Why The Citroën DS Is The Greatest Car Ever Made! (1973 DS23 Pallas Automatic Road Test)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- WIN with Lancaster Insurance: bit.ly/3BUKBKb
The Citroën DS was the culmination of 18 years of secret development and stunned the world at the Paris Motor Show, setting a launch day sales record that took 60 years to beat! Replacing the Traction Avant and spawning the cheaper ID, its gorgeous styling clothed hydropneumatic suspension, a phenomenal ride and an unlikely ability as a rally car, not to mention save President Charles De Gaulle from assassination. Almost 70 years on, the DS remains a wonderful driving experience and a landmark in the history of the car. The Citroën DS also happens to be Joe’s dream car and he thinks it could be the greatest car ever…
Proudly supported by Lancaster Insurance - get a quote on YOUR classic car insurance here: www.lancasteri...
Music -
• Chris Zabriskie - Readers Do You Read: • "Readers! Do You Read?...
• Chris Zabriskie - Prelude No. 7: • Prelude No. 7 by Chris...
Classics World is a family of brands that includes ten classic publications plus many souvenir bookazines. Check out great offers on these and more on shop.kelsey.co...
More classic car news and reviews online. Stay up to date with our weekly newsletter - register today at classicsworld....
• Facebook: / classicsworlduk
• Instagram: @classicsworlduk
• Twitter: @ClassicsWorldUK
All content on this channel is - unless otherwise stated - the opinion of the given party and any offence caused is severely apologised for. Any and all third-party content is credited and referenced to the best of our ability and all externally-created content is entirely the legal property of its original and rightful owner/s. All rights respected.
it is not a car. it is a legend. A cloud moving just above the road. Something magic in our world.
What a wonderful way to put it. Lovely.
It is a flying carpet. The one which saved Charles De Gaulle's life
When was young (55 years ago) a family member had a DS. It could not be compared with any other car . The comfort , the smoothness of the drive …
I love le decapoutable version.
It's a class of its own.
In Sydney I once striped a 1966 ID19 for parts and drove my naked Citroen with no body panels, no windows, no roof, no muffler and no exhaust pipe and only a driver's seat....
AND without one rear wheel.
Drove up and down hills to the local shops and back...
ON THREE WHEELS.
Pure Citroen Craziness.... Huge Fun.
I owned 7 DS/IDs out of 17 Citroens owned across 52 years.. Total addict..
Very sensible!
My father bought a new DS23 Safari in March 74. It took 8 of us on holiday every year. Covered 116000 miles, in 7 yrs, and never broke down. To this day I’ve never been in any car that comes close to equal it. Yes the Goddess is the Greatest car ever made. It’s the eighth wonder of the world.
An English speaker who understands puns " DS/ Goddess " it's nice , i appreciate
The floor carpet was my favorite part, very thick and comfortable
My dad bought a 1972 DS21 in white. Loved loved loved this car. I installed a CB radio in it as well as fake white goat fur everywhere and red interior lights. So quirky and fun to drive. Too bad the rust got the better of it and we had to sell it.
we be always being fascinated how it crouches when parked;;and we always want to be there when it is started and it rises as it usually does...another fascinating thing about the smaller Citroen trekking home from school back early 70s I witnessed European man driving smaller Citroen to the edge of a pool of water formed after a lengthy rainfall under IJORA Bridge the pressed whatever and rises and Waded through the water effortlessly....that was a cheap functional work of engineering....❤️💯
@@abdulganiyusanusi620 indeed. However when the suspension is raised to higher positions, there is no longer any suspension. Very rough drive. Only to be used for short special circumstances.
Apart from all its cleverness, this car is the most comfortable ride I have ever experienced. One of my friends dad had one, and I used to always look forward to getting a ride anywhere in the car.
Once I grew up, I really got to appreciate the beauty in the design as well.
Same here. Had a drive with my friend who's mom was driving. Never had such a smooth ride since. The jacking up of the car after it started was such a quirky thing.
A buddy bought one of these back in the early '70's and took me for a ride. What a ride that car had! I recall the carpet padding was extremely thick; 'cushy' really. He suggested I take my shoes off and see if I could feel the bumps in the road either through the seat or floor. I could feel not bumps; it was like riding aboard a magic carpet. The seat was big, plush, and SO comfortable. To this day I have never ridden in a more comfortable car than the Citroen DS; nothing has even come close.
