Citroën Bijou- 1962

Citroën’s British subsidiary at Slough created the Bijou–giving it the distinction of being the only Citroën designed and built outside France. They used the same platform and mechanical elements as the 2CV. The body is made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic. A centrifugal clutch allows clutchless gear changes in first and second gears. The Bijou was a commercial failure as it was intended to be faster than the original 2CV. The Bijou did have a slightly higher top speed but the fiberglass body was 150 pounds heavier than the standard 2CV, making the Bijou slower to accelerate than the standard 2CV. The quality of the fiberglass bodies left a lot to be desired and only 213 Bijous were made. This is the only Bijou in the United States and probably one of the nicest in the world.