logoalt Hacker News

spankibalt • yesterday at 1:33 PM • 2 replies • view on HN

> Style icon? Maybe you are thinking of the DS.

Yes, style icon. That is a well established matter of record.

> The 2CV was commonly considered ugly so much that in Germany it was only known as Ugly Duckling [...].

Utter rubbish! The Germans, I happen to be one of 'em, call(ed) the 2CV just Ente. That translates to duck.


Replies

Toutouxc • yesterday at 2:48 PM

I have to agree, in Czech the car is referred to as the “kachna” (duck). No negative connotations and no obvious connection to the ugly duckling story (“ošklivé káčátko” in Czech).

➕ show 1 reply
weinzierl • yesterday at 2:35 PM

I lived at the time and Ente always had the subtext of Hässliche Ente (Ugly Duckling). No one at the time thought it was a beautiful car. Practical, yes, cheap too. It had its lovers but there was never any doubt about its aesthetic qualities.

➕ show 1 reply