He knows the special features of this car brand, in particular the chassis, which made driving "like God in France" - according to an advertising slogan - possible. With one type in particular, no one can fool him so quickly: the Citroën 2CV, also known as the duck. Where "2CV" stands for "deux chevaux" (two horses).
Because Knaus disassembled a duck into literally the last screw. And put it back together. "The vehicle should be worth so much more today than the new price." It's been a while since Knaus essentially saved the duck built in 1987 from demolition. With meticulous detail work, he refurbished the car for almost a year and also repainted it in the original color green.
The highlight is the towbar. At the time, it was ready shortly before the end of the year, so the car was like a Christmas present for the family. The duck is only registered in the summer months. After that, it is driven with great pleasure, just like a second duck in red that he has also restored. Knaus captured all the repair steps with the camera and captured them in detail in a photo book. "Not only can you fall back on this in case of minor damage, you can also see the individual intermediate steps during assembly."
Among the "duck customers" at Schlitts was once also the HZ, which drove a "newspaper duck" that was painted in the right outfit for a move.
Initially, the vehicle - the first plans and prototypes were made in the 1930s, but only ready for serial production after the war - was ridiculed. For example, a journalist wrote at the Paris motor show: 'A can - a model of free camping for four people'. Others thought the inventor would also deliver a can opener. And the next wrote that the vehicle would wobble like an "ugly duckly." The name became the program. Originally, the intention was to stop series production as early as the 1960s. None of the engineers expected the vehicle to become a cult object for generations, a pure lifestyle. It was the hippies' vehicle, the flower power movement. And the duck was a piece of politics. Many students and not infrequently celebrities sat behind the light side doors with anti-nuclear stickers. The roof could not only be opened at open-air concerts, the duck also provided that convertible feeling.
Moreover, he was environmentally friendly and fuel-free, and because of his low displacement he was tax deductible. Production was not halted until 1990. The last Charleston ducks rolled off the production line in Portugal.
In 2002, the duck was named "Car of the 20th Century". The air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine that powered the front axle consumed only five to seven liters of regular gasoline. In addition, the duck is one of the last cars that could still be started with a handlinger.
Knaus can draw the principle of chassis suspension on a sheet of paper out of his head. "These are the wheels with the independent suspension, which are connected with feathers in the middle and are facing each other. I'm not aware of a single case of a falling duck. "However, he is still interested in the further development of the duck. Because there is an electric motor for it, but you have to install it separately. However, he can hardly imagine the duck without its special sound.