If I were a rich man....: 1966 Citroën HY- DS21 Super Sport

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We are often surprised by the lack of fantasy shown by many people with heaps of money. Buying a very expensive car, buying an even more expensive car, buying an extremely expensive car.  And that's it?  While the fun of having piles of money - at least in our view - gives room to play with fantasy. To make things true which are sleeping in the back of your mind. Or ideas or fantasies that have never occured to you before.

When we saw this advert coming in we first thought there was a typo in the pricing, as GBP 56,250 sounds absurd, even for a concours winning top restauration on a Citroën HY. Get real! But then we took the trouble of reading the advert we had to smile. This is the product of somebody with money AND fantasy. A rare combination. Well Richard Branson is a good example of course, but how many of those are around? Anyway the chap who had this very special HY commissioned had a very clear concept in mind. He liked the idea of the roomy van very much, but not its sluggish behaviour which did not fit his idea to use the HY as a tow car to visit various track events in 2015. At the same time he wanted to stay close with the Citroën heritage.  

He decided to call in the help of Italcars near Antwerp, Belgium. Together they realised his plans. The HY enjoyed a topnotch restoration while the interior was upgraded with state-of-the-art cooking and overnight facilities. The greatest challenge however was the engine department. In stead of the standard unit one opted for the 2,2 litre DS21 unit in well prepared form and including the 5-speed gearbox. There was only this tiny little issue they had to solve. The DS engine is turning in opposite direction compared to the standard unit.

After studying various options they decided to opt for a transmission solution. The result is no less than revolutionary. If you know the HY, you also know that swift is not the word connected with this workhorse. So it must be exhilirating to experience the over 110 HP, the amazingly easy acceleration, a - realistic- topspeed of 100 mph (!) and pleasant cruising at 75 mph... So very quick became the luggage gobbler that it was decided to block the fifth speed for the moment "in order not being carried away too much". Or in the words of a vintage racing poster: "better to arrive 2 minutes late in this world than 20 years too soon in the next". 
We can only say bravo to the owner (he unfortunately cannot make use of his brainchild due to a work relocation from Europe to Africa for the next several years) who shows the world his courage for dreaming. Over 55,000 GBP for a HY may be a vast amount of money, but what totally and amazing, and practical suprise on wheels can you get for money like that? Well....er , maybe yet another crazy HY..? To be honest, we would still go for the understated van killer that made us smile ear to ear.

(photos courtesy Italcars)

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