I think Citroen could (and should) do something similar with the reinvented 2CV. Imagine it: a bubbly, snail-inspired family car with a roomy interior, hiding a modern platform and drivetrain, plus that typical Citroen-soft ride quality. You could even put some Airbumps on the side for ultimate car-park prang protection.

Citroen (and parent company Stellantis) is on a roll right now: the fantastic e-C3 is our reigning Car of the Year, and the sharply-styled C5 Aircross is a concept car in all but name. Don’t forget the polarising Ami quadricycle – proof that Citroen can do something different and get away with it.

So here’s hoping that those fanciful French designers, engineers and execs can find a way to glance back while also looking forward. Just one request: Can I be the first to carry that carton of eggs across a ploughed field? Sometimes these Auto Express features write themselves!

It’s really easy to get wrapped up in enthusiastic nostalgia when it comes to cars. Wouldn’t it be great to resurrect car X/Y/Z? Largely, no it wouldn’t!

Whisper it, but the Citroen 2CV really wasn’t very good when it was new. Characterful, yes, and great if you want to carry eggs across a rutted French field without them breaking, but otherwise it’s best consigned to the history books. 

Citroen has had success over the years by looking forward rather than back, and trying to pioneer – from the DS and the SM, to the Picasso and C4 Cactus – cars that brought something new to the table. I’m sure a new 2CV would make people smile, but will they put their money where their grin is, and make it commercially successful? 

The car industry is littered with initially well received retro reinventions that didn't succeed. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a fine example of a car that exploded into life, but once that initial hysteria had dried up, sales ground to a halt quicker than a 2CV on a steep incline. Likewise, the rebooted Volkswagen Beetle wouldn't exactly be categorised as a success. 

Hopefully Renault’s new 5 will buck the trend, and Citroen execs must be looking enviously over the fence at their French rival, but time will tell how easy it is to keep the momentum over the next three or four years on what is such a style statement of a car. 

Maybe Citroen can capture the essence of what made the 2CV so popular: that humble low-cost simplicity? But I think it would be better off creating a new 21st-century icon that doesn’t rely on misty-eyed memories of the distant past. 

Let us know your thoughts on the Citroen 2CV's potential return in the comments section below...