Under-bonnet photograph of a 2 CV with hydrostatic transmission (unreferenced)

In this document

Page 1 presents a black and white photographic print, a high-angle view of the engine compartment of an automobile identified in the document title as a Citroën 2 CV equipped with a hydrostatic transmission.

The description of the visual elements indicates a flat-twin engine block, a light-coloured cylinder head cover casing on the right, as well as a "significant tangle of flexible hoses, electrical cables and rigid metal tubing" covering the central and left part of the engine. A dark metal sphere, which could correspond to a hydraulic accumulator, and a dome-shaped element evoking a brake servo are also visible at the bottom of the image.

A handwritten inscription appears at the bottom right of the photograph, but it is described as "partially illegible". No caption, reference or date is legible on this page.

Page 2 (verso) is blank or not filled in.

The main text on page 1 is itself marked as [illegible].

Context

Generally and externally to the document, it is known that Paul Magès worked, within the Citroën teams, on various experiments related to hydropneumatic suspension and transmission, including the famous DS. Tests of hydrostatic transmission — a system where mechanical energy is converted into hydraulic energy to drive the wheels — may have been conducted on lighter vehicles such as the 2 CV, likely serving as a test platform before potential wider applications.

These experiments took place during a period when Citroën engineers were testing several innovative technical paths, not all of which led to commercialisation.

Archivist's perspective

This photograph probably belongs to a series documenting hydrostatic transmission tests on the 2 CV, as suggested by the comparison with other shots from the same collection, notably the photographs referenced EJV 640 and ELV 640, both dated 7 February 1964.

In the absence of a reference or legible date on this print, it is not possible to state with certainty that it belongs to the same test campaign as these dated photographs. It nevertheless seems reasonable to assume, given the similarity of the subject photographed, that it is a document from the same technical family, or even the same photo shoot.

The main interest of this archive lies in the visual testimony of the experimental assembly, despite the absence of usable textual information — which strongly limits its autonomous documentary value, but makes it a probable iconographic complement to the better-referenced items in the same file.