"See the USA in a deux chevaux", that sounds tempting. The excuse was - as everyone might know - the ICCCR ("International Citroen Car Club Ralley") in Amhearst, Massachusetts. In the past, the ACI ("Amicale Citroen Internationale") organized a big meeting for classic Citroëns in Europe every 3 or 4 years. Four years ago, the representatives decided to hop across the Atlantic and try something new next time: A Citroën meeting in the USA. The reason might have been the outstanding number of Citroens over there....

Nevertheless, some 850 DS, SM, 2CVs, 11CVs, CX and few other models gathered in the Campus of UMASS, 150 of them coming from Europe. One of them was a duck from Saarbrücken containing Michael and me.

The organizers had rented large parts of the Campus of the University of Massachusetts for the meeting. The vehicles of the participants were lined up by Citroën type on a lawn surrounding a romantic pond in the middle of the Campus grounds. The most multicolored picture was to be seen in the "2CV and derivatives" department.

The models with hydraulic suspension gave a more orderly picture. They showed off in all colors, body styles, ages, and stages of disintegration.

Unfortunately, the American authorities managed to fully ruin the beautiful styling of the DS with legal sealed beam headlights and strange turnlights.

In the SM department some technical highlights waited to be discovered.

The solution of the mystery: A 230 mph (!) fast SM on a two axle trailer with hydraulic suspension (!!). The rig was towed by a SM which had been custom converted to a pickup truck (!!!).

Some real vintage cars travelled all the way from Belgium to Amhearst. One of them was from 1919, the first model year Citroën ever produced.

The "11CV and derivatives" department was separated into two target groups: a) the mint-condition-never-on-the-street-types, and b) the "Tracbar" group. The first left for their air conditioned hotel room at 6 pm in order to take off their diamond soled shoes. The latter ones are USING their cars, come from all over the world, sleep on campus in the dorms and enjoy raids and meetings as much as 2CV drivers do. This time they drove from Los Angeles to New York and then to the ICCCR on their own wheels. Congratulations!

We definitively enjoyed their parties which lasted well into the night and did - believe it or not - even involve some illegal drinking of alcoholic beverages in the public. They did not serve wild pig, though.

For the American public, the organizers very affectionately had put together a small museum with the most important milestones of the Citroën history and special consideration of the marketing in the USA. Citroen, France indeed had contributed several cars, especially the 2CV prototype and some recent models. Most models in the museum are well known in Europe, but here is one exotic specimen which might not be very well known. If you know anything about the car in the picture, feel free and send us an email...

The participants elected the most beautiful cars of the meeting. On Sunday, the winners were lined up for a concours d'elegance. Our 39 year old work horse named "Marlene" unfortunately missed the price. With the most beautiful 2CV she admittedly could not compete.

In the class of the 2CV derivatives, the price went to Willem Lankhorst from the Netherlands for his 1958 "Radar". He told us, his car is one of only 25 Radars ever built by a Belgian company. He revealed some interesting details on this odd shaped beauty: The windscreen in fact is a DS rear window. A 2CV rear seat serves as front seat. In 1974, Willem replaced the original 9 hp engine by a more up-to-date 602cc engine.

After the prize award, on behalf of all participants Jerry Hathaway of SM World in California (left) expresses her warmest thanks to Michael (center) and Cherise Cox (right) and approximately 40 volunteers of numerous American clubs who made this wonderful meeting happen.

Impressions of our journey

A few remarks to the rest of our USA trip. As always, the customs clearance procedures in the port of Newark took longer than planned. So after our arrival at Newark International Airport, we had two days to explore New York City.

In Manhattan, September 11 left deep scars not only physically but in the minds of the people. The view of the hole where once the World Trade Center was impressed me deeply (left in the picture, besides the first four skyscrapers). I belong to the lucky generation who - thank God - never saw such a thing like war damage life. (By the way, this article happenes to be published on Sept. 11, 2002 - exactly one year after the terrorist attac).

From "ground zero", patriotic shock waves went out in concentric circles, which made me shiver, too. The star spangled banner is everywhere, everybody referring to how patriotic one is. In New York City, the strongest expressions of new patriotism could be seen. (If the reader is not German, he or she might consider that most Germans because of their history have a little problem dealing with patriotism and nationalism).

Just a few blocks down the road, New York returned to normal life, for example in Chinatown, a world for itself.

Despite all things that happened to New York, the Americans did not lose their humor...

In the court of Rockefeller Center, an artist showed his understanding of classic car restoration. Good that he didn't use Citroëns...

After two days we spent with a nicely running but totally boring Chevy Metro, we finally could sit back and relax in our beloved 2CV named "Marlene" (the blue angel). The port of Newark, NJ, was a very special experience. The city of Newark too.

