Classic Car Citroen DS

Classic Citroen DS Cars

A friend of mine once owned two classic Citroen DS cars. Both black, one of which had previously been owned by a member of Depeche Mode, which was to prove to be not the only thing linking these cars musically.

The other old vehicle had a unique selling point for the folks of Chelmsford where we reside, and it wasn't the sheer Americana size of the car on narrow suburban roads that turned heads, it was more specifically it's temperamental knack of sticking in reverse, most notably ending up over one Christmas period at a ludicrous angle outside a local pub on a one way street. It was like a scene from Wacky Races. You could imagine the Ant Hill Mob, falling out of the pub and into this sleek, shiny black old motor (chauffeur driven of course).

In fact, it is such an iconic, evocative design that it's hard not to be transported somewhere in your mind when you see one – it evokes different emotions in different people. My initial scepticism about negotiating often narrow UK streets was short-lived though, the technology Citroen introduced into this automobile was quite something.

The first thing that gets you when you travel in one of these automobiles is just how amazingly comfortable they are – like riding on a cushion of air or a magic carpet is a description I've heard before when describing this car's ability to glide over the bumps. The bench seats are as comfortable as the suspension is perfectly tuned.

The Citroen nitrogen filled hydropneumatic suspension may not have rolled off the tongue, but it certainly made this classic roll over the awful British roads with consummate ease. I've yet to travel in anything as comfortable to this day. The unique 'height corrector' maintained a constant suspension level for the vehicle, giving it a cushion soft ride. But this wasn't all, the driver was able to select any of 5 different ride heights dependent on terrain – and possibly to avoid clamping when stuck outside a pub.

Like other French cars (search this blog), the Citroen DS had many eyebrow raising selling points.

The DS didn't have a jack in case of a flat tyre – it didn't need one; simply set the hydraulic ride height to it's highest setting, inset the provided stand into position, adjust the suspension to it's lowest setting, and the wheel would retract and lift off the ground.

Beware hydraulic failure though, first sign would be heavy steering, followed by a failing gearbox then – no brakes. All rather dramatic sounding.

The original DS had a similar engine to the Porsche 911 in that it was an air-cooled flat 6. Although for the size of the car and weight, the DS was constantly battling the accusation of being underpowered throughout it's life time. The last version improved matters though, the DS 23 saw the introduction of a 2347cc engine producing 143hp.

I remember being in awe of the directional headlights in my inaugural ride in this train carriage of a car. Why didn't every car do that? I still wonder to this today. The inner headlamps swivelled up to 80 degrees, effectively seeing round corners, while the outer side lamps were self levelling, reacting to pitching and dipping caused by braking.

Style-wise, I think it's timeless quality puts it along side the VW Karmann Ghia and the ever wonderful vintage Porsche 356. It's a shape that simply cannot go out of fashion, from it's inception in 1955 to it's demise in 1973.

One type of DS that you aren't so likely to see is the limited production convertible that was offered for sale from 1958. But apart from this, the shape more or less remained the same until the end.

Of course, it would be surprising if such an iconic car didn't feature in popular culture. In music, a Citroen DS sits under the trees on Echo & The Bunnymen's album Evergreen, while on Feeder's Yesterday Went Too Soon, a Citroen DS can be seen speeding past, as if the camera was a fraction too slow in capturing the moment. So if you want a rock star car, get your classic car insurance from Performance Direct and cruise away in a piece of classic French history.

I am reliably informed that one of these album cover stars is the same car that eventually got freed from it's reverse gear over that Christmas week many years ago. A head (lamp) turning classic preserved forever in rock history.