French registration papers
Chassis No.: 10FD538 / Chapron No.: 7655

- The penultimate DS Chapron built
- Former bank of Santander in Spain
- One of the two Lorraine armoured vehicles

The Henri Chapron bodywork began to propose its own transformations based on the Citroën DS in 1958. If the Prestige version was integrated into the catalogue by the brand, as early as 1965 the bodybuilder offered his own interpretation of the top-of-the-range bleach under the name "Majesty". The latter has a finned stern and an elevated roof with a more vertical bezel. The DS 21 Majesty, although costing more than twice as much as the production sedan, was a success on its own scale, and a few dozen units were produced. In 1969, Henri Chapron introduced a new version of a sedan, called "Lorraine", replacing the "Majesty". This new bodywork features a very geometric and rectangular stern, as well as a flat roof. The drawing is by Paul Colinet who, having collaborated in the creation of the presidential DS limousine, was largely inspired by the design of the stern of the latter created by Henri Dargent and Robert Opron.
In 1969, the DS Lorraine sedan was introduced and paid tribute to General de Gaulle, the original Lorrain. A sedan that can be customised as desired, and some customers will even ask for it with armour. Only 20 will be carried out, before the production of the DS ceased in 1975, thus stopping Chapron's transformations on this basis.
The car we are interested in here is the penultimate example of the "Lorraine" sedan that will leave the workshops on Aristide Briand Street in Levallois in 1974. This was ordered new by the Bank of Spain with special shielding for all windows. The base is a DS 23 with carburettor, therefore with 115 hp engine and mechanical gearbox. According to the archives, it was used by the director of the Santander bank in Spain, who had ordered two of them to transport his managers. Is it in the face of the terrorist threat of the Basque independence fighters? History does not say so. These two cars were ordered without any options except air conditioning. The base is a Super D white Meije color and modified entirely by Henri Chapron. This one under the number Chapron 7655, and another one in metallic beige color under the number 7654, equipped with the 21 engine. The current owner, a great Citroën collector, found this pure rarity in the Landes a few years ago and had the bodywork redone by a professional. He uses it regularly and drives to various events. The magic of the hydropneumatic suspension quickly makes you forget the extra weight due to the integral shielding. It is in very good general condition and the mechanics have been overhauled with the replacement of the cylinder head gasket and water pump. For the first time ever offered at an auction, it is a chance to be able to buy an extremely rare car with a unique history.

This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in La Ferté-Vidame, at the Citroën Centenary, France, on July the 21th, 2019.
The digital catalog will be available soon on our website
https://www.aguttes.com/en/sale/99015
Please contact us for any further details.
Phones numbers:
+33 760 781 018
+33 668 362 622
+33 147 459 301