A CAR that a dad hid from his daughter for 15 years before unveiling as a birthday gift has sold for £22,500.
The French Citroen 2CV was one of the last to come off the production line before the model was retired in 1990.
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The dad had it shipped to Somerset when his girl was six to give to her on her 21st birthday.
She never drove the red car and it was kept off the road, other than an occasional run, so has only done just 556 miles.
The vendor, a former international athlete, no longer has space for the car, which was auctioned in Ashorne, Warwicks.
An Iconic Auctioneers spokesperson said: “The Citroën 2CV is unquestionably one of the most enduring archetypes of global car culture.
“It helped put the French working class on wheels, especially important after the ravages of WWII and offered basic transportation, a boon to the French economy both from a transportation and a manufacturing standpoint.
“French production having finished in 1988, this example was built in Portugal and rolled off the line on June 12, 1990, the final cars doing so just weeks later on July 27.
“It was purchased by the vendor’s father as a 21st birthday present for his daughter, a lovely gesture but perhaps a touch impulsive as she was only six years old at the time!
“She has enjoyed the car occasionally when at home, with the odometer now displaying the grand total of 556 miles from new, however the loss of its storage space now gives us the opportunity to bring it to sale.
“Rarely does a car of this age with just one registered keeper come to light, even less so when it is a model with such cult status.”
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The history of the Citroen 2CV
Many will recognise the iconic Citroen 2CV which was last produced in 1990 but its history goes back another 42 years
More than nine million were produced within that time period with just over 2,300 left in the UK with an MOT.
Designed by Pierre-Jules Boulanger, the car was supposedly built to be sturdy enough to “transport four peasants with 100kg to market at 50km per hour across muddy unpaved roads”.
The 2CV made its debut at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile car show on October 7 1948.
More than 3.8 million 2CVs were produced during the manufacturing run up until the 1990s and it was the first front-wheel drive car to become a million seller after another Citroen model, the Traction Avant.
