About Tough to Crack car puzzle #134: Bossaert Citroën DS 19 GT Coupe

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Yes, you knew last week’s puzzle car. You knew it well and that lead to an avalanche of answers, which made choosing a winner not particularly easy. To start with: the car is the Bossaert Citroën DS 19 GT Coupe, which was offered between 1960 and 1965, designed by Pietro Frua and supposedly built in a quantity of 12 or 13 (although Frua said 18…). Many of you came up with the same (technical) details: Hector Bossaert ran a garage called Gété near Lille, North France. The car was shortened by 42cm and lowered 7 cm, with raked windscreen and plastic rear screen. Bossaert tweaked the standard engine, improving it to 97 hp thanks to double Zenith carburettors, altered manifold and exhaust system. Many of you also quoted the 29,000 francs price – twice that of a standard car. So far so good. But who gave the most rewarding additional information? ‘Vintage’ wrote: “The rear lights should all be familiar to you as they have been seen before in a previous quiz found here : About tough to crack puzzle number 100: 1960 Studebaker Italia Coupe by Frua, which just happens to be very similar to the Wolseley 16/60 rear lights, which all stem from the Austin A40 Farina. Farina no less not Frua, which leads to the Morris 1100, which are once again very similar to the lights found on a period silver cloud or a big jag Mk X of the same time. The Jag incidentally would have cost about the same as the Citroen coupe about 29,000 Fr…” Well, thank you! While Yannick Garcia is adamant the rear light come from Carello, also adding “Only two have survived (one to restore). Very short, these cars were "vivid" to drive and many perished due to accident.” Several of you also mentioned the existence of a convertible version, which has supposedly disappeared. Herve Smagghe writes he has two pictures of that car and we’d love to see them Herve! Hugo Modderman thinks slightly different, though, adding: “Two convertibles were built of which one resides in The Netherlands!” But it is Don Siemers who wins. He knew that the first car was completed in the summer of 1960 – just too late for the 47th Paris Auto Show. And so the debut was hosted by the Monthlery race track the following spring, while the motor show debut had to wait to the 1961 Geneva show and that of Paris, where two cars with minor variations in the quarter windows were seen.” Congratulations Don!

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