1972 Citroën DS20 Super

It’s not a DS, it’s a Goddess, for that’s what Déesse (that’s ‘Day S’ to you mon ami) means in French. It still looks futuristic in 2022, and it was launched nearly 70 years ago in 1955.

Its futuristic styling and innovative technology are backed up its beautiful design, and it set new standards for ride quality, handling and braking. The only conventional thing about it is the fact that it has a petrol engine and four wheels – other than that leave your preconceptions at the door, please.

Your biggest fear with a Citroën DS shouldn’t be its complex but ultimately reliable suspension. As is often the case, rust is the DS’s biggest killer, but this one was subject to a full restoration in 2010 and looks to be in fine shape.

This DS’s dark metallic grey paintwork has a great depth of shine and overall is in very nice condition, as you’d expect from a car that had a professional restoration not so long ago.

We spotted some paint blemishes underneath the offside headlamp, but other than we couldn’t see anything to report – it’s a cracking looking classic Citroën.

If you’re wondering why the pictures show the car slammed to the ground and up on stilts, allow me to explain (apologies to DS experts reading). The very low position is how your DS will look when you go to get in it in the morning. When you start it, it will gracefully and apparently effortlessly rise to the driving height. The up in the air pics are actually the suspension setting you use if you need to change a wheel.

The car had two new bumpers during its restoration and the wheels were also refurbished, so it’s no surprise that all the brightwork is excellent. The car recently also had four new matching tyres.

Black vinyl and red velvet – this is an arresting interior, especially when you throw in Citroën’s off the wall design ethos. It’s all in very good shape too. Don’t expect things to be where they’d normally be though.

You’ll change gears courtesy of the lever sprouting from the righthand side of the steering column, and the ‘handbrake’ is a pedal to the left of the clutch. Don’t worry – it’ll become second nature before long, and you’ll wonder why all cars aren’t this way.

Later models like this one actually have a brake pedal, whereas earlier models had just a little mushroom shaped button. They both do the same thing – open a valve which allows pressure from the engine driven hydraulic pump to flow to the brakes, but the mushroom’s appearance was putting buyers off so Citroën went all conventional – in appearance anyway. Either way, take it easy on that pedal as the brakes are incredibly powerful.

There’s a modern stereo head unit on the dash and also what looks like some kind of Bluetooth adaptor, so the DS is wired for 21st century sound. These are complimented by some speakers mounted on the rear parcel shelf.

One of the door cards has come unclipped slightly from the door – it looks as though a smart smack with a hand would get it back in place easily enough. But other than some scuffing on the dash where the ignition key goes in we couldn’t really fault this DS’s interior.

The DS’s engine bay looks vaguely familiar to anyone with a basic understanding of the internal combustion engine, but there are also a lot of slightly odd looking parts – mostly painted green. The engine driven LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Minérale) pump supplies power to the suspension, brakes and steering.

The engine itself was a development of the Traction Avant unit, and is completely conventional. But even it has a lovely looking alloy valve cover that rises into a tower through which you add engine oil. Style abounds.

Even the car’s underside doesn’t look like any other car. It looks in good nick though. The only thing we spotted is that some of the underseal has started to lose its grip, and this could do with being reapplied to keep the car as sound as it is.

This DS20 was the subject of a major restoration in 2010, which included several new panels – front valance, both front wings and doors, plus a new bonnet and boot lid. The total bill for this work was nearly £10,000. There is also a selection of old invoices and MoT certificates. Invoices for more recent work include:

• 2023. Service and maintenance work at DS Workshop, totalling £2,663.11. Here an MOT was carried out and passed, expiring in January 2024 - not a requirement for a car of this age, but a very reassuring sign as to its condition.
• 2021. Major service, new handbrake and front brake pads, repairs to underside after car was incorrectly jacked up. £2095.
• 2021. New alternator and MoT work. £585.
• 2021. Servicing work including carb setup, brake work, wiring work, new wipers and LHM pump. £2300.

The owner says:

‘I'd always wanted a DS and bought this with a plan to have it converted to electric motion. I've used the car regularly and really enjoyed it. It's been from Oxford to Edinburgh and back twice and to London many times. I'm selling it because I found an older car that has features I prefer (push-button door handles, 1950s style dash etc). I'm going ahead with the electric conversion of that car.

‘On one of my trips to Edinburgh I had a high speed front wheel puncture on the M6 on the way back. As per the adverts back in the day, the car stayed level and completely under control. No drama. It now has brand new front tyres.

‘During my ownership the car has basic maintenance and some light restoration work as per the receipt from DS Workshop.

‘It’s in very good condition in general. It's 50 years old but hasn't had any serious bodywork done since a major renovation in 2010. To me, that indicates that the bodywork is very sound. There's no sign of rust bubbling through panels. It's been incredibly reliable.

‘The only non-standard aspects are the carpets, which are not original and certain small details like the B/C pillars, which are painted rather than lacquered alloy. During the year I’ve owned it it's been a good solid, reliable car.’

The DS is a stone-cold design classic, the like of which will never be seen again, sadly. This is a really nice one, and has already proved to be a reliable long distance classic for its current owner. So if you’re in the market for a classic car that you can fit all the family in and use regularly, you’ll struggle to better this one. We think this space-age French icon with fetch somewhere between £16,000-£21,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.