"After 18 years of secret development, the DS19 was introduced on 5th October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show. In the first 15 minutes of the show 743 orders were taken, and orders for the first day totalled 12,000 cars. To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II, and building its identity in the post-colonial world, the DS motor car was a symbol of French ingenuity. The high price tag however, hurt in general and a cheaper model, the Citroën ID, was introduced in 1957. The DS was the first mass production car with front power disc brakes. It also featured hydropneumatic suspension including an automatic levelling system, variable ground clearance, power steering, a semi-automatic transmission and a fibreglass roof which reduced weight. It also sported inboard front brakes as well as independent suspension. Different front and rear track widths and tyre sizes reduced the understeer typical of front-engined and front-wheel drive cars. As with all French cars, the DS design was affected by the tax horsepower system, which effectively mandated very small engines. Unlike its predecessor the Citroën Traction Avant, there was no top-of-range model with a powerful six-cylinder engine. Despite the rather leisurely acceleration afforded by its four-cylinder engine, the DS was successful in motorsports like rallying, where sustained speeds on poor surfaces are paramount. It won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1959 and controversially in 1966, after the disqualification of the BMC Mini-Cooper team.
This lovely 1971 Citroën DS21, fitted with the seven-seat option, has been in a private collection since 2017. Since being added to the collection it has been subject to a full mechanical check through, a full body restoration and resprayed. Since 2006 this car has only covered 8,000 miles and about 40 miles since the restoration. Finished in grey with blue/grey cloth interior this DS21 is supplied with a V5 registration document, an MoT test certificate which expires in April 2023, a file containing invoices starting in 2015, old MoT test certificates going back to 1976 and an original sales brochure. Good quality right hand drive Citroen DS’s with rust free bodies are few and far between so this is a good opportunity to acquire a unique and beautiful example of the ‘Goddess’.
 
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