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@llamasoft_ox@toot.walesTIL about the design spec for the Citroen 2CV.
It had to:
- transport two farmers
- have enough headroom for those farmers to wear hats
- have controls laid out so it could be driven while wearing clogs
- carry 100kg of potatoes and a cask of wine
OR
- two adult rams 
or three goats 
AND
- transport a basket of eggs across a ploughed field without breaking any
WHILE
- being capable of travelling at 50kph using 3L of fuel per 100km.
@llamasoft_ox My family had two when I was a kid. I'm a bit dubious the two rams would have been very comfortable, but the rest sound pretty plausible.
It had suspension that was ludicrously soft. You could easily rock the whole vehicle 6 inches side-to-side using one hand.
@llamasoft_ox during the tour de france they said that the king of the mountain mountain catagories were based on the 2CV.
If the 2CV could do it in 4th gear it's a 4th cat mountain, 3rd gear 3rd cat, 2nd gear 2nd cat, 1st gear 1st cat and if the 2CV shouldn't event attempt it then it's an outside catagory
@ukscone @llamasoft_ox though the bad guys' stretch 2cv limos in the Triplets of Belleville didn't fare so well on steep slopes ...
The 2CV didn't have any oil seals. It was made with such close engineering tolerances that it didn't drip oil. An utter marvel of engineering
@scruss @llamasoft_ox And as i can testify. You can hit a rabbit and the rabbit will just look at you as if saying "that was rude" and hop off back into the fields.
Another interesting thing from this year's tour de france as you can't buy them new any more there is a big market for restored 2CVs some going for oodles of cash. 25 grand and up
@llamasoft_ox The design spec for Casio G-Shock watches was interesting too: 10/10/10 for 10 bar water resistance, shockproof when dropped 10m onto concrete, and a 10 year battery life.
And who needs two headlights when only one will do? At least in the original model. Lovely cars. My boss when I lived in the Lake District had one.
@llamasoft_ox As a <farmer> I want to <wear my hat and clogs> so that I can <drive across a ploughed field with two rams or three goats and a basket full of eggs>
@llamasoft_ox and all of that within the confines of 2 chevaux vapeur, because those two steamy tax horses were the difference between affordable for an average French peasant or not.
The CV calculation is complex, but 2CV effectively describes a modest commuter motorcycle engine.