French classic Citroen 2CV car made of wood fetches record price at auction, and it even runs

Paris — It took carpenter Michel Robillard greater than 5,000 hours over 5 years to construct a wood copy of a classic Citroen 2CV. On Sunday, he offered it for a whopping $224,440.

The 2CV was first produced by the French carmaker in 1948. It’s now revered as a basic European car, and whereas manufacturing of the favored four-seater resulted in 1990, it stays a favourite with collectors far and extensive.

For his labor of affection, cabinetmaker Robillard, 74, used wooden from fruit bushes to construct the one-of-a-kind automotive. The principle physique is comprised of apple and pear, the back and front are in walnut and the bottom for the doorways and trunk is manufactured from cherry wooden.

Robillard’s wood automotive really works. It is able to hitting 50 miles per hour with its fuel engine borrowed from one other Citroen mannequin. As a collector’s merchandise and unregistered car, nevertheless, it is banned from public thoroughfares and might solely be pushed on non-public roads.

It was the primary time a functioning wood automotive got here up for public sale — rarity that doubtless helped drive up the value. It had a presale estimated worth of between $160,000 and $214,000, however the bidding quickly drove on by that determine, breaking the earlier file for a 2CV sale of $184,000 — and that one was a traditional, steel automotive.

“A lot greater than a automotive, it is a murals,” introduced the auctioneer when Robillard’s 2CV went underneath the gavel.

The client, Jean-Paul Favand, runs a museum of curios and fairground objects, and he collects 2CVs.

The 2CV’s identify initially comes from the French phrase for horsepower. It was a “deux chevaux,” because it had two “tax horsepower,” a reference to a system of taxation beforehand used to evaluate autos registered in France.

Whereas his dream has now develop into a actuality and his 2CV has gone to a brand new house, Robillard stated he wasn’t about to chill out into retirement. He already has a brand new venture within the works: Constructing a wood DS21 Cabriolet coupé Chapron in simply 27 months.

He desires it completed in time to mark the seventieth anniversary of the legendary Citroen DS in 2025.