In case you are unaware, and I will allow you to determine the correct level of shame you should feel if you are, Jason has a Citroën 2CV. I am very happy about this, not only for the content I have been enjoying and am looking forward to more of, but because there’s a not-unreasonable chance of me getting to drive the thing.
I’m keen to drive just about any quirky French car (or any quirky car regardless of country of origin, or any car period, to be honest), and as happy as I would be just to go for a polite baguette run in Jason’s 2CV, what I really hope to do is experience the thing getting a good flogging, if not flog it myself. I’ve long been fascinated by the car’s ingenious and highly unconventional suspension, and the wild lean angles it can achieve while being seemingly impossible to flip over – watch:
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Pretty wild, right? Even snapping from full-lean in one direction into full-lean in the other, the little 2CV is just planted, as if there were some unbreakable magnetic attraction between its skinny wheelbarrow tires and the road.
Here’s a fascinating deep-dive into how well it all works and why from TFLclassics:
So that’s what I want to experience most, a 2CV at full boil on a twisty road. How about you?
What Famous/Infamous Car Capability Would You Most Like To Experience?
Top graphic image: screen grab, TFLclassics
Ferrari 355 + Tubi Exhaust + gated manual
The gear shifter in Dominic Toretto’s RX-7 https://uploads.bmw2002faq.com/monthly_2017_08/fast-and-furious-shift-knob.png.ee71dd6544e47a5f400b3d150547209f.png
Just drive a semi truck:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/41/b8/1b41b863c9f9a5d83d2a77e9778a665f.jpg
A 90s urban legend I bet, but driving a Ford Thunderbird SC at its top reverse speed of 60 mph.
It’s very well verified that the Panthers can do 60 in reverse (C&D did it in a Town Car as part of their Rental Car Olympics many years ago, going so far as to confirm its 0-60 was nearly as quick in reverse as forwards), without looking at the Thunderbird’s ratios, it’s at least plausible.
Successfully jump a rocket car across the Snake River Canyon.
Uncontrollably spinning a Fox Body Mustang while trying to do a burnout. (Closed course, no danger to pedestrians.)
…just once, crushing junkers in a leaf-sprung monster truck, head out the window like I’m Jim Kramer.
I desperately wish to experience an A110 on a rally stage. It’s by far my favorite rally car in simulators, and I need to meet that hero.
Do you mean the OG A110? If so, those are sweet!
Yes, I love the way they managed to make swing-axles handle AND ride well, it’s absolute witchcraft of tuning and design elegance.
I downloaded a generic Assetto Corsa A110 bootleg mod, found out the suspension was modeled as double wishbone and re-modeled it using some photos of the bare frame to replicate the real geometry, then learned to tune the springs/dampers until it was driving as well as it does in DirT Rally. I genuinely dream of buying a base 1300 if I ever can. I’m half-confident I’ll be able to afford a Fulvia one day, but if/when I do, I’ll still be dreaming of the A110.
Fun fact: The short front control arms make it so that the front roll center lowers under braking and rises under acceleration by substantially more than the suspension travels, which helps curtail off-throttle oversteer and on-throttle understeer. This is a feature missing from the 356, whose front roll center is always on the ground right between the contact patches. As a result, the A110 handles with the sort of predictable, friendly grace that the 356 never could, even though the inline 3 makes the center of gravity higher and more rear-biased.
I had a friend who owned an A110 1600, the full-boat version with twin Webers. He let me take it out for a run once.
Once I managed to get in — not an easy task for tall-ish people — and got it on some winding roads, I was captivated. Maybe I wasn’t pushing hard enough (entirely possible; I was no racer, then or now), but you could not tell the engine was hung out the back like an overpowered VW Beetle. It stuck, steered, and generally acted like a thoroughbred racer with a bit of comfort added.
The only modifications were Gotti wheels and wider tires.
You’re the only person I’ve ever interacted with who’s actually driven one! It’s truly my dream car, I used to have the Stratos in that spot but I thought “what if it was a little smaller and more approachable?” And the A110 does exactly that.
In your experience, are there any more accessible cars that give the driver a little hint of that experience? I currently drive a Boxster, but I have eyes for the Fiat 850 Spyder and other micro-roadsters of the era like the Spridget. Should I be seriously looking at a Manx?
I never drove a Stratos — dammit! — but enjoyed time with several over-powered cars, which in the days before all the computerized nannies that control/correct your driving meant you had to pay attention. The A110 and a Porsche 911R were perhaps the standouts.
Cars like that, which required the finesse of a ballet dancer if you wanted to press really hard, were more fun for me than straight-line monsters, though those definitely have lots of appeal, too.
Brilliant cars!
Most people don’t understand how good the French are at suspensions. Really, really good. The British are close, but the French are the best. Both for the same reason – generally terrible roads.
I can attest to the fact that the 2CV lean is shocking not just to passengers. I find I often turn off of a major road, only to watch the faces of the the people in the car stopped at the side street turn from delight at this silly car to terror as they become certain the silly little French car is about to roll over into them
I want to drive Jason’s 2CV across a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs on the passenger’s seat without breaking them. To validate that it meets it’s primary design parameter.
