1972 Citroën DS21 Pallas

Originally restored by Rod Burwell in the late 1980s, I purchased this car in early 2020. I spent the next couple of years making improvements to it and drove it from Kentucky to Citroëns at Carlisle in 2022. My priorities have shifted so it’s time to move it along to someone else who can enjoy it and continue the rolling restoration. Odometer reads 82,170 miles.

Additional photos [https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAXh7z]

Body:

• Rust-free front fenders installed
• Aluminum (not fiberglass) roof repainted black by the previous owner
• Fiberglass trunk lid (rust-free steel trunk lid included)
• Fiberglass left rear fender
• Door and fender bottoms covered in stainless steel décor panels. There is some rust underneath on the door bottoms that will need repair
• Some rust in sills and rear bumper mounts. Most sheet metal repair panels for these areas included, sourced from Citroën Classics
• Some new body rubber trims and gaskets included

Wheels:

• All five wheels powder coated. Four Pallas hubcaps included
• New Vredestein Sprint Classic tires mounted and balanced

Electrical/Lighting:

• US headlight buckets installed with Hella H4/H1 headlight inserts
• European taillights
• European turning lights/linkages with Cibie Bi-Iode lamps included
• European rear turn signal trumpets and lenses included
• European front turn signals included
• LED instrument lighting
• Auxiliary gauges for coolant temperature and voltage
• Delco CS130 alternator conversion (internal voltage regulator)
• Previous owner rewired the engine compartment and used weatherproof multiple pin connectors to replace the original bullet connectors

Interior:

• Headliner redone by previous owner
• Black leather door panels are in nice original condition, right front has some splitting on the arm rest
• Leather front seats are covered in custom-made black sheepskin covers
• Rear seat bottom needs reupholstering
• Custom-made leather steering wheel cover
• New seat belts in front. New rear three-point belts included but not installed

Engine:

• Compression numbers (cold): #1 – 145 PSI, #2 – 145 PSI, #3 – 130 PSI, #4 – 135 PSI
• Weber 28/36 DMD 1 carburetor rebuilt by Chris Dubuque
• New NGK Iridium spark plugs and Bougicord wires
• Ducellier A253 distributor with Pertronix ignitor and new cap and rotor (SEV Marchal A249 with new points cassette included)
• Ignition timing scale added

Exhaust:

• Emissions air plate deleted with air tubes blocked and new manifold gaskets installed
• Complete new exhaust, including down pipe, installed in 2020

HVAC:

• New heater core and heater valve
• New fresh air tubes
• Original Coolaire A/C system (minus compressor) removed from car and included
• Pair of brand-new A/C condensers included

Suspension/Hydropneumatic System:

• Suspension is nice and smooth as it should be
• Height adjustment works as it should, car raises and lowers fine and will stay up for some time in high settings
• All four suspension spheres recharged (two rebuilt) by David Hume
• Main accumulator and brake accumulator rebuilt by David Hume
• Rear suspension push rod ball joint cups re-contoured and new ball bearings, rubbers and clips installed. No longer pops when suspension is raised and lowered
• New front ball joint boots.

Transmission/Axles:

• BVH transmission shifts smoothly
• Front axles removed, disassembled, and re-greased, fitted with new triaxe boots and new outer universal joint boots.

Spare Parts/Tools:

• Many spares included. I dismantled a rusty but complete 1972 DS21 Pallas parts car and kept everything worth salvaging including:
  • Engine/transmission
  • All glass (windshield, side windows, rear window)
  • Axles, hubs, suspension parts, wheels
  • Trim, lenses, gauges, etc.

Literature:

• Original DS21 owners manual, warranty/service booklet
• “Citroen 19-20-21-23 Owners Workshop Manual” by Brooklands Books
• “Citroen DS & ID Gold Portfolio” by Brooklands Books
• “Why Citroën” by JP Chassin
• “Original Citroën DS” by John Reynolds
• “The Classic Citroëns, 1935-1975” by John Reynolds
• Miscellaneous back issues of Citroënthuisast club newsletter

Needs:

• Currently runs a bit warm (180F+) in warmer weather. Radiator may need to be re-cored.
• Steering rack leaks slightly so it should be rebuilt. Likely the cause of the short pump cycle time (about 4 seconds)

Located in Louisville, KY.

Price: $12,000 USD.