Topic: SOLVED - oko147 : Citroën 2cv pickup by Carrosserie Commerciale, 1954

[oko94]

For 1 point : year and coachbuilder.

[oko94]

Experts ?

[richard cuyler]

Obviously a 2CV pickup, but for military use in the 40s/early50s?

[oko94]

A 2cv pickup, for civilian use, first half of the 50s.

[richard cuyler]

I looks like a standard 2CV pickup, about 1952, so apart from the canvas, I'm not able to see how a coachbuilder could have been involved. I'd have to say Citroen was the coachbuilder.....

[oko94]

There's no such thing as a "standard 2cv pickup", as the factory never manufactured them. Only the "fourgonnette" (aka delivery van) was built in-house. So there's definitely a coachbuilder involved. And it's not from 1952.

Thanks for keeping this puzzle alive anyway 

[richard cuyler]

Had no idea there was no Citroen-built pickup. You learn something new every day. Was this a Slough-built pickup, then?

[oko94]

No, it's a French 2cv modified by a French coachbuilder.

[frederick59]

Maybe a 1960's model built by ENAC,

[oko94]

Not ENAC, and it has already been mentioned that it's from the first half of the fifties.

[norberthanke]

I remember an article. Were they built for the British army?

[oko94]

Once again, it's a French 2cv modified by a French coachbuilder for civilian use. AFAIK there is no British connection at all.

[oko94]

Last call before moving up.

[oko94]

Pros ?

[Djetset]

Is it by La Carroserie Commerciale, c.1954?

[oko94]

Spot on ! I thought it would be harder to solve.

[Wendax]

I found that it was designed Carrosserie Commerciale of Paris and built by ENAC. Is that correct?

[oko94]

I'll check my source tonight but I don't remember ENAC being mentioned. Anyway, if it turns out to be true frederick59 will earn a point. Wendax, can you post a proof of ENAC involvement ?

[Djetset]

I'll check my source tonight but I don't remember ENAC being mentioned. Anyway, if it turns out to be true frederick59 will earn a point. Wendax, can you post a proof of ENAC involvement ?

If it helps, ENAC did produce some 2CV pick-up conversions, but the first of these was not until the very late 1950s, with the ENAC pick-up 'option' being offered for 'regular' production from c.1962 onwards. The ENAC 2CV pick-up body could be ordered through the main French Citroen dealer network.

[Wendax]

My source

La version pick-up est l’œuvre de la Carrosserie Commerciale, une entreprise parisienne qui développa ce concept sur base de 2 CV Camionnette, en 1954. et assemblée par les entreprises ENAC (société d’Exploitation Nouvelle d’Automobile et de Carrosserie) à Bezons (78) chez Girardière (Guy et Gustave), là où Citroën sous-traitait les 2CV utilitaires et SAPA (Société d’Approvisionnement de Pièces Automobiles). Cette société de Gennevilliers (92) préparait la 2 CV en un excellent plateau et, au choix du client, pouvait lui ajouter une bâche articulée tendue sur des arceaux métalliques. La SAPA appliquera d'ailleurs ce type de transformation sur les Type H.
La séparation entre l’arrière et la cabine est vitrée et celui-ci est est fermé par deux demi-portes battantes.

probably refers with the ENAC part to the 1964 pick-up, although the text isn't really clear about it.

[oko94]

Original pictures.

[oko94]

My source

La version pick-up est l’œuvre de la Carrosserie Commerciale, une entreprise parisienne qui développa ce concept sur base de 2 CV Camionnette, en 1954. et assemblée par les entreprises ENAC (société d’Exploitation Nouvelle d’Automobile et de Carrosserie) à Bezons (78) chez Girardière (Guy et Gustave), là où Citroën sous-traitait les 2CV utilitaires et SAPA (Société d’Approvisionnement de Pièces Automobiles). Cette société de Gennevilliers (92) préparait la 2 CV en un excellent plateau et, au choix du client, pouvait lui ajouter une bâche articulée tendue sur des arceaux métalliques. La SAPA appliquera d'ailleurs ce type de transformation sur les Type H.
La séparation entre l’arrière et la cabine est vitrée et celui-ci est est fermé par deux demi-portes battantes.

probably refers with the ENAC part to the 1964 pick-up, although the text isn't really clear about it.

The forum post you have quoted actually starts with this sentence :

Si les premières fourgonnettes 2 CV furent produites par Panhard, les modèles AK version pick-up apparaîssent en 1964 et sont réalisés par les carrossiers ENAC, entreprise qui sera désignée plus tard pour la mise en production des 2 500 premiers exemplaires de la Méhari, et par la SAPA.

The author mainly deals with ENAC 2cv pickups but he quickly mentions the 1954 Carrosserie Commerciale version in the text's introduction. The clumsy way it is written seems to imply that the pickup developed by Carrosserie Commerciale was produced by ENAC (and also SAPA) later on, but I think he just meant that the first 2cv pickup was designed by Carrosserie Commerciale, and then other (unrelated) variants have been built (10 years later) by other companies.

Moreover, the Carrosserie Commerciale pickup is based on an AU/AZU (length : 360 cm), whereas the ENAC is based on an AK (length : 380 cm). It can't be the same body as the latter is much longer.

[Wendax]

Sounds reasonable, and the brochure implies that they built it themselves.