Citroën DS 23 Pallas restoration

Jan Naaijkens no longer turns a blind eye to restoring a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. In the meantime, there was that dormant desire to have one again someday Citroën DS, without the experienced professional being deterred by the complicated technology. “I can imagine those hydraulics after many Silver Shadows and the like,” he said lightly to himself. However, there were some catches. 

Text: Aart van der Haagen • Photography: Aart van der Haagen, Jan Naaijkens

Naaijkens found a project that failed prematurely at a dentist in Groningen. “A fully prepared chassis and the rest in boxes.” Not the simplest pike, but the most elaborate and complicated version: a Citroën DS 23 Pallas Injection Électronique from 1973 with a halfaautomatic. “D-Jetronic from Bosch. Nice when these cars were new, but with such an oldtimer a guarantee of misery, which is why I replaced the system with a double Weber carburetor.”

Look, that saves you from taking some aspirin, just like the fact that the restorer was able to leave the shell untouched. “It looked so neat that I had to make an effort to determine what had been repaired. The sills, among other things. Everything was neatly blasted and primed. Could I with the rest of the Citroën DS 23 Pallas gets to work, starting with the technology. I have renewed or overhauled literally every part. The complete suspension, the brakes, the gearbox with differential and the engine.”

Scared the hell out of me

Ask an experienced person Citroën-old school mechanic to repair the halfaadjust the automatic and at best you will see it shudder. “First of all, I overhauled the gear unit, with five valves that alternately direct the oil to the four gears or reverse,” says Naaijkens. “You do the adjustment on the go, via a mechanism on the intake manifold, next to the carburetor.” The sheet metal underwent a wellness treatment in a lye bath at Autobeitserij Holland in Hoogezand. “The roof, hood and fenders appeared to be in very reasonable condition; I just had to remove the well-known pimples around the headlights and weld new pieces in there. Nothing could be done with the trunk lid and the doors, which had already been tampered with. I had to buy it new in Germany and I was shocked by the prices. 1.100 euros per door…”

Mother of pearl effect

Thanks to a lot of attention to details, the Citroën DS 23 Pallas looks radiant. It is only at a second glance that you notice something special about the sleek lacquer surface: a mild mother-of-pearl effect. “Through Google I found a picture of a DS in a beautiful Renault shade and after some research I managed to find the correct color number.”

Also an expression of our own taste is the blue carpet on the floor, extended into the trunk.” Fresh leather shines on the door panels, where it still appears authentic on the seats. “It was colored black again. I painted the dashboard in special black textured paint, which is only available in England.” The. stays in the company of a black Traction Avant Citroën DS 23 Pallas warm and dry in the Auto Oomen showroom in Bavel. Not as a decor piece, but for sale. “I worked on the restoration every day for a full year and when I saw the end result, I thought the car was too beautiful to drive around.” Another restoration project is already underway, namely a Mini. Nice and uncomplicated. 

Would you like to read the full story about the restoration of the Citroën DS 23 Pallas by Jan Naaijkens. The entire restoration report can be found in the March issue of Auto Motor Klassiek. It is now in the store.