Citroën ID
(1957 - 1977)
Brand:
Country:
France
Citroën ID: All 10 models
Car articles about Citroën ID by year
In 1955, Citroën shocked the automotive world with the DS - hardly any other post-war production car had been so progressive and "different". However, the saloon was expensive and not affordable for many. Two years later, Citroën followed suit and presented the ID 19, which was hardly less revolutionary, but significantly cheaper. The magazine 'hobby' naturally tested the new car as soon as possible and was full of praise. And they were right at the time, the Citroën made its mark and was built for decades. This article reproduces the original wording of the 1958 test and shows the ID 19 in many historical pictures.
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.
The Citroën DS is undoubtedly one of the most advanced cars ever built. However, the revolutionary and much-acclaimed design with hydropneumatics, dual-circuit braking system and power steering posed problems for many mechanics and was initially met with skepticism. So in 1957 Citroën sent a somewhat more conventional and less expensive demigoddess onto the road in the form of the ID 19, which was showered with praise and thus impressively underlined the incredible progressiveness of the D-series. This article reproduces an original test report from 1960 and shows the ID 19 in extensive historical images and sales material.
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.
The estate version of the Citroën ID 19 was an exception. It was stylish yet spacious, versatile and could also carry a payload of 670 kg. It offered seven seats and still had room for luggage. It also had the qualities that DS and ID had offered from the very beginning, such as front-wheel drive, disc brakes, power steering and hydropneumatics. This article reproduces the original wording of a test report from 1962 and showed the ID 19 Break in many historical pictures and in the sales literature.
Can a car that was highly advanced when it was presented still be convincing almost ten years later? Of course it can. Even as the affordable ID 19, Citroën's "goddess" was still in a class of its own in terms of driving comfort and safety in the mid-sixties. With power assistance for the steering and brakes, the former economy model was no longer so economical. The only real point of criticism was as old as the car itself: the tired engine. In this historical test report, the weaknesses and talents of the big Citroën are explained in detail.
When the Citroën DS 19 was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1955, it was believed that a new automotive era had begun. However, although the elegant and special Citroëns sold well, they remained a one-off, while the rest of the car industry took a more conventional approach. In order to gain a foothold among more traditionally minded and less affluent motorists, Citroën followed the DS 19 with the simpler ID 19 model as early as 1956, which even proved itself in rallying. This report portrays an ID 19 B from 1967 and tells the development story of the entry-level model, illustrated with current and historical pictures.
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All 10 Citroën ID models
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