1970 Citroen DS Décapotable

The Citroën DS was launched at the 42nd Paris auto show in 1955, where - during its first day took 12,000 orders. By the time the Grand Palais closed its doors a week later, more than 80,000 orders had been taken.

In 1958, French coachbuilder Henri Chapron created a cabriolet on the DS platform, which was followed by various hand-built coupes and convertible models, all manufactured in limited numbers due to their very high cost. In 1961, Citroen contracted Chapron to build a luxurious DS cabriolet to be distributed via the Citroën dealer network. The tooling, which was installed in the Chapron works, was paid by Citroen and Chapron agreed to supply DS 19 and DS 21 platforms in greater quantity. A total of 1,365 examples were built from 1961 to 1974.

This particular example is a fuel-injected model. It was shipped by Citroën to Chapron on October 14, 1969. Chapron clothed it with a cabriolet d'usine body, order number 9346, and was finished in Swan White with red leather. After completion, the car was exported to Canada, before leaving the factory it was fitted with a heating system.

The car was acquired new at Carrier Motors in Montreal in 1971. Its original owner used it regularly before putting it in storage for a number of years. In 1988, Arnold Korne of the province of Ontario acquired the car from its original owner. A partial restoration soon followed. In 2011, a six-year rotisserie restoration to original specifications began. The livery was changed to Metallic Red offset by tasteful tan leather, and the top was replaced. Original Citroen factory parts were used, and the mechanicals was refurbished. Since the work was completed, the car has been driven sparingly.

The car is powered by a 2,175cc overhead-valve four-cylinder engine fitted with a Bosch Electronic Fuel injection system offering 125 horsepower. There is a four-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel hydraulic brakes with discs in the front and drums at the rear.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019