Guinness Book of Records - if the owner asked for it .... He just didn't think it was important. A remarkable person and a remarkable car as a match made in Heaven.
Impressive the factory gearbox can handle 4x the power, what a cool car!
i love the typical 2cv gear sound!
Usually its not the power that is a problem but torque. And seems like this engine has similar torque down low like original engine. And with high revs, torque usually drops off so it should not be a concern.
There is another one like this that has a supercharged 1150 BMW that make 155bhp. Still on original driveshafts and gearbox. No computers to simulate load so make it strong enough.. Like old Volvos, made to be reliable by being overly strong.
@@2cvchamp80 Pretty amazing! I have an old Suzuki GS motorcycle like that, they made it super heavy and strong as they didn't have the testing to get it just right, super overkill
that first gear shrill sound - with the gear stick pulled out back alomst into the passengers face, bings back memories
40 years ago I had one, I think with 27 PS.
But this one is a wild duck……Ohh it´s a dream👍👍👍
It was my first ever car. Drove from Croydon to Alicante in Spain and back. Completely knackered and could do about 40mph on the straight on a good day. I'd have one tomorrow without hesitation. Love the idea of the bike engine.
Glad to jog some memories for you 😃
I cross France once a year with my 1978 2CV Fourgonnette (AKS 400). Last year, it took me 14 hours non stop from Chamonix to Lorient, average speed about 62 Km/h. I never use motorways, only go through small winding roads. France is such a charming country when you take the time to actually pay attention to it.
Thanks to my 1,65m stature I can easily sleep in it. Here is a link to my bedding/seating design in my other 2CV in Florida.
Total added weight is 7 kilos.
I will never understand why anyone would want to drive anything else... 😉
ua-cam.com/video/Xeic37T2Ugw/v-deo.html
You can swap the stock voltage rectifier to a series one (170 pounds) and that will stop the extra 20 amps back into the stator wich is cooled in engine oil. Most bikes have that, i think this is no exception. Oil temp will be cooler (14v x 20 amps = 280 w of heat). Nice ideea for a swap.
Love this. You'd never worry about where you park it, wouldn't worry about the odd extra scuff, it's practical, & will put a smile on your face every time you drive it.
If I had one though, I think I'd add some discreet air grilles into the front wings to give those cylinders an easier time, fit a recaro seat for the driver, add a meatier steering wheel & upgrade the braking (surprised that didn't get a mention).
If you haven't driven a 2cv, you'd be forgiven for expecting the brakes to be old fashioned and barely adequate like on many older cars. 2cv's from the 70's onward came with excellent front disc brakes, which like the gearbox are excellent. They're not servo-assisted, so need a firm push, but they stop the car very well, even when towing car transporter trailers and 16ft day boats (allegedly *cough*). Yes that's with the original 602cc & 29hp! Thankfully 1st gear is a very low ratio for hills, and the engine is un-burstable, so pinning the throttle all day long is no issue. Point is, I expect the brakes on this uprated tin snail are still standard and will be fine, as the car is sub 600kg in any case.
@@christhesnaildriver good to know, maybe Citroen knew that some would blatting down the French alp hairpins with a car full of livestock.....
In the 1980s there was a company in West Yorkshire that fitted Porsche engines into 2CVs. They were marketed as sidewinders. Significantly upgrade.
In the 70s I worked for a VW specialist who in his spare time stuck Porsche engines into Beetles and Type 2 vans just for giggles.
I worked for a Citroen specialist in the 80s, who decided to fit a GS semi auto engine and gearbox in his AK400, which made it rather amusing seeing people's reaction when taking of at the traffic lights 😎
My brother employed me as a gofer on the 007 Bond Film that used the 2CVs to pick olives. My job was to pickup parts and spares from Citroen, scrap yards etc. Collect the Beach buggies and generally muck around the workshop at Pinewood.
