It is hard to imagine that this beautiful Citroën DS Pallas 21 is over 50 years old. The revolutionary DS is still stunning! And Dick was certainly not the first to be affected by the Frenchman's lines, because that was also the case with the first owner.
By: Dirk de Jong
In the 70s, Duco Wiersma & Co in Leeuwarden was the main agent of Citroën† There, ophthalmologist Dr. Beintema of the Bonifatius hospital, this car is new. For him it was Citroën more than a name, the brand had a rich tradition and the DS was ahead of its time. The good service from the Citroënagent also played an important role in this. Despite its years of loving care, after a few years the rusty brown monster started to strike at the bottom and the car was sold on the advice of the MOT master. He ended up with an artist couple at the top of the coast in Friesland. It was to be a restoration project, but as so often we had to wait until there was space, there was money and until there was time to Citroën DS Pallas 21 tackle. All those things were missing, so the car was left out in the open for a long time. Of course, that's not good, so the decline progressed steadily.
Rescue
Fortunately for the artists = couple, a buyer showed up who bought the Citroën DS Pallas bought 21 for parts and the beautiful interior, because the bottom was now very crispy. This lover was completely captivated by Citroën† He still wanted to make an effort to save the DS and prolong its life through a major restoration that lasted more than a year and returned the car to new condition.
A story of regret
Sometimes people do stupid things and after years of sharing love and suffering, the car was sold to Dick, with the DS going back to Leeuwarden where it once made its first kilometers at the ophthalmologist. Dick Dijkstra bought the car together with his friend Peter Jeeninga, also a man completely under the spell of Citroën† To describe all the adventures, about the many vacations and journeys in Europe, would take too long. The technique remained excellent, only the rust devil came back, also because Dick just parked the car outside because he had no available interior space.
Pitfalls in restoration
Peter withdrew because the Citroën DS Pallas 21 had to go under the 'knife' again. A matter of accuracy, of perseverance and carefully keeping an eye on the finances was the task Dick gave himself in the recovery. He had meanwhile bought another house with a heated garage so that the restoration – which took a year – was better this time.
Additional bonus
What should not go unmentioned: The owner from whom Dick bought the DS became a true friend and the enthusiasm for Citroën gave both a lot of energy. As classic and old-timer enthusiasts, we have known for a long time that this hobby is contagious. Two adventurous and fascinating people, distinctive with their own style fascinating as Citroënlovers.
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My DS now also needs a makeover.
With original odometer reading of 88800.
Will be a beautiful car again!
My best memory of the DS is with my neighbor in the back and his 23 Pallas DS's from the South of France to collect at the weekend. (Early 90s) I was then allowed to drive his car back to NL, whiz over the peage at 160 km/h at night, wonderfully in that soft fabric seat, enjoying the car, I still miss my own D-special very much regularly.
If I really have to choose one car that I get in my hands in perfect condition? The DS, without a doubt! Somewhere a shed with straw along the sides and then walk with the key to such a DS. Starting the engine and watching the car quietly creep up: there's something erotic about it. And then the furnishings: a first-class salon. A nice sixties hit from the boxes and drinking a coffee with a nice comrade somewhere on a terrace.
Powerful cars, very comfortable, but very rusty and prone to malfunctions and very difficult to tinker with. The successor, the CX, was already a lot better and easier to maintain.
I don't recognize any interference. They are actually very robust cars.
The 30s predecessor Traction Avant was even available for 2 years in parallel with the DS.
A world of difference between the two models.
“And the Ds was way ahead of his time”. I often read that sentence when it comes to the motivation for the love for a Rev.
Ahead of time, of course, a fact, but was that a leading motivation for purchase? Just to now.
Then you wouldn't want a Ds anymore. The Ds is now really not far ahead of its time. And you can also ask yourself whether the buyer at the time wanted to be ahead of his time. So, “Unfortunately I live in the '50s but I want to get to the '70s. If necessary via my car, because I can't wait." Everything outdated.
So there's probably another reason why people drove and drive a Ds: The model is so beautiful. The driving is so nice. It's so nice. My grandfather had one too. I like complex technology. I'm a Francophile (it's called love). I don't know why (it's called infatuation).
I think the latter. Then and now. That makes the Rev.
Dear Jeroen,
It must be the case that the car was way ahead of its time.
I read that the DS is no longer ahead of its time………..??
what is your concern then, what is that progress? That there is now electronics, navigation, cruise control and especially a lot of feedback to the government and manufacturer?
I now drive daily, since the 90s with a DS, about 15 K kilometers/year.
This car is fine with daily traffic and I enjoy the comfort and the nice seats. (with modern cars I have pain in my back after about 4 hours).
So I think if the environmental knights give me that chance to keep recycling instead of throwing it away, I can go on for years to come. And that is also nice and quiet without all that digital bustle.
What I mean, everyone has their own experience, as an example:
When I drive 500 kilometers through France in the middle of summer with my Id, I arrive at my destination very differently than when I do it with my C5 || do.
With the Id it is much more fun and intense and certainly still doable.
Jeroen, you don't have to justify yourself because the DS was ahead of its time, and far! 1955 in production and still not obsolete after 15 years. It did not depend on navigation, cruise control or central door locking, but upgrades such as: injection, rotating headlights, engine capacity ... and the DS could last for years again! That, yes that is way ahead of your time: model lines, all recognisably remained the same, so clever by the way!! Unparalleled comfort and suspension system, class!
One of the best vacation memories. In a friend's pike to watch the tour in France together. In the village near the campsite where we camped with both families, the tour would come long. So we go there in his pike. Unfortunately the access road was closed so the riders had just passed when we got to the village. Therefore to the next village, which we were not allowed to enter because the tour came along. Eventually three villages further parked the car on the edge of the village and continued on foot. After half a minute a few motorbikes flew by, Then a few police motorbikes with sirens screaming and then in fifteen seconds 180 cyclists passed our spot. We recognized a few shirts but in the crowd of riders it was impossible to recognize faces at the speed they were going. At the end of the afternoon we had ridden almost 200 km and saw the cyclists for just a few seconds. But gliding through the rolling French landscape with some music and an arm out the window in the sun, that made the kilometers one of the holiday highlights.