Vehicle Description
Citroen's magnificent, space-age DS turned the motoring world on
its head when it launched at the 1955 Paris Auto Salon. Onlookers
at the show were stacked ten-deep, gendarmes were called in to
control the crowds and visitors began waving their Francs at
Citroen representatives to secure a deposit on this most remarkable
machine. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this scene was the
fact that Citroen's stunning new creation was a mid-priced family
sedan! Amidst the chaos, Citroen representatives took more than
12,000 deposits on the first day of the show! Despite the humble
purpose, the DS was a technological tour de force, featuring a
high-pressure central hydraulic system controlling the suspension,
steering, four-wheel disc brakes, and semi-automatic gearbox.
Suspension was fully independent and the car used revolutionary
radial tires from Michelin. It was wrapped in a gorgeous,
futuristic body penned by Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and
French aeronautical engineer Andre Lefebvre which the French
theorist and aesthete Roland Barthes described as having "fallen
from the sky." The DS would go on to become an enduring symbol of
French ingenuity, creativity, and Avant Garde style. More than a
million were built over twenty years, with everyone from
middle-class families to heads of state counted among the proud
owners. While Citroen focused on building the four-door saloon and
perfecting the complex systems, France's most prestigious
coachbuilder, Henri Chapron, found room for improving the design.
Despite a decline in custom coachwork, Chapron remained busy
creating panels for Salmson and Hotchkiss and custom bodies for the
Citroen Traction Avant, and he emerged after WWII as one of
France's most prestigious and prolific coachbuilders. Henri Chapron
was at the Paris Auto Salon when the DS debuted, and he vowed to
put his mark on the beautiful new machine. Despite his status and
connections with Citroen, Chapron had great difficulty in obtaining
a DS chassis directly from the factory due to overwhelming demand
from the public. He was forced to purchase a new DS from a dealer,
which he then converted into a cabriolet. The factory had initially
planned to build a cabriolet version but once they saw Chapron's
creation, they came to appreciate that his team had the necessary
skills to perform the complex conversion. Production of the
official Decapotable Usine models occupied much of the workshop's
time, yet Chapron still created other unique variants of the DS for
limited production and individual clients. These included the Dandy
fixed head coupe, four-seat Concorde coupe, and Majesty limousine,
all of which are coveted by today's collectors for their quality
and unmistakable style. It is with great pleasure that we offer
this rare and beautiful 1965 Citroen DS21 Concorde coupe by Henri
Chapron. This car is one of approximately 35 examples built by
Chapron, and it is one of just six from the second series,
distinguished by the "finned" rear wing treatment. Build records
supplied by the coachbuilder show that chassis number 4.350.009
arrived at Chapron in October 1965, and was assigned the commission
number 7550. It was completed and invoiced on the 10th of December,
1965. According to the documentation, Chapron built this Concorde
to special order for Monsieur Jean Lavail. The build records list
his business address as the prominent architectural firm CETAB -
and this handsome Concorde was no doubt a fittingly sophisticated
motor car for a successful French architect. Appropriately for a
coachbuilt car, this example included a host of luxury options. The
high specification as listed on the build sheet includes power
windows, leather trim, optional Jaeger instrument cluster,
Radiomatic FM radio with automatic Hirschmann antenna, Marchal fog
lamps (including a pair faired into the lower apron!) and Robergel
wire wheels. The handsome Midnight Blue and Shell Gray livery it
wears today is the original color scheme as specified on the build
sheet. All-in, Mr. Lavail's invoice totaled nearly FF 41,000, which
would have been the equivalent of over $8,000 US Dollars. By
comparison, a new Cadillac DeVille cost less than $6,000, and the
exclusive Citroen would have been on par with the cost of a new
Cadillac Series 75 Limousine. While it is not clear how long
Monsieur Lavail owned his DS Concorde, it appears that it spent the
majority of its life in France, with French registration papers
showing it changed hands in 1985. That owner, a professional
Citroen mechanic, bought the car as a complete and original
example, although it is understood that it was not running at the
time. He gradually refurbished it, treating it to a light
restoration in 2000, and is said to have rebuilt the engine during
his ownership, although records are not available. For the next 33
years, the owner enjoyed and cared for his unique Citroen,
maintaining it in excellent condition and using it regularly on the
road. Today, this beautiful and rare DS21 Concorde benefits from a
recent cosmetic freshening. It presents in its original colors of
Midnight Blue with a Shell Gray roof, which highlights the crisp
and elegant Henri Chapron design. Paint quality is excellent, with
deep gloss and consistent panel fit. The bespoke exterior trim,
unique to the Concorde model, was recently polished and detailed.
It wears the correct original Robergel wheels, which are fitted
with staggered-size Michelin XAS radials as original. The beautiful
interior wears new plush carpeting and lovely leather upholstery.
The seats have an appealing character, with light creasing accrued
through gentle use, while the panels, dash and headlining are in
superb original condition. It runs and drives as one would expect
of a car that has seen consistent use and regular expert
maintenance. Henri Chapron stands proudly among the greatest
coachbuilders in France. From his pen came some of the most
beautiful and distinct motorcars ever created, even in the post-war
era when custom coachbuilding was on the decline. The crisp and
elegant DS Concorde is one of several interpretations of Citroen's
"goddess" created by Chapron, with a form that was equally at home
in the heart of the Champs-�lys�es or cruising the French Riviera.
This striking DS represents the coming together of two legends of
French Avant Garde design, and is ready for continued enjoyment in
the hands of its next enthusiastic caretaker. Offers welcome and
trades considered
