How about a 2CV open-top for Le Mans?

Off to the Le Mans 24 Hours (as a spectator, we mean) and looking for a head-turning car in which to do the journey? A regular Citroen 2CV wouldn’t really do the trick, since there are thousands still plying the roads of France – but a Hoffmann 2CV Cabriolet version is a rare sight, even over there. And this one is an exceptional example.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Hoffmann, it was the brainchild of German engineer Wolfgang Hoffmann and his son Felix, who developed an ingenious parts kit which converts the regular, four-door, four-seat 2CV into a full two-seat convertible.

Everything from the windscreen forwards remains standard Citroën, but all bodywork ‘aft’ is discarded and replaced by Hoffman’s superb quality cabriolet tub made from glass-fibre bordered by a steel framework. The kit includes two side windows, the folding soft top, a rear deck lid that gives access to an enormous load space and all the necessary screws, bolts and hinges to put it all together. The fact that the conversions really are of exceptional quality is borne out by the fact that the first 250 cars built, which were pieced together at Hoffmann’s workshops at Oberhausen in the Ruhr, sailed through Germany’s rather strict TÜV new vehicle safety tests.

The car pictured here is being sold by Denis Johnston of Waterlooville, Hampshire, who inherited it from his late brother, Barry, who had owned it for around a decade.

“My brother moved to France around 15 years ago and loved 2CVs,” explains Denis. “He went to a Citroën rally in Brittany where he watched this car being judged as best in show – and, rather impetuously, offered to buy it on the spot.”

In with the deal came a raft of brand new, OEM 2CV spares worth around £1000 that were part of the show prize. Some have since been fitted to the car, but others remain boxed and in brand new condition. The car itself is in exceptional order having covered fewer than 30,000 miles from new and has now been registered (with an age-related number) here in the UK where – despite its modifications – it should be exempt from MOT testing, road tax and the London ULEZ charge.

Hoffmann still produces the cabriolet kits (along with other 2CV enhancement parts ranging from stainless steel chassis to pick-up, shooting brake and even six-door limousine conversions) and it is thought around 1700 convertibles are on the road – at least one of which has found its way to America where it is now in the collection of celebrity car enthusiast Jay Leno.

Leno can be seen driving and heaping praise on his Hoffmann cabriolet in a video that was made during the Covid-hit 2021, in which he opines: “Any car that makes me smile is good.”

And while it may not be as valuable as a concours condition Citroën SM or a one of the marque’s flawed BX 4TC Evolution rally cars, this will certainly ensure a new owner makes an entrance at Le Mans – and would be just the job for taking a smile-filled road trip to the sun once the race has finished.

1982 Hoffmann 2cv Cabriolet

On sale with Denis Johnston, Waterlooville, Hampshire. Asking £18,000. Tel: 07798 637221

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