1975 Citroën DS 23 Pallas

Owned by just the one family from new, this last-of-the-line, top-of-the-range Citroen DS23 Pallas is resplendent in Midnight Blue with a white roof. Fitted with the 2.3-litre carburettor engine and the manual gearbox, it’s 110mph top speed and magic carpet ride makes it an effortless long-distance grand tourer.

Imported to the United Kingdom from South Africa, its condition is remarkable not only because it’s come from a country that has no need to use salt on its roads in the winter, but because its owners treated it very much as a member of the family, as you can see here, in their own words:

“Our story of the ‘Midnight Blue Citroën’. Johannes Andries Steenkamp, or ‘Kalfie’ as he was known, bought the DS23 from John Powel Motors in Springs, Transvaal, South Africa for his five little ones - and later seven – with everyone tucked in the back for Sunday cruises. On one such day the car had a flat tire. To everyone's excitement, we then continued on three wheels!

“We enjoyed the car for many years. Kalfie passed away on on the 8th of May 2011 and the car then went to Zian and Jandré Steenkamp, the two sons of his son, Johann, who died on May 9, 2012.

“We hope the dignified old car will enjoy a quiet life with its new owner. Annette Steenkamp.”

Update: The UK owner has just continued that care with a raft of minor works.

Your biggest fear with a Citroen DS shouldn’t be its complex but ultimately straightforward suspension. Oh no, the thing that should keep you awake at night’s is rust and the DS’s propensity to dissolve in front of their loving owners’ eyes…

Not that this is a concern here because the hot South African climate means their cars are free of the sort of rust, rot and welding bodgery that haunt UK and French cars.

So, while the body does have the odd dink and mark, it’s straight and free of corrosion. The panel alignment is pretty good too, which is almost certainly a corollary of it never having been disassembled to sort any rust issues out. The paint shines well too, and the combination of a dark Midnight Blue body and a white roof shows the DS’s lines off to perfection.

The 15-inch steel wheels are covered with huge chrome hubcaps, all of which are in great shape. The matching Federal tyres are good too, and while they’re relatively narrow at 185mm, that wonderful suspension ensures there’s no shortage of grip and the 80-series sidewalls work in conjunction with the hydropneumatic suspension to give what many consider to be the best ride of any vehicle ever built.

Plus, as we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching tyres like this are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems? Well, some of the chrome is flaking in places (#29, for example) but it’s a straight and strong car that could be eased back to its former glory with considerably less trouble and expense than the usual rust-riddled examples you see for sale.

You might also like to take a look at one of the bonnet catches as it needs adjusting, and while you’ve got your precision head on, the nearside door chrome trim is fouling the front wing when you open the door.

The interior is pretty darned good as well. While we sometimes see a cracked and faded interior as a result of a life spent in the same hot sun that has protected the car’s bodywork, this one’s is still fresh and undamaged, which leads us to conclude that it was almost certainly kept garaged.

Take a look, for example, at the seat base and frame; while so many we see are rusty, these are still beautifully finished and look as good now as they ever have. This might seem like a small thing to focus on but it’s the small things that add up to make a car great, isn’t it?

The black dashboard is unsullied and sports only its factory complement of dials, gauges and switches. The trademark single-spoke steering wheel and complete absence of wood and leather might be the antithesis of the British luxury car model but there’s no denying the French car’s more modern look works just as well as one we might consider to be more traditionally luxurious.

The tan vinyl seats and door cards lighten up the interior perfectly, and their condition is commensurate with the car’s obviously careful curation. The front seats are so wide as to almost comprise a full-width bench and, wonderfully, that central front armrest is easily removable (#95) making it even easier to canoodle in there…

They are still as plump and as comfortable as you’d expect of a car with the DS’s emphasis on passenger comfort – and the rears are in an even better condition. They were obviously very well behaved kids, weren’t they?

The door cards are in great shape too, and just take a look at the huge chrome door handles whose shape echoes that of the vast armrests; aren’t they to die for?

The grey headlining is taut, clean, and undamaged, too. The carpets are just as good and lifting them shows solid, well-painted metalwork underneath.

Problems? Well, aside from a deep clean the only issue we can see is the driver’s seat, which has a small split in it.

The engine bay is clean and very neatly arranged. Home to the spare wheel and a new matching tyre plus the classic green LHM reservoir, we can see a new battery in there. Speaking of maintenance, July 2019 saw the front brake calipers overhauled and new pads fitted in addition to a service and fresh sparkplugs.

