Ugly Yet Beautiful Citroen H Van

[@steverandall5814]

Ugly yet somehow beautiful, s-l-o-w, noisy and very simple. Exactly what you need in a utilitarian work vehicle. Suicide doors are great for delivery work. Completely flat floor is ideal for loading plywood or boxes. High roof means it can be converted into mobile workshop. These "pig snout" vans were the workhorses of France and it's neighbors for decades. So glad to see one here in the US and in such nice condition!

[@paulterhaar4862]

As a kid I was convinced they were made out of roof panels... 😂😂😂

[@theothertonydutch]

I am still convinced they are.

[@chazzcoolidge2654]

They remind me of a shed that somebody decided to slap an engine,headlights,wheels and a few windows on.

[@srenhansen1542]

In theory, they are. That makes them light but strong. 🙂

[@o.g.solutions]

I think they used the same roof panels for airplanes once also...

[@randomuser9883]

The reason they look like roof panels is because they were based off of the junkers aircraft which used them

[@chucklachance]

I love those vans. My dad had Citroen cars when I was a kid in the 70s

[@tombob671]

I am expecting Inspector Clousseau to be in there

[@balajiiyengar4]

Who said its ugly, it's the most beautiful thing ever for me

[@ElPitou64]

In France they have two famous différents nicknames. For this version "le tube" and for the police version "le panier à salade".

[@kristoffersparegodt420]

Pierre PRIGENT. Translate 😂

[@anderslaugeprip3733]

Ha, in Denmark thecpolice version has the exact same nick name: Salatfad 😄😄

[@jurivlk5433]

"Le tube" = the tube "panier à salade" = salad basket The latter is used quite frequently for police vans that transport prisoners.

[@noizyneighbour5790]

Nothing ugly about this. I love it. 😊

[@Chuck59ish]

My 1973 Mercedes 230D van emergency brake worked the same way. We used to see a lot these vans when I was in Germany from 1978 to 1981, they were pretty standard trucks with French Army of the time.

[@houseonpleasantstreet9774]

This was a pleasant surprise. I love those vans. Haven't see one since I was stationed over in Europe. So unique like a shed on wheels

[@sapper_5126]

Even Stella knows it’s a beautiful van

[@The-Rectifier]

Nice ..in France and even across Europ, you still see thé HY Van. There's even a conversion Kit for thé Citroen Jumper....aviable, after install it..it just looks like a HY. Absolutly adorable💗

[@marksandstrom4248]

and a Jumper is almost exactly the same thing as a Fiat Ducato which is almost exactly the same thing as a Ram ProMaster...

[@marksandstrom4248]

www.typeh.eu

[@mr.slaphappy3794]

@@marksandstrom4248 The Jumper is also the same as the Peugeot Boxer.

[@Jeff-ub4lr]

Not so many remaining and nickname in French is the tube....

[@jeanbonnefoy1377]

@@Jeff-ub4lr many of them are remaining not only in France but all over Europe - mainly as food or ice-cream trucks. Scores of them on the South Bank in London or around Tiergarten in Berlin...

[@gosportjamie]

1978, so that'll have the full 1600cc of power. And likely still a 3-speed gearbox...

[@guyjonson6364]

This is form follows function..Beautiful. Well done!

[@hanswolfgangmercer]

I'm genuinely surprised people think it's ugly at all. I think it just radiates cheerfulness, and it seems very stylish for a utility vehicle.

[@davidw1152]

I love Citroen vehicles they were not afraid to think outside the box in design. Some are ugly but so beautiful.

[@stargazeronesixseven]

😊🙏 Citroën type H van >>> They're such iconic & much loved workhorse van over the decades in Europe! Thank You So Much for the efforts & for sharing 2StrokeTurbo! Many Happy Good Blessings in Return to You! 🙏🌷🌿🌏✌💜🕊🇫🇷🇬🇧

[@2stroketurbo]

Thank you !

[@jean-pierrecayol4897]

Gosh it reminds me my childhood. Those trucks are pretty slow but beautiful indeed!

[@1985toyotacamry]

My partner told me about this van a month ago I thought it was odd looking even the placement of the EU plate varies from way up on the roof to the door

[@jmdoutdoors5729]

OMG I can't believe that one of those vans are here in the US. I love these vans. When I was a kid in Portugal ower neighbor had one with split windshield. I love it. Thank you for sharing.

