Chassis No. 0663

Despite the French automobile industry's rich and varied trajectory in the early 20th century, the country's large rural population lagged behind the upper class in adopting personal cars, amplified by the devastation of WWII. One of the three major French manufacturers left standing after the war, Citroën, conceived an affordable, practical vehicle with the stated aim of achieving "maximum mobility at minimal cost."

The Citroën 2CV – or Deux Chevaux (Two Horses) – emerged in 1948 after being shelved for almost a decade, initially powered by a 375 cc two-cylinder engine delivering nine horsepower and a modest top speed of 40 mph. By the 1950s, demand for the 2CV's robust build quality and radical accessibility reached its peak, continuing production in various forms until 1991. One such variant was the 2CV Sahara, introduced in 1958 to satisfy a need for a small, lightweight, four-wheel drive vehicle to be used on the unforgiving desert terrain of France's North African colonies. In typical French fashion, an unusual, expedient approach to powering all four wheels was adopted, which involved fitting a secondary rear-mounted 425 cc engine to drive the rear wheels. The additional engine received its own gearbox and could be operated independently, or shifted into neutral for front-wheel drive only. Further modifications to the Sahara included twin fuel tanks for each engine, a reinforced suspension, wider wheels, and a special chassis modified to cope with the rugged terrain.

This finely restored Citroën 2CV 4x4 "Sahara" – officially renamed the 4x4 in 1962 following Algeria's independence – is one of only approximately 700 ever built between 1958 and 1971. According to research compiled under previous ownership, chassis number 0663 is understood to have been destined for a nunnery in the French Congo, but was never delivered to Africa due to political upheaval. Instead, the car was sold to Mr. Jacues Plaquet of Vaulx-lez-Tournai, Belgium, who used the four-wheel drive Citroën as a hunting car on his estate. The Sahara then passed to two further Belgian owners before joining Antoon Verhoeve in February 1999 showing approximately 33,900 kilometers on the odometer. Verhoeve subsequently sold the Citroën to his son-in-law before it entered the care of Lukas Hüni in the 2010s. The consignor purchased the car in 2019.

Since then, the Sahara has undergone a sympathetic mechanical and cosmetic restoration overseen by Lukas Hüni AG in 2020 in Zürich, Switzerland, at a cost of over 51,000 CHF, or about $57,000. Now complete from restoration, this incredibly rare and unique Citroen is primed for its next off-road adventure.