Citroën DS
(1955 - 1975)
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France
All 34 Citroën DS models
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Car articles about Citroën DS by year
The Citroën DS became a car of the century, which soon had a large clientele behind it and which can still count on a large number of loyal and enthusiastic owners today. The car was and is something unique and is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Let's take a look back at the design and technology and follow its complex development.
The Citroën DS 19 was revolutionary for its time; no other car could really compare with it. However, the car also took some getting used to if you really wanted to enjoy its advantages. However, the AR test editors were won over by the outstanding handling and great comfort. They concluded: "In summary, the endurance test confirmed the view that the Citroën DS 19 represents a significant milestone in automotive engineering. Its driving comfort and safety are in a class of their own. Its technical creators achieved a real pioneering feat and the factory management showed unusual courage by starting production of this design. In addition, the test car proved itself so well in a rigorous endurance test that the "AR" decided to publish the results. Although this report shows that the DS 19 is not the end, but the beginning of a development, it has proved to be a reliable and, in view of its special characteristics, an award-worthy utility car. Due to its distinctly personal touch, it will undoubtedly not only find fans, but in terms of driving characteristics and comfort it is the model for the utility car of tomorrow."
Hector Bossaert was dissatisfied: his Citroën DS needed to be lighter and more agile. So the racing driver took the origin of the word "coupé" to heart, cut a generous 47 centimetres from the floor assembly of the goddess and had the rear end redesigned by Pietro Frua. The result was one of the most beautiful special bodies for the big Citroën, which gave the French sculpture a dash of Italian lightness, but unfortunately only eleven were built. This article tells the story of the GT 19 Bossaert, showing the prototypes in historical photos and the only surviving example in current photos.
When Citroën's goddess rolled onto the roads in 1955, it caused a sensation like no other car before it. Thanks to innovative mechanics with front-wheel drive and hydropneumatics, the DS set new standards in comfort and the saloon became a design icon. However, the sloping roofline reduced storage space, an important purchase criterion for certain people. So Citroën launched the Break in 1958, one year after the more affordable ID went on sale. This article reproduces the original test report from 1962 and shows the practical Frenchwoman in many historical pictures.
If the Citroën DS factory convertible was still too ordinary for you, you could have Henri Chapron customize an open-top goddess according to your wishes. The coachbuilder from Levallois offered three convertibles and three coupés as format templates, which could hardly be surpassed in terms of exclusivity in the mid-sixties. This article tells the story of Chapron's Citroën-based creations and shows a picture of a Le Caddy from 1962.
Between 1961 and 1971, Citroën built a convertible based on the ID/DS models, which technically corresponded to the respective saloons, but dispensed with two doors and had an independent design at the rear. Due to the high price at the time, the DS Décapotable remained a rarity on the road. Today, the cabriolets are sought-after rarities. This vehicle report describes the history and development of the ID/DS Cabriolet, portrays a vehicle from 1967 and documents the various versions with historical illustrations and a rare original brochure.
It was born as an elegant luxury-class saloon, blessed with advanced hydropneumatics and front-wheel drive. However, in addition to a more affordable entry-level version, the Parisian developers also provided the Citroën DS with an extremely versatile station wagon, which was to be a benchmark for truly practical and versatile rival makes for decades to come. Only a few of the station wagons called Break, Commerciale or Familiale have survived, and this report is dedicated to one of these rare vehicles with over 900,000 km on the clock.
The new NSU RO 80 with the Wankel engine was to show whether it was superior to the Citroën DS, which was 13 years older. To find out, the test drivers of the magazine "hobby" set off on a journey in 1968 that would take them all the way to Africa. The two vehicles were tested under extreme conditions and, after almost 10,000 km on their own wheels, were driven home to be dismantled and analyzed.
Although only the later models had swivel headlights, these are one of the reasons why the Citroën DS became so well-known and admired. The story of the goddess (Déesse) began as early as 1955, when 80,000 orders were received at the presentation. This driving report portrays a DS 21 Pallas model from 1971 and tells the story of the DS model based on many observations from the time, supplemented by current and historical images, several brochures and a worthwhile advertising video from the time.
In the late sixties and early seventies, Citroën produced several DS models with six-cylinder engines, which were used in rallies, among other things. They were never really successful and the energy crisis put an end to the attempts, but at least one model could be saved. This vehicle report describes the circumstances surrounding the construction of the six-cylinder DS, showing a model in detail and with historical images.
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All 34 Citroën DS models
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