[@natebarry5553]

My local bakery in Chicago uses one as a delivery vehicle. It's a sight to behold

[@tonerotonero1375]

I didn't know some of these had reached your shores in USA. The location of the US license plate seems rather unfamiliar but I am glad to see that some of you like this vehicle. Regards from France.

[@TheOzthewiz]

I absolutely adore the look of this truck! It is SO different from all the "look-alike" trucks you see on the road in this country! Thank you for uploading this video. STAY SAFE!!!!

[@TieFighterPilot]

"La Colombe Coffee Roasters" in LA use them as a moving commercial, the slogan is : "Un putain de bon cafe" (cela ne passerai pas en France..)

[@kaidenbrennfoerder4304]

"We're going to have fun bleeding"- 2stroketurbo, 2020

[@Oyvind88]

Awsome, love old cars, the style and everything 😀😀 Awsome too see you hjelp another people whith car problems, great man😀😀👍👍

[@dannyburrell4014]

I worked in Oxford England for a couple of months at the Mini Cooper plant as an logistics adviser from BMW. There was a guy that turned one of those into a pizza truck. The oven he had ordered from Italy. Great pizza in a very unique van. He would park it in front of the university and was doing well selling his pies to the students and a couple of American auto workers.

[@skswig1]

No one copies the French and the French copy no one.

[@Prince-yr1ln]

So true lol

[@marksandstrom4248]

@@Prince-yr1ln not so fast -- the Italians do sometimes: www.typeh.eu

[@jfrorn]

What a cool van, would make a great ice cream truck or Lunch Van....

[@techobsessed1]

Looks like this one is an espresso van.

[@78Dipar]

In august 1964 and 1965 (I was then a student) my summer job was to work as a delivery driver in the Paris area. I was given an old Citroën H. It wasn't fun to drive, very heavy steering and brakes, and poor ventilation... Engine and the 3 speeds gearbox came from the famous "Traction".

[@EmilePoelman]

Absolutely brilliant utilitarian design. Low cost, high cute factor. Why oh why don't they make such unique vehicles anymore?

[@johannes914]

The "Type H" has the Citroen "Traction Avant" engine and "2CV" headlights. Those were very popular in France. It was produced from 1948 to 1981... and in 1981 you can imagine it looked more than old fashioned.

[@mr.slaphappy3794]

They replaced it with the equally stylish C25, which was also sold as the Peugeot J5, Fiat Ducato (mk1), Alfa Romeo AR6, and Talbot Express... lol. It was a joint venture between PSA and Fiat. Fiat and Alfa Romeo both belong to FCA, and Talbot was owned by PSA... So that"s how almost every European car manufacturer (Except Renault and Volvo) ended up selling the same van under different names and in some cases different engines lmao.

[@minskmade]

local micro brewery has one of these...i absolutely love these..nice video as usual

[@NicholasMarkovich]

Why can't they make a van like that today?

[@Maxx2k8]

Does it have a meowtary engine?

[@buddy8225]

Would make the ultimate camper van. Need to find me one. 😁

[@ToomasTelling]

This kind of formula of having all the drivetrain components up front is still used in modern Citröen Vans. Ohh and those modern Ram vans you see driving around US are just rebadged Citröen vans.

[@Polecat54941]

That was a treat for sure! thanks for sharing :)

[@joseortegagonzalez8353]

When I was younger and worked in the grape harvvest good time I like van French is very legendary I Have good remenber 😆😍😎

[@VanaPica]

Very nice HY. Some 40 years ago there was one in our neighborhood (Netherlands) with an authentic pizza oven in it. Two guys operated that small business with great success in part due to that very practical space you mentioned.

[@gosportjamie]

It looks like it needs a new pair of telescopic rear dampers. Both sides looked like they were starting to leak some hydraulic oil...

[@russb3816]

I love the looks of this vehicle. What a gem. Love your channel.

[@micleim]

It‘s neither ugly nor beautiful! It‘s simply full of character! 😊

[@davidwhite4915]

How nice to see a proper mechanic at work

[@Paopolomololl]

What an awesome square!

[@speedchannel7196]

I guess the Persona fans hadn't gotten here yet.

[@srenhansen1542]

Looove mine. The breaks match the powerpland, 3 gears and 54 HP out of a 1900cc engine!! Remember to pull of the drums it you one day are going to service the breaks. NEVER try to tap them of with a hammer, as they can crack. The cost a fortune if you can get hold of one!!

[@chooseaname50]

has all the styling of Darth Vader’s helmet !!

