1973 Citroën DS23 IE Pallas

This project car is a 1973 Citroën DS DS23 IE Pallas.

The Pallas designation means that it was absolutely the best in the range when it was registered in 1973, the year Edward Fox tried to kill Charles de Gaulle in The Day Of The Jackal (there are plenty of DSs on show in the film).

It is the most powerful and most luxurious DS produced.

The vibrant Delta Blue colour, brown leather interior and black roof make for a very classy combination. If, that is, you can imagine how it looked a few years ago.

Let’s be honest. The years have not been overly kind to this car. It has not completely succeeded in hanging onto the good looks for which it was famed. Perhaps that’s appropriate in a car that first hit the road in the year Brigitte Bardot retired.

But anyone with a good eye and a kind heart can still see that there’s a thing of beauty in there, although bringing it out will clearly take some effort.

The vendor is a young man with an absolute passion for Citroen DSs. He has three of them and is only selling this one because he doesn’t presently have the time or resources to do the project justice.

He rescued this one from an ignominious fate in a field and has spent time and money getting it to the point when it starts, goes and stops, and where it has sufficient mechanical integrity to be a viable project.

What it needs is someone with a passion for these genuinely iconic vehicles. Someone with a passion and some money. Someone with a passion, some money, some time, some patience, some imagination, and possibly one of two other DSs to serve as donors.

We think there are some of these people out there. Maybe, just maybe, you’re one of them.

Well, there are clearly some, er, issues.

There are areas of rust. There are holes where the areas of rust used to be. In fact, if there were any more holes you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a golf course. There are bits hanging off, bits missing, bits about to fall off, and bits that, despite all odds, look OK.

The n/s driver’s door (it’s LHD) has decided that it doesn’t want to open. The rear o/s door has made a similar decision, perhaps in a Gallic fit of pique, who knows?

The bottom edges of the n/s doors are mainly missing, having been first consumed with rust and then replaced by fresh air. Much the same can be said of the top of the rear o/s door. Needless to say, the tyres will need replacing however the decidedly bashed about wheels are not missing any hub caps.

Like we said, it’s a project.

You’ll see from the photographs that the vendor has sourced a variety of doors and panels to potentially serve as replacements. These will be included in the auction.

Despite the ravages of time, there’s enough intact paintwork to demonstrate that Delta Blue really is the best colour for this car. It’s not beyond the realms of the average imagination to picture just how fine it would look once restored. Also, although some panels have obviously succumbed to the creeping rot, those that haven’t are straight, true and largely as Citroen intended.

The vendor is confident that the black vinyl roof is the factory-fitted original.

The vendor thinks that the brown leather interior might well have been fitted at a later date and suspects that the original would have been black.

That said, the tan hide really does complement the blue exterior and carpets and, although undeniably battered and shabby, it doesn’t appear to be ripped anywhere or otherwise completely beyond redemption.

The interior, which has clearly seen better days, does have the benefit of being largely intact and complete. So, while the door cards may be scuffed and coming loose in places, they don’t appear to be actually broken or incapable of being repaired. It’s a similar story with the carpets.

The headlining, dashboard and door handles are a bit too far gone and, somewhat unusually for a car’s interior, there are areas of rust visible on, for example, the steering column, inside the glove box and in one or two other surprising places.

The vendor tells us that the dashboard lights up and the dials do what they’re supposed to do. The speedo, he tells us, works too.

The undersides of the car are showing more than their fair share of rust, as is the inside of the engine bay, which is rather dusty and unkempt, to say the least. But, the car starts and, as shown in the pictures, the self-levelling suspension is still doing its thing.

The vendor has had an entirely new exhaust system fitted. He has also shelled out for a new starter motor, battery, HT leads and a solenoid that allows the car to be started from the gear lever, which was originally the case with these.

He has also bought two new front suspension spheres which are ready to be fitted.

It’s usually a good thing when we can say that a car is pretty much original. Well, this one is. Although we’ll have to draw the line at praising the originality of the petrol in the tank. The vendor thinks that at least some of it will be over 20 years old.

But, as we’ve already said, against all odds, it starts, drives and stops. Which is both improbable and impressive.

The car is not currently taxed or MOT’d (the MOT ran out in June 2009).

There are one or two invoices. There is a set of keys. Aside from that, it has less history than Clint Eastwood in any of his ‘the man with no name’ film roles.

It is what it is.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

If someone wanted a DS as a project car, then the fact that this is the top-of-the-range Pallas model will work in this vehicle’s favour.

It could be restored to its former glory. Or, the vendor tells us, it could be decapitated and turned into a décapotable (cabriolet). Original décapotable DSs of this vintage are as rare as dents de poule (hens’ teeth) and can fetch as much as £200,000. If that’s a little too strong for your palate, you can get the job done yourself for something in the region of £35,000. The vendor, who knows about these things, assures us that Slovenia is the place to go to get the job done well and at the right price.

As we’ve said before, it is what it is. It’s a project.

If you’re up for the challenge, it could be a very rewarding and enjoyable challenge. It won’t be cheap or easy. But it might just be worth it.

We’re happy to offer this vehicle for auction with no reserve and an estimate in the range of £3,000 to £6,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in South Oxfordshire; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.