The 2CV with its simple bodywork on an inventive suspension chassis asked for it; a delivery version. With an eye on the HY bus, a simple box was placed on the back of a normal 2CV with the same ribbed panels and wheel arches that housed the tank and the spare wheel. The AU – the utilitarian 2CV – was born.

Production started in ’51, 2 years after the regular 2CV A. The engine was the same 9hp version, the transmission of the gearbox was slightly modified. Furthermore, it shared many parts. The car could carry 250kg, which was also stated on the inside. They were all delivered in the same grey metallic, if you wanted something different your local garage had to arrange it.

They quickly found their way to all kinds of users, because they were easy to use and could also drive on bad roads. The baker transported his baguettes in it, a barrel of wine would probably fit in it too, you can fill in the other French clichés yourself, you can probably already imagine them.

The very first AUs had flat rear panels and very little lighting. Later they became profiled panels and increasingly visible from behind in the dark. The roof of the cabin consisted of 3 parts, they were delivered with only 1 seat as standard.

Of the very first models from ’51 I have only ever seen 1 in real life, and 1 or 2 surviving examples in a photo. The version from ’52 is also not really commonly seen, I think I have been able to admire about 5 of them, most of them in a photo. We once restored 1 of them together with a valued customer.

So you can imagine our joy when we recently came across one in a barn in France and were able to buy it. Many would call it a wreck, and perhaps it is. But it has its original engine and the box is still very decent, and that is the most labor-intensive part of a restoration. In short, it is a nice base to make a nice example of it again (it is better than the project we described above). Now the only question is; do you feel like it??