Citroën ‘Le Dandy’

Citroën ‘Le Dandy’ - 259

page last updated: 20 October 2008

259

'LE DANDY' COUPE HENRI CHAPRON BODY ON CITROËN DS CHASSIS

D I E - C A S T S C A L E M O D E L S

P L A Y C R A F T T O Y S L T D - L O N D O N

This car was really frustrating when I was a kid - I had a maroon Le Dandy with a door missing, but it looked wrong. I have always loved the DS and still hope one day to own a real one. I've had two real-life Citroens -a 2CV and an XM Station Wagon and even that hasn't cured me, now we have a C1 - but that is really a Toyota so it doesn't count. The frustration was that I had no idea why this Corgi DS was the wrong shape. It was only when reading Alan Clarke's diaries that the penny dropped that it was a coachbuilt special, because of course he had the drophead version, built to his spec, and left hand drive and it was just kept for his wife to use when she went abroad

These usually have one or more doors missing and almost always the spotlights have gone (as on both of these). I'd really like to get a complete one. Of course the one on the left, being metallic maroon, is a bit chipped. When I spotted the blue and cream one in an 'all for a fiver' bin on a dealer's stand at the Classic Car show I thought I'd spotted a real bargain. The blue and cream one is very rare and there it was, chipped and no tyres but with both doors and the boot still attached. It must either have been dark in the hall or I hadn't my glasses on (or both) but how on earth did I not spot the really BAD repaint?

CORGI TOYS

OPENING DOORS

OPENING BOOT

TIP UP SEATS

JEWELLED LIGHTS

SPRING SUSPENSION

PLATED BUMPERS

SPOKED WHEELS