Perhaps the oldest unrestored genuine first year DS left on the planet.
FOUND in Citrus Heights, California as the owner's garage door was open while they were doing yard work. As far as we know Mr. Kasjaka was the original owner but might have been an early demonstrator from the San Francisco dealership. - #4086 was completely rust free having lived in the Sacramento area it's entire life but needed a full mechanical restoration. #4086 was stored in the Kasjaka's garage from 1960 till 2010, 50 years!.
I resurrected (not restored) the car with the significant and much appreciated help of Carter Willey and Dave Burnham. The engine and transmission were removed and engine given new rings. The bearings and pistons/liners were perfect. New clutch and transmission was left original.. Car's entire hydraulic system was upgraded to LHM and all original components rebuilt. Body and interior were left as found. New Michelin 165x400 tires installed.
#4086 was used by Motor Trend Magazine's Head-to-Head video series on YouTube to answer the question: What is the most innovative car of all time? This DS beat out the then new Tesla Model S. Watch it here.
An article was published on this 1956 (and my 1971 Citroen DS in Sports & Exotic). See it here.
A genuine '56 DS19 (serial number 5899 or less) is one of the world's most significant cars, having come in 3rd out of 700 car selected in 1999 as The Car of the Century, an international award given to the world's most influential car of the 20th Century. It was only bested by the Ford Model T and Austin Mini.
"Citroën DS named Most Beautiful Car: What's the most beautiful car of all time? A multi-million pound Ferrari or the curvy Jaguar E-type perhaps? No, it is now officially Citroën's humble DS. That was the verdict when Classic & Sports Car magazine polled a jury of the world's leading car designers to nominate the most gorgeous cars ever. The 20-strong panel ranged from Car designer of the Century Giorgetto Giugiaro – the man behind the Maserati Bora, VW Golf, Fiat Panda and Lotus Esprit – to current Jaguar director of design Ian Callum, and each picked their top three beauties. Although Ferrari secured the most votes as a marque, they were spread across nine different models, leaving the Citroën to scoop the honours as the single most beautiful classic."
