1961 Citroën DS 19 Le Caddy by Henri Chapron
Chassis No. 4219414
- 1961 Paris Motor Show car
- Only 34 produced
- The genuine Chapron cabriolet
- Same owner since 2011
- Chapron certificate
N° Chapron : 7459
Collector’s registration

At the 1958 Paris Motor Show, Henri Chapron presents the first DS 19 cabriolet. Following its success, the following year Henri Chapron presented La Croisette, then Le Caddy. It was the first Chapron DS to be designed with a one-piece rear wing, in place of the sedan wing. Like La Croisette, it retained the sedan's front door. Only the first examples were built in this way. The Caddy cabriolet continued its career until 1968, evolving as the DS was modified. A total of thirty-four units left the Levallois workshops.
The model we're presenting here is from the 1961 Paris Motor Show.
In August 1961, Citroën sent Chapron a DS 19, chassis 4219414, to produce a Le Caddy convertible for the Paris Motor Show. This model benefits from the evolutions of the 1961 model year (new dashboard and revised engine), but still has the doors of the sedan.
By September 1961, the car was ready. The body was painted in Longchamp Gold, and the interior in Peggy's Sweat Caff leather. Sold at the Salon to Monsieur Ricard, a resident of the 7th arrondissement of Paris. He then ordered a Hard Top (unfortunately lost), a radiomatic car radio and a pair of rear-view mirrors from Chapron.
Unfortunately, we don't know the history of this car after Monsieur Ricard, and it was not until the 2000s that we were able to trace it.
In 2008, the previous owner embarked on a restoration project.
No longer able to finish the project, he handed over the unfinished DS to its current owner, a great enthusiast of Chapron productions. Restoration resumed, the mechanicals were rebuilt and the hydraulic system was converted to green LHM. The body was rebuilt in the Chapron Bleu Royal color and the upholstery was finished in natural leather to great effect.
The first DS Cabriolet, the "Le Caddy" is one of the most exclusive bodies made by Chapron for the Citroën DS.