Citroen DS 19 Pallas 1968

 Citroen SD 19 Pallas 4 door sedan.

This a rare and amazing car.

This car had been purchased for parts. in a non-working condition. It was never actually used for parts and has just been sitting in the high desert of California for a number of years.

The hood latch appears to be stuck on one side. making it difficult to get good photos and to see if the engine can be turned.

There are some signs of rust.

The two front doors appear to be locked or stuck.

The radiator is missing.

The tires are shot.

The interior needs new upholstery and headliner.

From the photos. the engine seems to be complete.

Due to the limits of the odometer. actual mileage is unknown.

There has been some damage due to rodents. such as the engine fan has been chewed.

This still would make a good project car or as parts.

This vehicle is being sold As-Is with not warranty.

If you have any questions. please ask.

Information from Wikipedia:

Model history

After 18 years of secret development as the successor to the Traction Avant. the DS 19 was introduced on 5 October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show. In the first 15 minutes of the show. 743 orders were taken. and orders for the first day totalled 12. 00.

Contemporary journalists said the DS pushed the envelope in the ride vs. handling compromise possible in a motor vehicle.

To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II. and also building its identity in the post-colonial world. the DS motor car was a symbol of French ingenuity. The DS was distributed to many territories throughout the world.

It also posited the nation's relevance in the Space Age. during the global race for technology of the Cold War. Structuralist philosopher Roland Barthes. in an essay about the car. said that it looked as if it had "fallen from the sky". An American advertisement summarised this selling point: "It takes a special person to drive a special car".

The high price tag. however. hurt general sales in a country still recovering from World War II. and a cheaper submodel. the Citroën ID. was introduced in 1957. The ID shared the DS's body but was less powerful. Although it shared the engine capacity of the DS engine (at this stage 1. 11 cc). the ID provided a maximum power output of only 69 hp compared to the 75 hp claimed for the DS19. Power outputs were further differentiated in 1961 when the DS19 acquired a Weber-32 twin bodied carburetter. and the increasing availability of higher octane fuel enabled the manufacturer to increase the compression ratio from 7. 5:1 to 8. 5:1. A new DS19 now came with a promised 83 hp of power. The ID19 was also more traditional mechanically: it had no power steering and had conventional transmission and clutch instead of the DS's hydraulically controlled set-up. Initially the basic ID19 was sold on the French market with a price saving of more than 25% against the DS. although the differential was reduced at the end of 1961 when the manufacturer quietly withdrew the entry level ID19 "Normale" from sale. A station wagon variant. the ID Break. was introduced in 1958.

The ID19 followed the DS19's example in using a punning name. While "DS" is pronounced in French as "Déesse" (goddess). "ID" is pronounced as "Idée" (idea).

The DS was the first mass production car with front power disc brakes. It also featured hydropneumatic suspension including an automatic leveling system and variable ground clearance. power steering and a semi-automatic transmission (the transmission required no clutch pedal. but gears still had to be shifted by hand). though the shift lever controlled a powered hydraulic shift mechanism in place of a mechanical linkage. and a fibreglass roof which lowered the centre of gravity and so reduced weight transfer. Inboard front brakes (as well as independent suspension) reduced unsprung weight. Different front and rear track widths and tyre sizes reduced the unequal tyre loading. which is well known to promote understeer. typical of front-engined and front-wheel drive cars.

As with all French cars. the DS design was affected by the tax horsepower system. which effectively mandated very small engines. Unlike the Traction Avant predecessor. there was no top-of-range model with a powerful six-cylinder engine. Citroën had planned an air-cooled flat-6 engine for the car. but did not have the funds to put the prototype engine into production. Despite the rather leisurely acceleration afforded by its small four-cylinder engine. derived from the Traction Avant. the DS was successful in motorsports like rallying. where sustained speeds on poor surfaces are paramount. and won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1959 and controversially in 1966. after the disqualification of the BMC Mini-Cooper team. In the 1000 Lakes Rally. Pauli Toivonen drove a DS19 to victory in 1962.

The DS placed fifth on Automobile Magazine's "100 Coolest Cars" listing in 2005. It was also named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers. including Giorgetto Giugiaro. Ian Callum. Roy Axe. Paul Bracq. and Leonardo Fioravanti.

Technical innovation – hydraulic systems

In conventional cars. hydraulics are only used in brakes and power steering. In the DS they were also used for the suspension. clutch and transmission. although the later ID19 did have manual steering and a simplified power-braking system.

At a time when few passenger vehicles had independent suspension on all wheels. the application of the hydraulic system to the car's suspension system to provide a self-levelling system was an innovative move. This suspension allowed the car to achieve sharp handling combined with very high ride quality. frequently compared to a "magic carpet". The hydropneumatic suspension used was pioneered the year before. on the rear of another car from Citroën. the top of range Traction Avant 15CV-H.

Also published at eBay.com

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