Hundreds of Citroen 2CV sedans to hit the classic market after owner sells collection

Hundreds of Citroën 2CVs are set to reach the classic-car market in the near future after the Eendenmuseum in Anndijk scaled down its collection. About 300 of the 450 cars are 2CVs. The whole fleet has already been sold and is to go to action next spring, NH reports.

In the Netherlands, the 2 CV is almost never called by its name. It is de lelijke eend or het lelijke eendje - “the ugly duck” or “the little ugly duckling.” The nickname stuck because of the car’s corrugated body and sloped snout. In English, the car is sometimes called a tin snail: small and slow.

The for-sale flock includes the oldest 2CV in the world, the last one ever to roll off the factory line. There are also valuable Saharas, of which only about 100 exist in the world. “To collectors they are priceless,” former owner Edwin Groen told NH. “I have several magnificent examples here. Visitors always found it wonderful.”

Groen has housed the ugly ducklings in a former furniture store in Andijk from 2018. A large collection of mopeds could also be found there. “I suffer from excess. I always want a great deal of everything. I have been that way since I was a child. There is no room for another car.”

The ducklings, together with the rest of the collection, have now been sold. “My health is starting to catch up with me, and I do not want to leave this to my children. They have no interest in it. The cars still have value now - but it does hurt.”

The 2CV was designed for the rough French countryside. “The duck is beautiful in its ugliness, and it is mechanically simple. Anyone can work on one,” Groen said.