In the 1960’s France was looking for oil in the Sahara Desert. Citroen 2CVs were widely used at the time and several were in service in the Sahara. One mechanic had the excellent idea to make a four-wheel car with two engines. Imagine, a four-wheel drive car that could go anywhere, was reliable and very inexpensive to maintain. Both engines were designed to run fully independent of each other or with both running at the same time. Each engine had its own gas tank.
In France, Citroen decided to give this idea a try. It manufactured a small number of 2CVs known as the 5CV – (2 + 2 for the French Bureaucrat = 5.) About 600 of these cars were made – some for those working in the Sahara desert and some for a variety of others interested in an inexpensive four-wheel-drive car.
The Sahara was fairly different than the typical 2CV. Its suspension was beefed up and the tires were larger. A sheet of metal covered the entire undercarriage of the car. It had a hydraulic clutch and the throttles and gearboxes depended on rods and cables. A small lever installed under the hood allowed the use of the front engine, the rear engine or both engines. On the dashboard, there are two ignition keys, two starter buttons and two chokes.