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Never before has a single model embraced so many innovations
as the Citroen DS, launched in Paris in 1955. Chief among these was the
suspension: eschewing conventional springs, Citroen engineers suspended
their new saloon on hydraulic self-leveling hydro pneumatic struts, with a
unique adjustable ride-height facility that meant the DS could raise itself
to negotiate rough terrain. At rest, ignition off, it gradually sank until
it sat squat to the floor: the same engine powered a high-pressure
hydraulic central nervous system which controlled ultra-sharp power
steering, powerful four-wheel disc brakes (in board up-front) and the
clutchless hydraulic gear change.
Clothed in a beautiful and futuristic wind cheating five-seater body (with
detachable panels) that made its contemporaries look distinctly stale, the
Ds was a decade, maybe two, ahead of the game and a true show stopper. With
front-wheel drive (as all Citroens had been since the equally revolutionary
Light 15), its handling and stability were almost as sensational as its
magic-carpet ride. Only its elderly engine engine let it down, a clattery
1934 design from the old Traction-avant which was unworthy of such an
advanced machine. From the mid-a1960s there was a more modern two-litre
four -cylinder engine, which was better, but somehow the DS never quite got
the kind of smooth, unstressed motor it deserved.
Early reliability problems associated with suspension were soon forgotten
and the DS spawned a whole raft of derivatives during the 1950s and 60s.
Downgraded models such as the ID19 and, later, the Dsuper, with fewer
power-assisted systems and less bhp, appealed to thousands of Paris
cabbies; the cavernous Safari estate cars were the ultimate in family
haulers; while the beautiful DS decapotable convertibles were expensive and
exclusive. High-spec prestige models and the last-of-the-line 2.3 litre
DS23 cars with five speeds and fuel injection further broadened the appeal
in the face of younger rivals. For the true DS connoisseur, meanwhile,
there were special coachbuilt coupes by the likes of Henri Chapron, not to
mention impressive stretched presidential cars.
The shark-like shape of the basic DS saloon changed little in 20 years -
the twin swiveling lights arrived in 1967 - and even when it was finally
replaced by the CX in 1975, the competition were only just beginning to
catch up with its degree of refinement. Many have now raised the styling of
the DS to the level of automotive art - how many other cars have inspired
their own art gallery exhibition? Good examples untainted by rust are
highly prized.
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