Citroën DS21 Le Caddy

DS21 - Le Caddy

1961-1971

1967

Convertible

Bleu Royale

Tan

This particular DS21 is the first Le Caddy of the series with the new nose, introduced by Citroën for the 1968 model year, and the only one still in good running order. All details of its early history and copies of original factory documents were supplied by Noëlle Chapron, the widow of Henri Chapron. This car was purchased by Henri Chapron on 21st June 1967 from Citroen France SA and delivered to his workshop in Levallois on 21st July '67. This means that Henri Chapron had a 1968-model DS with the new nose some months before its official presentation at the Paris Motor Show. The chassis number indicates that the date of manufacture was 1967. The car was not ordered by a customer, as was usually the case; it was a personal production by Chapron and was presented at the Salon de l'Automobile in October 1967 at Porte de Versailles, Paris. A photograph of the car on the Chapron stand is on file. The car was used for Chapron's catalogue, using photographs taken at the Bois de Boulogne. A lot of those photographs are on file and the catalogue is available. During the Paris Motor Show the car was sold, and on 22nd November 1967 was delivered to its first owner, Mr Guy Marty from Toulouse. The original colour combination was two-tone Regal Red over Black with beige interior. In October 1973, Mr Guy Marty sold the DS to Albertine Baume and his brother who owned a garage in Gap. (The garage's 'porte clé' is still there). The brother lived in the USA and the Baumes only drove the car during the summer in South of France. During wintertime the car was dry-stored, although in one very cold winter they forgot to check the antifreeze in the radiator: the broken engine was replaced. During the 1980s, the car was repainted light brown and all the chrome trim was removed (photographs on file). On 29th December 1988, Albertine Baume sold the car to a German dealer in Hamburg. The sale included the chrome parts that had been removed and the much sought after Jaeger dashboard. The car was sold again in March 1989 to Mr Thomas Hermann, who used it only during the summer months and looked after it well. In 2004 the DS was sold again, on this occasion to Mr Nico Michon, a well known Citroën collector in Belgium. He re-sprayed the car in black/red and refitted the chrome trim. In 2007, the current owner, another Citroën enthusiast, was able to buy the DS. Despite its good condition, he decided to have the car completely restored while preserving its originality as much as possible. Commencing in 2009, the restoration lasted three years and was undertaken by Garage Blikwerk of Drachten, Holland, known for its high quality restorations of DS Cabriolets and Chaprons. The engine, gearbox and other mechanical components have been renewed and/or overhauled, while the interior has been re-trimmed with the same beige leather that Henri Chapron used. The car is now Blue Royale, an official Chapron colour from 1967, while the hood is dark blue also. Air conditioning has been fitted according to Chapron's specifications. The DS still has the original and much sought after 'Robergel' wheel covers, as illustrated in the Chapron catalogue of 1967. Importantly, the car also comes with its hand-made luggage set. Since restoration the DS has been used sparingly, travelling only some 2,000 kilometres, and in 2014 was presented at the Concours D'Élégance at “Paleis Het Loo” in Holland where it won a 1st in Class award. This car is well known, appearing in many publications about the Citroën DS.