Unique ID19-Based Hillclimber to be auctioned: 1970 Derest-Girardin Special
This 1970 Derest-Girardin Special, built around two ID 19’s “welded together back to back”, will be auctioned in Montlhéry, France on Sept. 30, 2018. This one-off protoype made its first appearance at the hillclimb slalom at Montigny-le-Roi. Behind the wheel were Christian Derest and Raymond Girardin, who were responsible for building this crazy machine.
To bring this project to fruition, several parties joined forces, led by Christian Derest. At the time the workshop manager of the Perin garage at Langres in the Haute-Marne ‘département’, it was Derest who came up with the idea for a car to take part in hillclimbs. For the bodywork, he teamed up with Jacky Boulangier, who ran a bodyshop in Prauthoy. A total of 415 hours was spent producing the panels including the front wings, doors and the rear wing, which was hand-formed from aluminum. With extensively reworked mechanicals, including a DS engine re-engineered to run the opposite direction from standard, (it is still mounted in the same position inside the front-end housing but has been turned around and placed in the rear), it required its builders to comprehensively rework many systems including suspension, brakes, and transmission.
Two dual-throat Solex 40 carburettors are connected to the inlet manifold, the ignition comes from an Austin, the starter motor from a DS and the gearset from an HY Van. The hydraulic suspension still works though the engine does not run but still turns freely.
Although it was light and powerful, the prototype proved tricky to handle, as it was fitted with front tyres which weren’t really adequate, in Derest’s own words. He therefore decided to fit tires from the SM, which improved its roadholding.”
The body borrows a number of parts from other cars; the front bonnet comes from a DS, re-cut at the top and bottom, the radiator grille is from an Ami 8, the side indicators from an HY van, the windscreen from a GS and the rear lights from a Simca 1300.
The car comes with a stock of spare parts and needs an extensive restoration, which is reflected in the pre-sale price estimate range of 5 000 € – 15 000 €.
More info, along with a 1973 5-speed euro spec SM for sale (one of the last SMs produced and assembled at Ligier and estimated at 30 000 € – 40 000 €), can be found at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles – The Official Sale. Here’s the link: https://www.aguttes.com/html/index.jsp?id=89332&lng=en&npp=150
1975 SM Chassis n°: 00 SC 4007