Citroen Charleston: the French myth expressed on two wheels by South Garage [PHOTO]

Citroen Charleston – The Bertamè workshop was the venue for the presentation of the Citroen Charleston, the custom motorcycle produced by South Garage based on an iconic model from the history of the car, the Citroen 2CV.

Citroen Charleston: the project

The Citroen Charleston is a special motorbike made in a single example, original and completely customized, inspired by the 2CV Charleston, its shapes, its colors and its unmistakable design, reinterpreted in a contemporary key. This absolutely original two-wheeler was created to celebrate 70 years of the Citroen 2CV. The motorbike was created by South Garage, one of the main and renowned motorcycle builders at a national level, an atelier in which customization projects are developed based on customer specifications, with extreme attention to detail and an evident "tailor-made" inspiration. made", such as the wheel arch which clearly recalls the four-wheel model or the sound, determined by the particular "bottle" exhaust. This model will be presented as a preview to the public alongside the 2CV, its muse, at EICMA, the cycle and motorcycle show which opens its doors next week.

The precise objective of the operation was to give the bike a stylistic imprinting that immediately recalled the lines of the 2CV, but without carrying out invasive interventions on the frame, chassis and engine of the original bike. The intent was to "overturn" the external style of the motorbike but without "upsetting" some of its basic elements. A work in which free creative expression is associated with extreme precision of execution and accuracy down to the smallest details.

Citroen Charleston: the characteristics

An original chrome luggage rack has been installed on the motorbike which recalls the Citroën logo, the "double chevron", in the shape of two overlapping inverted Vs which represents a special and innovative double cusp gear produced in the Citroën workshops in Paris since the beginning of the 900s . The original exhausts of the motorbike with their bottle shape integrate perfectly into the rounded lines of the livery. The leather seat recalls the inserts in the tank also in leather with horizontal stitching. Like the other parts of the bike's bodywork, the tank was carefully sanded, threaded and finally painted in the original colors of the 2CV Charleston for an elegant and brilliant effect. An artisanal work, carried out entirely by hand with great skill. The front of the Charleston motorbike also has explicit references to the 2CV car: in addition to the single headlight with yellow glass, the eye-catching central sheet metal grill edged with polished and then welded slats which recalls the unmistakable "double chevron" in the centre. Also on the front end is an original leg guard, also in black and Rouge Delage, with silver threads. The ride is simple, clean, with a comfortable position thanks to the upright torso and the arms in the right position. In short, the Charleston is iconic, fascinating, but also ready for the road.

The muse: the 2cv Charleston

Designed in 1936 to meet the needs of a predominantly peasant clientele who had never owned a car, the 2CV was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1948 and soon became a true automotive icon. It proved to be the ideal car for families and young people, it colored the journeys and dreams of entire generations, it was a love nest, a work vehicle, it crossed deserts and cities, always with its unstoppable joy of live. A car that is not simply a car but has always represented a lifestyle: "ceci n'est pas un voiture, c'est un art de vivre". The Charleston is one of the various special series that animated the 1976CV range starting from 2. Like most special series, the Charleston was also designed and proposed by Serge Gevin, a decorator, interior designer and painter who worked with Bob Delpire, the brilliant advertiser who revolutionized the image of Citroën from the second half of the 50s. Presented in 1980, the Charleston special series arrived on the market in 1981. It was designed by Serge Gevin in homage to the "roaring" Twenties, the "crazy years", in retro style, which expressed liveliness and dynamism.

The name of the car is that of the dance that became famous in those years: of jazz origin, which spread first in America and then in Europe, the Charleston is characterized by its fast and brilliant performance. The 2CV Charleston was initially produced in the Levallois factory in France, in the original two-tone bodywork: in addition to the yellow and black version, Serge Gevin proposed another very successful, very elegant color, which combined the black color with the "Rouge Delage", a burgundy shade that takes its name from the luxury cars built in the first half of the 900th century and which characterized the Thirties in France.
Of all the special series, the Charleston is certainly the best known and most successful. It supported the sales of the 2CV to such an extent that it extended its life until 1990, when a Charleston, in two shades of grey, was the last 2CV to roll off the assembly lines of Citroën's Portuguese factory in Mangualde on 27 July 1990.