One of the most technically avantegarde and influential cars ever launched celebrates its 50th birthday today. October 6, 1955 saw unveiling of the first Citroen DS at Grand Palais Exhibition Centre in Paris. 50 years on, the French will with a parade through the French capital, a major exhibition and a display of the art that has been inspired by a car that became known as the 'The Goddess'.
As much a symbol of France as the Eiffel Tower and escargot, during its 20-year production run over 1.45m DS were built and shipped to all corners of the globe. The car carried Citroën's colours in the USA, Canada and Australia and its distinctive and immediately recognizable lines laid the foundations of Citroën's global reputation.
Created by engineer, André Lefèvre, and Flaminio Bertoni, the car pioneered many aspects of automotive design taken for granted today. In addition to excellent space utilisation, the DS delivered surprising performance and almost unparalleled cruising ability thanks to attention to drivetrain packaging and aerodynamics.
Revolutionary for not only its styling, the DS set automotive standards in terms of suspension, road holding, brakes and steering and was the first car to make advanced technology widely accessible. At the time of its launch not even Europe's most prestigious cars had power steering and braking, which could be found only on a few exceptional vehicles.
At the heart of the DS's many innovations was the high-pressure hydraulic system made necessary by the hydropneumatic suspension. This system drove the power steering and disk brakes as well as the transmission with its automatic clutch
The DS also used avantgarde materials in its construction, including aluminium for the bonnet and plastic for the roof.
Thanks to Citroen's mantra of never approaching design issues in a conventional manager, the DS is as unique in its appearance today as it was when it first graced the Grand Palais 50 years ago.
The car received its nickname thanks to phonetics. Pronounced a la mode Francais, DS is a homophone for "déesse", French for goddess.
Events organised to celebrate the anniversary include:
- The Citroën DS as a work of Art: an exhibition of art and cultural artifacts that have influenced or include the Citroën DS at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre.
- The Citroen DS re-launched: a recreation of the events at the Grand Palais Exhibition Centre when the DS was first unveiled
- 50th anniversary of the Citroën DS -- The saga of an exceptional car: an exhibition on the Citroën DS at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie science museum in Paris.
- Paris celebrates the DS: a parade of more than 1600 DS through the streets of Paris on October 9.
In addition, the Citroën DS is the star of France's 32nd International Contemporary Art Fair.