Zoom Zoom Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Sometimes a holy grail doesn't get offered as a kit. Sometimes they're dirt cheap. This was both; a beautiful 1/24 scale diecast model of a Citroen DS19 (from the UK from a place called Antics-model was about $11, that includes shipping; a friend and I combined orders. You can also find these models on Ebay, mostly from the UK or Italy). It's part of a large line of 1/24 diecast European cars being done by Quattroruote magazine; they're packaged in cheap vacuum formed containers attached to the magazine. Wish they sold 'em on this side of the ocean... I've been intrigued with these cars ever since I was a kid, friends of our family owned one. Rode like a dream, amazingly smooth/quiet, very leisurely acceleration but also very fuel efficient (this was in the early to mid-70's). This is one of the iconic cars of the previous century. The DS, which stands for "the goddess", which is what these cars were called. Some think it's a cockroach on wheels. You can lift a wheel from the hydro-pneumatic suspension to change a tire w/o a jack. You may have seen some amazing chase scenes with these cars driving around on 3 wheels. This car was sold for 20 years from 1955-1975 and was anything but conventional. It's nicely detailed, opening doors/hood/trunk; decent engine/underhood detail with a spare tire and upper engine/intake detail. Hard to see inside hood/trunk as they don't open very far. Nice paint too. I might repaint it someday, or if I luck into another one I would repaint one to a lighter color. I can't wait to get the BMW 1600 (aka 2002), Fiat X1/9, and others on the list of upcoming models...we'll never see them as kits so this is the next best thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 $11 including shipping??? How can you go wrong? Nice model, nice car, great price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 11, 2009 Author Share Posted April 11, 2009 $11 including shipping??? How can you go wrong? Nice model, nice car, great price! When he told me it was $31 and change for the three models, I though that was just for shipping. Turns out that was the total. These models are only £4.99 from Antics. That's ~ $7 at today's exchange rate. I halfway expect when he gets his credit card bill that I'll have to cough up more $. Quality-wise only it's well worth 2-3 times what we paid, and that's what most go for on Feebay and through other websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 wow that seems to be a great bargain .it's hard to believe that this was never offered as a kit . the upcoming list also looks interesting . I try to stay away from die casts but if it's something that I really like I'll do it . I can't believe the price seems to good to be true . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diymirage Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 i remember seeing those cars as a kid growing up for whatever reason we called them pikes i think my dad always liked them at any rate thats a great deal on a great car but what is with the plates ? apart from the front one reading 723219 MI and the rear reading MI 723219 the colours dont match if the plates were english the front should have been white/bleu and the back bleu/white if it were french it should be the other way round only option left in that colour is classis dutch plates BUT that would be a 4 digit 2 letter combo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrojunkie Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I have always loved these cars.The styling while a bit odd really grabbed me at an early age you got a killer deal.Somebody needs to offer them in kit form they are true European classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 That's cool..I'll have to look for one...always liked the DS, and love the SM (have Matchbox ones in 2 different scales). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 (edited) Nice model of one of the coolest cars ever! And the price can't be beat, that's for sure. ...but what is with the plates ? apart from the front one reading 723219 MI and the rear reading MI 723219 ... They are Italian plates. MI is for Milano (Milan). Edited April 12, 2009 by gbk1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diymirage Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Nice model of one of the coolest cars ever! And the price can't be beat, that's for sure. They are Italian plates. MI is for Milano (Milan). ahhh that explains it silly italianos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodaSaurus Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hi all, Just my 10 pence worth(hey, I'm English ) Didnt see it mentioned but Heller make this car in 1/16, also the Henri Chapron convertable. Can be pricey but like everything else not always. I have seen the kits sell for £100 but also £30. The original design mechanics for the engine are based on the old Traction Avant, other than that just about everything else was totally redesigned. This car still rates as a 'Goddess' in France, especially Paris. A French friend told me of a Paris policeman stopping traffic to allow one to cross a busy crossing, only to be reprimanded by his superiors(fools) (French auto magazine). Check out the 1974 French film Les Valseuses (English title: Going Places) staring Gerard Depardier, One of the key features is a DS that the main characters steal, they dont crash it but........ Its a great film too In The Day of The Jackel, President Charles DeGaule gets the tyres shot out in his DS Limosine,and it gets away. Great find, great car, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodaSaurus Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 i remember seeing those cars as a kid growing up the colours dont match if the plates were english the front should have been white/bleu and the back bleu/white English plates of this era, up to the late 60s early 1970s were Black background with White lettering and numbering. Using aluminium stamped plates the number letter combo, the base metal could be polished up to show through the background black plate. Later plates featured an off white background for the front and Yellow for the rear, both using Black number/Lettering Modern plates use a reflective Cream colour for the front, and reflective yellow for the rear. Try these, I'm a bit new to posting links but here goes: http://www.licenseplates.tv/prod/britainuk...2033.html#lpgen Licence plate link Cheers, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 NICE model Bob! Yes I used to see these too as a kid..............and yes, they did remind me of roach, especially if they were black! Now if they would do an SM, that'll make my day! I've always LOVED them! I wonder why I always thought that some of those were rear engined, like the Renault Dauphines? I guess they just have that rear