Technically a vintage car that can be delivered factory new, or you can build it yourself. It will attract attention everywhere and costs a pittance compared to what a real classic costs.
A sports car based on the Citroen 2CV
"Sports car" is not the first thing that comes to mind when you see a Citroen 2CV. If you remove the bowl-shaped body, you are left with a chassis that is well suited to a roadster like Burton. Low center of gravity and extremely low weight over a simple and well-constructed wheel suspension. As you know, it takes a lot for the wheels of a 2CV to lose contact with the road.
Building a Burton starts with "You take a 2CV...". You need to have a donor vehicle to register it, although everything can be replaced, including the frame. Burton Cars provides everything you need to build a new car from scratch. The only thing you need is the chassis number from a 2CV, which Burton can of course also provide. So if you don't have a 2CV, you can buy a pre-built car, or a used Burton on Dutch plates.
Company
The company behind this project is based in Zutphen in the Netherlands. They started in the early 1990s, among other things, as a dealer for Lomax – another sports car kit for the 2CV. It was only in 2002 that they started offering their own cars. Each body is numbered, and today they have reached 1400-something-or-other.
Basic motoring
The donor cars should be from the 1980s or later of the 2CV6 type with a 602cc engine and disc brakes. Several of the rebuilt cars have the slightly beefier 602cc engine from Dyane/Ami or 652cc engines from the first Citroen Visa model and Peugeot 104/Citroen LNA.
Recommended engines:
- Citroen 2CV6/Méhari, 602cc, 29hp
- Citroen Dyane 6/Ami 8, 602cc, 32hp
- Citroen Visa/LNA, 652 cc, 34hp
With the fiberglass body from Burton placed on a drivable Citroen 2CV6 chassis, the total weight is only 480 kg, 80 kg less than a 2CV6. It's the kind of thing that helps you get usable performance from the small air-cooled 2-cylinder Citroen engines. In addition, when sitting in a roadster with low doors, the speed will be experienced differently than in a closed, modern car. 0-100 can be completed in approximately 13 seconds and the top speed is approximately 140 km/h. But let it be said, this is no motorway cruiser – it's suitable for the roads you had in the old days – and considering the chassis of these cars, there are few cars that have better passability on bad roads.
Individual adaptations
By choosing equipment, you can adapt the car to a style you want. You can turn it into a real vintage car, hot rod, or a more modern sports car. It's also all a matter of price. How much money should one spend on a car based on the Citroen 2CV?
Prices
A body costs 4 euros. Do you have a usable chassis, maybe you can manage with it? If you put the original body parts up for sale, you can get a grant for the Burton project. If you buy a completely "new" car, you get a car with new or newly overhauled parts, based on a donor car at Burton Cars. It will cost you an estimated 499 euros +/- for a relatively basic car, although that price can be doubled if you choose top-shelf equipment. 15 euros is about what you have to pay today for an overhauled Citroen 000CV or Méhari. If you don't have a donor car, it might be a good idea to buy a used Burton. After all, almost all Burtons are based on an older car. Buying used requires the same investigations as for an ordinary 15CV.
Facts Burton – body number 910
Donor car from year: 1989
Rebuilt in year: 2009
Mileage: 24099
Color: Wine Red
Windshield: High Model
Roof solution: Softtop with tonneau cover
Price: €12.000 (NL)
Net weight without driver: 480 kg
Engine: 602 cc with "Powertube" which sends airflow from the fan into the air filter. Can provide 15% better performance according to the manufacturer.
Gearbox: From 2CV6 with "umbrella" transmission through the torpedo wall.
Brakes: Front discs
Top speed: approx. 140 km/h
0-100: about 13 seconds
Interior: Skai Leather
Dashboard: Polyester Wine Red
Instrumentation: Tachometer, km counter, fuel gauge, oil temperature, oil pressure, voltmeter, ammeter.
Steering wheel: Removable wooden steering wheel - Quick Release
Source: burtoncars.nl
About the pictures
The white car has been photographed several times at car meets in Perpignan – a good-weather area in France. The red car is for sale as a used car at Burton Cars in the Netherlands. The pictures of the green car with a vintage steering wheel and low windscreen are taken from Burton Cars. The lime colored 2CV is photographed in Céret, France.
See
burtoncars.nl
