Commerciale Practique

When the DS (Déesse = French for goddess) was presented at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, l’auto-journal ran the headline “The bomb has exploded!” And what a bomb it was, because by the end of the show, over 80,000 sales contracts had been signed! Calculated back to the opening hours of the show, on average a customer signed a sales contract every two seconds! In 1957, the more simply equipped ID models were presented and in 1958 the station wagon models Commerciale, Break, Familiale (with three rows of seats) and Ambulance. The following year, in September 1959, i.e. for the 1960 model year, production of these station wagons began. Although technically equipped with all the refinements of a DS, the station wagon versions bore the model name ID. Apparently there was a fear of giving a station wagon the noble name of a DS. However, this proved to be completely unfounded, as these station wagons were the first European post-war station wagons that were comparable to a luxury sedan in terms of comfort and performance. The widespread acceptance of this concept triggered a real boom in classy station wagon models, which all manufacturers gradually followed! In 1972, the courage was finally summoned to sell the models as DS Commerciale, Break, Familiale and Ambulance. A particularly clever detail is the horizontally split tailgate, the two halves of which can be opened separately. This means that the lower flap can be left open to transport extra-long objects. So that a license plate is visible even when the flap is open, Citroën even obtained a general operating permit to use two rear license plates. Thanks to the hydropneumatic suspension, high-pressure brakes and power steering, it was the first station wagon that was easy, safe and comfortable to drive despite a permitted payload of an incredible 700 kg (depending on the model). The practical utility of an ID or DS station wagon can be described as exemplary even today, and you will hardly find a more stylish and pleasant station wagon.

This DS 20 Commerciale was first registered on October 30, 1973. Unfortunately, we only know the history of the car from 2009, when the car was imported to Germany from the Netherlands and registered to a woman in Bremen on October 16, 2009. In 2020, the woman sold the car to someone in Celle and it was not until January 2024 that the car came into the hands of a collector of French vintage cars. We have known this collector for years and since he has now had health problems, he is getting rid of most of his cars, including this station wagon. This Commerciale is the basic version of a ’73 DS station wagon, so without the folding seats in the trunk and even without rear door armrests (which we can retrofit on request). Since a Commerciale does not have these folding seats, the loading floor is a little lower than in the other station wagons and is therefore a little larger. The rear seat can even be folded forwards by 180°, so to speak “laid on its face”. The back seat can then be folded down behind it, creating a “huge” flat loading area that reaches up to the backrests of the front seats. There are only very few station wagons that allow this. There is also a roof rack and with a possible payload of 685 kg you can actually use this volume. The variability of this car exceeds that of most modern station wagons or SUVs, and if you raise the chassis all the way up, you can let your passengers get in just as easily as in an SUV. A practical station wagon – Commerciale Practique.

Our Économie offer for €25,700 refers to the vehicle that has been tested and is roadworthy and has a general inspection valid until January 2026. The standard offer for €31,700 includes a new starter motor, exhaust silencer, brake pressure accumulator, pressure accumulator, pressure regulator, a major inspection and a new general inspection. The Suprême offer for €37,900 also includes a new roof paint job, a new headliner and cavity and underbody preservation. We would be happy to send you a list of the three offers.