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Failed to Start: 1967 Citroën DS21

One of the challenges with owning an oddball vehicle is the limited support network for repairing said vehicle when a repair is required above your own skill level. I’ve run into this with my vintage Toyota HiAce project, as there aren’t too many shops even in my urban surrounds that want to work on it. This classic 1967 Citroen DS21 has been stationary since the 80s when the family that owned it moved to rural Missouri and the starter failed. Find it here on eBay with bidding over $6K and no reserve.

The seller says the family had no luck finding a starter or a decent mechanic, especially in the days before the internet was a thing. The Citroen eventually languished outside of one repair shop before returning back home to the owner. Amazingly, it remained in the highly-preserved condition you see here. I say amazing because often, once it falls into the hands of a mechanic that isn’t interested in fixing it, the cosmetics deteriorate rapidly. There’s some light corrosion and a broken lens noted on the right rear corner, but that’s it.

Not so with this DS21, which retains a gorgeous interior with what looks like near-perfect carpets and upholstery. The seller says he believes it to be original, and given the high state of exterior preservation, it seems likely that this cabin has never been re-done. The seller says it took some coaxing to get the family to part with the Citroen, but after some negotiating, the long-time owners finally parted ways with the car they brought all the way from California. What an odd site this French sedan must have been in rural Missouri!

Unfortunately, the seller says his current mechanic has lost interest in the project as well. One of the cylinders appears to be stuck, even after months of sitting in penetrating oil. Now, there’s all sort of philosophies out there as to various ways to break a stuck engine loose, but whether this one will someday spin freely is a question for the next owner. The trunk appears to show spares in vintage boxes, and I can’t help but believe this is a car that was dearly loved and deserves to be with an owner that has the time and interest to either restore it themselves or find a specialist that can.

Comments

  1. Avatar JimmyJ

    How refreshing,a car on ebay with no reserve! Finally someone will pay a fair price and the seller gets market value.
    I guess im still upset about the 48 thousand dollar bonneville.

    Like 7
    • Avatar Brakeservo

      Don’t believe a “no reserve” auction is truly “no reserve.” That famous bidder Mr. Hill, S.HILL to be exact is often obviously at work, both at online and live auctions.

      Like 5
  2. Avatar mark

    30 years ago a friend of mine had one of these. Only car I have ever ridden in that had a “4 on the tree” transmission. 4 speed manual on the column. It also had factory air ride suspension. When the car was started it raised itself 3 or 4 inches. The interior was much like this one (kind of like driving a couch).

    Like 6
    • Avatar Brakeservo

      “4 on the tree” transmissions were very popular in post-war Europe. I’ve owned Mercedes, Tatra and Rolls-Royce cars with “4 on the tree” manual transmissions.

      Like 7
      • Avatar Brakeservo

        Oh, I forgot, I’ve also had Simca and Fiat cars with four-speed column shifted manual transmissions and as I understand, shortly after the war Alfa had a five speed “on the tree!”

        Like 4
      • Avatar Derek

        On the other hand, I had a Holden with three on the floor…

        Mazda B1800 pickups had 4 on the tree, too.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Rev rory

        Some SAABs, too.

        Like 1
      • Avatar Old Car Guy

        Early 60’s Ford Econolines had a column shifted 4 speed as an option.

        Like 0
    • Avatar luke arnott

      Mark 3 Ford Zephyrs & Zodiacs had 4 on the column,as did early 60’s Hillmans and other Rootes Group cars

      Like 0
    • Avatar peter k

      I had a 50’s Rover 75 and 100 that had 5 on the tree with a knob on the dash that allowed the operator to disconnect the clutch from the rest of the driveline system.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Peter

      Peugeot had 4-speed column shift and Renault 5-speed column.

      The suspension is not air-ride. It s Ole-pneumatic. The struts/shocks are pressurised for height with oil from an engine pump. On the top of the strut/shock is a pressurised sphere of nitrogen (about 2000 psi). This provides the smooth suspension ride.

      There are five height positions through the oil pump. Low (no ride height); three for driving (low of the three for high speed; middle is normal; high is for driving over gutters and not scraping the underneath). The fifth highest is fully up but no suspension movement. When you have to change a tyre, the car is raised to fifth high and a support stand is positioned on the chassis near the wheel. Then move the ride height lever to full low and the wheel next to the stand lifts off the ground.

      One of the Citroen’s ‘party tricks’ is that with the self-levelling suspension the car can be driven with only three wheels.

      This system is licensed to Rolls-Royce because of its ultra smooth ride.

      Note that there are two oil types used for the suspension. DO NOT MIX THESE OR USE THE WRONG TYPE otherwise it is ultra expensive to fix. As I recall, the oils are different colours and the oil tank and other parts are painted the same colour as the oil.

