Born ahead of its time, both aesthetically and technically , the DS still embodies a certain idea of automotive avant-gardism. However, THE French luxury sedan par excellence is now a "granny", who has just celebrated her 65th birthday.

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In October 1955, under the vault of the Grand Palais, there was a riot around the Citroën stand at the Paris Motor Show. The cause of this crowd? The presentation of the all-new Citroën DS. A large sedan whose bold and aerodynamic lines create a real shock, just like the technical sheet featuring innovations such as the famous hydropneumatic suspension and hydraulic servo-assisted steering. Result ? In just 45 minutes, 750 copies are sold! The figure will reach 12,000 units at the end of the first day and nearly 80,000 when the Show closes its doors, after ten days.

 

This success is all the more incredible as the DS 19 is the opposite of a popular car like  the Citroën 2cv. It is displayed at a fairly high price for the time, and will also serve permanently as the official carriage for the Presidency of the Republic. Quite unintentionally, the Petit-Clamart attack on General de Gaulle in August 1962 further contributed to strengthening the image of this Citroën: despite two flat tires, the driver managed to continue on his way to shake off the attackers and the President come out uninjured. It's hard to imagine a more spectacular publicity stunt!

 

Praised above all for its exceptional comfort, the DS was nevertheless entered into competition, and it even won the 1966 Monte-Carlo rally... on green carpet: non-compliant headlights would, in fact, lead to the disqualification of the Mini and Ford arriving at the first four places. Headlights, it is also a question in 1967 when the French adopts for the first time a directional lighting, in order to better illuminate the turns.