John Chassin in Chicago sent along two old photos that show him ice racing on a frozen Michigan lake. The car is an early 1960s DS19 with single lug wheels, X tires, front muffler and a quad headlight transplant.
The above pic shows the car going sideways and pulling the rear where it belongs. This one positioning the car for the next gate.
John still has his winning trophy!
John says;
“That the ID was one of many Ds I rescued and I was not expecting to win.”
He also rescued dumped DS from the early 1970s Citroën USA pull-out debacle and kept 21 in all, plus one Traction 4-cylinder and two 15-6s, one of which had hydraulic rear suspension.
John has been a Citroën enthusiast for over 50 years and has authored two wonderful books: https://citroenvie.com/john-chassin-citroeniste-extraordinaire/
John notes that he had the original pictures from the shooter of him ice racing in the DS that he wanted for insertion into his books. The shooter wanted them back and had since passed. So, for this article John send along the books’ pics and therefore as, John puts it — “the grainy mess”.
John still owns a D-Special that is his daily driver and two SMs.
“The sole reason I still have DSs and SMs is to be able to drive them. Well, a good set [SMs] for the summer’s dry road, and a D-Special that goes every other day of the year, no matter the road condition and salt seasonings.“
He also offers some recent medical advice;
“After a trio of unpleasant experiences, I have installed carbon monoxyde detectors in strategic locations. Since carbon monoxyde’s poisoning symptoms are fairly similar to a cardiac infarctus, hospitals take no chances. A few minutes of oxygen woulda done the trick. I have acquired a noticeable dislike towards hospitals. I do like CO detectors !!!
Accessorily, a rich mixture creates an exhaust rich in CO. A rich mixture can be caused by a leaking carburettor needle valve, a symbolic float and raw gas literally pouring down the intake. If you have an electronic ignition, the plugs will not flood and the beast runs unperturbed. Gas mileage had become ridiculous.
I had an empty O2 bottle which I swapped for a full one on with gauges, line and mask. Best coverage. Never again !“