I
f I had a dollar for everyone who takes a photo of my car,"
says Sabine Adamson, "I'd be able to go out for a fancy din-
ner every night." "2CV" is shorthand for deux chevaux-
vapeur—literally, "two steam horses." Sometimes called an "umbrella on
wheels" due to its cloth sunroof, nearly 4 million were made between
1948 and 1990.
Adamson travels to France frequently to buy antiques. "I fell in love with
these cars and decided I wanted one." A chance encounter with an auto-
motive restorer in the medieval town of Anduze led to her having the
Citroën shipped home in 2008. "It arrived just before the Concours on
the Avenue. My husband Michael thought it might be fun to send a photo
to the organizers to see if they'd be interested," she recalls. They were: the
immaculately restored 2CV was shown there to great interest—especial-
ly among French tourists. "To this day, they leave notes on my windscreen
saying things like "Vive la France."
— Michael Chatfield
C A R M E L • O W N E R , S A B I N E A D A M S O N A N T I Q U E S
7 8
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 4
SABINE ADAMSON
1971 CITROËN 2CV
"
Photo: Kelli Uldall
CARS WE LOVE
