When The Citroen DS was unveiled at the 1955 Paris Motor show, it took the motoring world by storm. Its futuristic shape was likened to a space ship, and even twenty years later, when it went out of production, it was still visibly and technically one of the most advanced cars of its day. In this authoritative illustrated book Malcolm Bobbitt recalls the long career of this extraordinary car and suggests why it became an icon of automobile design. He uses tow hundred and forty carefully selected historical photographs to show its long development, starting with the first design studies which were made before the Second World War, and the first prototype of 1952.
The revolutionary new car used hydraulics to operate the suspension system and to provide effortless semi-automatic transmission, powered steering and braking. The innovative approach was also expressed in the elegant, curving body and in the interior, which offered a degree of style and comfort that is still envied today and has seldom been surpassed.
The book chronicles the production history of the DS and its less sophisticated sister-car, the ID, and it seeks to explain the many facets of this complex, idiosyncratic vehicle. The author also describes how this reliable family saloon proved to be a formidable rally contender and, for a generation, provided formal transport for the French president and government.
Malcolm Bobbitts sympathetic and expert account of this quintessentially French car will appeal strongly to DS and Citroen enthusiasts, and to all those curious about the career of one of the most distinguished vehicles in automobile history
