On our all time favourite list, this original UK right-hand drive car joined us in September 2021. The car is in a very poor state. It has been off the road since 1991 and looks like it has been stored outdoors since then. The previous owner had stripped the car with the intention of restoring it, but we believe it was a little daunting, so it was left for around seven years in the condition that you see here.

Right-hand drive DS models are quite scarce, so this really deserved rescuing. There is a really good spare parts supply in the UK, and it looks like we’ll be their best customer for the next few months!

The body structure is heavily corroded and the exterior panels are also poor. The engine was in very poor condition and looks like it wasn’t maintained for many years.

On the positive side, it looks like there is nothing missing from the car. It has the desirable features, such as the mushroom brake pedal, swivelling and self levelling headlamps and even has leather seats, which was a rare option. It is a manual 4 speed transmission, with the shifter mounted on the steering column. There were semi-automatic and fully automatic transmissions options available for the car, but we have the basic system.

Typically, we strive to retain originality with our projects but have decided to change the original dark blue paint colour to black for this car. Black was available for the 1972 model year and we think it just looks stunning when contrasted with the chrome work on the body. Unfortunately, a previous owner had fitted a tilting glass sunroof to the car, probably when it was fashionable in the 80s. We will endeavour to either remove and close the gap or fit a full length Webasto style roof, as this is more stylish and in-keeping with the car.

This certainly isn’t a project for the faint hearted, but we love a challenge at Fostering Classics and this fits perfectly with our passion for saving classics that need rescuing!