European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Of Iii i it ssh / i k Al i.4ij citroen owners do Wacky things to their lovable ducks the rolling stones logo looks at Home on the Hood of a citroen. Story by Randy Pruitt photos by Jinn Derheim the 2cv Peers out at the world through its hug end headlights. 1 he Young woman glanced around the showroom filled with gleaming new cars. She ignored them All. Disappointment played across her face. Shyly she approached manager Hans Joachim Roll. I i have a dumb question she said haltingly. Do you have a Duck Roll Shook his head regretfully. It s a ques Tion he will probably never again answer in the affirmative. Once his Darmstadt Dealership had do?.cns of ducks and Access to hundreds More. Now it s unlikely any new ducklings will be hatched again. For the uninitiated a Duck is another name for the citroen 2cv, the funny looking Little French car with the Bug eyed headlights and a Canvas top that peels Back like the lid of a sardine can. Last month the company ceased production of the quaint Auto. Devotees worldwide were saddened. Where else could one find features such As windows that Flop open instead of Roll up unrecognizable door handles and a stick shift mounted on the dash what other car of today offers a two Cylinder Power Plant it was this horsepower that earned the car another nickname Deus Chevaux French for two horses. Actually the 1990 Model rated 28 horsepower. But what the car lacks in under the Hood performance it made up for in on the Street Ambi ence. Citroen owners make a statement wherever they go. Even without wanting to. Sometimes they paint their cars unusual col ors or unusually Bright colors or a Combina Tion of colors. They draw on them they plaster them with stickers. Not coincidentally Many stickers Bear a Disney likeness to ducks like Donald or Daisy. Roll employed by citroen Hausler West Germany s oldest Chain of citroen dealers has sold them for 1 8 years. He has owned four or but he s seen customers do something Wilh the ugly duckling vehicle thai snobbish Mercedes and Bow owners Don t do he s seen them have fun and adventure. It s one of those cars that people ant to drive around the world he said. He recalled one Brave soul who took the air cooled Hump backed creation on a trek across the Sahara. No problems Roll reported. He s seen people chop off the car s top what Little there is to make it a True converti ble. At least five can be found within walking distance of the Dealership Roll has also seen one reduced Lengthwise literal sawed in half and welded Back together minus the Back scat and two doors. That Aber ration is still Roami Nii Gernian streets. While employed by the Frankfurt citroen Dealership about six years ago Roll recalled the time his company made one of the cars amphibious and tested it on a nearby Lake. Just for fun and Public relations he said. It was smooth sailing. Someone later bought it. Roll said he has encountered Only two or three americans who own the cars because there is a problem with shipping them still he thinks that the car which last sold for 9,990 Marks about $6,500 Brand new is destined to become a classic. That prediction May help owners live with the jokes which incidentally come As Standard equipment. One american citroen fan had a Friend who cautioned him not to Park too close to a curved top dumpster. She said someone might put garbage in it and haul it such insensitive cruelty Roll said his firm knows How much the 2cvs mean to some people. So last january when he Learned this Batch of cars would be the last his company telephoned Loyal customers to break the news. Some came in and bought a new one. If i could get More i could sell Roll said. Randy Pruitt and Jim Werheim Are stars and stripes stall Mem Bers. A smiling Frog decorates the Side of one Duck while another shows off its Well worn treads. At right a German Driver sits inside a 2cv that has been converted into a convertible one of Many shapes the versatile Highway Jokester can take on
