Shiny in the daylight and with excellent bodywork and paintwork. The panels fit precisely and the detailing of this model is stunning. This revolutionary Citroën DS19 Décapotable shocked the world in the 1960s with its elegant performance.
At a time when the American luxury family car was all the rage, this latest model from Citroën turned the automotive industry on its head with its front-wheel driven sedan, four-wheel disc brakes, semi-automatic gearshift system and fibreglass roof to lower the centre of gravity. This DS19 model from Citroën offers so much more than meets the eye.
This model is very rare since only a hundred copies were released.
For the lighting of the Citroën DS19 Décapotable, Chapron chose beautiful Cibie headlights and S.E.V. Marchal fog lights, both of which were specially designed for this DS model. On the inside, the finest materials and the highest quality were chosen. The model's fibreglass roof not only supports the frame well, but also the rest of the chassis. Supple leather seats, luxurious carpets and all other upholstery were fitted with the right precision and care. In this way, you really got value for your money when it came to the interior, where Chapron went all-in. The dashboard was fitted with large and small Jäeger dials with black and white sans serif fonts. The glorious single-spoke steering wheel received spiral ribbons and polished aluminium additions. This is further proof that beauty and elegance were the designer's top priorities. Moreover, only a hundred copies of this Citroën model called Décapotable were released in 1964, which makes this car extremely rare. The Citroën DS19 Décapotable is ideal during the summer months when you can open the beautiful convertible top and experience pure enjoyment with a soft rumbling sound in the background. The only thing you really have to watch out for is braking. It is advisable to do this with a light foot, so that you do not stop too abruptly. In addition, smaller wheels were chosen for the rear, which are also closer together to improve handling. This ultra-high-quality convertible, rarely seen on the car market at the time, turned out to be one of the greatest legends of the motoring era of the last century. Whether you invest in this classic car to drive along the romantic French Riviera or to cross Italy in it, this authentic Chapron example is sure to be the topic of conversation among bystanders.
Want to know more about the Citroën DS19 Décapotable? Read the full article in Imagicasa Autumn 2021.
Photography by Bonhams