bonhams paris retromobile

Citroen DS named "Most Beautiful Car", Rare Example fetches $440k at Auction

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

A rare Citroen DS convertible set a new record when it sold last week at Bonhams' Retromobile auction in Paris – the same event where the barn-find Bugatti Type 57 Atalante found a new home – for a high bid of 337,500 euros, equivalent to about $440k. Wait a second, a Citroen? A 1973 Citroen, actually, making the high price even stranger, but this was no ordinary DS. The rare convertible was made by French coachbuilder Henri Chapron, one of only three DS23 convertibles he made and the only one with fuel injection. The striking shape the roofless DS cut prompted Citroen to put it in its catalog for public consumption.

The sale came at an apropos time, as Citroen prepares to relaunch the DS line with a new concept at the upcoming Geneva show, and a panel of automobile designers named the original Citroen DS to be the most beautiful car of all time. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder of course, but now seems like a golden time for the iconic DS.

Gallery: 1973 Citroen DS23 Chapron convertible