Citroen DS Cabriolet
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Henri Chapron: extracting the quintessence of the Citroën DS

The Citroën DS was a superlative car, something out of the ordinary, which left the entire competition without arguments. Famous for its nickname, “shark”, it is one of the most revolutionary cars of its time and it is also one of the few industrial objects valued as a work of art. Yes, a Citroën DS is a work of art, as are the paintings of Velázquez or Michelangelo's David, but instead of being exhibited in a museum, they are exhibited in concentrations, at fairs and of course, on the roads of all the world. But what is a work of art? 

If we look at what the dictionary says, it is a material creation with a certain aesthetic, creative and imaginative value, which expresses a concept or an emotion. Could this definition be transferred to a car? Does the Citroën DS embrace any of these ideas? If it were up to us, the Citroën DS, indeed, is a work of art as are many other cars, especially if we talk about the creations that the bodybuilder Henri Chapron made on the French model, which, in many cases, double the value of any conventional Citroën DS (if a Citroën can be considered conventional DS). 

The famous shark, a nickname that was won in Spain by the shapes of its front, was officially presented in 1955. At that time, Mercedes had put into circulation the mythical 300SL "Seagull Wings" (1954), the gigantic Cadillac Eldorado had two years in the North American market and our beloved “pelotilla”, was taking its first steps in its native country, in Italy. It can be seen with these simple examples, therefore, that the DS was a car ahead of its time in many respects like its incredible hydropneumatic system, which controlled everything from the suspension to the power steering, the gearbox (considered the first “robotized” transmission in history) and the brake assistance. 

Up to nine different bodies

Citroen DS by Chapron

When the car was devised, only two versions were envisaged: a saloon and a family body known as the “Break” and thus all the units of the assembly plant came out. However, given its design and the worldwide fame that it gained in a short time, there were those who used the model as a base to carry out some transformations, as is the case of Henri Chapron, a well-known French bodybuilder who began his activities back in 1919 working for Draft marks from Talbot, Delage or Delahaye. In fact, Chapron also came to work on the Hispano-Suiza backstage or Panhard & Levassor. 

His first jobs, before gaining fame to work with the biggest ones, were thanks to buying some surpluses from the First World War, especially Ford T units, which transformed them and gave them a new life in the postwar period. . In fact, Henri ended up working on the Citroën DS after World War II, when French luxury manufacturers were gradually disappearing. However, here we must make a small point, because Chapron went further than its competitors for a simple reason: Henri was able to adapt his company to the needs and stopped being a “simple” body builder, to be a true auxiliary industry. 

This led to a series of orders from the manufacturers themselves, as is the case with Citroën itself, with whom he collaborated in the manufacture of several sheet metal parts for the Citroën DS prototypes. Henri not only developed his personal projects, he also helped large companies complete theirs or shape new cars. Highlight in this section the good relationship between the French Administration, Citroën and Chapron, the result of which was the Presidential DS for General De Gaulle, a spectacular car for its dimensions and shapes, but lacking the grace of the original Citroën DS. 

Convertibles, his most valued works. 

Citroen DS cabriolet by Chapron

When the French luxury manufacturers were closing the door, Henri had no choice but to focus his attention on the DS just presented by Citroën and on which, in addition, he had worked before its staging. While Citroën focused on the saloon bodywork and the Estate (a convertible was also produced over time), Chapron developed nine different bodies for the DS. Thus, Chapron created four coupés: Le Dandy, Le Paris, Concorde and Le Léman. Two high-end sedans: Majesty and Lorraine and the most appreciated, the convertibles, which were three different designs: La Croisette, Le caddy and Palm Beach. 

Some of these cars, such as the Le Paris (or Paris Coach) coupe, present a truly spectacular design, almost better than the original Citroën DS itself. But nevertheless, Convertible bodies are true cult objects, reaching over 150.000 euros at auctions. A total of just over 1.300 copies with convertible bodywork were manufactured, generally handcrafted, of which less than 400 copies correspond to the DS21. 

The first Chapron convertibles had been made independently, but given the good work of the bodybuilder, their good relationships and the success of the car, Citroën finally gave its thumbs up and ended up “absorbing” Chapron's visions of its most special car. In fact, yesThe convertible versions of Chapron could be ordered at the same Citroën dealer, which were known as "Unsine"

What do you think?

Written by Javi Martin

If you ask me where my love for motoring comes from, I wouldn't know how to answer. It has always been there, although I am the only one in the family who likes this world. My father worked as a draftsman in a metallurgical company with a lot of auto parts production, but there was never a passion like I can have.

I really like automobile history and I am currently creating a personal library dedicated exclusively to motor history in Spain. I also have a huge collection of scanned material and have written the book "The 600, a dream on wheels" (Larousse publishing house).

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