Burton - the roadster you can afford

burton

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.


 

Vintage steering wheel

 
The interior - note the umbrella gear which has been moved down to floor level

 
Vintage look with a low windscreen

Link Venture Kapital

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.


 

2CV and Burton? Which do you prefer?

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.


 

Body No. 910 for sale at Burton Cars NL

 
Classical instrumentation


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.

 

Citroen 2CV – too great to be a donor car?

 
Burton. Lines inspired by 1930s cars

See

2CV – electric car in 20 hours
X
Citroen 2CV
burton
Citroen Dyane
Citroën Visa

 


burtoncars.nl

 

Terje Bjørnstad. Blog administrator, hobby photographer and car enthusiast.

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