1972 Citroën DS20 Pallas

We know this particular DS20 Pallas because we sold it to the vendor.

He bought it around 5 years ago and is only selling because he feels he’s not giving it the driving time it deserves.

The car came to the UK in 2019, having spent the previous 47 years of its life in South Africa, a country where, while they do have penguins, they don’t have snow, sleet or salted roads.

The man from whom the vendor bought the car came from a long familial line of DS owners and he invested accordingly large amounts of time and money ensuring that his newly imported purchase upheld the family tradition by being the best possible version of itself.

Among other work carried out on behalf of the penultimate owner between 2019 and 2021 are the followings highlights.

• New starter motor
• New carburettor
• New water pump
• Pressure test cooling system
• New timing chain
• Adjusted valves
• Greased suspension and steering
• Replaced rear suspension bump stops
• Replaced cup/rod bearings
• New clutch plate, pressure plate and thrust bearing
• Reconditioned pressure regulator accumulator sphere and fit new return pipe
• Reconditioned brake accumulator sphere
• Overhauled 5 suspension cylinders
• Fit new power steering dust covers
• Inspect rear brake linings, fit new wheel cylinder kits
• Fit new front brake callipers and brake pads, both sides
• Replace rear suspension rods
• New stainless exterior sill covers
• New fuel tank
• 321 Ignition upgrade
• New exhaust, tyres and battery
• New tinted windscreen
• Underseal removed and reapplied
• Roof removed and checked, fixed and replaced
• New door mirrors
• A repaint to ‘Delta Bleu’.
• New seat foam inners and new black leather facings, front and back

Most of the work was tackled by The DS Workshop who, as you may have guessed, are DS specialists.

The vendor picked up the baton passed to him by his predecessor and carried on the work of restoring, preserving and enhancing the car.

He spent nearly £4,000 on replacing the roof lining, fitting new rear mud flaps, replacing the fuel sender gauge and voltage regulator box, and ensuring that various items of exterior and trim were in the correct ‘Pallas’ spec. 

‘Pallas’ denotes the factory’s luxury grade spec and includes such niceties as better noise insulation, more luxurious leather upholstery (with the driver’s seat being height adjustable) and some external trim embellishments.

The car starts on the button, rises up on its magical suspension system with all the grace of a hovercraft, and glides along as smoothly as an otter in an evening suit. 

Just before the vendor dropped the car off with us the driver’s door lock mechanism suffered a typically Gallic fit of pique and, no doubt with some sort of mechanical shrug, refused to allow opening of the driver’s door from the inside. 

It can, of course, be opened from the outside and, with the window wound down, the external door handle can be reached from the inside.

We don’t imagine there’s much more to fix or replace than a wayward nut, clip or washer.

The bodywork is straight, true and devoid of any consequential dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds that shouldn’t be there.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are consistent and even, too, with the only real exception being the boot, which isn’t laser-like in its flush-ness with adjacent panels.

The vendor had in his possession a replacement boot, which seems to have gone astray somewhere between him and his chosen automotive mechanics. 

If we hear firm news of its whereabouts, we’ll be sure to let you know. 

The Delta Bleu paintwork – which we think is the very best colour for these cars – has retained plenty of shine and lustre. It fair pops and sings in the sunshine.

The grey roof (the original aluminium item was replaced by a glass-fibre one some time ago), is in very good order.

Throughout, the chrome-work has stoically repelled any significant foxing, pitting or tarnishing.

The wheels are broadly decent aside from a few spots of surface corrosion in places.   

The car boasts an entirely standard number and distribution of stone chips, light scratches and small scuffs here and there, but by no means everywhere. 

Here’s what we found.

There’s a small defect to the paint atop the n/s/f wing; a slightly sub-optimal touch-up to the paintwork on the nearside of the bonnet; a little scarring to the paint on the driver’s side of the bonnet; a small spot of bubbling at the top of the o/s/r wing where it meets the door; some scratches beneath the chrome trim on the o/s/r door; and a little bubbling at the base of the driver’s door, and a chip to the front edge of the same. 

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in decent order, as far as we can tell. 

With its lovely new headlining and barely used re-upholstered black leather seats, the interior of this DS is every bit a match for its exterior counterpart in terms of quality and, of course, signature marque and model idiosyncrasy and eccentricity.

The single-spoke steering wheel is in good order and looks as futuristic today as it must have done in 1972.

The door cards are good, save for a few scuffs and scratches here and there.

The seats, front and back, are comfortable, supportive and as good to look at as they are to sit on.

Someone seems to have got a bit carried away a glue gun, as there’s a fair bit of surplus adhesive in evidence on the passenger sun visor and around the edges of the carpets in the car and, even more so, in the boot.

As far as we’re aware, all of the refreshingly analogue and charmingly quirky buttons, knobs, switches, dials, levers and instruments do what they’re supposed to do without complaint, delay or dissent. The car also features the ever desirable rear venetian blind which simply needs to be re fitted.

As ever with a DS, opening the bonnet on this car has elicited comments along the lines of “What’s that?”, “Why have they put that there?” and, of course, just plain, “Why?”

The answers to those questions are well above our pay grades, so we’ll just let you know that everything we can see looks clean, dry, orderly and almost certainly located more or less where Citroën intended it to be. 

The undersides have given us no cause to frown, tut or otherwise question the car’s integrity, character, motives or personal hygiene. 

The car comes with bills and invoices detailing work carried out on the car while it’s been in the vendor’s tenure, plus documents outlining the work carried out previously by the DS Workshop.

In addition to a V5C, recent HPI check and an International Citroën Car Clubs Rally hardback book, the car comes with some original South African registration doucuments.

We like a Citroën DS20 Pallas, we really do.

But only if all of the many and varied mechanical pitfalls that can await the unwary have been hunted down, confronted and banished.

This splendid car allays our fears on that front and it seems to us to be a properly sorted example that’s just a friendly nudge and a gentle prod away from being in truly first-class all-round condition.

It will surely make its next owner very happy indeed. 

What’s not to like?

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £17,000 - £22,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.