Five 2Cvs were delivered, one was kept untouched as the pretty car the other four were staged modified for different aspects of the drive through the olive grove. Firstly to make sure we got the contract and not Reme Julian and son, we stripped the four cars to just body frame and chassis and running parts, scattering the doors, bonnets around the workshop this all took under 2 hrs. max, so when production walked in they just said. "Oh you have started you had better finish, and will you RMs son onto your team as he will be the stunt driver in the film"
GS engines replaced the 2cvs. Honda clutch and the CVs gear box.
One had a hydraulic drop arm fitted to catch stop wires on the steep banking.
The usual roll cage and safety belt mounts, Koni shocks etc.
A test drive was organized for the next Sunday around the lanes of Pinewood. First stop was fuel up the garage was on a dual carriage way after a few roundabouts. The four of use in convoy and we shot passed a Triumph 7 I think it was, few more roundabouts and called into fuel. The Triumph followed us in shaking his head and said " he was amazed a 2CV passed but three more was not on " To celebrate our win we called into a country pub for a pint or three, the pub emptied with all the punters looking at the 2CVs.
Citroen came with the Ami Super, which was also equiped with the GS engine and gearbox
Not unlike rescuing an abandoned puppy. Pure love of a man.
Sparrow automotive is a fantastic place that does wonderful things ❤
It really is!
That's brilliant. It even sounds like a normal 2cv at first then wow that rasp . With more than 3 times the bhp hopefully uprated the brakes 😊
Great car. I'm pretty sure I followed this a few weeks ago, I remember thinking "he's breathed on that' it was cracking on with pace
Sounds 2CV! Love it - my first car was a Dyane - amazing fun in my teen years
We have something in common. My first girlfriend was a Diane. She was amazing fun in my teen years as well!😜😂👍
The match between the engine and the car is spot on.
Great thinking.
If i got a 2CV i'd be straight up to Sparrow Automotive for the conversion.
Pete's your guy. He'll get it done and done very well 😁
These are the guys!
I don't have a 2CV, but now I want one like this, but in black... All black.
@@Daniel_Kani find the sparrow one on UA-cam…..track day. It’s black!
In the 70's I worked in France. Visiting a car-parts store, I saw a line of racks with hanging transparent plastic bags, each filled with a 2CV engine 😂 Later I drove several 2CV's and Dyanes, in the desert and on UK roads. That pram-handle gearshift and going round corners 'scraping the door handles' was iconic and great fun. Cheap, cheerful, light, comfortable, reliable. Brilliant practical engineering. It's unbelievable to me to see the prices they now command for a good-condition car.
It's tragic isn't it? Millions of them made, and people wanna charge £10k and up
Excellent! I ride a 1150GS, with the same engine. It's a great idea and a great sleeper car. Must be lots of fun!
love Citroens!!
the guy who modified it is a true specialist .
the guy who spent money for this is a true petrolhead !!
this is a perfect outcome
This is the stuff of my childhood dreams. I lived in the UK from age 3 to 7, and my dad’s car history there and in Canada included a Panhard, Heinkel bubble car, two Renault 4CV’s, a Dauphine, an R8 and R16. Ones that got away included a Messerschmidt, Mini Cooper S and a Lotus Elan. As a boy, I imagined stuffing a BSA 650 twin into a Heinkel. This is on a whole other level, and strange as it may sound, far more practical!
What a great concept. That must shock a lot of people. Those big BMW motors have power. How Kool that is just about seems to bolt in. They should produce this combo.
Outstanding! I do believe I found my next project. Be well.
Nice registration 👌
B767 EGC, Boeing 767 and Bergerac-Dordogne-Périgord Airport, EGC. What a top car, with a fantastic plate.
Is this what they mean by "born again? Just goes to show how clever the original engineers were and Rob's a good man for doing the conversion.
This is great! Tuned performance cars without the stupid laddishness that often goes with it. Subscribed.
Welcome! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Indeed. This is way cooler than a Ferrari or styled Bmw
Brilliant! I've seen the supercharged one on youtube before, I believe it was used for bergcup racing, but a road going one is out of this world!
