Auto high beams

[Everest]

On the early 2CV’s the there was a lever inside the cabin, when you wanted a longer reach with the headlights, you just pulled the lever, which then was attached to a head light bar running through the engine bay.

Citroën were also leaders with directional headlights on the DS...

PH Origins: Directional headlights

Citroen achieved mass-production of directional headlights but it wasn't the first company to arrive at the concept

www.pistonheads.com

 

[TimothyN]

I don't think it's right to say that the 2CV was a leader in this respect (much as I loved early Citroens, and the 2CV in particular).

The mechanically dipping headlight was a Cadillac invention as early as 1917. It was replaced by the Osram dual filament bulb in 1925, a much neater, better and cheaper solution which became standard until the 70s or 80s.

If Citroen put a mechanical dip on the 2CV (and that's not my memory, I think it had a lever to level the lamps when there were people in the back, but I may be wrong about very early ones) then it was a retrograde step.

By the time I drove a 2CV in 1974 (I'm not sure how old it was, but not very) the dipping mechanism was dual filament.