Following nearly 20 years of development, Citroën’s revolutionary DS debuted at the Paris Motor Show in late 1955, where some 12,000 were ordered on opening day. Styled by gifted Italian sculptor Flavio Bertoni and engineered by the visionary André Lefèbvre, the DS remains one of the most beautiful and advanced mass-market automobiles of all time.

This early, post-1967 facelift example incorporates innovative glass-covered headlights in which the inner units swivel up to 80º with the steering wheel to illuminate the way around turns. The DS features an elegant and understated two-tone exterior and its engine bay houses a front/mid-mounted engine and green accumulator spheres – the latter being a key component behind the oleo-pneumatic suspension’s famous tapis magique or “magic carpet” ride. Originally a Belgian-market car, the Citroën was imported to the US during the 1990s by an enthusiast working as an interior specialist at Ford in Detroit. As such, its cabin is well-equipped, sporting retrofitted period-correct air-conditioning and a Becker head unit. The Citroën secured the coveted “Best DS” award at the 2016 Citroën Rendezvous, America’s largest annual celebration of the marque. The consignor, who owns several other important Citroëns, has driven the DS over 1,500 miles during his ownership and has service records dating back to 2017. He had a Citroën specialist perform documented mechanical work over the last four years. Exquisite and esoteric, this driver-quality, ideally appointed DS21 represents a rare opportunity for collectors of special mid-century European cars.