The legendary Citroën DS, one of the most exceptional cars in the history of motorsports and which in Spain was known in the 50s to 70s as a shark, have gone from being abandoned in barns and garages to regaining a new life thanks to the work of Paco Becerro Casero, one of the most renowned restorers of vintage cars in Spain.
Becerro Casero runs a workshop in Piedrabuena (Ciudad Real), which is dedicated solely and exclusively to restoring Citroën DS and classic Citroën cars in general. This has led him to become a “magician” capable of making vehicles considered useless and destined to end up in the scrapyard revive into beautiful classic cars that gain a new life and become exclusive museum pieces.
The shark, also popularly known in France as the lady, was a car that after its launch at the Paris Motor Show in 1955 changed the history of the automobile due to its technology and comfort, falling in love with thousands of car lovers. Paco Becerro explained to EFE.
Its innovative concept, the result of the Italian automobile designer Flaminio Bertoni, with a front that highlights its characteristic headlights with elongated frames, its chrome plating or its elegant side view in which a large glass surface stands out, accompanied by a roof line. With a soft and stylized fall, it also captivated great actors such as Cary Grant and Kirk Douglas or the first lady of the United States Jaqueline Kennedy.
Now, these cars captivate many lovers of classic vehicles, who put these unique pieces in the hands of Paco Becerro Casero and his co-workers so that they can be remanufactured in the Piedrabuena workshop, where they carry out their comprehensive restoration.
Most of the cars that arrive at the workshop do so in less than optimal conditions, due to the neglect to which they have been subjected for years, he explains. As an example, the last car they have started working on, which is from a Scottish client: “We had to leave the car on the chassis, although before that we recovered all the original parts that we were able to save, and from Now a very meticulous process will begin to return it to our client as if it had left the factory a few decades ago,” he said.
The delicate and detailed work will last almost a year, and both Paco and Alba Arévalo Pérez, his partner, will do their utmost every day to please the client, who will be able to follow the evolution and recovery process of their car month after month.
The genesis of this Piedrabuena workshop actually began when, from a very young age, Paco Becerro Casero was attracted to the hydropneumatic suspension with which this car was born and which represented a revolution in the automotive world.
Years later he decided to set up a small workshop where he could restore three cars each year, something that would allow him to live without problems; However, after a few months orders began to pour in from all over Spain, until now a waiting list of just over 25 vehicles was completed.
There are many lovers of classic vehicles who continue to feel attracted to this car that was immortalized in many famous films, and which for this restorer is one of the most exceptional automobiles in history.
Considered a jewel of motorsport for its futuristic car concept, its production ceased in 1975, putting an end to 20 years of one of the most important cars in the history of the automobile, a car that marked a before and after and that for many people He was ahead of his time.
1,445,960 units of this model were manufactured, of which only a few remain today. Part of the blame for the fact that they are still seen circulating on the roads of Spain lies with this restaurateur from Piedrabuena who remembers that the shark car has been exhibited as an artistic sculpture in several museums around the world, and even today it is one of the few engineering works officially declared as a work of art.
