Kettle on... time for some tall tales from the PC workshop
From wreck to roadworthy in just three weeks
We’ve become well-known for our restoration antics on stage at the two big annual NEC shows, but this year it was to be rather different. The 2022 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show ‘Live Stage’ project would be my accident damaged 2CV and the job of making it happen would be a car repair business chosen as part of the insurance company sanctioned rebuild. This wasn’t just any business, however. Bourne Citroën Centre is run by the chap who previously owned my car, so there’d be nobody better suited to the job than Barry Annells and his son, Peter. This dynamic duo are known in Citroën circles for performing miracles on cars either condemned to the back of a breakdown truck or, worse still, the scrapyard. The ’family’ theme of the 2022 NEC show made our triumph on stage all the sweeter, for the car known as Tupperware (on account of its unusual plastic roof) had served three decades as Barry’s family wagon before I bought it four years ago.
There is a certain magic to the pair’s relaxed approach to deadlines. Three weeks before the show, my 2CV was still gathering dust in the corner of their workshop, largely unchanged from the time it was smashed up in a queue for the ferry at Dunkirk. ‘Plenty of time!’ announced Pete, who led the body shell process and suspension build in last month’s issue (PC, January issue). With the chassis built up and ready for transportation, we gathered to inspect the damage to the shell. Sandwiched between two SUVs, the impact points at both ends were above the bumper line. While the soft bonnet and bolt-on front wings had absorbed the impact of being shunted under the Porsche Macan in front, the worst of the damage was to the rear. Using the chassis as a jig, the shell was positioned so the steering column could be lined up. With the aged original sills cut off, the rear doors were fitted and latched so the B-post could be positioned correctly. The new sills were then welded into place. With everything lined-up and measured, Pete began the major surgery on Tupperware’s rear. Within days, the car had a shiny new boot floor, inner rear wings and a rear light panel.
As the day of trans
