Citroën DS Cabriolet Usine

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Citroën
Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet (1969)
Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet (1969)
ID 19, DS 19, DS 21 Cabriolet "Usine"
Production period: 1960-1971
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Cabriolet
Engines:
Petrol engines : 1.9–2.2 liters (43–88 kW)
Length: 4840 mm
Width: 1790 mm
Height: 1470 mm
Wheelbase : 3125 mm
Empty weight :
successor Citroën SM my lord

Citroën DS Cabriolet Usine and Citroën ID Cabriolet Usine are cabriolet versions of the Citroën DS and ID that the French body manufacturer Henri Chapron produced for Citroën from summer 1960 to summer 1971 .

The vehicles were officially sold through the Citroëns dealer network. In German usage they are also referred to as factory convertibles. They are to be distinguished from other convertible conversions of the DS / ID series, which Chapron carried out in his own name. Today, convertibles are among the sought-after and high-priced classics that are several times higher than the prices for standard DS or ID sedans.

background

The Citroën DS (onomatopoeic: Déesse , French for goddess ) appeared in 1955 as a four-door sedan; Two years later, the outwardly largely identical, but technically simpler version ID ( Idée ) was added. The stylistically and technically unusual car was considered a sensation when it was launched. In addition to the independent body shape designed by Flaminio Bertoni , the hydropneumatic suspension was one of the special features of the front-wheel drive vehicle.

Even before the premiere of the DS sedan, Flaminio Bertoni was considering a convertible version. Bertoni's first sketches go back to 1954. Initially, however, they were not pursued any further because in the first few years the plant was primarily concerned with eradicating the teething troubles of the DS.

In 1958, the traditional Parisian body manufacturer Chapron realized a two-door DS convertible, which was called La Croisette . A little later, a two-door coupé version appeared. Both designs went back to Chapron's longtime designer Carlo Delaisse . After the presentation of both models at the Paris Motor Show in 1958, Chapron began manufacturing a small series. Citroën's management took up the idea of ​​a DS convertible in 1959. The factory commissioned Chapron to design a 2 + 2-seater convertible, which was included in Citroën's official program from September 1960. In addition to the DS, the ID (1960 to 1965) also came into consideration as a technical basis.

The factory cabriolets ( Cabriolets Usines or Cabriolets d'Usine ) were manufactured by Chapron; At the same time, Chapron continued to manufacture its own convertible versions. They differed from the factory cabriolets mainly outwardly.

Production of the factory cabriolets continued until August 1971. During this time, 1,325 DS and ID factory convertibles were built. Until 1977, Chapron manufactured individual additional convertibles at the customer's request, which externally corresponded to the Usines convertibles. There are around 110 original Chapron convertibles from the La Croisette , Le Caddy and Palm Beach series .

When Citroën gave up factory sales of the DS convertible in the summer of 1971, Chapron ran into economic difficulties. The company could not make up for the loss of orders. Chapron tried to establish a successor for the DS convertible with the "Mylord" , a convertible based on the Citroën SM; this very expensive model was unsuccessful on the market. It was only produced in single-digit numbers.

body

Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet
Wide B-pillar: convertible top of the Usine convertible

The body of the factory convertible was not designed by Chapron's designers, but by Flaminio Bertoni.

Chapron obtained from Citroën ready-to-drive DS and ID chassis with mechanics, front body and windshield.

The rest of the structure was manufactured at Chapron according to Bertoni's designs. This included extending the front doors by 18 cm. The rear fender was one piece; it was made from scratch at Chapron. In this respect, the factory convertibles differed from Chapron's early in-house creations: the latter had welded rear doors, whereby the gap between the door and the fender was initially freely visible and later covered by a vertical chrome strip. Only after Chapron had started production of the factory convertible did he take over the one-piece fenders for his own convertibles. Also, the wheel arches were made smaller and the rear bumper pulled around further.

The factory convertibles all had the standard windshields of the DS and ID sedans. In this they differed from many models from Chapron's own series, in which the windshield was usually - but not without exception - 6 cm lower in the interest of a lower roof line.

