A 1960 Citroën ID19 Le Paris owned by the Mullin Automotive Museum has won the prestigious title of Best in Show at Valletta Concours d’Elegance.
The second annual event, which this year took place in the baroque city of Valletta, Malta, thrilled attendees with a showcase of rare vehicles within the walls of the historic St. George’s Square. Vehicles exhibited included Alfa Romeos, MG, Jaguar’s E-type, Ford’s Mustang, Aston Martin’s DBS and Renualt’s Dauphine, to name but a few!
Selected as the best representative of the ethos promoted by the event in regards to history, presentation, elegance and condition, the Mullin Citroën is one of only three remaining examples from an exclusive production run of just nine original specimens, and the only survivor to retain its original ID chassis.
Peter and Merle Mullin purchased the ID in 2016, and fast-tracked a full, two-year restoration. One of the trickiest jobs was applying the new paint onto the car’s original Andalusia burgundy red exterior.
Peter and Merle Mullin pose beside their 1960 Citroën ID19 Le Paris.
‘I’ve always been intrigued by Citroën’s dramatic, avant-garde design and unparalleled engineering,’ explained Peter, founder and CEO of the Mullin Automotive Museum. ‘I’m honoured to have shared my fascination for this extraordinary automaker in Malta over the weekend. I’m even more thrilled that this car’s unique design and history were recognised as the very best among such beautiful vintage cars from all over the world.’
Henri Chapron crafted the Citroën Le Paris during 1958, after he first showed the La Croisette (a cabriolet version of the DS). Although both hand-built DS variants were well received by the public, the Le Paris hard-top version of the cabriolet never found the same popularity. Consequently, when Citroën decided to offer a premium 2 door DS, it was only the cabriolet that they opted to push into full scale production, and the model was renamed the ‘Usine’.
Once Citroën had started production of the ‘Usine’, manufacture of the Le Paris and La Croisette by Chapron ceased altogether. As Citroën added more sumptuous interior appointments as they evolved the DS sedan, their soft-top offering took on the name DS Cabriolet. Not that this action diminished the vehicle’s popularity, as these Chapron-infused DS vehicles remain highly coveted and sought after by collectors.
Mullin’s ID19 Le Paris will now return to the museum collection to reside with several notable examples of Citroën’s iconic styling and inimitable engineering that were part of a special Citroën exhibit at the museum in 2017 thru to March 2018. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, the legendary French automaker will grace the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as a featured marque and we expect that some of the Mullin Citroëns will participate in that.
You can find out more information about the winning Citroën and the Mullin Automotive Museum’s other exhibits on the official Mullin Museum website.
The Citroën exhibit at the Mullin Museum was more than worth the trip to Oxnard in March. The guide was very knowledgable and would spend as much time as needed to discuss the various models.