√Timber Citroen 2CV sells for almost $340,000, sets new model record

Wood you pay Porsche 911 money for a car originally created for French peasants, and made from apple, pear and cherry trees?

The iconic Citroen 2CV divides opinion between those who love it and those hate it.

Those in favour of the quirky French machine argue it liberated the masses in a country which was recovering from the war, while some believe it merely succeeded to meet its brief of replacing the horse-drawn cart by being able to carry two people, a sack of potatoes and casks of alcohol.

However, hopefully everyone can agree that the person who spent a record amount on a Citroen 2CV made of wood is a few twigs short of a full branch.

At a Rouillac auction in Tours, France last week, French museum owner Jean-Paul Favand spent €210,800 – including auction fees – on this timber 2CV.

Converted to Australian currency, that’s almost $340,000 – around the same amount it would cost to buy a new Porsche 911 Carrera S.

The final price is reported to be €40,000 ($AU64,350) more than the previous price record for a Citroen 2CV, though its understood the most recent record-holder was a more conventional example.

According to the auction listing, work on the wooden 2CV started in 2011 using the chassis of a Dyane and the 602cc engine from a 3CV (an Argentina-only special edition).

The car’s creator, cabinetmaker Michel Robillard, spent approximately 5000 hours on its construction, using a mix of cherry, pear and apple trees to create a 2CV-shaped wooden body and interior.

As a nod to the original 2CV – which was produced between 1948 and 1990 – a fabric roof is also fitted to this example.

While it is not able to be road registered – as if you wood – its French owner runs ‘Musée des arts forains’, which translates to fairground arts museum in English.

To date, the 2CV’s four-door ‘saloon’ and van variants remain as Citroen’s best-selling vehicle, with more than five million examples sold throughout its 32-year production run.

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