eBay: DS Decapotable

[ThwartedEfforts]

Okay then gents, bets as to how much this old girl will go for . . ?

1974 CITROEN DS CONVERTABLE French Blue



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0316372824

Starting bid £5,999.00 with reserve unknown. The page has already had 523 hits this evening alone so presumably the guy is currently fielding a billion messages from dealers and restorers and people who might just want to pay a decent sum to own it and drive it won't get a look in.

Ah well.

[andmcit]

I guess a plastic one is the nearest anyone will ever get unless they have massive amounts of £'s!
Actually, did anyone see that recent Citroen ad featuring a studio shot of a DS going on about
how desirable "even" old Citroens had become!!

Andrew

[demag]

Shame really for such a beautiful car that its been let go. It really looks quite tatty now. I wouldn't be surprised if it spent its year off the road under that tree. Whoever wins it will have to spend another 5k restoring it.

[ThwartedEfforts]

I guess a plastic one is the nearest anyone will ever get unless they have massive amounts of £'s!

Well, even the non-decaps had a fibreglass top

What do you know about this particular variant? All I know is that they're hugely desirable and particular convertibles by particular coachbuilders go for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The one thing that concerns me about the car on eBay is the lack of mention of any history, and the fact the mileage is described as being "on the clock" - which to me means it's been round past 99,999 a few times!

[andmcit]

There was an outfit in Malvern IIRC in the early 90's that was chopping up normal D's and for around £5k offered the conversion. I saw these at the Citroen Rally at Worcester and seem to recall the quality of the hood and general finish wasn't that brilliant -items mentioned in fact by this seller including the side door glasses. What isn't clear is whether the car came from SA originally as a 4 door and was chopped about here by this or a similar operation or one back in SA.

My worry is the whole lot could be scrap even after a significant amount of money is hawked about by enthusiasts drawn by the romance and rarity of the pukka versions which as you correctly say are understandably BIG money well past £50k.

What this is likely to be, is no more than buchered about conversion that reading between the lines is incomplete/disintegrating/unfinished normal D that would need lots spending on it especially the glass and roof to end up with a car than would never look 'right' (if based on a saloon and not a safari chassis) and won't feel together/stable/taut when driven...

I'd say spend the money this will likely end up going for on a real 4 door Ds - and fit a big webasto sunroof or even remove the fibreglass lid altogether for a rare 4 door convertible!!

Andrew

[ThwartedEfforts]

Thank you Andrew, fount of all knowledge as always.

I stuck in a bid knowing full well the reserve would not be met, but it was more a 'foot in the door' than a genuine offer - wanted more time to find out about the car before the guy pulled it after getting annoyed at having 0 bids stare back at him each time he logged on. I think we've all been there.

Like I said above I had a number of suspicions chief among those being its history. I did wonder if there were outfits who chopped a 4-door DS about particularly as I'd not seen a RHD decap before - they were all early variants and LHD.

We'll see what happens eh, some time to go yet 'til the auction ends.

[andmcit]

To be fair, or re-reading the auction when I'm more awake, the seller does mention the car was converted in the UK.
I did a Google on Dee-Ess conversions Worcester and this came up which sounds like the same car:

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/cla ... carno/7462

apart from the reference to Irish Registration - is there ANOTHER one under a car cover in someone's garden then!!?

IIRC I've got a leaflet and even a dodgy topless model poster somewhere among all the Citroen literature collection
but may take some time going through it all to find anything although there may be something in an old Citroenian.

Andrew

[andmcit]

From further Googling:

http://www.citroenet.org.uk/passenger-c ... tible.html

The doors on the Chapron cars were far longer, the sills and underpinning box section were significantly
altered and the rear deck is longer and careful study of the ebay car shows a stumpier rear end and rear
saloon bumper not quite sitting right with shorter side quarters. The giveaway too are the corners of the
front screen surround with the bracket blanks covering the cut roof channel.

Andrew

[Featch]

I have always thought that the DS was without doubt most elegant, beautiful, coolest, etc, etc, car ever made.

But I have to say.... here goes..!!!! This pitiful example is an abomination.

[andmcit]

I think a D saloon in a nice colour would fit the bill for the sexiest coolest etc car. It doesn't need the top chopped off
- one of the features I love about the DS are the cornetto cone indicators clinging onto the roof above the abrupt rear
screen. It's been said many times, but there's nothing else out there quite like like it. In hindsight I should've bought
one of the cars I've been on the brink of buying at times in the past.

Andrew