Stored Two Decades: 1971 Citroen DS21 Safari
The seller says this 1971 Citroen DS21 Safari, known as a plain ol’ wagon in the U.S., has been in storage for most of the 23 years that they have owned it. That being said, it’s a running and driving car, it just needs some TLC. You’d have a hard time coming up with a more unusual car to drive to a Cars & Coffee event than this French wagon. Thanks to T.J. for the tip!
Sold in the U.S. market for 16 years (1956 through 1972), the Citroen DS came in the usual body styles, despite usually being seen in four-door sedan configuration. There was the four-door sedan, a two-door convertible, a luxury Pallas model, and the four-door wagon, or Safari as it was known in some countries. This example has several dings and dents, and some wrinkles and spots of rust around it, along with missing trim – which isn’t “missing”, it’s included but just isn’t installed.
How’s that for a unique tailgate? Very, very cool. With 108,354 miles, this car has been around the block a few times in California where it’s located, and I’m sure that climate has helped to preserve it, but also created some issues inside with the seating fabric and other soft materials, as it often does. We don’t know if the hydropneumatic suspension is working properly but I’m guessing it is since the seller mentions having installed new hydraulic spheres.
The interior doesn’t look as rough as I thought it might, but there’s work to do inside, too. The unique steering wheel is the stuff of Citroen legend, and this car has a four-speed Citromatic, a four-speed semi-automatic transmission with a column shifter. The back seat looks good and the rear cargo area is hiding some unique seats for extra, and maybe extra small passengers. This car would probably have a crowd around it almost anywhere.
The engine is Citroen’s 2,175-cc inline-four with a bit over 100 horsepower. Sending power through the unique semi-automatic transmission to the front wheels, this example is said to be in running and driving condition and needs a bit of TLC as you can see from the photos. It’s posted here on craigslist in Tarzana, California and the seller is asking $8,950. That’s a steal according to Hagerty, which lists a #4 fair-condition example at $13,000 and a #3 good car at $28,400. Here is the original listing. How much would you pay for this Citroen?
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Comments
Care to guess what that weird steering wheel is all about? That’s right, safety! And I like Citroens, probably because they look cool and they are so off-beat. Also, I’m sure about the wagons, but the sedan version can be driven on one rear wheel.
Sorry to have to correct you Terry but I think even Citroen weren’t clever enough to build a car that ran on ONE wheel, but I know what you mean as I have seen an ID 19 drive around a race track at a fair lick with the right side rear wheel off. Unbelievable cars, so unbelievable that I was always scared to buy one but really wish I had as I travelled many miles as a passenger in my friend’s wagon and the ride was sensational whether it was on tarmac or corrugated dirt roads in Zimbabwe.
Barney Fife had the same thing happen to his Ford’s steering wheel….
Dig it…a french Checker wagon at the airport. Sorry but I would figure out a way to add fender skirts similar to the sedan!
Years ago I had seen a wagon with the full fenders like the sedan and it made it a completely different car! I have had 6 ID/DS sedans but could just never warm up the wagons for exactly that reason!!!
Already gone
In 1972, my mom was in the market for a new car. She test drove a couple of different makes including a blue Citroen DS-21 Pallas. She said the seats of the Pallas were the most comfortable of any car she ever rode in. She liked the driver’s visibility and the smooth ride, thought the mushroom brake pedal was weird and disliked the semi-auto transmission (moving the column mounted shift lever activated hydraulic valves and servos that operated the clutch and changed gears, an odd arrangement). She liked the car but, the lack of a fully automatic transmission was the deal breaker. *
A few days later, my mom ordered a new Audi 100LS which she kept as her daily driver for 28 years before selling it to an out-of-state collector.
* I suspect that French automakers may have an inherent inability to understand the U.S. market.
A rear face that only a mother could love.
Another on of “It’s so weird it’s cool” cars.
French maids, yes!
Citroen, no.
@JGD Wow, I’m impressed that your mom kept a ’72 100LS for 28 years! That was my first car and it was pretty cool (after I replaced the engine) but I had to sell it to pay tuition. Back to the matter at hand, my uncle had a ’68 DS21 wagon and he used to show off the smooth ride by heading for an impossible speed bump at high speed, passengers screaming.