Seeing these pictures was a nice reminder of a truly fascinating automotive legend that I hadn't thought of in a long time. I don't suspect I'll be seeing a real one anytime soon in China, but I'll take what I can get! If anyone has any photos of other great old cars I'm more than happy to receive them! They will tide me over until my next great automotive find.
It has been a slow automotive discovery month for me. Just when I thought that I might go the whole month of July without seeing something interesting, a few pictures landed in my email inbox. I didn't get to see the car in person, but even seeing the photos got me excited. A colleague had travelled to Germany on a business trip and stumbled across this lovely Citroen DS in a parking lot. Knowing how much I like old cars (I have a Citroen 2CV model on my desk!), he snapped a few pictures: Built between 1955 and 1975, over 1.4 million copies of the DS would be sold. The name is a play on words for 'Déesse;, which means 'Goddess' in French. Known for its revolutionary hydraulic suspension with adjustable ride height, the DS is often included in lists of the most beautiful and influential automotive designs of all time. It was a popular luxury car in France, with a 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, and 2-door convertible being offered. It was best known as the Presidential car, as Charles de Gaulle was always driven around in one. The smooth, forgiving ride of the DS is legendary, but it also had many other modern features, such as inboard front brakes, hydraulic power for the suspension, brakes, clutch, transmission, and power steering, directional headlights, and the first use of mass-produced disc brakes. Many years ago in France I had the pleasure of working on a DS when a friend and co-worker was restoring one he had purchased. I recall spending a wonderful Saturday afternoon and evening (I believe we finished at 2am!) helping him change the famous green 'spheres' (the accumulators for the hydraulic pressure) and reinstall the directional headlight cables. Even if it was late when we finished, he insisted on taking it out for a test drive, and we had a fantastic romp through the nearby hills and curves as he showed off just how well the DS rode and handled. He even let me get behind the wheel, and while the dash-mounted shifter took some getting used to (there was no clutch pedal, but you had to manually shift), it really was an awesome experience.
Seeing these pictures was a nice reminder of a truly fascinating automotive legend that I hadn't thought of in a long time. I don't suspect I'll be seeing a real one anytime soon in China, but I'll take what I can get! If anyone has any photos of other great old cars I'm more than happy to receive them! They will tide me over until my next great automotive find.
6 Comments
1/18/2016 08:38:32 pm
Makes the name even more special, Holly! Another Citroen I love (and is also recognized as one of the best designs ever) is the SM.
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11/8/2015 02:22:03 am
car, as Charles de Gaulle was always driven around in one.
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6/8/2016 08:26:54 am
but it also had many other modern features, such as inboard front brakes, hydraulic power for the suspension, brakes, clutch, transmission, and power steering, directional headlights, and the first use of mass-produced disc brakes.
Reply
7/14/2016 05:37:34 am
A colleague had travelled to Germany on a business trip and stumbled across this lovely Citroen DS in a parking lot.
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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