> Style icon? Maybe you are thinking of the DS.

Yes, style icon. That is a well established matter of record.

> The 2CV was commonly considered ugly so much that in Germany it was only known as Ugly Duckling [...].

Utter rubbish! The Germans, I happen to be one of 'em, call(ed) the 2CV just Ente. That translates to duck.

Toutouxc 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I have to agree, in Czech the car is referred to as the “kachna” (duck). No negative connotations and no obvious connection to the ugly duckling story (“ošklivé káčátko” in Czech).

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weinzierl 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I lived at the time and Ente always had the subtext of Hässliche Ente (Ugly Duckling). No one at the time thought it was a beautiful car. Practical, yes, cheap too. It had its lovers but there was never any doubt about its aesthetic qualities.

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spankibalt 2 hours ago | parent [-]

> No one at the time thought it was a beautiful car.

Maybe in your small bubble. The 2CV was, and is, as much of a style icon as the Käfer (Beetle), the Topolino, the R4, the Mini, the Cinquecento and other greats of its time. As a matter fact, it's undoubtedly one of the titans amongst outstanding examples of automobile design and culture. Where the heck have you lived?!

	▲	weinzierl an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I think you missed the subtext that comes with the duckling designation and maybe took some self-irony of 2CV drivers for real. The 2CV was designed from the start as one of the cheapest cars possible. Ultra cheap things are rarely considered "style icons" during their heyday. The Dutch Wikipedia article explicitly calls it Lelijke Eend and the German one has some references to "das hässliche Entlein" and how Citroën tried to sway people to a more favorable nickname. Again you may be thinking of the DS, which was Citroën's flagship model and its fender skirts were the ultimate expression of cool.