Citroen DS
When launched at the Paris Autoshow in 1955 the DS caused a stir with the general public that probably never been repeated by any new car launched after the World War II.
Both technically and appearance wise the car was so out of the ordinary that a comparison with existing cars was simply not possible. I remember my Grandfather (at that time driving a Horch 830) calling the car disgustingly ugly. The public thought otherwise and on the first day of the Paris show, firm orders for 12000 cars were taken.
The technical basis of the car was a hydraulic system, that operated the suspension, the brakes, the power steering and the semi automatic gearbox. The suspension was based on combination of putting oil and gas in spheres, each sphere dealing with one wheel. All wheels were linked to trailing arms. This resulted in an unrivalled ride comfort, and one of the benefits of the system was the automatic self leveling capability. Even a flat tyre was compensated for by the suspension and the car would not be influenced. (I once had a puncture of the left front wheel of a BX, and I heard the car clipping something on the road, but only kilometers later I found the ride noise a bit strange and then found that the tyre was completely flat. It had no notable impact on the roadholding).
The brakes were power assisted as well and braking took place via a little knob on the floor, rather than through a conventional pedal. Power steering came standard as well as a four speed semi-autobox (effectively an automatic clutch). The hydraulics turned out to be the weak point of the car, because the special oil used had a tendency to make the oil-lines corrode from inside. This was effectively solved when a new type of oil was developed (the Green LHM oil, replacing the Red variant), but it had not been beneficial for the reputation of the car
The package was wrapped up in a body shape that completely matched the avant-garde of the technicalities. Air resistance was revolutionary low, and well known are the pictures of cars put vertically on the back of the car to show the completely clean underside. Interior space (the wheel base was 3.10 metres) was unrivalled too, and one of my professors at University in the early seventies said he drove one, because he could keep his hat on. There were no door window frames, and the glass would sit against the rubbers on the body. In terms of windnoise, this was not the best solution.
The only let down was the engine, that was taken over from the Traction Avant and was basically a prewar design. Citroen made a number of test engines in different configurations, such as a flat six, a V6 and even a V8, but ultimately it was decided to keep the proven 4 pot. All during its 20 year life the basic engine design did not change, although more powerful version became available.
The roadholding was phenomenal, but one of the risks was that drivers simply felt that the car could not leave the road. This caused some nasty accidents. The car was a serious contender in Rallye events, winning the Monte Carlo in 1966, and almost winning the London Sydney Marathon in 1968, when the leading Bianchi driven car was hit by a police car about 20 km before the finish, at a time when the competition phase was already over.
Over the years a plethora of different versions appeared, all maintaining the main principles though. The outwardly most significant change came when the headlights were incorporated into one unit, and the high beams were turning with the steering.
A separate chapter should be written on the various Cabriolet versions that appeared, mostly designed by Chapron, and built by him and also by the factory itself. Of these only 1365 examples were made, but many sedans have been “reconstructed”.
There were also break versions. (93000 made) The cheaper version ID19 was launched in 1957. It had less hydraulic gadgets and a manual four speed box. Luxury versions (Pallas) became popular too, and the final version the DS23 Injection could reach 190 kph. It had the 2175 variant of venerable 4 cylinder engine, which even lived on in the CX that was launched in 1974.
The DS remained in production until 1975, and almost 1.5 million cars of all versions were produced. It is one of the most popular modern classics and it recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in style with a large parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
Shown here is a DS23 Pallas IE, semi automatic, at the Retromobile show in Paris in 2005.