A weathered French convertible with an unusual past recently rolled into Jay Leno’s Garage. The car in question is a 1966 Citroen DS 21 Decapotable, a rare open-top version of Citroen’s famous flagship. Today, the car looks polished and well cared for. Years ago, its situation looked far different.
Owner Greg Long told the story behind the car during his appearance with Jay Leno. Before reaching its current condition, the Citroen spent years sitting behind a barn with the windows left open. A professor in Southern California owned the car and eventually sold it to Long. During its long outdoor stay, children treated it like a full-size toy, while the engine seized from neglect.
The DS had not always been alone in the family. Greg arrived alongside his brother John, who owns a 1961 Citroen ID 19 finished in Citroen’s Capucine shade. John first spotted that car when he was around 17 years old. It sat in a front yard only six blocks from his home, surrounded by grass and slowly sinking into the ground. The owner first wanted $100 for it. John could not afford the asking price at the time. A month later he returned and asked whether the owner would donate the car to the School Citroen Car Club, a club whose membership consisted of him and two friends. The owner agreed, provided the vehicle disappeared that same day. Though it neither ran nor drove, John managed to get it moving.
He kept the ID 19 for more than 50 years. Along the way, he rebuilt the engine, repainted the car in the same Capucine color, originally listed internally as Tango, and dealt with countless age-related problems. The aluminum hood now appears shinier than the surrounding bodywork, creating a look that differs from factory condition.
Back to Greg’s DS. Unlike the simpler ID 19, the DS 21 Decapotable sat at the top of the range. Henri Chapron designed and built the convertible body in Paris. In the United States, MSRP for a DS 21 Convertible ranged from $3,585 to $5,875. Those figures placed the model near twice the price of a standard DS 21 sedan.
The restored convertible wears Antarctica Blue today, though it originally left the Paris factory painted red. Roughly 15 years ago the car received a mechanical overhaul. Five years later, the interior and paintwork were refreshed again.
Power comes from a carbureted inline-four. Citroen listed the engine as 2.2 liters, though many people refer to it as a 2.1-liter because of the model designation. Depending on the measurement standard, output stood at either 99 horsepower, rated as 100 metric horsepower, or 109 horsepower, rated as 110 metric horsepower. The car also features Citroen’s hydropneumatic leveling suspension and now uses a five-speed transmission in place of the original four-speed setup.
After taking the wheel, Leno praised the seats and joked, “Why can’t Americans make seats like this?” Then he answered his own question. “Well, because they’re not French.”
1966 Citroen DS 21 Decapotable – Photo Gallery
