Vehicle Description
1972 Citroen DS 21 Pallas
Named after the goddess of wisdom and crafts, the Pallas Athene to
whom the Parthenon in Greece is dedicated, this special trim
package was the creme dela creme in 1972. Flaminio Bertoni,
Citroen's chief stylist, was responsible for transforming early
prototypes that had earned an unfortunate hippopotamus nickname
into something worthy of the Goddess name tag.
For consignment, a 1972 Citroen DS 21 in Pallas trim. The DS's
chief party trick was its hydropneumatic, self-levelling
suspension. The ride height could be controlled from inside the
car, and it meant the DS would give its occupants the feeling they
were riding on a cushion of air. This 4-door lima bean shaped
vehicle is in beautiful condition, and has all the trimmings to be
a classic, as it was when first introduced in 1955.
Exterior
An early lesson in aerodynamics with its "extruded" exterior look.
A low slung hood all rounded off with a chrome bumper between the
hood line and lower grille. The bumper appears to wrap around the
front quarters and just above are dual deep inset headlights. All
steel is painted in a pastel green with some trimmings on the lower
doors, wheel surrounds and rear C pillar. The car appears a bit off
when you first gaze at it and it is due to the rear wheels not
being as far apart as the front wheels. Chromed elongated tubes
flank the C pillar trim and house bullet style turn signals on
either side of the rear glass. Another curved bumper for the rear
which houses the brake lights and backup lights within a formed
rectangle. Body panels are rust free, however there is some dark
spotting within the pastel green paint. A trimming is on the lower
door and side panels which is chromed and has a ribbed metal
applique insert which is missing on 1 piece on the passengers side.
The Pallas trim includes stainless steel wheel coverings, the
chromed tail lighting and DS, (Pronounced Day-Ess and is French for
"Goddess"), gold badging.
Interior
Wonderfully aged Saddle brown leather is covering the front wide
low back buckets complete with a centrally located rounded armrest.
The driver's seat is original and shows some cracking on the outer
bolster. Passenger's bucket and rear bench have been recovered in
newer leather. Interesting for the headrests as they have wings
stretching across the tops of the seats for extra support. These
chairs float in a sea of green carpeting which shows some wear. A
futuristic dash is all in black with a steering wheel with 1 spoke
fronting some shiny inset round instrumentation. Speaking of
futuristic, the door panels, also in Saddle brown leather, have a
molded armrest and a large oval chromed actuator. This car is
equipped with a rare Coolaire factory A/C and has a Citromatic
transmission, (automatic but you still need to shift!). A white
headliner is above and looking nice and tight.
Drivetrain
Under the long and low hood just behind the front mounted spare
tire is a 132.7ci 4-cylinder engine with a 1-barrel carburetor. As
noted on back is a Citromatic 4-speed semi-automatic transmission
with a 4.375 final drive. The engine has undergone an extensive
rebuild between 2007 and 2013, and now has a new custom exhaust
system installed.
Undercarriage
Straight rust free aero undercarriage coverings can be seen
throughout the underside of this car. The front panel has some
extensive scratching most likely from encounters with parking
curbs. Inboard power disc brakes are seen on front, and power drum
brakes are on back. The suspension is all hydropneumatic and can be
adjusted as to ride height from the driver's dash switch.
Drive-Ability
Stepping inside the futuristic interior this car fires right up and
off top the test track in hydropneumatic style I went. The
semi-automatic shifting took a bit to become accustomed to but in
the end it all worked out. The ride is cushiony and can be adjusted
on the fly.
Touluse Lautrec, eat your heart out as this French built air ride
aero "bean" is up for consignment and I guarantee you will be the
only one in your town to have one should you decide to pull the
trigger! Ohh La La.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
