You don’t need us to tell you that the Citroën DS is one of the most beautiful cars ever built, nor do you need to hear it from one of the many designers and critics, from Stephen Bayley to Renault’s Patrick Le Quément, who have heaped praise upon it. No, its beauty is something you can see for yourself.

What you can’t see so easily is the intelligent engineering under the skin. The DS pioneered so many technical advancements which were virtually unheard of at its début in 1955. It was a 100mph car and featured power steering and brakes, but they were fairly mundane next to the headlights which swivelled with the steering wheel to shine around corners, and the ingenious self-levelling suspension system which saved President Charles de Gaulle’s life when it allowed his chauffeur to accelerate safely away from an assassination attempt despite all four tyres having been shot flat.

It’s a stretch to think of much that might connect the DS with the Morris Marina, but we are reminded of British Leyland’s marketing slogan ‘Beauty with brains behind it’. There are some who would contest that claim with regard to the Marina but, were it applied to the DS, it would be unequivocally true and accurate.

 • Understood to have formerly belonged to a Parisian owner who kept it in coastal France as their summer car 

 • Imported in 2006 by classic Citroën specialist French Classics and bought by the present owner

 • Concours award-winner at the Citroën Car Club’s 2013 D Rally

 • Driven back to France on several occasions, including for the Citroën centenary in 2019

 • Paperwork includes the current V5 and small collection of MoT certificates, the most recent of which is 2017

 • Extensive collection of invoices detailing for various new parts and work completed on the car

 • Two Owner’s Manuals – one in English and one in French

 • French certificat d’immatriculation

 • Trophy and certificate from 2013 D Rally Concours

 • In superb condition having been partially retrimmed

 • Features a large number of optional extras

 • Rear inertia-reel seatbelts fitted

The first thing that springs to mind on viewing the interior is that it may conceivably be the most stylish interior in any car ever. The second is ‘Wow, what a lovely colour scheme!’  and the third is that it’s in remarkably good condition for an interior which is now over 50 years old.

It’s true that not all of the interior is original. The vendor had to have some panels reupholstered in order to repair sun damage, but it doesn’t show. The old and the new blend seamlessly together and between them they look fantastic. We do not know if the car has ever received any interior restoration while in France but, if the low mileage reading is genuine, we can well believe that much of it is original.

There is a light patina in places, such as on the armrests and the back of the front seats, but in most respects the interior is absolutely excellent. The upholstery is in a beautiful condition (not to mention perfectly suited to holidays on the Côte d’Azur, with its vibrant blue waters and bright white sand). The doors are similarly good, as are the carpet and the dash, and the headlining is wonderful, too, albeit with a few marks.

The Pallas was the luxury version of the DS and a highlight of the interior, we think, is the sparkling stainless trim at the base of the door frames. Other features and optional extras include the factory-fitted rev counter, radio and eight-track player, adjustable front headrests, rear window blind and modern rubber floor mats to protect the carpets. The radio works and sounds very clear. The single best accessory in our opinion is the removable front armrest, which embodies design excellence. If, for whatever reason, you didn’t want to keep it in your car, you could always display it in your living room as a work of contemporary sculpture to rival any Moore or Hepworth.

Bidders should note that the heater matrix has been bypassed and the boot light does not work. A new heater matrix will be required to have a working heater.

 • Stainless steel trim a feature of the Pallas model

 • Desirable Webasto sunroof

 • Needs only some mild cosmetic attention to return it to concours-winning condition

Resplendent in the most wonderful metallic blue – it seems to be just the same shade as that point on the horizon where the sea merges with the sky – this DS is presented in a fantastic condition which is not at all far from its concours-winning zenith of 2013.

The DS has always been put into dry storage over the winter, but it has spent summers on the vendor’s driveway and that has resulted in a few very minor cosmetic blemishes appearing over the course of time. The bonnet may have suffered more than anything else but it is not bad by any means. It has a little faded patch, some small scratches and a small area of bubbling. It may be that it needs to be taken back to the bare metal and resprayed if you’ve got concours judging in your sights, but for most other purposes we do not think it should present an issue.

Elsewhere, there are some instances of light bubbling appearing around the headlights and at the lip of the boot lid (which, bidders may wish to note, is an aluminium panel). There are a few very small scratches and blemishes in other areas, including a little bit of flaking paint around one section of the side trim and some cracked paint at the front of the roof, but all are very minor and do not appear at all obvious.

The brightwork is in excellent condition and still shines very vibrantly in the sunlight. It is not quite concours, and we noticed one scratch on the rear bumper, but it is not far from it. We also noticed one of the plastic overriders on the front bumper had a crack in the surface and there is some superficial patina around the wheel rims, but now we are beginning to split hairs…

If we look at the bigger picture, we can see that this DS is a truly marvellous example. Only a few small jobs are required to complete the transition from ‘excellent’ to ‘concours’, and we do have to mention the Webasto sunroof, which is a rare and desirable feature. With the sunroof open and all the pillarless windows down, the vendor describes the DS as being just like a convertible.

As for the underside, the vendor has gone to the trouble of applying a coat of engine oil every year to keep it well protected against corrosion.

 • Cylinder head overhauled in 2008

 • Recent expenditure includes paerty new wiring loom to engine bay and new front tyres

 • Passed its last MoT with flying colours in 2017

The Citroën fires up obediently and proceeds to run very quietly, pulling away smoothly and working just as you would want it to. As far as we can discern, the brakes, steering, gearbox and so on are all in fine working order. The vendor was good enough to demonstrate the sophisticated hydropneumatic suspension, which was a feature pioneered by Citroën in 1954; the DS was the first car to feature it on all four wheels.

A lot of time and money has been invested in keeping the car running well, as the large collection of invoices will testify. Probably the most significant work the DS has received since coming to England was a cylinder head overhaul in 2008, but it has received many other smaller jobs since then, including regular services, new front tyres and, in September 2021, a part-new new wiring loom to the engine bay. Under the bonnet is very clean and there is even a new decal supplied for the air filter housing should you want to spruce it up a bit.

Although the car has not been MoTed since 2017 it has evidently been looked after and used regularly but lightly throughout the warmer months, it is of course MOT exempt.

The Odometer currently reads 19k in Kilometres, this is believed to be 119k Kilometres which equates to around 74,000 miles so very low for its 52 years.

It isn’t surprising that if you were to study any list of ‘best cars ever’, the Citroën DS would place near the top. Just to prove the point, it placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century poll and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car. Its quality really isn’t up for debate.

That this particular example represents the DS at its very best, with luxury Pallas trim, a stunningly pretty colour scheme and an all-round excellent condition, isn’t up for debate either. There’s so much potential for enjoying it just as it is, but it’s also an ideal basis for cosmetic refurbishment to concours standard. Either way, it’s a car which is sure to bring you much satisfaction, so we’ll leave the choice up to you.