"Pink" pictures are here
Of all cars I owned during the years my favorite one is and was the 2CV ! It was a very special car. People called it "duck" and I had a green one on which I had glued 2 big yellow ducks on each door it looked very funny and I couldn't drive icognito of course.
The car had a very thin steel shell and a canvas sunroof. The steel was so thin that you could get the impression if you looked hard at the car it would make a hole. The gear shifter too was very special, it came horizontally out of the dashboard with the handle curved upwards. It had a strange shift pattern: the first was back on the left, the second and third were inline, and the fourth could be engaged only by turning the lever to the right from the third. Once you knew this it was very easy to drive.
The wipers' speed was variable with car speed. When the car was waiting at a crossroad, the wipers were not powered; but a handle under the speedometer allowed to power them by hand. This car could go everywhere it was like a jeep, in clogs and across muddy unpaved roads etc.
One sunny day I found my car dirty and decided to go through an automatic car wash. I thought my car is just like others. But when I was in the tunnel I realized it wasn't quite the same. I was sitting in a thunderstorm ! The rolling brushes made an awful noice on the canvas roof and on either side it was not better. I thought in a few minutes it will be my end and I will be brushed to death.
The slow moving of the rails seemed to last an eternity. And then, suddenly the car stopped, it didn't move at all anymore while the brushes continued over my car with a terrible big noise. I got a little worried and honked once. Still nothing I honked more and more, nothing. Now I wanted to get out of here but how ? I tried to use the manual wipers but the brushes hindered it. I could hardly see anything because it was quite dark and water was running over all windows. I thought the roof will break.
Suddenly the noise stopped and the brushes stopped too. Now their plastic fringes were hanging all over the car. A deadly silence after this rolling thunderstorm. Suddenly I saw a white face through the fringes with it's nose pressed against the side window and glowing eyes starring at me. I leant back startled and then I heard a voice "ça va Madame ?" (everything OK madame ?) and pushed a sigh of relief it was over !
This was my prison !
Two men pushed the car with me outside in the sunshine, I climbed out and have to admit my legs felt like butter. But one thing is sure, my car has never been so clean than this day !
hahaha... that was funny Gattina! The bright green car is so cool, madam! I could imagine people turning to look at the car as it wheezed through the streets!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shocking experience!!!! I don't like the feeling even with modern cars, I need the paper to distract me while I am going through the car-washing...
ReplyDeleteI have a warm feeling for the 2CV, Mr Mar had one before (and after) we got married, my first Europe tour was with a brown/black one, 2,000km in 2 weeks and after surviving that we knew we were meant for each other, lol!
Make it 4,000km, that's the right number.
ReplyDeleteYa, I know what you mean about those drive through car washes. I don't like the sound! I can distract myself with reading or something for the visual effects surrounding the car....but the sound!!! Ewwww.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the cartoon. That front cat in the black car makes me giggle. Poor thing.
Your wash will look perfect because it was done by hand. Those cars are so much fun but I don't think I would have the patience to bring one back to life.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Connie
Wait, you think you're getting away with not telling us what the men were like? In all the stories, men who rescue women trapped in car washes are shirtless muscular types.
ReplyDeleteOh my! What a crazy story!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
I've had two of them! The first was bright yellow (very bright!) and the second a rather more subdued red and grey. Loved them both and was very sad when my sons grew so much that I couldn't get the car up hills at any speed:)
ReplyDeleteOh my... such a crazy story!
ReplyDeleteAaaaah, eine gute alte Ente. ich find soooo schade, dass die nicht mehr gebaut werden. Revolvergangschaltung und das herrliche Knattern. *seufz*
Oh WOW! Now WHY did your car get STUCK in there??? You never did tell us that! I, too, thought ANY car could go through the car wash!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute little car! Years ago, my then sister-in-law had a little pale green Morris Minor which she called "The Aphid". I used to have a bright orange Mini Minor with a black racing stripe coming up over the bonnet, over the roof and down the back. People were always trying to race me off at the traffic lights, but I wouldn't play their games.
ReplyDeleteat least you stayed on the track????
ReplyDeletethere was a picture in our local paper of a car that somehow jumped "the rail" and ended up crunched between the rollers and washers.