The convertible top of the factory cabriolet began immediately behind the door and, when opened, formed a wide B-pillar. This shape was similar to the Chapron convertibles La Croisette and Le Caddy . The Chapron Palm Beach , presented in 1963 , on the other hand, had two rear side windows and a narrower hood, so that the appearance of a hardtop was created when the hood is closed and the side windows are lowered. This Chapron construction was not taken over into the series production of the factory convertible.

The front section followed the development of the DS and ID sedan. With the introduction of the glazed, steering double headlights in autumn 1967, this design was also found on the factory convertibles. The rear section also followed the production version. Individual shapes with small rear wings or a tear-off rear, which could be seen on Chapron's own convertibles from 1964, did not exist in the Usines convertibles . The rear indicators were a special feature. On the production sedan, they were at the end of two tubes above the roof edge. Separate indicator housings were manufactured for the factory convertibles, which were placed on the fenders at the lower end of the convertible top. Chapron did not adopt these details for his own convertibles.

technology

The technology of the factory convertible corresponded completely to that of the series sedans. The technical basis was the chassis supplied by Citroën. Whether it is a chassis of the estate version Break or a limousine chassis specially prepared in the factory is a matter of dispute in the literature. Chapron also reinforced the chassis. Initially, the engine was a 61 kW (83 hp) version of the 1.9 liter four-cylinder from the DS or ID 19. From 1965 the works convertible was available as the DS 21 with a 2.1 liter engine, from 1969 to 1971 optionally as DS 21 Injection Electronique with an injection motor.

production

year ID Cabriolet DS Cabriolet
1960 1
1961 32 130
1962 28 181
1963 34 207
1964 5 179
1965 6th 121
1966 124
1967 82
1968 95
1969 47
1970 40
1971 13
All in all 106 1219
1,325

The DS and ID Cabriolet as a classic

The factory cabriolets for the Citroën DS and ID are sought-after classics for which very high prices are paid. The prices for convertibles are several times higher than for standard DS and ID sedans. While a Citroën DS Pallas 2.3 in excellent condition was traded for around € 30,000 in 2015, factory convertibles sometimes reached more than five times this price. In 2013 a DS 19 Cabriolet was sold at auction for € 162,150. In 2009, an original Usine convertible reached a price of € 337,500 at a Bonhams auction. In 2014 Classic Data noted a replacement value of € 210,000 for a factory convertible in excellent condition.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Ton Lohman: Hydro-culture. Float like God in France - with DS and ID, Citroën set off into the future . Oldtimer Markt, issue 8/1994, p. 9.
  2. ↑ Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 29.
  3. ↑ a b Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 68.
  4. ↑ a b c d Ton Lohman: Hydro culture. Float like God in France - with DS and ID, Citroën set off into the future . Oldtimer Markt, issue 8/1994, p. 14.
  5. ↑ For terminology cf. Dominique Pagneux: Henri Chapron . Carrosserie française, ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt, 2002, ISBN 2-7268-8602-7 , p. 39.
  6. ↑ Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 71.
  7. ^ Dominique Pagneux: Henri Chapron . Carrosserie française, ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt, 2002, ISBN 2-7268-8602-7 , p. 125.
  8. ^ A b Dominique Pagneux: Henri Chapron . Carrosserie française, ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt, 2002, ISBN 2-7268-8602-7 , p. 114.
  9. ↑ Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 72.
  10. ^ Ton Lohman: Hydro-culture. Float like God in France - with DS and ID, Citroën set off into the future . Oldtimer Markt, issue 8/1994, p. 15.
  11. ↑ Chapron followed the client's wishes for such detailed issues with his own convertibles.
  12. ↑ Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 74.
  13. ↑ Hans Otto Meyer-Spelbrink: Citroën DS. The most unusual car ever . Podszun Motor Books 2003, ISBN 3-86133-321-X , p. 76.
  14. ↑ Motor Klassik, issue 6/2015, p. 73.
  15. ↑ Auction report on the website www.bonhams.com (accessed on 2 June 2015);
  16. ↑ www.wunscholdtimer.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed June 2, 2015).@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.wunscholdtimer.de  
  17. ↑ www.yesterdaysauto.de (accessed on June 2, 2015).

Web links

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