29/07/2025
Irish Barn Find - 1970 Citroën DS 21 F Safari | Season 5 – Episode 60
While filming on location recently, the Ireland Made crew were invited to explore a private car collection. In the shadowy corner of a barn they discovered an unlikely treasure for Irish roads: a 1970 Citroën DS 21 F Safari. Dubbed the “Break” in France and the “Wagon” in the United States, this estate bodied offshoot of the trail blazing Citroën DS, first unveiled in 1958, has a huge five metre long body, configurable seating for up to eight and Citroën’s signature self levelling hydropneumatic suspension. And this particular Safari, as it happens, has an interesting history of Irish ownership of its own.
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SENSATIONAL ARRIVAL
The Citroën DS from the French ‘Desiree Speciale’ meaning goddess, burst onto the scene at the 1955 Paris Salon in truly sensational fashion. Penned by sculptor turned designer Flaminio Bertoni and engineered by the brilliant André Lefèbvre, the car looked so advanced that the newspapers quipped aliens must have sneaked into the design office to outline a vehicle from the 23rd century.
To appreciate the shock it caused, remember that its unveiling came barely a decade after the destruction of World War II. In a Europe still rebuilding, the DS suddenly pointed the way to a new automotive future. The philosopher Roland Barthes captured the collective gasp when he remarked that “it is obvious the new Citroën has fallen from the sky.”
Seventy years ago, this car stunned the motoring world. No model before it, and arguably none since have sparked such awe. With its bold, streamlined design and groundbreaking technology, it broke the mould and stayed in production for two decades, remaining the most advanced car of its time
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
The DS offered a semi automatic gearbox with shift paddles behind the steering wheel, and Citroën became the first manufacturer with this car to fit disc brakes as standard. A novel brake operated idle speed reduction let the car “creep” like a full automatic, while the DS Safari estate added a dual circuit system that built in redundancy for extra safety. Side window demisters, and later headlamps that swivelled with the steering, added to the sense of futuristic engineering.
Most talked about, however, was the self levelling hydropneumatic suspension. As the launch press pack explained, each wheel responded individually to bumps, transmitting the movement through fluid to air cushions that acted like springs yet were far subtler than steel. The ride stayed supple and effective regardless of load. Marketing material also highlighted a driver selectable ride height; a lever in the cabin let owners raise or lower the car between roughly 9 cm and 28 cm. The system made rough roads easier to tackle, removed the need for a jack when changing a wheel and even allowed the DS to limp home on just three wheels if necessary.
Citroën DS 21 F Specifications:
Make: Citroën
Model: DS 21 F Safari
Year: 1970 - 74.951 kms
Type: 5 doors – 8 seats
Design & Engineered: Flaminio Bertoni (Design) André Lefèbvre (Engineering)
Engine: 2175 cc inline 4-cylinder petrol
Gearbox: 4-speed manual
Suspension: self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension
Length: 4991 mm
Width: 1790 mm
Height: 1537 mm
Production: 1967-1975
Units built: 1.455746 produced
SAFARI DS 21 F ESTATE
Unlike the standard DS, which used a fibreglass roof to lower the centre of gravity, the Safari estate featured a steel roof with a full-length rack for heavier loads. It also included folding, rear-facing seats that rise from the floor, allowing for occasional eight-seat use. With rear window blinds, the Safari could even double as a place to sleep.
Some DS models were adapted as ambulances or camera cars, thanks to their smooth, self-levelling suspension. The BBC used one with a roof camera and trailer generator for filming at race courses. DS Safari Ambulances had a 60/30 split rear seat for a stretcher, similar to the Break. A 'Commerciale' version was also briefly available.
BARN FIND
The car we found in the barn is a 1970 range-topping model known as the '21 F' Safari, with the "F" indicating the "Familiale" or "Break" estate body style. Originally introduced in 1958, it's powered by a 2,175 cc five-bearing engine. When we hauled it out into the yard, sitting at its lowest suspension setting, this nearly five-metre-long vehicle had a commanding presence.
The bodywork is in fair condition for a car approaching seventy years old. One of the most interesting features is that the spare wheel takes up most of the space under the bonnet, freeing up even more room in the estate’s load area. At the rear, the car boasts stylish design touches like the sweeping chrome lines along the roof and a huge rear window, it's a strikingly handsome car. The rear door lifts upward over the roof, paired with a tailgate below. Inside, the cabin appears to be in good shape.
Inside the dashboard is classic Citroën, full of quirks, with bench seating for three and a single-spoke steering wheel that looks unusual even by today’s standards, let alone when it was new in 1970.
DUBLIN PORT
We're unsure when this car first arrived in Ireland. What is known is that it remained unregistered and sat for years in long-term storage at the Customs warehouse in Dublin Port. In 1985, Customs decided to auction off several vehicles. Among them was this DS 21 F Safari, and it was purchased by a Dublin car dealer. To enable registration, Customs/ Revenue issued a new brown log book. After inflating the tyres and topping up the fluids, it reportedly took hours of work to get the engine running well enough to drive it out of the warehouse.
The dealer later sold the car to a woman who lived in Dublin who used it for some time. However, after fitting two batteries in quick succession, she gave up on it, frustrated by what seemed like an unresolved electrical fault. That fault was, in fact, something simple. When the current owner drove the car home from Dublin, the issue revealed itself by accident—a small dash light on the time clock had been staying on, quietly draining the battery.
One final twist: when the current owner went to register it, they discovered the tax logbook created by Customs in 1985 had listed the engine as just 1300cc, a fortunate oversight at the time, and the car now benefits from €56 vintage tax.
A few years ago, the DS Safari was featured in a French Citroën Club magazine. Since then, the car has been laid up in storage, its engine now seized and with no plans yet for its return to the road.
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Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
1001 Cars You Must Drive Before You Die – Simon Heptinstall
501 Must Drive Cars – Bounty Books
Broadcast Engineering Conservation Group
Citro Wagon Blog - Henri Hoffman
Getty Images
