Dave Tapsell
Citroen 2CV van at Grimsby in 1967
This is a 1959 Citroen 2CV van I had from 1966 to 1968; I paid £50 for it, which, to me, was a considerable sum half a century ago. This photo of it was taken at Grimsby when I was driving down the east coast of England, on my way back from Scotland. In the right conditions this vehicle could just exceed 50 mph – not exactly fast, but on the other hand, it could do 50 miles on a gallon of petrol. This was not bad for an air-cooled, 2-cylinder engine of just 425cc.
At the same time I also ran a 1949 Ford V8 Pilot; the swept volume of just one of its eight cylinders was larger than the whole Citroen engine. But the V8 Ford was a real petrol-drinker – a trip to Scotland would have been somewhat expensive due to its 15 mpg fuel consumption. They were two quite different vehicles, and both very interesting to drive.
Behind the van is the Grimsby trawler GY109 Lord Cunningham, which was scrapped in 1967 – the same year I took this photo.
Citroen 2CV van at Grimsby in 1967
This is a 1959 Citroen 2CV van I had from 1966 to 1968; I paid £50 for it, which, to me, was a considerable sum half a century ago. This photo of it was taken at Grimsby when I was driving down the east coast of England, on my way back from Scotland. In the right conditions this vehicle could just exceed 50 mph – not exactly fast, but on the other hand, it could do 50 miles on a gallon of petrol. This was not bad for an air-cooled, 2-cylinder engine of just 425cc.
At the same time I also ran a 1949 Ford V8 Pilot; the swept volume of just one of its eight cylinders was larger than the whole Citroen engine. But the V8 Ford was a real petrol-drinker – a trip to Scotland would have been somewhat expensive due to its 15 mpg fuel consumption. They were two quite different vehicles, and both very interesting to drive.
Behind the van is the Grimsby trawler GY109 Lord Cunningham, which was scrapped in 1967 – the same year I took this photo.