Aircooled 2CV Outdoors	The 2CV is one of France's classic cars. Its 2-cylinder, 660-cm3 aircooled engine and paper-thin body made it the "people's car" of choice from its post-WWII introduction all the way to its demise in the mid-nineties. Having wrecked an inherited 1979 model, I decided to enlist my best friend Laurent Bernardeau's assistance in restoring it. The car, which my parents had bought from my uncle Michel, served us well as small-town transport in and around Bretignolles despite its rusted body and beat-up seats. Me leaning on the car before it was wrecked We combed the local junkyards, and finally were able to find a chassis in good condition. Because of a French government initiative to get old cars off the road and stimulate the production of new ones (les lois Balladur), there were lots of good-quality 2CV's in junkyards that were not legally available for sale or rehabilitation. Cleaning the chassis with the engine on the ground behind me. This same junkyard also had a 2CV with a beautiful body. We were able to convince the owner to sell us the good chassis from one car and the good body from another. That way he still had something left from each car to crush and account for. The nice body, behind the stripped chassis. Laurent and I spent 3 days in the junkyard, stripping both cars. We temporarily reassembled the good body on the good chassis and persuaded the junkyard owner to deliver them to my house. We learned that 2CV's come apart very easily. Once the car was at my place, we disassembled it again and spent another week removing rust, applying undercoating, and selecting the best parts from all three vehicles for use in reassembly. Laurent applying rubberized paint to the underside of the body. The car now runs like a dream. It has passed technical inspection three times, and still serves us well every summer. The finished product!