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. There is even a book with it in the title.

Again you may be thinking of the DS, which was Citroën's flagship model and its fender skirts were the ultimate expression of cool.