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Fascinating! I’d heard they weren’t imported (primarily because of the 1964 “Chicken Tax”). How did this model come to find you?

[@RichieRouge206]

I love these things so much! Surprised to see one in the US!

[@triviace]

One of my favorite French vehicles

[@owenstrawn]

So cool!

[@golfman9290]

Ive always liked those vans, would have been nice to see the engine.

[@KingCarlofcarlWorld]

So awesome!!

[@terryatkinson899]

Off he goes with his one brake light...

[@michaelXXLF]

@Rick Delair I guess you are talking British electrics. Lucas, prince of darkness! ;-)

[@bjthedjdutchdude1992]

In the movie Madeline, they used an Citroen H van as an ambulance.

[@elsubmarinistaaleman]

Please check specs! This thing might even use something different than regular brake fluid!

[@johnfitzsimons5501]

Hey very rare van even in Europe what’s it doing in the us?

[@daveogarf]

WHERE DID THEY FIND IT!? Just like it's brother, the 2CV, it's Ugly-Cute. NICE! Thank you!

[@Farquhartz]

It used the headlights from the 2CV!

[@maxwolf8929]

It's cool

[@lateefcarrere1649]

Edd China did a nice job on one of those - it was converted into a novel food truck.

[@darrensmith6999]

Nice one thank you (:

[@mudspringer]

That's way cool!

[@eatadickutubenazis]

You left out the best part; a tour of the inside. I'm pretty disappointed

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

That is such a cool van.

[@redsorgum]

I wonder how this thing ended up in the US, did it come from Canada?

[@superhydroweston]

The front plate is a post 2010 French plate in the "classic color varient", so the car must have been imported from France between 2010 and now

[@ronlaverda9081]

Uggs (!) and Crox (and Fiat Multipla) are ugly, but really, taste is a difficult subject. I think this a beauty!

fun fact: The older i get the more i love weird cars!. I dont buy the expensive "normal" cars anymore, i just have to have the weird ones :-) funny

[@OdykKayne]

Awesome old vans, these! Is is true they have no oil filter? I thought I'd read somewhere they need an oil change like every 2000 miles? :) I love this sort of function over fashion design, very unique!

[@Farquhartz]

They used the Traction/DS engine, which has a filter inside the crankcase. Messy to change and if you misalign it’s you’re screwed.

[@OdykKayne]

@@Farquhartz Sounds pleasant!

[@Spehcktor]

HON HON HON HON, BAGUETTE!

[@o.g.solutions]

Darth Vader would love this!

[@alhamedi66]

Beautiful H van citroën but not cheap.

[@jaymiepobanz8801]

Wifes name and pic. Mark here. Great van. What a great Utilitarian look. Blue grease, is it waterproof as we used on boat axles?

[@kevinbarry71]

A 1978 French van with 1958 technology. Is that a single piston master cylinder? If so, I don't see how it is legal. That exhaust system looks like it is great for gassing the occupants

[@Farquhartz]

The Citroen ID19 had a very similar exhaust, even though the ID had the transaxle out front. Exhaust ran forward and down, muffler just behind the front bumper, then miles of exhaust pipe to the back bumper.

[@dennischilds6656]

@@Farquhartz yes that's right. I've got one and you don't get a hint of exhaust fumes in the cab. Or in the rear section.

[@gabrielbonannoo]

late 70's but it still looks very "Axis powers"

[@dennischilds6656]

The first ones were built in 1948 and looked pretty much the same.

[@tomlewis3658]

Wow, it's in great condition. Those old registration plates (maybe original?) - BB-038-NN - which country is that?

[@thomila7568]

I think Netherlands. License plate for oldtimer

[@KidMillions]

It's the original French plate. Immatriculation : BB038NN N° série : 519......... Date de mise en circulation : 07/06/1978 Cylindrée : 1600 cm3 Cylindres : 4 Soupapes : 8

[@sebastienmorel2950]

France, current SIV numbering system. For this one (BB-), I would say registered in 2009 or 2010. Plates with black background= registered as a collection vehicle.

