DS3 Café Racer: special edition paying tribute to the rebellious spirit of the 1960s

The DS3 Café Racer is presented as a special edition that reflects the rebellion and transgression of the 1960s. Dressed in a leather jacket and tattoos, it pays homage to the suburban culture of 1960s London.

In the 1960s, London became the “cradle” of new artistic movements, musical styles, youth tribes and even ways of living that, today, still have a certain influence on our society.

Swinging London gave rise to the “Café Racer” style, an aesthetic started by motorcycle circles in the British capital. Races between roadside cafés on their motorcycles were common. These bikes were their main motivation, “their baby”, and served as expressions of personal identity and mastery of technique.

Their commitment and obsession was to build absolutely unique machines, in which everything was designed to optimise performance. Their rebellious look and their style of dress have spread to fields as different from the original as fashion, literature and graphic design, among others.

The new DS3 Café Racer is presented as a special edition that aims to capture this unique spirit of the era. It combines in a novel way the world of rock and the latest trends in an alliance of refinement and design.

If you want more information about the new DS3 range, this article contains all the details.

Starting with the roof, we find Crème Parthénon paint, which gives it a certain vintage feel, and is one of the main highlights of this special edition. The paint features nods and references both to the brand’s philosophy and to the “Café Racer” movement.

Its design includes a vintage reinterpretation of the logo DS, and even a mention of the launch year of “Shark”. The number 3 surrounded by laurels is a clear reference to the model’s competition record.

The Clover, meanwhile, is a clear tribute to the Ace Café London, the epicentre of the motorcycle and rock scene in this country. These graphic elements appear in several places on the bodywork, such as the doors, the shark fin, and so on.

Apart from the Crème Parthénon colour mentioned above, five tones will be available to combine with it: Pearl Black, Encre Blue, Sapphire Green, Ruby Red and Platinum Grey, to reflect even more, if possible, the unique character of this singular vehicle.

It also features exclusive 17-inch Bellone aluminium wheels, which come in cream at the centre, and textured black paint on the DS Wings of the front and the side mouldings, which give it a radical look.

The interior also draws clear references to the Café Racer movement. A particular highlight is a Crème Parthénon-coloured moulding that runs across the whole dashboard and features a handcrafted print with a motif identical to the one on the roof.

The seats are upholstered in Trinitario Brown Nappa leather. Sportiness is also a clear goal of the model, so details such as the aluminium pedals and footrests, as well as the leather gear lever, help in this respect.

Its vintage look, of course, does not stop the car from being genuinely high-tech and featuring the latest advances. Its 7-inch touchscreen is the clear star in this respect; through it we can access a new navigation system that shows real-time traffic conditions, lets us choose alternative routes to avoid jams, and tells us whether there are spaces available in the car park of a specific area.

Connectivity with mobile devices is assured, and this model is also compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Under the bonnet we find a 110 CV PureTech petrol engine with automatic gearbox, which stands for efficiency and high performance, delivering a dynamic drive.

The DS3 Café Racer was shown at the “Oldies but Goldies” event, a true celebration of classic cars and motorcycles held on 22 September at the Autocine Madrid Race.