Minneapolis Street Sightings: Citroen DS21

I was riding my bike home from school one day, shooting along the way as I always do, and all of a sudden, an unusual hood and headlight shape grabbed my attention. I rode over to see what this vehicle was, and when I saw it fully, I could not believe it! A Citroen DS in the US! Holy crap! Now, I know most of you are like "yeah, so, an old car, whoopdeedo". But, this isn't your everyday primered Chevelle in your neighbor's yard that may or may not run. This is different. Citroens were an odd sight back in their day, and they're an even rarer sight today.

The DS was Citroen's ultra-luxury car, and packed with features such as headlamps that turned with the steering wheel, fully automatic transmission, air suspension that raised and lowered depending on road conditions, power steering and brakes, and even a V8 that took place of the oh-so-sluggish 4 cylinder. Features like these weren't common on US luxury cars until more recently. The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado is the oldest US luxury car with an air suspension, fully automatic transmission, and a big V8 standard. In the US, the DS did have some changes that altered it from its European counterpart, one of the easiest to spot in the fixed headlamps with no glass surround. In it's 16 year production run in the US, (1956-1972), roughly 38,000 units were sold. In Europe, however, the DS was a huge seller as it was sold from 1955 to 1976 with several variations available including a Safari wagon and a convertible. Sales in Europe reached as high as 101,000 in 1967, with only 69 produced in 1955, coincidentally the first year of production.

Since this is likely a one-time find, I'll treasure it to the fullest. I'll report back if I happen to see another. Which could be one year away or 30, who knows.