The Citroën DS has polarizing looks—some of us find it beautiful, others of us find it strange or even repulsive—but I think we can all agree that we’ve seen prettier examples than this ’61 DS19. But! While it may not win any beauty prizes, the good news is that this grubby Gaul is in fine mechanical fettle and ready to be driven. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to deal with cosmetics than with the hard stuff; if you’re with me, check this Cit out here on eBay out of Stamford, Connecticut, where the reserve has been met and bidding is up to $7,200.
Due to the French system of taxing cars based on their engine output, the DS was never as fast as it looked, but for 1961 a new twin-body carburetor and a higher compression ratio allowed Citroën to increase the output of the 1,911-cc inline four from 74 to 83 horsepower. The seller says that the previous owner spent a lot of money at a Citroën specialist shop, and I do see a number of fresh-looking components under the hood. The engine, transmission, clutch, brakes, and, crucially, hydraulics are all said to be in good working order. All lights work, too, although it is noted that the tires are old.
The interior is a mixed bag, with decent upholstery front and rear, one of the coolest steering wheels of all time—although the tape holding it together in places isn’t quite so cool—some weirdness on the dash padding, and door panels that have been removed to the trunk. Also, what on earth has happened to the speedometer markings?
The worst news is underneath the car, where there is rust in the floors. The good news is that replacement panels are available for reasonable prices, although in all likelihood you’d need to plan on factoring shipping from Europe into your costs. Otherwise, there’s a bit of surface rust in places on the body, but nothing major.
The nice thing about repairs to the body is that all of the panels bolt on or off very easily, making it easy to swap bad panels for good ones—obviously! This car of many colors shows evidence of the DS’s long production run, with pieces apparently taken from cars going into the ’70s (identifiable by their rub strips) and possibly back into the ’50s, judging by the ghosted Citroën badge on the trunklid. Most unique—and a sign that these are likely the only major panels original to this car—are the air intakes atop the front fenders, a new addition for 1961. This suggests that this car may originally have been white—but who knows? Pick any one body part and match the rest of the car to it, or pick any other color that pleases you. That’s the nice thing about a car like this; it’s mechanically good to go, so all that remains is making it look the way you want. Which would you prefer to deal with, go or show?
That’s a lot of money for a lot of rust. Then there’s the complex hydraulics system to contend with.
It might be better to spend extra to get a decent example.
The ‘De Esse’ is one of my favourite pieces of French motoring weirdness. :-D
The steering wheel, at least in the US–might be hard to source. The floor pans coming from europe might be kinda pricey, so watch the exchange rates when buying. These DS19s are unique enough that I would be inclined to fully restore it. As long as the hydraulics are OK, that’s half the battle on these. `61 is nearly the last of the first-gen DS19 models, and one I like. To me, I’d search for the earliest I could find; a late `55 or `56 model. So simple in design, yet so beautiful.
Gallic Harlequin.
This is not a DS but an ID. It means that the only hydraulic components are the brakes and the suspension.
1961 was the year when the voltage was put to 12V instead of 6V.
The openings on the front fenders, that we use to call “ash trays” in France, were specific to the DS models, so it is likely that the ID was fitted with DS front fenders from a donor car as it had for doors, bonnet and various other parts.
If the mechanic is running and nothing wrong with the fuel tank and brakes, it can be a very interesting project.
Interesting—and interesting that it is being represented otherwise, but you are correct, the serial number identifies this as an ID, and a 1960 model, not a ’61. (Source: http://www.citroenpieces.com/DSserials.html) What tipped you off?
I’ve seen a few of these around when growing up. IMO they were the ugliest things on the road, yet fascinating and innovative. I think the station wagon was a little more normal looking.
I could never get past the way the steering wheel attaches to the steering column. To me, it looked like someone about to puke on your lap. Disgusting !!
They were beautiful cars, but getting nauseous while driving, is not appealing.
Le Melting is what happened to Le Speedometer, it happens to Dauphine speedometers too.
Ha! Touché!
Based on the serial number, it would be a 1960 ID. The reason I’m being tentative is because the tag in the photo is screwed in instead of being pop riveted
I’ve never seen a Citroen DS this early, but I have seen a couple of 1970s DSs, with the moving headlamps that move with the direction of the steering wheel. It’s a shame that Citroen didn’t sell many here in the USA.
Finally, something that looks worse than a Saab.
ACZ, ck out the vert sometime – if U think this looks bad.
I like the van/wagon/ambulance best too (as said above).
Did they rally or race these in the day (or now as ‘antique/classic”)?
I just looked and the bid is up to $6000.00! Not $7500.00!