1965 CITROEN DS19 Cabriolet
Chassis n° 4294082
French registration
Same owner for 27 years
80 000 / 120 000 €
The DS 19 was a real bombshell at the 1955 Paris Motor Show. There was a rush on the Citroën stand from 5 October: 749 orders within an hour of the opening, 12,000 by the end of the day, and 80,000 by the end of the Show. This car, or rather this resolutely futuristic ‘saucer on wheels’, replaced a car that had come out in 1934: the ‘Traction avant’. Its fantastic design and avant-garde technology meant that it lasted for 20 years, which in the motoring world is an historic achievement. The finesse and curves of this magical car are the work of Italian artist Flaminio Bertoni, designer of the no less legendary Citroën ‘Traction’ and 2 CV! The DS's main qualities are the smoothness of its controls, the comfort of its suspension, its breathtaking roadholding and the very high power of its braking. Even today, these qualities are not at all obsolete, as the DS remains an easy car to use in modern traffic. But over 50 years ago, and for almost 20 years, this car had a considerable lead over all the other manufacturers in the world. Since its launch in the mid-1950s, the car has never ceased to evolve, improving both technically and aesthetically. This myth has a wonderful name, because those two letters read ‘Goddess’, which is exactly what it was on the road during its reign, and exactly what it has become once it has passed into posterity.
The model on display is a genuine DS19 cabriolet. It was purchased in September 1997 in Toulouse. The car was in good working order at the time of purchase, as the new owner drove it from Toulouse to Paris without a hitch. In 1965, this car was released with a hydraulic gearbox as the hydraulic serial numbers corresponded to 4294030 to 4294092. It was fitted with Robri accessories, including wheel covers. In 1990, the car was completely restored but the original red-bordeaux leathers were retained and the Carrara White colour was respected. The most recent restoration work, carried out in 2005 in Auxerre, was mainly mechanical: replacement of the 1911 cm3 DS19 engine with a 1985 cm3. The hydraulic system is in green liquid.
We offer you an authentic Citroën DS19 cabriolet, a goddess of the road!