Great video and I totally share your views absolutely without hesitation. I've owned my DS Safari almost 30 years and in that time it has transported my kids as babies right up to fully grown adults in the upmost comfort and for over 500,000 km since I bought it and it's still going strong. An amazing car I shall never part with. I also own a DS21 saloon, an SM, a CX and a couple of Traction Avants - just to feel the heritage. The joy of ownership over so many years and experiences, through snow, winds, floods and heatwaves - nothing comes close to the DS as such a capable machine in all driving situations. Truly an all time great car that even today cannot be bettered for its sheer breadth of ability. What a fabulous piece of engineering and design. Nothing like this will ever be seen again. We should all be thankful to Bertoni and Lefebvre and of course, Citroen, for their fabulous vision and stunning genius.
Bravo sir -but I think your collection needs a 2CV and a GS.
You sum up a DS so eloquently
Are you trying to make me feel that I have lost in life, having never once sat in a Citreone? 😂😂😂
I had a 73 DS23. It was without doubt the best car I've ever had. It's the only car I've ever had in which I could drive from Melbourne to Sydney, have a cuo of coffee and feel that I could drive back again. I wish I still had it.
Would be nice cruising down the Hulme in it
André Citroën was a genius ! He also developed the 1st front wheels powered car ( Traction avant ) in1936 !
@@jemma_19988Think you mean Hume. Hulme was a bloke called Denny, NZ’s F1 world champ, who sadly but probably fittingly died while cruising down Conrod in a BMW (but I’m sure he was a Citroen fan too). I’d love to drive a DS from Melbourne to Sydney!
I bought a DS21 whilst in Paris many moons ago, and to this day it remains my most favourite car I've owned
My uncle used to have a DS, and 45 years later (I was 5) I still remember the feel, the experience ride in a DS. He used to tell me that a DS can ride even only with 3 wheels! and he demonstrated, the car can elevate to high and low setting because of hydraulic suspension system.
DS, unlike any other car I've ever been is, yes! A moving cloud, flawless ride experience, feel almost no vibration even in bumpy roads. Plus, futuristic design. Definitely ahead of it's time even by today's standard.
I had the privilege of helping restore and repair a few of them. The hydro-pneumatic system, once you understand it, is remarkably brilliant yet easy to service. And of course, I carried that knowledge over to service the CX, BX, and Xantia. It's been years since I last was involved with one of these, but my heart still beats faster whenever I see a video like this one.
I had a CX and XM. As you say, the hydraulics are much easier than their reputation suggests.
I had an SL600 with a similar suspension, but not tuned for comfort. It was ridiculous how it could hold a corner at speed. Brilliant design.
My grandfather was a engineer for Opel for his entire career.
He and my grandmother were in the South of France on holiday when they encountered one of these.
They were driving a new Opel Kapitan and the DS driver wanted to race.
The Kapitan easily out ran the DS until the road surface deteriorated and the Opel had to slow to a snails pace and the DS barely slowed down and disappeared down the road.
Worst thing on the DS was it's underpowered engine
@@SuperDirk1965 Saddling the magnificent DS with that sewing machine 4 was a crime.
@@SuperDirk1965 It only depends where and on which surfaces, because in tight mountains roads, and other, this Citroën with no power would just left you behind.
The French president at this time, Charles de Gaulle, literally have been saved by this car. Some opposants wanted him dead, and sent people to kill him.
That group of killers with they powerful cars, didn't succeeded simply because the Citroën DS is so much amazing, that even with all tyres damaged by the guns, it successfully escaped and left behind the killers on twisty and tight roads.
@@kasugakyosuke6441 nothing like a bit of embellishment to make a good story😉
@@iamthebroker there's no embellishment, just true story reported by the president himself, who said he would only ride Citroën for the rest of his life, since the car literally saved him.
Even Jay's Leno, who got one these amazing DS in its garage, just left the camera car of its UA-cam channel behind, unable to keep up with him in the twisty mountain roads.