If he doesn’t do this now that it’s running I’m cancelling my subscription.
The Autopian exists to keep car manufacturers honest, and Citroen have been coasting on this bit of PR for practically a century. It’s about time a publication put Citroen’s wild boast to the test, and who better than The Autopian?
Does NIST have standardised eggs for testing?
I’d love to time travel in a DeLorean, does that count?
I want to go back to the 1980’s when Pizza Hut pizza was good and relive the greatness of McDonald’s french fries cooked in beef tallow.
And the apple pie fried in that tallow as well. Screw the baked pie versions. The Popeyes pie is still deep fried btw
I believe Hardee’s and Krystal also serve a suitable fried apple pie doppelganger. I agree with your observation of the sad state of McDonald’s baked apple pie and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Don’t get me started on all the crap creme flavors that replaced the Cherry pie option
In Hawaii they still deep fry the apple pies at McDonalds
They’re great fresh out the fryer and after chilling in the fridge!
“relive the greatness of McDonald’s french fries cooked in beef tallow.”
I’ll bet a bag of Great Value fries from WalMart properly deep fried in beef tallow will scratch that itch. And it will be a lot cheaper too.
Racing a DAF in reverse. Variomatic FTW!
Top speed on my VFR800, without going to jail.
Just don’t get caught.
Veyron, and a loooooong flat closed road.
A frontage road works but watch out for those birds
One lap around Monaco in an F1 car.
” I will allow you to determine the correct level of shame you should feel”
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Jules Vern was French don’tchaknow. His 2CV looks to need significant reinforcement before attempting. The body and frame are not articulating members ideally.
Fill all the cup holders in a minivan.
without cups?
Hah, on a 13 hour drive once with my dog, I just poured a bottle of water into the cupholder and he drank happily out of it. I had a fun time cleaning that out later.
Driving a BMW Z1 at speed with the doors in the dropped down position.
I’ve done that! It was fun.
Taking a mk1 Fiat Panda somewhere inhospitable, or more accurately, it’s natural environment. The car gods have blessed me with many wonderful driving experiences, but this simple pleasure has so far eluded me.
We’ll be visiting Sicily again this summer to spend some time with family. The old Pandas really get me every time. Sure there are other cute little Fiats and other cars we don’t get stateside that stand out. But there’s just something so honest about the Panda.
I saw a Panda 4×4 at a ski event in Sisters Oregon a few years ago
I’ve taken an ’83 Toyota Tercel SR5 4×4 through the wilds of Death Valley. I imagine the experience is similar. If so don’t take the Panda to Death Valley in the hot season.
Just once I want to use a VW Beetle as a pool float.
James Bond’s Aston Martin.
The weapons systems were well suited to driving in 2026.
I would use them all. Several times a day.
Left lane camper – KABOOM
High beam driver in city traffic – KABOOM
Altima weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on donut spare – KABOOM just on principle.
Coal rolling truck – get in front and release smoke screen and caltrops.
OG Porsche 911 lift-throttle oversteer, and I get to keep the car afterwards?
Been there, done that. And in a 930 Turbo, to boot. Fortunately, the pavement was wide enough that I only scared the daylights out of myself. I’d do it again!
BTW: when you get enough experience, rear-engine 911 are wonderful to drive hard. Wish I owned one.
The first 911 I ever drove was an ’86 930 and that thing was incredible. Having the owner sitting in the passenger seat going “I know you’re used to AWD cars with power steering. You’re going to need to accelerate out of these corners like you never have before” made the experience all the better.
Rear-engine, RWD is a remarkable layout.
Veyron/Chiron top speed run. I’ve been up to around 135mph on track, which was already eye opening in it’s own right, but seeing the world fly by at double that rate? Sign me up.
Rimac Nevera 1.7s 0-60. I think the 1.6g pushing you into the seat would be a hoot.
Came to say a sub-2 second 0-60 as well. Probably more fun to do 0-100 in one of those so that too.
The amphicar, I would love to just drive down the road (1 mile exactly) and get into Lake Erie and cruise along the detroit river all the way to downtown and come back.
Dream cruise but wet lol
+1 amphicar. Came here to say that. I want to drive it home, keep going past the house to the lake, and pullout my spin casting rod and reel, the drive back home with some fish !
Driving down a boat ramp in an Amphicar.
THIS!
Oh I just wrote the same, lets make it happen lol
Related, going on a duck boat tour is always fun.
You don’t necessarily need an Amphicar to produce a memorable experience from driving a car down a boat ramp.
Yes but with an Amphicar you get to make that drive down the boat ramp more than once.
If you go at the right time there’s usually more than one vehicle parked in the lot at the ramp anyway.
The first 30 seconds in the water are always a butt clenching experience though.
Think after 60 years I still have PTSD from that.
That’s how you keep out the water!