• ID 21 Familiale seven-seater
• Freshly imported from South Africa and in the UK ready to register 
• Brand new MOT

Following on from the remarkable success of the DS in 1955, Citroën launched a more accessible version without some of the DS’s luxury two years later. 

The 1957 ID (or idée, meaning ‘idea’) was a simpler car, but still retained the DS’s remarkable hydraulic system, which operated the entire suspension, steering and braking system of the car.

In 1960, the range was further extended with the ID Break, or estate. Although based on the ID, a number of modifications were necessary - the superstructure was both lengthened and strengthened, the rear brake drums were enlarged and the braking system was upgraded that of the DS to cope with the extra weight.  A lower final drive ratio helped compensate for the performance drop off the extra weight brought about. 

The Break incorporated some novel solutions - the additional seats folded down into the floor and the lower section of the two part tailgate carried two number plates thereby allowing the car to be legally driven with the tailgate open.

At launch, there were five variants available: a six seater Break, a six-seater Break “Confort”, an eight-seater “Familiale”, an Ambulance and a van known as the “Commerciale”.

In 1967, both the DS and ID were given a facelift courtesy of legendary French designer Robert Opron, which brought in new fared-in headlamps and yet another innovations – side lamps that turned with the steering, allowing the ID and DS to ‘see’ around corners. The original bench seat was also complemented by a choice of separate front seats, meaning the six and eight-seater models now seated five or seven. 

And that’s what we have here – a 1969 example of the seven-seat ID21 Familiale. A truly wonderful family classic, the like of which is very rare in the UK.

This ID has just arrived in the UK from South Africa, where it was owned by a member of the Cape Town Citroën Car Club.

He has owned the car for many years and has looked after and maintained it, though in common with many ZA imports, there is little in the way of service paperwork.

Unlike its arch-rival Peugeot, Citroën didn’t build cars in the province, so this example was fabricated in France and imported into South Africa when new. 

The vendor has just had the car MOT’d and serviced prior to sale and it is ready to be UK-registered, which requires a simple V55/5 form to be sent off to the DVLA with a first registration fee of £55. All duties and VAT are already paid and the import paperwork complete, but the vendor hasn’t UK registered it yet in case the eventual buyer wishes to import it elsewhere. If it stays in the UK, he is more than happy to help register it.

The car comes with all of the import paperwork complete and a NOVA declaration showing that all due taxes have been paid. It also has a South African registration document and a wallet from the supplying dealer, Stanley Motors of Cape Town, containing a handbook, unstamped service book, tourist guide and a map of the city – some charming artefacts relating to its early life. 

Even in saloon form a Citroen ID is a big car. In Familiale format, it’s utterly vast – at 196.5 inches it is almost exactly five metres long, making it the same length as a modern Jaguar XJ saloon. That’s a very big car by modern standards, let alone in 1969. 

The paintwork is mostly excellent, save for a couple of stone chips and a small scrape on the nearside rear arch, while all of the brightwork is in good order, as is the glass. 

A period roof rack is a nice touch, just in case the enormous boot isn’t big enough.

This is a truly wonderful car inside – the tan leatherette upholstery contrasting starkly with the white exterior. 

The facelift ‘flat’ dashboard is nowhere near as wacky as that on the earlier DS and ID models, but still retains an element of reassuring weirdness to ensure it’s still a ‘proper’ Citroën, such as the radio-cassette positioned just ahead of the passenger, which is hardly ideal. The stereo does still work, though, and would have been an eye-wateringly expensive option in its day. 

Aside from some wear to the single spoke of the steering wheel, the front of the cabin and the middle row of seats are in fine order. 

But it’s round the back where things get really interesting. In conventional use, you have a vast, flat load bay accessed by a split tailgate in the days before such things were commonplace. 

Beneath it are two fold-out side-facing seats in a staggered arrangement, which are an engineering masterpiece of their own. Like the rest of the car, they’re in tip-top condition. 

While there is no paperwork to back up the 63,000 recorded miles, the overall condition of the car suggests that it could well be correct. 

It’s superb under the bonnet and nicely detailed, with a huge green LHM tank and full spare wheels and toolkit dominating the car’s nose. It starts well and runs sweetly, with no untoward noises or evidence of leaks. 

We were able to drive the car a short distance and can confirm that the column-change gearbox and all of the main controls operate as they should, as do the incredibly powerful hydraulic brakes. It’s an oddball experience if you’re used to a conventional car, but a hugely charming and rewarding one. 

With its family-friendly layout and wonderful weirdness, this is a great way of involving your nearest and dearest in a passion for classic cars. It’s also a fabulous example of a truly brilliant and fascinating vehicle, which is extremely rare in the UK.

With all of the paperwork done, registering it here is simply a case of filling in a form – the only reason the vendor hasn’t is in case the next owner is overseas. 

It’s a truly incredible thing – and a pretty useful one, too.

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