Portugal Colonial - Tree-mendous ride: Wooden Citroen 2CV sells for 210,000 euros

The car, in full working order and registered in France, beat expectations when it went under the hammer in the central town of Tours on Sunday.

The 2CV, with a body hand crafted out of wood but displaying the same famous curves as the post-war French classic, was snapped up by a Paris-based collector who owns a museum of vintage fairground attractions.

"I'm having difficulty talking after this bet," buyer Jean-Paul Favand told AFP by telephone afterwards.

The auction house had issued a guide price of 150,000-200,000 euros.

Auctioneer Aymeric Rouillac declared the sale a record as he brought down the hammer.

The previous record for a 2CV was 172,000 euros, he said.

The vehicle's wings are made of walnut, its chassis is pear and apple tree wood, while carpenter Michel Robillard used cherry for the bonnet and boot.

Robillard told AFP he spent five years and approximately 5,000 hours crafting the car, beginning in 2011.

"It's like my daughter," he said as he polished the vehicle before the auction. "I had three boys and this was my little daughter."

He said he had another "crazy project" in mind for the next few years.

He intends to make a wooden version of another French classic -- the Citroen DS, which in 2025 will celebrate 70 years of existence.

A.P.Maia--PC