The French have been responsible for creating some
of the most beautiful automotive designs ever to grace the road. But few could
hold a candle to the legendary Citroën DS. And this rather spectacular example
is coming up for auction in Monaco next month.
Citroën
manufactured the original DS from 1955 through 1975. Over the course of those
two decades, it produced nearly 1.5 million of them. But only 1,365 of them
were made as convertibles like this one.
The Chevron marque didn’t produce the Decapotables
itself. Instead it outsourced their conversion to Parisian coachbuilder Henri
Chapron, who not only lobbed off the roof, but modified the doors and the tail
section as well.
This particular example was built in 1969 in the
more powerful DS 21 spec, and was later fitted with a newer DY engine in ’83.
After spending most of its life in France and the UK, it underwent a thorough
conversion in Berlin. The process is said to have cost over € 85,000, and left
the cabriolet painted white with a black leather interior.
The car known as the “goddess” (déesse in French) is widely regarded
as one of the most beautiful of all time. In fact a panel of some 20 leading
automotive designers – including Giorgetto Giugiaro, Ian Callum, and Leonardo
Fioravanti – named it their favorite in a poll conducted by Classic &
Sports Car magazine. And this one could be counted among the most beautiful
examples ever made.
