Two D Citroëns to be Auctioned in Arizona Later This Month

January 7, 2024

Two D Citroëns, a base-level ID model and an elite DS convertible, will go on the auction block in two separate auctions in Arizona on January 25, 2024.

Bonhams will will be selling this 1959 ID19 Berline at the The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale.

The ID shared the DS’s body but was less powerful and luxurious. Although it shared the engine capacity of the DS engine (at this stage 1,911 cc), the ID provided a maximum power output of only 51 kW (69 hp) compared to the 56 kW (75 hp) claimed for the DS19. The ID19 was also more traditional mechanically: it had no power steering and had conventional transmission and clutch instead of the DS’s hydraulically controlled set-up.

Initially, the basic ID19 was sold at a 25% cost savings compared to the DS.

This ID19 is estimated to sell for between $40,000 – $50,000 US and is being offered without reserve.

According to published chassis number databases, chassis number 228891 is one of the first (if not the first) ID19 produced for the 1959 model year. The listing states; “It is presented in tidy, well-preserved condition, with honest authenticity. The cabin is in preserved original condition.” Many of you may recognize the car as it comes from Dale Martin at Rallye Imports in Midland, Michigan, and has been at the Citroën Rendezvous at Saratoga Springs NY.

Oddly though, Bonhams does not show photos of the interior, engine bay or trunk area.

Start time for the Bonhans auction is 10:00 AM and for those that would like to mosey on over to the RM Sothebys auction at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (about 20 miles away), commencing at at 2:00 PM, a 1964 DS19 Décapotable by Henri-Chapron, that we mentioned was available back in August 4, 2023 on Citroenvie, will be offered for sale.

This DS19 Décapotable was acquired in 1977 by the late Arthur Stern, a renowned Bay Area architectural glass and stained-glass artist who had appreciated the DS since his college years. He had fallen in love with the Décapotable and, after a two year search acquired this one, which had been traded at Executive Motors in the Bay area by its original owner for the purchase of a SM.

Arthur used the car as daily transportation for several years before parking it in his glass studio, where it remained until he undertook a restoration in the mid-1980s in the hands of well-known Citröen specialists; Jacques Abot, Lon Price, and Henry Hanzel.

Lon has continued to service the car over the last three decades while Arthur regularly enjoyed outings in it to local and regional shows and events, and using it to shuttle musician friends to recording studios and Northern California festivals.

Also offered without reserve, it is estimated to fetch between $150,000 – $200,000 US.

Chassis No. — 4272040

Engine No. — 0213012706

One thing that may affect bidding is that in preparation for the photo shoot, when the car was cleaned, unfortunately no one put some mineral spirits on a rag and wiped away the oil and road grime on the aluminum under-body panels, (a 30-second task that would have had them looking pristine). The rest of the photos accurately show the car’s patina.