On April 2, Hagerty published an article titled “Why Aren’t the 1955-75 Citroën DS and ID Worth More?”. The article’s title is a bit misrepresentative of its content. It provides a good ‘overview primer’ in discussing the unique virtues that makes the DS and ID so intriguing as well as the complexities that dissuades collectors from ownership. Of course, Hagerty chose to keep the content on a more superficial level to appeal to its broad automotive enthusiast readership. Although it is accurate and well written, the article doesn’t detail Citroën’s design and engineering that has made the DS one of the most respected and revered automobiles of the 20th century.
We have mentioned in Citroënvie that one reason the high-end ‘Chapron’ prices have cooled-down recently is because Peter Mullin is no longer trying to assemble his collection for the “Citroën: The Man, The Marque, The Mystique” exhibit that just wrapped up last March at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA. (He has purchased close to 40 Citroëns in the past 4 years). A number of Citroën owners saw high auction prices in 2015 and 2016 and put their cars on the market, flooding it to some extent. Recent auction prices, like those at Osenat (https://citroenvie.com/citroen-deals-at-osenat-fontainebleau-auction/) more accurately reflect what Citroëns (and the DS’s) are going for these days.
Citroën: The Man, The Marque, The Mystique” exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum.
Fortunately, the article’s author, Paul Duchene, reached out to Richard Bonfond who now lives in Henderson, Nevada. As Paul states; “Richard Bonfond is one of the top Citroën experts in the U.S. His father was Technical Manager for the Western U.S. and worked for Citroën in the U.S., Paris, Brussels, and Britain, owning numerous DS and ID models.” Richard correctly points out that; “The biggest problem is the cars are old.” He says, “Citroen is no longer here, the dealers have fizzled out, and people who muck around with the cars think they know better. Qualified technicians are few and far between, and you could count them on one hand in this country.”
Richard Bonfond
These are all valid points, but for the those that always desired to own a DS or ID, if they are prepared to deal with the challenges of their ownership, parts are readily available and good cars are out there. They can now be had for a relative bargain that should prove to be a good investment in the long run.
You can read the Hagerty article by Paul Duchene at: https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/04/02/why-isnt-the-citroen-ds-and-id-worth-more?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=18_Apr_04_HagertyNews