1968 Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet Chapron Lot n° 123

Mythical Chapron convertible Known history Original body parts French historic title Chassis n° 4600085 The lines of the DS, presented in 1955, were a great inspiration for the coachbuilder Henri Chapron, who proposed, three years later, his sublime interpretation in the form of a «convertible». Convinced by the proposal, Citroën integrates it in its range from 1960, but continues to entrust the realization to the coachbuilder of Levallois-Perret. Until 1971, they will be called «cabriolet factory». Chapron will also offer its own range, including an «in-house» cabriolet, called the Caddy. In October 1960, the press was full of praise, with Le Figaro headlining «A shocking novelty: a convertible with particularly pure lines». Paris-Presse added: «A feast for the eyes. Taking all the technical innovations of the sedan, no European convertible would match the beauty and comfort of the DS for several years, well helped by the superiority of its hydropneumatic Citroën suspension, ahead of its time. In the end, 1,365 factory convertibles were built on the basis of DS 19 and DS 21 between 1960 and 1971. The car we offer has a clear history. We are at one of the Paris Salons in the middle of the 1960s, when a Swedish couple comes across a DS 21 Chapron convertible for the first time. It was love at first sight, and soon after, an order was placed with Citroën Sweden. According to the certificate of conformity issued by Chapron International in 2020, the car arrived on October 4th, 1967 at the workshop of the famous coachbuilder, and was assigned the production number 9173. A scan of the production sheet that was attached by a string to a wheel of the car accompanies the file, and indicates that the invoice was issued by a certain George Dubois. Scans of the production sheet were also given to us, and indicate that the order number 9173 comes with certain extras: front center armrest and left front seat adjustable in height. Our DS Cabriolet leaves the Levallois-Perret factory on November 10th of the same year, in «Gris Sahara» color, reference AC 111, with a black leather interior. The couple from Stockholm will keep this car until 1971. The next owner will have it repainted in green. The car changed hands twice more between 1972 and 1973. Its fourth owner used the car until 1979, before storing it in a garage. Repainted in white in the middle of the 1980s, it was then used as a show car by a dealer. A Dutch specialist then bought the car. After a restart and the probable re-dyeing of the original leather, the car is sold to its current owner, a Frenchman, at the beginning of the year 2021. It is today an absolutely exceptional example that we present to you, and this for different reasons. The body elements such as the specific rear bumpers, the body moldings, and even the reflectors are original. Even rarer, the front and rear fenders, the trunk panel and all other body panels still have their original stampings. The upholstery is also original and has a very nice patina. The paint is still the one that was applied in the 1980s by the Swedish dealer. It is still very presentable but shows some slight damage. Collectors beware, this is one of the most original Chapron convertibles still in existence.