1971 Citroen DS

When creating the DS, Citroens engineering and design teams didnt bend the rules of conventional car design they completely obliterated the rule book, gambling the entire companys existence on its success. When the car debuted at the 1955 Paris Salon, the world was taken aback at what Citroen created. At a time when the average family car had a separate frame, rear drive, and cart-sprung live axles, Citroens new DS sedan featured monocoque construction, front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. But the pice de rsistance was its central high-pressure hydraulic system controlling the power steering, disc brakes, and height adjustable, self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension. Also available was a brilliant semi-automatic gearbox that utilized an automatic, hydraulically controlled clutch. Encapsulating all of that technical wizardry was a space-age body designed by sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and aeronautical engineer Andre Lefebvre. The shape was like nothing seen before or since, described by famed aesthete Roland Barthes as having fallen from the sky.

For all of its technical wizardry and aesthetic brio, the DS was, rather amazingly, a mid-priced family car designed for mass production. When seeing the price of entry, attendees of the Paris show responded with vigor, placing 12,000 deposits on the first day alone and 80,000 deposits over ten days of the event. Incredibly, Citroen produced more than 1.4 million examples in the cars impressive twenty-year run.

Throughout production, engineers continually refined the cars styling and mechanical systems. There were many variants of the DS to suit a wide array of buyers needs and budget, including the standard sedan, the luxurious Pallas, the stripped down and simplified ID, the cavernous Safari wagon, and many coachbuilt variations. In 1968, the DS underwent a facelift courtesy of Robert Opron who redesigned the front end, incorporating the now iconic swiveling driving lamps behind aerodynamic glass covers. The Citroen DS is a regular addition to lists naming the most beautiful or most significant cars of the 20th century, and one drive is enough to appreciate why the DS stands as Frances most celebrated car, blending art, engineering, and Avant-Garde thinking.

Hailing from 1971, this DS20 Pallas sedan is a superb example of Frances beloved family car. The DS20 was introduced in 1969, replacing the DS19, and gaining a useful 13 bhp with improvements to the 1,985cc inline-four. The DS20 sits in the middle of the models hierarchy, just below the range-topping DS21/23, sharing the suspension, brakes, clutch system, and power steering. But the DS20 sat above the simplified, lower cost D-Special and D-Super models, which shared the same suspension as the rest of the line, but had conventional braking, steering, and gear change.

Handsomely presented in Bleu Mosange over a beautifully restored Antelope brown interior, this DS20 Pallas embodies the models legendary style and sophistication. This car spent most of its life in France where it was acquired by a collector in 2010 as an honest original car. Not content with an average example, the owner proceeded to have it fully stripped and extensively restored from the ground up, achieving a standard of quality rarely seen on similar cars.

The DSs space-age body is minimally adorned, wearing factory correct stainless steel and chrome trim. It rides on proper painted steel wheels fitted with original wheel covers and correct Michelin radial tires. As a European model, it features Robert Oprons facelifted styling complete with the covered, swiveling Cibie lamps which were omitted on Federalized models. Lifting the hood, you are first met with the spare wheel, cleverly packaged to direct airflow to the radiator. The engine bay is exceptionally tidy, and well detailed with authentic decals, markings, hose clamps, and fittings. It is reported that during the restoration the engine was removed and rebuilt, along with Citroens mineral oil-based LHM hydraulic system, which is noted to be functioning properly.

Comfort is the name of the game with any DS, and this car delivers that via a lush and luxurious cabin, restored in brown leather and carpet. The couch-like seats are sublimely comfortable on their own, and the deeply cushioned carpets and hydropneumatics suspension result in a magic-carpet ride quality which few cars before or since have matched. This car features an excellent plastic dash panel which wears correct original instrumentation and switchgear, all in fine order. Even the rare original radio sits in its rightful place. Of course, theres also Citroens signature offset single-spoke steering wheel and the column-mounted gear lever for the semi-automatic gearbox.

For the uninitiated, the first drive in a DS requires some reprogramming of the brain but it all comes together within a few short miles. The more you drive, the more you appreciate the astonishing thought and attention to detail that went into every aspect of this truly remarkable car made more astonishing by the fact that it debuted over seventy years ago!

In 2022, the owner sold his treasured DS and it was acquired and imported to the USA by a Florida-based enthusiast who has since maintained it in superb condition. This rare, highly attractive and lovingly restored DS20 is an outstanding example for the experienced collector or fledgling Citroen fan to enjoy, where the space age styling and technology are bound to draw an audience wherever it takes you.

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