| 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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