Beskrivning
An ex-French government diplomatic car in mint condition.
THE CAR
We are pleased to offer this outstanding Citroen DS21 for sale. It is a 1966 car, in LHD and was originally a French Government diplomatic car, first registered in Paris. The car has been in UK since 1990 and is fully road legal and MOTd.
This Citroen was among the first DS21 cars made and continued with the frog-eye shape of the DS19. In 1967 Citroen facelifted the car with faired in headlamps and other cosmetic changes. This make these 1966 cars much rarer and very sought after. The diplomatic cars had unique identifying features that other DS didnt have. Original black DS cars are rarer still, being almost exclusively supplied to the police or government. Because of this ordinary people did not want to buy one in that colour. Two versions of these vehicles were made for the authorities - the luxury model called "Administration" which is self-explanatory, or "Prefecture" meaning county town.
In the movie ‘Day of The Jackal’ a fleet of these cars featured following the attempted assassination of the French president Charles de Gaulle. The would-be assassins shot the tyres out on the DS that de Gaulle was riding in, but because of the sophisticated hydraulic suspension design the car was able to keep driving and whisked the President to safety.
ENGINE AND GEARBOX
The DS21 is a four cylinder 2175cc producing 109bhp. The powerplant in our car starts instantly, and pulls strongly through the gears. Many of these cars had a semi-automatic box but this car has the much preferred 4-speed manual column change gearbox. The gearchange is precise and smooth.
THE INTERIOR
The DS interior is exquisite and in stunning condition. The cloth seats, instruments, door cards, carpets and headlining are excellent. All the instruments, switches and dials are in working order, and there is a lovely patina throughout the car. When the car was restored by Citroen specialists Dave Ashworth of Blackpool, for which there is the photographic record, a hidden panel was discovered on the inside of the passenger side front wing. Who knows what the diplomats stored in there… The key identifying feature of the government cars was the inside door colour. Their cars were painted off-white/ grey instead of the black of the exterior paintwork.
THE EXTERIOR
Finished in a flawless gleaming black, the body on this Citroen DS is as near to perfect as its possible to get. A bold statement perhaps, but come and see! When we collected the car the transport company said it was one of the only cars that they could find not marks or chips on. Again, as a government DS, the B and C pillars were painted body colour instead of the brushed aluminium finish of the standard cars.
THE HISTORY
This ex-diplomatic DS21 is a 1966 car that came to the UK in 28 years ago. It was restored following this, and the recorded mileage at just over 85, 000km is believed genuine. The car has current MOT, is tax exempt and has full UK registration papers and logbook. The car has twice been a concours winner in Northern regin of the UK
CONCLUSION
This is an opportunity to invest in a piece of history, as well as a motor car. The documentation and photographs give a clue as to the thoroughness and sympathy of the restoration. This Citroen DS21 is probably the best you will ever see advertised for sale. We absolutely recommend it.
