1972 Citroën DS20/5

This DS spent the first 48 years of its life in sunny South Africa, which explains its lovely condition. The weather in the Johannesburg region, where this car spent most of its life, sees very low levels of rainfall and, crucially, absolutely no salt on the roads, which explains this car’s solid condition.

With its hydro-pneumatic suspension the car would have been well suited to conditions in South Africa, and easily able to glide over all types of road surface.

The DS20/5 designation denotes that this car has the 2-litre carb-fed engine with five speed manual box – that fifth gear makes this 1972 car well able to cruise at motorway speeds with no problem. It really is a very usable classic.

When it arrived in the UK in 2019 the new owner lavished a huge amount of money on refurbishing it with a well known Citroën specialist.

The vendor reports that the only mechanical issue he’s aware of is that the driver’s side interior door lock can be can be a fiddle to operate. He thinks it needs adjusting.

The first thing to say is that Goddess is an appropriate name for this creation. In these days of homogenised car production – when you have to squint to see whether you’re looking at a BMW, a Merc or a Hyundai, there’s simply no mistaking that this is a Citroën. Whether the company was aware of the conventions of car construction is unclear, the fact that they totally ignored them is crystal.

From the outlandish raking curve of the roofline, ending in a Dan Dare style indicator lens, to the single spoke steering wheel (why didn’t anyone else think of that?) the DS makes its own rules, and then breaks them if it feels like it.

There was nothing remotely like it when it was launched, there’s been nothing like it since (with the possible exception of the SM, but that’s another story) and there will never be anything like it again. Please don’t pipe up with the modern Citroën DS – it’s got coil-spring suspension for goodness sake. How bourgeois.

The overall impression is striking but there are some minor paintwork faults. The driver’s door paintwork is bubbling and lifting, there are marks on the nearside front wing and front passenger door.

There’s also a bubble on the bootlid and a mark on the nearside rear wing top. The paint at the back of the offside rear wing also looks as though it’s lifting slightly.

Some of the door trim rubbers have shrunk, probably as a result of the South African sun, and no longer fill their alloy channels properly. Similarly, rear screen outer seal is degraded and could do with replacement to keep the water out.

At the car’s offside the joint between the rear bumper and the rear wing is excessive – the bumper could do with realigning – this is just an adjustment issue

Set aside everything you’ve learnt about how to operate a motor car – this is a whole new world. The column mounted gearchange for the five-speed gearbox makes the DS a challenge for newcomers, but you’ll soon get used to it. And watch that brake ‘pedal’ – it will have you through the windscreen if you don’t go easy with it.

The basketweave brown tweed and vinyl interior is in generally excellent condition, and contrasts very nicely with the dark green exterior. Overall the condition is very good, and the seats in particular are excellent. The car does show some signs of its 50 years, although we reckon they mostly add to its charm.

Minor faults to note are:

The glovebox lid paint is flaking, as it is around the Gitanes lighter socket and the ignition switch.

The backs of the front seats have scuff marks, probably from kids kicking them, and the vinyl panel at the bottom of the driver’s seat is torn – all the vinyl could do with cleaning.

Underneath the carpets some areas of the floorpans have surface corrosion and need painting/rustproofing now, however, it would appear that the car is solid underneath with next to no welding.

The parcel shelf is curling up at the edges and looks as though a rubber seal may have melted in the South African sun and marked it in places.

The chrome on the door handles is a little tarnished but it’s not pitted and they still look very cool.

Under the bonnet the Traction Avant derived four cylinder engine is quite well buried by techno-trickery, but a beautifully styled alloy oil filler sprouts from it to let you know it’s still there. The green suspension spheres are recent.

Underneath the car both the outer driveshaft gaiters are torn and need replacing promptly to stop the joints degrading.

There are polyurethane bump stops fitted, possibly pointing to other polyurethane suspension bushes having been fitted.

There is some evidence of welded repairs, but they’re localised and look to be well executed – hardly surprising as they were done by specialist Citroën restorer.

This DS was bought new in South Africa in 1972 where it spent most of its life. The history includes receipts from the Nelson Mandela era, and the original bilingual owners’ handbook is in English and Afrikaans. There are records of South African service history up to around 80,000km.

The car came to the UK in 2019, and the first UK owner was an elderly gentleman in Devon, who spent a small fortune having the car refurbished by well know Citroën specialist, Salters, in Devon. There is supporting paperwork amounting to nearly £20,000.

New parts fitted include::

Alternator

Nearside wing mirror

Driver’s door mirror

Inner driveshaft joints

All friction dampers

Offside front kingpin

Both front wings

New suspension accumulator

Radiator

Water pump

Electric fuel pump

Spark plugs

Points

Coil

Ignition leads

Starter motor

Exhaust system

Steering rack

Four road spheres

Brake accumulators

All gear linkage bushes

Brake pads

Fuel tank

Fuel gauge sender

Heater matrix and valve

Steering relay

Rear suspension bump stops

Upper suspension ball joints

Choke cable

Four tyres

Windscreen

Windscreen rubber

Steering wheel and column

Headlight linkage rods and cables

Headlight switch

Highlights of the work Salters did include:

Repair rear accident damage, replace rear panel, boot floor, rear bumper, straighten and repair chassis rails

Repair corrosion in front of boot floor

Remove windscreen, remove roof, make welded repairs to screen pillars

Fit new boot lining

Repair driver’s seat mount

Replace leaking nearside front sphere

Service rear brakes

Replace lower ball joint gaiters

Replace front and rear suspension leg gaiters

Remove service and repair front footbrake and handbrake calipers

Overhaul cylinder head and fit unleaded valve seats, with new valves and guides

Repair driver’s seat frame

Overhaul brakes

Welded repair to bonnet

Clutch adjustment

Refit and secure headlight access panel

Adjust driver’s door

Overhaul carburettor, tune engine and reset carburettor

The current owner is a senior banker in the City of London, who used the car as his daily driver and only car. He used it regularly, including for business trips from London to Yorkshire.

It was last serviced on December 23rd 2021 at Citroën Classics; rear seat belts added at this point.

You’ve probably noticed we love a DS, and this one is a great spec, being righthand drive and with the five-speed manual gearbox, which makes it very useable in modern traffic. There are some paint faults, but even still, it’s the coolest car in the car park, whether you’re at Sainsbury’s or The Savoy.

Our estimate for this car Is £17,000 - £22,000.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.