Description
Two years ago, we had the great pleasure of driving a show-standard 1963 Citroen DS19 Pallas, a left hand drive semi-automatic example which we exhibited and then sold at Goodwood. The car was a late arrival, being driven from our North Yorkshire base to the event replacing stock which was selling fast. It was a remarkably economical example, achieving 36mpg on a smooth and supremely comfortable round trip of over 600 miles. At the time, that was the best example we had seen for many years.
The Citroen DS revolutionised the car industry and justifiably earned the title of 'The Car of the Twentieth Century'. It is the only motor car exhibited in the Louvre as a work of art. On its launch in 1955 the car was an absolute sensation. The new DS (meaning goddess in French), which replaced the extraordinary and innovative 'Traction Avant' literally stopped people in their tracks when unveiled at the Grand Palais des Expositions in Paris. Quite simply, it was a revelation. Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car. Paul Magès developed the silky-sooth hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension which gave this unique car a magic-carpet ride - like floating on air. This was the system Rolls-Royce adopted for the 'Best car in the world' almost two decades later.
Just arrived, this, the penultimate derivative of the model is an October 1974 registered DS23 Pallas, with the later 2343cc engine and 5 speed column-change gearbox. We will have a fuller description soon, but suffice it to say that this is a superb, restored example, with a wonderful deep high gloss blue paint finish and a very expensive top quality magnolia hide interior, complemented by luxury blue carpeting and a good quality replacement headlining. The result is an interior of rather higher quality than the original, and both the driver and passengers experience a level of comfort and luxury few cars surpass, even today. On the road, the DS 23 is simply light years ahead of its contemporaries. This French icon was an engineering masterpiece which involved throwing away the automotive rule book and creating a car which 50 years after it left the factory is a unique driving experience. Citroen were owned by Michelin from 1935 and there is only one tyre to fit on a Citroen DS - Michelin. Our car is shod with a good set of Michelin XAS radials which contribute to the wonderful ride quality of a well-sorted DS. A comprehensive restoration of a poorly maintained car is eye-wateringly expensive. All the more reason then to invest in one of the finest right had drive examples we have seen. Still a head-turner more than six decades after its introduction, this gorgeous DS23 will be hard to replace