The underside looks as strong and rust-free as you’d expect. There’s evidence of recent expenditure on the exhaust and while there’s nothing to remedy under there, a prudent owner would consign the car to someone like Before ‘n’ After to have it professionally rust-proofed and undersealed to ensure its continued good health.

Work to do is minor. 

And is as comfortable as any we’ve ever driven (“it drives really well, and the engine was smooth”) .

UPDATE: the vendor has had the car fettled by a Citroen specialist who has completed the following: new starter motor, fixed the occasional reverse gear engagement issue, smoothed out the idle, fixed exhaust leak, fixed the headlights and indicators and ensured the headlights swivel as they should. The Citroen now drives as well as it should, the video will be updated very shortly, and the invoice uploaded when we receive it. 

The Citroen’s MOT certificate, which is valid until February 2022, was gained without a single advisory point.

Unlike so many imported vehicles, the paper trail is actually quite reasonable and includes family photos and memoirs of the car. It also has an old invoice for the most recent service work plus its South African Certificate of Registration. Importantly, there is also a letter from the HMRC confirming that the appropriate VAT and duty has been paid. The buyer will need to complete UK registration.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this paperwork, paperwork that supports the vendor’s claim that this was a well-loved member of a distinguished family..

A handwritten letter is included in the gallery, the following text is what the vendor has provided us with. "Our story of the Midnight Blue Citroën Dr. Johanness Andries Steenkamp Gynecology & Obstetrician or as he was known Kalfie, bought the Citroen from John Powel Motors in Springs in 1975 for us and the five little ones, later there were seven, everyone in the back of the car on Sunday afternoons "cruises" were always a pleasure.

On one such day there was a flat wheel. To everyone's excitement we then continued on three wheels. We enjoyed the car for many years.

Klafie died in March 2011. The car then went to his son, Johann who died in 2012, to his two sons Zian and Jandré Steenkamp. Hope that the dignified old car will enjoy a quiet old day -Annette Steenkamp

Achievements obtained by previous deceased owner of this DS Citroën Pallas Johannes Andries Steenkamp born 13 March 1941 Lived and went to school in Springs Jan Van Riebeeck Primary School and Huguenot Boys High School. Participated in rugby, cricket and tennis. His greatest passion was piano and he passed high grades and exams at Unisa.

After school he spoke at the University of Pretoria (Tukkies) where he obtained his MB ChB in 1967.

Internship was at Boksburg-Benoni Hospital 1 December 1967 to 30 November 1968. His first practicing Hospital as it is known today was Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg. Through the training of Dr. Lavery called Dr. Steenkamp further specializes in gynaecology and obstetrics. Dr. To this day,

Steenkamp maintains a record of most babies born in a year by one person in Baragwanath Hospital.

For his outstanding achievements, he was selected and requested to process his (RCOG) (O&G) MRCOG in 1976 by The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. With his studies in England, the very Dr. Kalfie Steenkamp from South Africa the deceased owner of the vehicle you are looking at also had the privilege of acting as the only Gynaecologist for your Elizabeth II - "Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, Queen of the United Kingdom" as well as after the time when she came to visit South Africa. 1980 Dr. Steenkamp and Dr. Van der Walt buys the Hospital St. Mary's Women's Academy Hospital in Springs, Gautheng, South Africa, where the Life group later bought it from them.

           Dr. J A Steenkamp Gynecolo

Almost every petrolhead has dreamed of owning a Citroen DS at one time – but most have, understandably, backed away fearful of the big Citroen’s capacity for bankrupting the unwary more quickly than anything this side of a V12 Ferrari.

And yet, any fears of mechanical complexity are almost certainly unwarranted because while the Citroen’s engineering might be unconventional it is straightforward.

More warranted would be any fears about rust and the cost of eradicating it from the DS’s many and varied nooks and crannies – and yet this car also manages to eliminate those worries, too. Freshly imported from South Africa, it’s solid and free of corrosion, making it the ideal canvas for the British enthusiast to dip their toes into the deep and refreshing pool that is the Citroen DS.

Nor is it going to cost its new owner a fortune; the vendor is a pragmatic man and while he knows the value of a rust-free car like this, he is also sensible enough to accept that the hammer price must reflect the need for some minor fettling.

With this in mind, we think it’s going to sell for somewhere between £23,000 to £30,000, which seems like fine value to us. 

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.