Awesome guys, I ran a Vauxhall chevet with a tuned 400 Ci Pontiac engine. car ran @11.02 best Q Mile.
Great to see thinking out of the box, have to say that this is extreme - amazing.
This video makes me grinning!
The engine sound and the gear whine are exactly from BMW Motorrad Motor.
I also owned the predecessor R1100R and owns R1200CL of the same R259 engine.
That model is like a tank.
Respect!🎉
Fascinating. Some years ago I had a very nice Fiat 500F, and by chance had a spare BMW R90S engine, and I thought that would be an interesting swap - 18hp to 72hp! I seriously wanted to do it, but circumstances changed and I never got the opportunity. This Citroen is genius! Thanks for this video.
Love this!! Have attended the 2CV 24hours race - some of those running these motors - not slow at all!
I love how when he was asked if he'd managed to find 3 other people, he said , quite indignantly, " Practical family saloon!"
Naturally!
My favorite car of all time, due to its low price tag and vast versatility. My dad had one in the early '60-ies. Loved it.
Nice ! Went with 3 friends on a month long holiday from holland to greece with it. Lovely car !, just could not overtake lorries on the autobahn or autostrada. Was fun everytime we tried.
Had a good chassis, 2cv's. Nearly half the weight of the car .. And consumed 1 on 16
What a madly wonderful thing! When owned a 2CV, a Dyane, and then an Ami 6 back in the 1970s. After that a succession of French, German and Italian cars, but there is always something appealing about the 2CV.
Drove an unmodified 2CV to Andorra and back from UK once, 4 people and camping gear. The fascinating thing about the original engine is, it's absolutely fine just to leave your foot flat on the throttle the entire time. Made it there and back without the slightest incident. The car is so basic and direct, some things really make you smile, like the design of the front air vent. It couldn't be simpler (or more prone to rust, see also the boot hinge)
2:24 If you push it hard - you get everything broken. If it doesn't break you didn't try it hard enough ... 😀 Thanks for showing. That would be a car Ian from Hubnut would surely like to lend out for a road test as well.
Brilliant. I love the fact it is in a worn '80s car.
In 1996 i had a 1960 that was running later running gear and looked standard. I wanted to do a BMW engine then but couldn't find anyone or any help in the conversion. Roll on 20 years later, plenty of them out there. I no longer have a 2CV so i no longer have that itch
One thing that 2Cyl novices might be unaware of, is how low the RPM's sound. Why? Because as a car enthusiast one "keys" one's ears to a 4 or more cylinder, and the result is when winding a 2cyl out it sounds like you are short shifting. There are 1/2 or less as many exhaust pulses to hear at any given RPM. Some of the drive bys in the video were probably 7K+ rpm. When the interviewer is driving, he's probably shifting at 5 or 6K. Doesn't sound like it, but it's true.
Additionally, that weird aspect makes it somewhat relaxed sounding at road speed. You can gear it to run 4k, but your ears say it's 2K. Back in the day the manufacturer of Panhard Dynas felt that was their ace-in-the-hole...gave relatively relaxed long trip driving. In that aspect at least.
My brother had an R65 and fitted it out with a sidecar. I used to ride in the sidecar, right down and forward near the front wheel and used to love the sound and feel of that thing hauling through the gears - all that grunt pulling one way under acceleration and the opposite between gears and downshifts. I felt like Fangio - without doubt one of the most enjoyable ways to travel fast.
Probably ~30 years ago I was driving along the Plymouth Parkway, downhill toward the Tecalemet roundabout when three 2cvs came diving down the sliproad from Buckland, straight into lane #2 past me & on their merry way: I was doing a conservative 75mph.
What an awesome car!! A 2CV6 was my first car, with crazy wild 23hp 🤣🤣🤣 once I drove it on the Autobahn going almost 130km/h on a long straight downhill section. Felt like flying 😂
false: 2cv6 (602cc) had 28 or 29HP DIN (depending of type) , 24HP is a 2cv 4 (435cc), 23HP did not exists...