      Electric parts should be easy to source. They just used Ducellier or SEV electrics which is the same brand as every other French car. Also, there are a lot of repro parts available and these Citroens can be rebuilt into Pebble Beach condition all from spare parts.

      The wheels are only held by a single centre nut. In addition the front & rear mudguards are only held on by one bolt and its the same size as the wheel nut which means you use the same wrench. To work on the engine you just walk in. The bonnet can fold back to the windscreen. Undo one bolt plus some electric plugs; remove the mudguard and walk in to the engine. (You can see the single bolt on the rear mudguard in the photo above. It is just above and to the right of the rear reflector mounted on the mudguard).

      Like 4
    • Avatar SubGothius

      “…the reach from second to third is a distinctly dismissive gesture, as if you are waving the bellboy to take your luggage up to your room at Le Meurice and you are tired of boring people and their boring cars and mon Dieu, you want a glass of wine.”
      ~ Sam Smith in Automobile Magazine, Dec. 5th, 2008 (an excellent primer on the Citroen DS driving experience)

      Like 0
  3. Avatar RayT

    I find this hard to understand. Rebuilding a Citroen powerplant isn’t rocket science, as long as you can get your mind wrapped around “wet” cylinder liners and hemi-heads. Amazing as it might sound, the French even use the same electricity we do, so finding and rebuilding a starter motor shouldn’t be all that difficult.

    I’d be all over this, except that DSs are the one car where three pedals put me off. I owned — and still love — a DS with the “Citromatic” four-on-the-tree, which uses the car’s hydraulic system to operate the clutch. More complexity, and more to fail and spew fluid on the driveway, but more fun, at least for me.

    The interior does look original to me, and rust-free Cits are rare as hen’s teeth in my experience. It’s a bargain!

    Like 7
  4. Avatar canadainmarkseh

    I like the styling of these cars it stands the test of time, but not the drive line or suspension to problematic. I’m afraid the way to go is a restomod with a domestic engine, front wheel drive drive line with automatic. I’d also put in a domestic more simplistic air suspension. This is what will make it reliable, and you wouldn’t fear taking a trip in it, because any mechanic could work on it and parts would be more available. I know there are those that would think this a shameful idea but it is a practical way to go. JMO

    Like 1
    • Avatar Duaney

      The mechanical, fabrication, modifying skills required far exceed the modest work to just restore and keep stock. It’s not like dropping a small block in a Nova.

      Like 7
      • Avatar canadainmarkseh

        You might be right about that, in our world of automation and computerization more and more we are a people that are trained for one thing. You know your one thing and that’s it, we’ve SO become dependant on our gadgets that people capable of doing for themselves are fewer and fewer. I sometimes forget that most people younger than I am are not like me they’re only good at there one thing. God help them if we ever had an event that forced us back to basics. I know I’m a dying breed of guys that could get in there and build anything or fix anything. Duaney which group do you find yourself in?

        Like 0
      • Avatar grant

        Thank you.

        Like 0
  5. Avatar Silvester

    … sorry isn‘t that a Citroën 19?

    Like 0
  6. Avatar peter k

    There are 2 shops in Connecticut and one in Maryland that all specialize in these cars. This one looks to be a reasonably easy fix.

    Like 2
  7. Avatar robbert

    This is a great car! Word of warning only use the recommended oil for the hydraulics and it will never fail. All time classic that will never date.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Jim

    I have tears in my eyes. I was 17 years old (1966) and purchased my 1st car a 1960 Simca for $200.00. The 4 on the tree was unique and it took a little time to get use to putting it in reverse. Neutral push out then down.

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Urquiola

    For the prices this type of Citroën DS car reaches in Europe, $7’000 isn’t bad. Do you have difficulties finding parts, specialized repair people? For Citroën parts there’s a site: http://www.cipere.fr; ebay.fr; leboncoin,… if you search, perhaps you can find an specialized person willing to travel to your town and make the repair on location. Not?

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Dik S

    Hello Guys, greatz from the Netherlands.
    As mentioned earlier, I had several of these cars in the past. The third one I bought also had a stuck engine. This car had fire damage when it was one year old and 54000 km. It was gone all arouind the Netherlands without beeing repaired.
    When I got it, the engine indeed was very stuck. I decided to remove the box. On this cars it is easy, as you can remove all that is in front of it and the box is in front of the engine. As I thought, I have nothing to loose, I bolted a really long bar on the flywheel (over 1 m long).
    With that torque I could free the engine by just moving slowly bit by bit. Nothing wrong with the engine. I drove a next 100 000 km with it. On LPG.

    Like 1

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