engine "look" to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I always had a soft spot for these as my brother had one in the 70's. That single spoke steering wheel was the utmost coolness, but when I saw him change a tire in the driveway I FELL IN LOVE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) Now if they would do an SM, that'll make my day! I've always LOVED them! It could happen; they keep making additions to the list of cars. I'd definitely have to get the SM, it's one of my favorites too. Oddly enough, the ugliest car of all time, the Ami 6...I'd get one of them too I have the 1/16 Heller kit of the DS, and bought a builtup Chapron CV, and I think a Solido 1/18 DS (with working suspension)...but the scale just doesn't suit me. Edited April 17, 2009 by Zoom Zoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Oddly enough, the ugliest car of all time, the Ami 6...I'd get one of them too UUUUUUGGGHHH!!! Man that is an UGLY car! Who in the heck thought that was beautiful on the drawing board way back when?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 UUUUUUGGGHHH!!! Man that is an UGLY car! Who in the heck thought that was beautiful on the drawing board way back when?? I seriously doubt "beautiful" was in the design brief I think they were attempting something like a French version of what Virgil Exner was doing. The results speak for themselves. The Ami was based on the 2CV. It was also at times a best seller I was shocked, horrified, and amused when I saw them in France in 1978. I think they could have imported it here as the Citroen Whiskey Tangeau Fauxtrot. Everything You Want To Know About the Ami But Were Afraid to Ask And if you really want obscure, how about a rotary engine coupe variant of the Ami called the M35: Citroen M35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hey that coupe is kinda neat looking! Change the front end a bit and it's not bad at all! Gotta love this pic from Wikipedia................. The lady in the white dress is saying to the other..........."I'm not driving that ugly thing! How 'bout you?" In French of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hey that coupe is kinda neat looking! Change the front end a bit and it's not bad at all! Gotta love this pic from Wikipedia................. The lady in the white dress is saying to the other..........."I'm not driving that ugly thing! How 'bout you?" In French of course! Yeah, the coupe isn't bad at all. As for the ladies, I think it went something like "Sacre bleu! Zut Alors! Regardez ce que mon mari a acheté! Documents de divorce sont en cours d'élaboration toute de suite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 "Sacre bleu! Zut Alors! Regardez ce que mon mari a acheté! Documents de divorce sont en cours d'élaboration toute de suite! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 A quick story about the Citroen DS. In the winter of 1964, my dad took my two sisters and myself to the Auto show. At that show was the Chrysler Turbine, which was running in the building to show off the fact that the exhaust fumes wouldn't kill you. Maybe not, but the heat generated by that car heated a big area of the armory. Never the less, my dad went over to the Citroen display, and told us that he was considering trading in his 1962 Oldsmoble Starfire Convertible for a DS. He was intrigued with the car's silky smooth ride. Of course my sisters and me gagged over the proposition that my dad would be driving a car that looked like a toad. Of course he was kidding, but he did see the car he wanted at the show, a Navy Blue 1965 Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan with a Black Vinyl Roof and Blue Cloth Interior. He told me that the salesperson was very rude towards him (probably a racist) when he asked if the car was for sale. On Easter Monday, 1965, we saw the Starfire for the last time, as Dad came home with a Navy Blue 1965 Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan with a Black Vinyl Roof, "with all of the buttons", the "Starfire" Engine (425 Cu. In./370 H. P.) and the coolest sounding radio you have ever heard, as it had a reverberator on it. I know it was not the same car at the auto show, because it had the top of the line wheelcovers on it, where the car at the show had the one step up wheelcovers. He got his way after all. Those cars of the '60's were so cool, but I missed the '62 Starfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygre Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 This is "right on time". I've been working on the Heller 1/16 DS (nice kit, BTW) but to have one in "normal" 1/24 scale is a real blessing. Thanks for the info Ron. What other types were offered besides the DS? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 i always loved the DS19, always thought it was one of the most beautiful cars ever, only surpassed by what the DS21? with quad headlamps and turning headlamps in the domestic market. one thing that made me think that was the day i was with my buddy in his perfect bodied perfect black laquer with red top and sunroof DS21 and pulled up to this convenience store. bunch of latino kids in front on their bikes and standing around. tom dropped it to the ground on the hydraulics and all those kids mouths dropped. it was one wicked looking ride down low. so of course when we left tom showed them the full range of movement. full to up, full down, then back up to go over the curb back out into the road. i wish i had taken some pics of that car because it was so beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott H. Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 When Dad was stationed in France and later Germany while serving his 26 years in the Air Force, we saw them all over the place and called them Frogs. One cabbie in France scared mom badly in one by how fast he was driving in it, but it was stable as a race car while having a decent ride! One of the things that suspension did was as the car went faster, it lowered the car closer to the ground. I would LOVE to have one in decent shape to drive around here. I honestly would SEVERELY HURT the first person that hit the car though! -Scott H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) What other types were offered besides the DS? The following blog is pretty good for showing what's out or what's coming in 1/24 diecast. Check the various album links in the blog for pictures of models from each company. Tom Tanner has posted lists of what's coming on Ferrarichat, and I think the magazine itself has a site for the models. Diecast 1/24 Blog Quattroruote Collection 1/24 Edited April 21, 2009 by Zoom Zoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Now THIS is what I want! If a hard and soft top is included.......all the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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