Many years ago I nearly bought a Diane with a 4 cylinder 1100 engine..
The builder had started with an Ami Super which had a 4 cyl chassis, so it would take a GSA engine. then dressed the chassis with the Diane body panels. It was a monster.
He generally held that the 1100 engine was a good starting point. it was seriously quick..
There was a factory 4 cyl 2CV as well following the use of a 2CV as a Bond chase car. They were yellow with stick on bullet holes on the boot lid..
The Bond limited edition 2CVs were standard engined cars - the cars used in the film had the GS engine though.
I had both the R1100 and R1200 BMW bikes, both engines were quite strangled with lean burn emissions. I had the R1200 remapped on a rolling road and it made a huge difference, torque was up and so was the engines ability to rev, it went like a turbine in the higher revs making for a lovely road bike.
I loved my 2CV Fifi, she wasn't fast but I did make a full crash cage when I built her up onto a new chassis. The body sat up on some wood and four deck chairs while the chassis work was done !
Great memories 😂
It still has that 2CV sound ......amazing.👏
Hope it's got bigger brakes and stiffer suspension?!!
I'm so amazed that it sounds very stock-like !... This guys could be the ultimate sleeper !
It's the gearbox whine that is so characteristic.
@@althejazzman Yes - definitely 👍
@@althejazzmanthe intake sound is characteristic,too
My favourite type of engine swap - keeping the original configuration but adding more character.
I've owned a BMW bike with that engine, and when he accelerated away from the junction, the sound transported me right back to riding it.
PS - the Bee Emm in the bike world is more a tourer, than an out of out sports bike, and being a big twin has lots of low down torque, but doesn't rev that high. I found it rode better just revving up to a couple of thousand revs , then changing up.
My, own, first car was a Citroën 2CV, she was yellow and I called her Fifi ❤. An absolutely fantastic time we had together before, sadly, her drive shaft went kaput 😢 Shall I get another one...WHY NOT!!
What a car, classic with speed.
A beautiful beautiful car
First episode I’ve seen. I love how both these guys are so understated. “It starts to get really interesting above 5000.”
I miss my first car a green bamboo 2cv. Great to learn how to drive fast, revving it out and braking for those slow corners...😂
This 2cv is very special indeed.
2CVs are great in any configuration. I used to clean and wax the neighbor's one when I was young. It was very nice to clean. Curves everywhere. She loved it too.
A while ago i see a black 2vc with bmw engine on a race track. The curve speed was very high. Was fun watching the 2 cv overtake the others in the corners on the outside and stuff.
my french teacher had one with an old bugatti engine fitted in it, he would get excited just telling us about it (many decades ago)
That’s awesome! I want one.
I love these type of engineering projects that bring joy!
Congratulations on having achieved this beautiful machine, I have been thinking about the idea of something like this for a long time, and I am very happy that someone has achieved it!!! Another idea that I tell you is to run a 2Cv engine, at 2T, rotating the camshaft at the same speed as the crankshaft, using direct injection and an air compressor, to make more explosions per rpm, so that the HP could be doubled, and so could the engine torque. Nissan is developing something like this, but you can still experiment with these 2-cylinder engines, and even with a small 4-stroke 50 cc Honda-type engine, converted to 2-stroke, it would be the easiest test to experiment with, you may never be able to do it. , but I would be extremely happy to see someone else achieve it.
These BMW engines can make for good aircraft conversions as well. Their power to weight ratio is quite good. A reduction is needed for the propeller but some of the weight can be recovered by removing the original gears and even the gearbox section itself. A dry sump is also preferable.
Awesome. A shame Citroen didn’t build it like that originally…
Personally I’d probably want a roll cage in it though…
at end , Citroën had think to put the 652cc 35hp from the Visa in it, but not such owerpowered bike engine...
.... and upgrade the brakes!