So after we picked up our 2CV, we happily turned her nose North, away from the urban blight and heading for Little Town, America. Our peace of mind recoverd in the Hudson River region of the State of New York and in western Massachusetts. Michael once said, everything is true. Just the way we know rural America and the Americans from the movies. Small white churches, cozy little wooden houses, white fences, shiny happy people and enormous trucks.

Those who made their fortune obviously move to Little Town, New England. What a contrast to the slums of Newark.

After the meeting in Amhearst we continued our tour of New England. Vermont we liked the best. The more we approached the coast (Maine) the more expensive the properties looked. Beachfront camping in early August without a booked site - forget it. So we never succeded in taking a swim in the Atlantic Ocean.

After the culture shock in greater New York, our desire to visit more cities was pretty much gone. Thus we reduced our visit to Boston to a nice guided auto tour of the downtown area.

A city tour vehicle kindly offered itself as tour guide. We simply followed until the vehicle including 30 cheering tourists disappeared in the harbor basin - it was a fully working amphibian vehicle.

In Rhode Island were stunned by the decent mansions of gone by industrial tycoons: 70 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, 25 acres private sea front property. Who wants more?

From Connecticut the beautiful Parkway remained in my memory: A truck-free motorway, nicely layed out by the park service in the 30's and 40's. Each bridge is different, each single one being an Art Deco sculpture.

After a short office stop at the customs office in the port of Newark (correction of the customs papers of Marlene, paying of 47,50 $ import duty) the 2CV was officially imported. It is very simple, if you bring a car older than 1968 and politely and full of patience tell customs from the beginning that you want to import it to the USA and that you are willing top pay the duty. It seems as if nobody really knows the exact regulations, and in our case, nobody physically inspected the vehicle. In any case, the year of construction (1963) was the key to a smooth and legal import.

Now for something completely different: A juicy, home made good old fashioned hamburger with french fries and cole slaw. The American national dish. In spite of the McDonaldization of the Restaurant business in America, homemade burgers are still available if you look hard enough.

Tired of run down urban areas and the humid heat of the low country, we finally headed for teh real Hillybilly Country in the Appalachian Mountains. Along the rouad, somewhere in Pennsylvania a school bus collection impressed us very much.

Behind the seven mountains, where the seven dwarves live, we worked ourselves south using the most beautiful "blue highways" including the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. We traveled Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mountain Mama, Country home, I belong, West Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina to finally reach Georgia after a week.

This actually was the relaxing part of the trip. In a beautiful National Forest Camp Ground in the Mountains of Virginia, we even managed to get a day off of our strenuous road movie. It was the most beautiful and simultaneously the cheapest campground of the whole trip. Alas, it was completely overcrowded ;-).

Finally we managed to barbecue our own steaks on the extremely solid Federal grill in complete peace and harmony. An outdoor activity I had been waiting for the whole trip.

In the Blue Ridge Mountains we found our final destination. Michael will buy the house as his retirement home. This time we limited our action to testing the rocking chairs (notice the required retiree outfit: grey socks!).

Numerous wild animals lined our route. A groundhog with suicide intentions crossed the road in front of Marlene. It is not reported if he escaped from Punxatawney. Three wild Turkeys followed him. Finally we saved a turtle from beeing run over by a car. It did not contain Turtle Wax, though.

This time, the warning "ducks crossing" was serious.

On our way to Smokey Mountains National Park, we totally got lost. For a short period of time, we thought we were in Greece where more than once 4 lane motorways abruptly turn into single lane dirt roads. Extensive map studies however revealed that this picture was taken exactly on the border of Virginia and Tennessee.

After hours, a car appeared from the direction we were heading. We decided to ask for directions. After a long break, the other driver asked for directions to the motorway we just came from. We burst out in laughter and both assumed to be on the right way. Michael did not believe me yet. We stopped the next car, this time a local in a pickup truck. " Youreuuuhnderightway " was its answer in his broadest southern slang.

In Jonesboro, Georgia, the home of " gone With The wind ", Marlene found her preliminary home in the backyard of a family owning five Citroëns, a Renault "Le Car " (R5) and an Alfa. Nancy bought the cars, by the way. Her husband Bob just takes the SM or the CX to go to work. Their (by the way very nice) daughters did not match in completely, they (up to now) get along with two small Japanese cars. But they had to admit that the 2CV was very cute.

Nancy helped me naturalizing Marlene completely. After a very uncomplicated registration procedure, Marlene now proudly presents a plate (or tag, as they say in Georgia meaning the whole license plate) on her back saying "Georgia on my mind".

PS: If you know what the letters "BCV " on the oval sticker stand for write an Email USA@happyents.de. The first right answer gets a nice little present. A helpful hint: Readers from Virginia may not participate.

Karsten Schreiber
by permission of Happy Ents Saarbrücken, translated from www.happyents.de 

Practical hints for travelling in the USA with a European licenced Citroën can be found here. (sorry, only in German)