1979 Citroen Dyane

[Ben Boyle]

A couple months ago I decided to buy a Citroen Dyane from England just so that I could have a little beater for going to the beach and stuff in the summer time. It just arrived in New Jersey and here's the pics.
http://rides.webshots.com/album/561640596QVfuav

I'm going to go pick it up in a few weeks.

 

[ekpolk]

Two questions (for now):

1) Is that thing actually street legal in the US?

2) And how many stars does it earn for frontal crash safety???

 

[Ben Boyle]

1. Any car can be imported into the USA if it is over 25 years old. I also have a similar car, a Citroen 2CV, that is currently being restored. Dyanes aren't worth a whole heck of alot over there or here so I decided that a Dyane would be a fun summer ride and I was able to catch a free ride into the container you see in the background. So, I only have about $700 into the car right now and it does run and drive. I will probably just spray bomb it so that it's all shiny and just have fun.

2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqF2M6BQHNY

Any questions?

 

[ekpolk]

Free shipping for an almost free car. Hard to argue with that. You could have gotten an old Cavalier with a lot less hassle, but I strongly suspect you're not interested in old Cavaliers, are you???

Though I do remember the 2CVs and other Citroen oddities from our stays in Europe when I was a kid (early 70s, I was ~10-11), I'm certainly no expert. What does the Dyane have under the hood?

Interesting video; better than I expected, though it seems that the airbags didn't deploy -- oh wait, that's right...

I'd still like to see the video of this car doing the IIHS front corner impact test, or perhaps going beak-to-beak with an F-150.

 

[Ben Boyle]

The Dyane and the 2CV are exactly the same under the hood. So it has a 2 cylinder 602cc engine with 29 HP.

I already have a 2CV like I say but I've gotten it restored and I like having a bomber for the summer time that I can take to the beach and stuff.

As for the old American cars, I have an '80 Chevette that is kind of fun because it's be in my family for several years. My daily driver is a '99 New Beetle and I also have a 1974 Super Beetle that is restored. I like to keep my restored vehicles around 3k miles a year. As for my 2CV, I drove it 15,000 miles this past year!

 

[XS650]

A Citroen drivetrain that found a more interesting home.

It's a British kit car (Lomax). I saw it in Koblenz Germany parked near our ship on the Mosel River last October.

 

[XS650]

Ben, are you able to get parts OK?

 

[Ben Boyle]

Mechanical parts are not an issue, I get them from these places
http://www.citroenimportservices.com (where the car is currently at)
http://www.westernhemispheres.com
http://www.2cvsource.com

If I ever need Dyane specific body parts I'll probably wait until Noel (at the first link) gets another container.

Otherwise, some options are
http://www.2cvcity.co.uk
http://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk
http://www.derfranzose.de
http://www.tpv-2cv.fr

 

[eljefino]

If I had someone overseas offer to buy my $700 car I'd immediately dismiss them as a kook or scammer.

Glad you got the vendor to take you seriously.

 

[ekpolk]

eljef:

Good point, but I'm guessing the transaction didn't start with an email written by a Nigerian e-scammer. . .

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: Ben Boyle
Mechanical parts are not an issue, I get them from these places.....




Cool, it's always nice to see someone keeping unusual old cars going.

 

[Towel_Rail]

Love the one-spoke steering wheel.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Looks like a fun car!...Air-cooled?...What oil?...

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, what oil would you run in that?

I'm going to 'guess' something fairly heavy, as it probably has to rev its little heart out to get going decently.....

 

[Ben Boyle]

I already have a 2CV with the same engine. I run Rotella 15-40 in it and it seems to work well.

Believe it or not, the car was on British ebay. I suppose I was a slightly sneaky because I had already made arrangements to pick it up before the auction was over. I paid the people at http://www.2cvcity.co.uk $100 to go get it and I paid the owner of the car with PayPal immediately after the auction ended. So, I didn't make light of the fact that I was from the USA until after the auction was over.

Alot of those people get freaky about dealing with Americans. My point of view is that he got his money and the car was picked up without him doing anything.

SO, it's all good!

 

[Jett Rink]

Here is James Bond driving a Citroen 2CV (I think) in "For Your Eyes Only."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSqIpQHSiCI

This is one of my favorite Bond flicks. I don't know if this one is modified or not. The stunt driver definitely knew how to handle it, though.

Ben Boyle, if anybody tries to give you any grief about these cars, just tell them you're driving a Bond Car.

I like driving small cars. They are a hoot.

 

[tom slick]

I tuned up a 2CV one time. strange car! I liked the shifter and the rubber band seats.

it's a rare breed that drives a citroen.

 

[XS650]

There was (is?) a "Bond" car manufactured in England

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/nick.wotherspoon/site/

It makes a 2CV look like a mainstream car by comparison.

 

[Ben Boyle]

I actually have a 2CV too, which is the same thing as what James Bond drove

Here's a pic of it with my '74 Super Beetle

 

[moribundman]

Forward to 1 minute 17 seconds into this clip from FYEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJp1X3qiog

I'm a big Citroen fan. All those models are 1/87 scale:

Note the Mehari (on 2CV "Jeep" on 2CV platform), the Safari 2CV (4WD, dual tanks!) and the Ami 6. The 2CV box van on the rock has a Castrol logo (Agricastrol) on it.

If anybody wants to give me a Christmas present, I still need a 2CV Charlston, ideally in the burgundy and black dual color scheme.