Some 35 years ago, I saw an unusually low riding unusually grunty sounding and most unusually fast 2CV going through my home village here in the mainland, in that Germany. I never got my head around what might have been done with it to be that much of a beastie. I get a rough idea what it actually was now. 🤗 Wondeful! 🤩
Back then it would have been a flat 4 from a Citroen GS
Glad you enjoyed it! Welcome 😁
Amazingly, this car seems to keep the savor of legacy 2CV but with much more power. It should be a piece of pleasure to drive it. Congratulation from France!
Thanks Frederic! Glad the video has made its way across the water to the 2CV's spiritual home :)
Incroyable vidéo une 2cv avec un moteur de BM c’est top 😊
There's one 2CV fitted with a 6-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine in the Netherlands.
And there's even one with a Ferrari F355 V8.
And not to forget the factory made Safari. Which had one engine in the front for the front wheel drive, plus a second engine in the rear.
great line ......" it s not a Volvo ....." ........ i would suggest there is more steel in the bonnet of a Volvo than the whole of a 2CV body ......... but a great piece of work & a good sound ...
If I remember correctly, the very first 2CV's were equipped with the BMW boxer engine from the R50 / R60 models. Later Citroen developed their own engine but kept the boxer architecture.
As someone who was born in the 1960's, I have seen many of these on the road. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to drive (i was then too young) or even travel in one of these,. From what I've heard, I guess it would be a great experience.
One of my biker friends has a van. 2cv. He put harley davidson cylinderheads on the enginge. And ive never rode in it. But ive seen it fly past a couple of times over our country road. It moves like the wind.
Even the sound inside while slow driving is like original 2CV.
Excellent video as always, this 2CV looks a riot to drive.
Certainly is!
Lose those sandals 😂 that 2CV is absolutely amazing. Awesome sleeper. Usually I would not bother with these cars . My brother bought one in 1985 . Was very difficult to change gear and had little power. This machine is really what the French should have built. Great fun . Good luck with this project
Passed my test in a standard 2cv , but this is something else. A proper sleeper
Dream project 🙌 And technically the BMW R1100, R1150 and early R1200 engines are not air cooled. They are oil cooled. So a decent size fan on the original oil cooler (or an up rated oil cooler) should keep the engine running cool in hot conditions. The police motorcycles (1100/1150 RT-P) had that additional fan on the oil cooler. Mine doesn’t.
Verry cool build 👌 I wondered why the channel is called "Practical" Performance but that became clear when I saw the sandals
My dad used to run New Forest 2cv's and then French car company in my childhood. He converted a Diane nicknamed the Diane-amite to include a Citroen GSA 1300 flat four, that was quite fast. I remember seeing a 2cv bodied Sierra Cosworth also, no idea whatever came of that.
What a fun car! A conversion well worth the work.
Take care with the heat, people who forgot their R1150RT wenn letting the bike warm up for checking Oil level, had the bike burn down… But you could always ad a fan for each cylinder. Great sleeper in any case😊
I´d never change anything within a 2CV - its so much fun to travel with 27hp... just drove 2300km to Montenegro and back....
Sounds like a lovely trip. Always meant to go to Montenegro. How long did it take there and back?
@@ppcmagazine 16 days....
Reminds me of BMW K1100 Hillman Imp powered cars.
Well here’s a blast from the past. I still have the first thirty or so issues of PPC magazine.
I recall that back in the 80s (might have been 90s, I’m an old bloke now!) the editor or one of the writers of Car Magazine stuck a turbo onto a tweaked 2CV with which he used to surprise hot hatches back in the day.
It caught fire on a one trip and I believe never saw the light of day again.
Steve Cropley was his name. The car still exists, I have it here somewhere but its very rusty, fire is never good for metal. It will get rebuilt and modernised a bit.
If Carlsberg made 2CV's they would be just like this! Lol. great stuff guys, thanks for sharing!
I've been in a 2CV on a b road and it handles brilliantly
One of the latest BMW bike engines would be worth adding to the 2.0 version. Looks like fun.
The r1800 😀
There is a Dutch guy who put a Alfa V6 Busso engine in on of these, sounds amazing!