[@mr.slaphappy3794]

It's France's current number plate system. With BB registration I would say the current registration number was created between September and November of 2010. In France, if your car still has the old registration format, (0000-AA-00, with the last two numbers the number of the department you live in, so if you lived in the Cantal, it would be 15) then you must replace it with the new format when any modification is made to the registration certificate (change of ownership, if the current owner changes home...). The black number plate with a white font means that it is registered as a collection vehicle, which you can do when the vehicle is 30 years old or older. There are many advantages and disadvantages to a "collection" registration: you cant' use it for professional use, but you can drive it ANYWHERE in the world (even in low emissions restricted cities), and the vehicle can't be totalled, meaning that insurance can't write your car off. it is your decision whether you want a black number plate or not. I may or may not have a small obsession with number plates... :p

[@thomila7568]

@@mr.slaphappy3794Ah. I didn't know that france changed it. I thought they use modern eu license plates for historical cars like germany. But it's a good decision! An "old fashioned" license plate looks way better on an oldtimer than a modern Euro plate.

[@bikesfrench8524]

Ce véhicule à une plateforme basse ça permet de charger du du matériel avec une hauteur de toit assez haute en plus il y a des modèles avec châssis rallonge

[@frankhoward7645]

The wheels are so close to the rear of the van, it makes me think there was another version available where the factory simply added an extension to the body like Ford and GM used to do with their big vans.

[@dennischilds6656]

Absolutely right, Frank: they were available with a rear extension behind the wheels, and also with a long wheel base, and with both together. Because all the running gear is at the front, it doesn't matter what you do behind the cab.

[@goclunker]

Sit-tro-anne, say it will me. Not sitron 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Farquhartz]

More like seet-ro-en, with a nicely swallowed R. I remember the first time I saw a Panhard and the owner kept saying “pan-ha.” Gotta love the French language!

[@mr.slaphappy3794]

But honestly, does it really matter... lol "Porscha not Porsche"... lmao

[@delukxy]

Sit tron is fine for anyone not French.

[@ogivecrush]

@@mr.slaphappy3794 On the other hand, you'd probably poke fun at someone who said "chev-roulette" or "cay-dill-lake." Or call a Philips screwdriver a "hoonanny whatsit." But what does it really matter. LOL!!!!

[@ColumbusII]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqCTlqSjYqihp9k funny as f*ck. See-trough-Anne 🤣 but please not See Tray On. Stay safe and have fun pronouncing...

[@jurivlk5433]

Is extremely slow and has only a 3-speed gearbox! Craziest vehicle ever build!

[@CrazyMotorMaster]

I'm surprised there aren't more persona 5 fans in here

[@battycowboy]

Love THESE

[@bertthime4503]

The earlier model didnt had an oil filter so you needed to changer everey 2 till 5000 km if im not mistakeing

[@denismagnaval3467]

Bonjour pour quoi vous passer pas de l'époxite noir pour le Chassis du HY Citroën .

[@eddylanzboy]

trevligt

[@janiu1842]

Positive attitude: we are going to have fun with these brakes. Realism: we are going to have a true pain in the *** project for next few days with these brakes. :)

[@fuzzwack1]

Looks like it came right from WW1 !! LOL

[@tsomeone950]

Can't even find mechanics like these anymore🤧

[@oridons9649]

*"Louis la Brocante" theme intensifies*

[@Foxonian]

French bread delivery vehicle.

[@topixfromthetropix1674]

Ugly but beautiful? I bet you wake up with some surprises after bar hopping!

[@ismaela.6973]

I wonder how much would it cost to upgrade those brakes to disc brakes?

[@dennischilds6656]

I've got one and those big drums are surprisingly effective. Really surprisingly as there is no power-assist. But the top speed is about 60mph, so you don't need a lot.

[@suitable1317]

Luv it

[@REPOMAN24722]

Didn't these things have no oil filter so the intervals were like 2k

[@garbage854]

Cool 😀

[@xnotx2]

Wouldn't want to get run over by that thing, would come out looking like two face! But that looks like the ultimate camper van.

[@douro20]

Is it 698cc?

[@zachhaus8488]

Man that thing is ugly.... I love it

[@michaelXXLF]

That boot on the left ball joint doesn't look too crispy and the right rear shock absorber is a bit too wet. Guess you never run out of work with an old car ...

[@delukxy]

I'll add that the concertina boot shown was completely shot. Looks like steering rack but it's a long way back for front control. If mine I'd have a pair of drive shaft boots on the shelf. The SWB versions look so nice.

[@scottyjones27]

The wheels are on the corners ny way!!

[@zeburp]

that french plate ?

[@user-xg3ww9mi7o]

Je cherche un tube hy pas cher a retorer

[@GoliathAngelus]

That is unique a Citroën H in the U.S

[@hennyverheij5969]

So ugly, that you've got to love it!