SHARK FACED CITROEN DS WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME

INNOVATIVE: Amazing suspension and futuristic interior to match the exterior

By Ali Mphaki

When we were young, free and unperturbed, as colleague Vic Mecoamere is wont to say, all we knew is that it was a car that could swim.

“I am pik,’ we would shout at its first sighting, which was inevitably followed by hours of argument, the eventual winner of the debate being the one who spotted it first. Such was the awe in which we held the Citroen DS, a vehicle that first debuted in France in 1955. As observed by Martin Buckley in his book Classic Cars, never before has a single model enhanced so many innovations like the DS, chief among them was the suspension; eschewing conventional springs.

Thing is Citroen engineers suspended their new saloon on hydraulic self levelling hdropneumatic struts with unique adjustable ride height facility that meant the DS could raise itself to negotiate rough terrain. At rest, ignition off, it gradually sank until it sat squat to the floor.

You could have seen us with our eyes popped as we witnessed the spectacle! Great cars, we are told, need to possess the necessary technical substance wrapped in a package that could find its way into the hearts of the people.

The DS had loads of tech with its engine powering a high pressure hydraulic central nervous system which controlled ultra- sharp power steering, powerful four-wheel disc brakes (in board up-front) and the clutchless hydraulic gearchange.

Clothed in a beautiful and futuristic windcheating five-seater body (with detachable panels) that made its contemporaries look distinctly stale, the DS was a decade or two ahead of the game and a true show stopper.

With front wheel drive, its handling and stability were almost as sensational as its magic carpet ride.

The downside was its “elderly” engine, a 1933 design which, as Buckley observes, was unworthy of such and advanced machine.

From the 60s, however, early reliability problems associated with suspension were soon forgotten and the DS spawned a whole raft of derivatives during the 50s and 60s.

One thing though that did not change was its shark like shape until it was discontinued in 1975, replaced by the Citroen CX.

With injection and the biggest 2,3-litre engine, the last-of-line DS was capable of almost 120 mph (193 kph).

Ride comfort was its best quality.