1971 Citroen DS 21 Safari - Raw Classic Cars

The Citroen DS 21 Safari is simply out of this world. Take a look at this 1971 Citroen DS 21 Safari exterior, interior and drive observation / review to see why.
This car is currently for sale at ClassicCarsAndCampers.co.uk/v...
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Music: Memories from Bensound.com

[@stephenberry1205]

Many years ago I tagged along with the Taylor family in their 1968 DS21 Safari in British Racing Green with grey roof heading out on country roads to a Citroen Car Club gathering on a member's sheep station. I had the rear ward jump seat for the 3 hr drive. Just wonderful charging through the clear night on the dusty dirt road with the panorama of the curved rear tailgate window, with the dust billowing out towards the trees on either side of the road, stars overhead. Then looking for through 3 rows of 6 passenger out the distant front windscreen to the swivelling spotlight searching the way ahead. Such comfort. Camping gear piled on the aerodynamic roof rack. Such a comfortable fast beast of burden... The disc brakes are inboard and with Centrepoint steering and hydraulic self levelling suspension you can have a front wheel blow out and brake with your hands off the wheel. The roof shape is designed with the integrated roof rack which has knurled rubber on its leading edge... no wind whistle at 160 kph. Later I had a 1966 ID20 safari full of rust, broken tooth on first gear - cost $250. Had first gear replaced. Went of on a camping trip with 5 on board, back packs and 2 Canadian canoes strapped to the roof racks - cruised at 115 kph. I had the rust cut out and repainted. Fantastic.

[@gaufrid1956]

I remember having a die-cast model of the Citroen DS Safari when I was a kid. I loved all the versions of the DS, but unfortunately never owned one.

[@Alpwalker-xj2dx]

We had some friends in Africa who drove their Citroen Safari all over West Africa, and on one occasion crossed the Sahara north to south. This was in the 60's so it was a real adventure. They actually cracked the engine sump halfway across, and glued, yes glued, the crack shut and proceeded with caution and made it. As far as I was concerned it was the absolute coolest car in the world. Still in my top 5.

[@silksheen100]

One of the best of many cars I owned from the first 1921 5CV Citroen imported for the motor exhibition in Scotland that year and a 1929 Sunbeam 16.9HP, to 4x4s driving out to India & Nepal a few times for my filming expeditions on animal welfare and conservation. I had second-hand Slough-built Citröen SD21 Safari semi-automatic. One year in the late 1960s I used it as a one of the service cars on the International RAC Rally of GB for a team from Austria. They were using the DS21 saloons with semi automatic gearbox for this endurance competition. Health & safety regulations did not exist then and we drove for long hours. There is a screw one can regulate the speed that the gears change for a quick trouble-free action. My heaverly loaded Safari DS21 with spare wheels on the roof rack as well performed remarkably over the snowy mountain routes in Scotland. However, you forgot to mention that the rear brakes took the hydraulic pressure from the rear self levelling suspension, so the heavier the load the more the rear brakes came into force, conversely when empty on emergency breaking the rear wheels did not lock up. Also the headlights on dip beam leveled via a piano wire in a tube to the rear suspension, so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic and, on full beam the inner main beams turned so you could see round a bend at speed, which worked very well (I had fitted the then new 100 watt halogen rally bulbs). The only drawback was in rally conditions sliding on ice or snow the beams were pointing the wrong way while correcting a slide on opposite lock. Also, if someone nudged the front bumper hard, the main beams would go out of alignment. The parking break was applied easily by a foot pedal, if I recall correctly. I used to cruise down the A4 at 120 mph without trouble, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror for any interested police car taking too much interest (no speed radars then). The Michelin asymmetric tyres did have a habit of throwing the treads, which did not do the wheel archers any good, but thanks to the self-levelling the car remained stable as one came to an emergency halt. When I sold the Cotröen, it had over 200,000 miles on the clock. Life before the digital Big Brother was much simpler then with freedom.

[@themanwithnoname8241]

My Dad had 2 of these Safaris from 1970 to 1976 being driven like an F1 car when I was age 2 to 8. Many a happy memory of me and my sister being thrown from one side to the other on the back seat with no seat belts on days out. I think many children from the 1970's were lucky to survive them. 😊

[@srfrg9707]

The second licence plate is there for leagal reasons. In France the rule is that nothing must hide the licence plates even when the cas is stopped. The wagon existed also in ambulance configuration. There is no temperature gage because back then frenchmen used to let the engine warm up before driving the car (as the DS manual advises to). People where less stressed back then. Another funny feature is that you could fit a special front licence plate with a hole in the middle. The whole was there to allow you to insert the crank to crank start the engine. Remember this car was designed in the 50s...

[@bucko321]

great 70's style narration , great car I use to have a corgi ds safari car as a kid

[@stuartalexander336]

The safari I owned for 4 years was by far the most useful and comfortable car I have ever owned. I did 63,000 miles in it and never had a single problem. It was a 1974 with a 2.3 engine and 4 speed manual gear box and power steering. I have driven all manner of cars since that one was involved in a bad accident which resulted in it being a total loss, Fortunately I was not in the vehicle when it was hit in the rear by a tipper lorry , apparently doing , according to police investigaters 55mph. A sad end to a wonderful car. I have never found a car since that combined comfort and space and gave great pleasure to drive, that includes some of the most expensive luxury cars of today.

[@jourwalis-8875]

The idea behind the one-spoke steering wheel is also a safety feature. It has no "crasch center" and is designed to minimize injuries on impact. It bends rather than protrudes in to your chest.

[@mikeharvey9811]

The Best car/Estate. Ever !

