Citroen’s Director Pierre-Jules Boulanger granted a contract to develop a minimalist car, the requirement was allegedly: "design a car that can accommodate two farmers in boots and a hundredweight potatoes or a cask wine, at least 60 km/h fast and consumes only three liters of fuel in 100 km. But at the same time, it should be able to cope with even worst journeys and be so easy to use, that even an untrained driver copes easily. It must be very well sprung, so a basket full of eggs withstands a ride over bumpy dirt fields, without cracking it. And finally, the new car must be considerably cheaper than our traction Avant. The appearance of the car doesn't matter at all here."(http://id.dscollection.free.fr/Documents.PDF/Pierre.Jules.Boulanger.pdf) in other words a rationally build car for the working masses, simple, useful and effective.

The body-style is unchanged from the 50s, so the 1983 Citroen looks just like the 1964 2CV. There is a wrench in the back that could take the thunders off, the wheels and it crank-starts the car. So, if the battery doesn’t work you can spin the motor over and crank start it without jumper cables – many things carried over into later generations. It has a two-cylinder boxer engine that is air-cooled. Already at the first few meters of sailing, gives one an amazing feeling; only a 4-gear manual circuit ensures for such a moment, when the shifter is in the hand.

Gadgets are minimal, but the shifter is unique: one must pull and push it, in and out instead of shift up and down with tremendous mileage. In any other car in the world, will you put so little value on acceleration, instead would will feel the opposite rewind-effect of in and the deceleration in your life. Editor Markus Othmer once said that no other vehicle was approached by so many attractive women and also reaped so many compassionate comments saying: “Look, the poor guy can’t afford a real car”