Those were the days

This is not a car, it's a way of life, so says one of the stickers on the back. I had two of them during the 1980s, the first was yellow and the second red.  They were fun, but then my sons grew too large to fit in the back so I had to get something more sensible.

Citroen decided to stop making them in 1990, sadly.  Since then, in France, all you could see were increasingly elderly looking examples.  Until recently that is.  Recently I've noticed increasingly well cared-for and shiny examples.  They are becoming collectors' items or so it seems.  I wish (almost) I'd kept mine.  I did enjoy the waves and smiles from other 2CV owners (mostly young men and mostly with beards).

From the BBC, if you have 15 minutes or so to spare:

What are these vehicles?

Spotted about to board the train through the Channel Tunnel and the photos taken through the car window, and so quite blurry.

Does anyone know what sort of cars they are?  They look rather steam punk to me, though I'm not entirely sure what steam punk is.  If you look carefully you can see badges along the side with dates from about 1924 or so. 

They are rather sombre looking.  Is there a military connection?