[@markusblock5669]

Sehr schönes Auto , grüsse aus Germany 😄

[@briannumme9337]

What a fabulous car! And presentation!

[@coniow]

While I realise that many Classic Car Enthusiasts would want to bathe me in Garlic, hang a silver Cross around my neck, and then hang ME, (for good measure :-), I would love to have one of these fitted with an EV conversion, mated to the bell housing to keep the clutch and column change. (My first car was a Peugeot 404 with a column change: Far superior to a floor shift!). Having worked and maintained old cars for more years than I want to remember, I now use a Kia eNero, and I do not miss oil changes, Plug, Points and Tappet setting one little bit! Or putting £100 quids worth of fuel in a tank, as opposed to filling a battery from solar panels for now't. Thank you for posting this, and taking me for a trip down memory lane.

[@Sman-eg1zs]

We had one of these in the early eighties. Very comfortable. Great car!

[@Boyzee355]

Great video of one of my dream cars, thank you for a good insight

[@frasergavin418]

When you stand close to the rear you can read the plate ,and from a distance you can still read it due to the shape of the rear door. When changing a flat the there is only one stud to attach the stand on each side if memory serves me right and when you drop the suspension both wheels raise. On the saloon there is one bolt at the rear of the wing to remove the complete wing .the hydraulic lever can be raised if you are carrying a heavy load.i have seen a brake running with one ton of coal in the back with level suspension. The front brakes are inboard and sit beside the gearbox and not on the wheels,this greatly increases the breaking efficiency of the brakes. Thank you for the video I was around when Citroen moved into Dundee Scotland where my love of the mark comes from.

[@titanus49]

Actually, the early DS cars used brake fluid oil, to power the hydraulics,with all the associated problems of using such an oil. Such as leaking hydraulics,corroded components and short life span of hydraulic components. It was decided to use a mineral,based hydraulic oil,in the mid sixties. The oil is green in colour,called LHM, which means Liquide Hydraulique Minerale. All hydraulic problems were instantly solved after a change to LHM

[@percyvalle921]

😁 une ambulance ! Je l'avais en jouet quand j'étais gamin et mon père conduisait une DS21 normale.

[@jourwalis-8875]

When changing tires you don´t even have to insert a stand "closest to the wheel to be changed". There is just one ancor point in the middle of the car, and it raises both the font and the rear wheel at the same time!

[@rizzlerazzleuno4733]

Nice video. Thanks for the upload. Hope someone in GB buys this and keeps it on the road for Sunday drives. Maybe the next owner will do a video as well. 🙂

[@Mr2pint]

Great review I love this car want to own it.

[@boy31]

Best CitroenDS review

[@johnhege6502]

I bought one of these in 1985 for 600 dollars and drove daily it until 1998. Fantastic car, did everything very well, but unfortunately mine was rusty and in 1998 the sheet metal holding up the rear suspension caved in while I was at an event in Watkins Glen. I fixed it but I decided I'm too old to do that kind of work anymore so I sold it to a younger man.

[@jourwalis-8875]

It´s rack and pinion steering, thus very precise!

[@hennyverheij5969]

A beautyfull and wonderfull car it is...

[@lovechristian]

Most Beautiful 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@CarlosOliveira-cj3iz]

The "break" it is also very nice...

[@waynejohnson1304]

We in the States call them station wagons too. Most just say "wagon" for short.

[@neiljopson8138]

I had an “L” registered model. I am now 75 and it is the best car I ever had. It had a semi-automatic gearbox. You just moved the lever into the next gear position and it changed, pushing back on the throttle if you needed to reduce revs. Sadly at 108,000, although it was mechanically perfect, rust, the Achilles of all Citroen’s at that time, started to eat it away and I sold it. I do not know why Citroen abandoned the hydropneumatic suspension and it’s magic carpet ride. Cost I suppose. I also had a GS, and CX, both with that suspension and never a problem with it. In fact I was a Citroen fan and had a 2CV, Dyane and recently a C3, although this is really a Peugeot, and not a soft and comfortable Citroen. Neigh no.

[@delegateview6093]

my dad had 2 in the 70's the second one was exactly the same... colour trim the lot, great car not so once you got it wound up on a motorway run...

[@jourwalis-8875]

I have a temperature gauge in my swedish sold DS 23! Very strange that this is missing in the english cars!

[@timcarpenter2441]

It would have been great to display how the middle row of seats fold completely flat, the cushion flips 180degrees and the squab 90degrees to provide a very long and flat load space. I am always disappointed in engineers who do not bother, it seems, to provide what should be a basic feature of a load carrier. Even my W124 wagon, while it could not have the cushion flip beyond 90degrees, allowed one to remove it, so not impacting the load space length.

[@Joe-bj7nz]

A break (station wagon) can never be DS.. always ID is that correct? Amazing cars 😊👍

[@oliking981]

The c4 c5 c8 Picasso’s grandparents

[@1971axis]

Pour une telle voiture en conduite à droite, il eut fallu régler la barre du volant à 05h20 ;)

[@brianmilligan1787]

Last time I was on a magic carpet Never

[@jourwalis-8875]

I think you mean saloon, and not coupe! The coupe, though very rare, has only two doors while the ordinary saloon car has four! (and comparable to the Break)

[@petercrosland5502]

This one needs a suspension overhaul, it's way lumpier than it should be.

[@jourwalis-8875]

You should not the drive the car in the highest position! It is just for service and changing tyres! The car is totally stiff and could be damaged if driven in this position.

[@Jaggerbush]

I hate the seats and the dash - the rest of this car is fantastic. Does any other car use a button for breaks? There crazy that it raises up like that - how unusual is that?