Citroën DS 23 Pallas by Norev
New-in-Box, stored
away for 20 years
1:43 Scale;
Hard-to-Find Black
color exterior with brown, leather-colored interior.
Note the fine detail
including rooftop center-mounted antenna, center-mounted windshield wiper, rear
view mirrors, amber front turn signals, red tail lights, Citroën badging, and front & rear license
plates with characters.
Purchased in Paris, France, at Citroen's iconic flagship showroom at no. 42 Avenue des Champs-Elysées where André Citroën exhibited his first car in 1919.
About the Citroën DS
23 Pallas
The Citroën DS is a mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive luxury car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations.
Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car, and Paul Magès developed the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension. Robert Opron designed the 1967 Series 3 facelift. Citroën built 1,455,746 vehicles in six countries, of which 1,330,755 were manufactured at Citroën's main Paris Quai de Javel (now Quai André-Citroën) production plant.
With Citroën's proven front-wheel drive, the DS was used competitively in rally racing during its 20‑year production run, and achieved multiple major victories, as early as 1959, and as late as 1974. It placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century poll recognizing the world's most influential auto designs and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine.
The name DS is a pun in the French language. "DS" is pronounced exactly like déesse, literally 'goddess.'
The DS Pallas luxury edition (after Greek goddess Pallas Athena), was introduced in 1965. This included comfort features such as better noise insulation, a more luxurious (and optional leather) upholstery, and external trim embellishments with a driver's seat with height adjustment.
Citroën DS 23 Pallas in Popular Culture
President Charles de Gaulle survived an assassination attempt at Le Petit-Clamart near Paris in August 1962. De Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured Citroën DS with saving his life – the car, riddled with bullets and with two tires punctured, was still able to escape at full speed. Afterward, De Gaulle vowed never to ride in any other make of car. This event was accurately recreated in the film “The Day of the Jackal” (1973).
The Reactor
In 1965, American auto customizer Gene Winfield created The Reactor, a Citroën DS chassis with a turbocharged Corvair engine driving the front wheels. The Reactor was seen in American television programs of the era, including Star Trek: The Original Series (episode 54, "Bread and Circuses"), Batman episodes 110 "Funny Feline Felonies" and 111 (driven by Catwoman Eartha Kitt), and Bewitched, which devoted its episode 3.19 "Super Car" to The Reactor.
Back to the Future
Part II taxi
For the 1989 film “Back to the Future Part II”, a flying taxi was based on the DS.
MoMA
A Citroën DS 23 Pallas Sculpture by Gabriel Orozco was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City in 1993.
The Mentalist
A Citroën DS 21 was used in the 2008-2014 American television program “The Mentalist” as lead character Patrick Jane’s vehicle.