Louis Chevallier had seen it drive past in his village a few times and decided that he liked the car. It took some getting used to at first. After years of seeing the ripple bonnet on the 2CV, he now suddenly had a smoother, more modern model. Apparently, it was also easier to stack in the factory; all to keep the construction costs of the 2CV down.

So he went to the Citroën garage and ordered a 2CV AZ. When it also turned out that it was now available in some colours – after years of only grey – he chose blue. Bleu Glacier to be precise.

On 7 July it rolled off the production line and on 25 July it left the garage and onto the road, on its way home to Saint Laurent de Terregatte, near Mont Saint Michel. Despite the sea air, the 2CV has survived until now.

Judging by the Tax stickers on the windscreen, the 2CV was still in use in ’84 and ’85, after which it probably disappeared into its barn, because according to the Carte Grise, Louis was a cultivateur, which sounds better than a farmer. It left the barn a few years ago to head for the Northern Netherlands.

It is nicely weathered and can be presentable and preserved with some Owatrol. Will you make it completely new again? It’s an option. Or will you only restore it constructively and technically? Nice! and necessary. Or will you adapt it to modern traffic – if you are already at it – and mount a new, galvanized chassis and 652cc with disc brakes… I would know what to do!