A Citroën Xantia activa is capable to pass the moose's tests at 80+ km/h without any flaws on its trajectories. It remains exceptionally more stable than a porsche.
I bought a 1972 Citroen ds special last year. Same colour but with a black roof in similar condition I wanted one since I was a teenager - thirty years later the dream came true!! Was surprised how excited friends and family were ! One mate from school even mentioned the car in his 50th speech !! Sometimes I look at it and cannot believe I made it happen
Sensational ride and forever finding new quirks Great video !!
Thanks Karl, I'm very jealous! -Joe
@@ClassicsWorldUK For Australian conditions, the white roof was much more sensible, making a great contribution to interior comfort.
I think if Citroen were to make a version of this with a modern engine it would still sell like hot cakes
I love the car, but no, I don´t think so! The general public have never understood or appreciated the greatness of the original DS!
It needs a proper boot
Citroen DS EV
A BIGGER engine. A 4 cylinder in this fantastic car should have been considered a crime.
@@jourwalis-8875 This fantastic car had a mere 4 cylinder engine. For people paying as much as this car cost, the last thing they want is a little 4 cylinder engine. If it had a V8, lots of people who bought Cadillacs, Lincolns, senior Buicks, and senior Chryslers would have bought this car.
I loved the 1967 DS 21, for it's unique styling and the ride was spectacular.
I once had 700 lbs of cement bags the trunk and it still rode level.
Every bag I unloaded, the car would rise up, then settle in again...
Still looks modern,it must have been truly ground breaking back in the day.
Saw it for the first time in Paris in 1956 and I love it just as much now 67 years later as I did then. You either love it or you hate it. There's no in-between.
My favourite car of all time. I fell in love with it as a child when we went on family holidays to Spain, driving through France in the late 60s and 70s. Back then the estates were used as ambulances and the saloons as police cars. Many taxis were DS as well, so they were relatively common. You never forget your first love.
I was the lucky owner of a Citroën DS Pallas, the luxury version. The problem was that I couldn't afford the car so I had to sell it. Until today I regret it. There is no car in the world that drives as well as this car. There's also no car that looks as great as this car. If they would decide to build these cars again I would buy one.
Yet there are also few sedans, hatchbacks or station wagons, if any, as long as the GAZ-14 Chaika (over 6 m) although the GAZ-13 Chaika, who Andy Wilman, in a 1997 Top Gear episode, called a "V8 Chaika" (from the video "Andy Wilman on Top Gear - Soviet Cars 1997"), is over 5 m long.
What still amases me : There is no other car that looks even remotely like the DS - before or after !
What still amasses me have those assassins killed de Gaulle that day his son won't be doing bussines with Putin today.
a bit like Porsche ...
Actually, search Citroen SM. Different clearly, but also clearly related.
Because it was ugly looking
Really funny since the creator of this car knows its fantastically good and sellable, why did he stop producing it??
My father worked for a couple of CEO's that had a car pool. The 1973 DS 23 Pallas Prestige (with separation window!) was one of them. I loved it when he allowed me to ride with him to distant places. Sadly it was stolen and abused. Police found it after two weeks but it was damaged beyond repair and sold for scrap. It was only four years old. One thing, I seem to remember it was a full automatic, not a semi automatic. According to my father, only 2 were built exactly like that one. One for the president of France that was armoured, and a non armoured one that "we" had. It had a lavish interior. My father saved the clock that was there for the rear passengers and used it in every subsequent car he owned as a tribute to the DS that had such a terribly short life.
The first DS19 in the family was a black 1956 beauty. The 4th and last one was a metallic grey1965 DS21 Pallas (same color seats as yours). This one I drove a lot in the late 60's Everything you described is 100% true. What a total gem. I must remark that the one you are driving makes me salivate. It looks almost brand new. Well done.
I have to say yes definitely one of the best cars ever made. It was light years ahead of anything else and still looks stunning.
Couldn't agree more!
At the 1955 Paris Motor Show Britain was introducing the facelifted series II Standard Vanguard. Why was everyone crowding around the turntable displaying the DS???????? 🤔
In many ways it still is.
A Flaminio Bertoni design
A friend of mine owned one. A truly remarkable car. He was taking his Daughter to catch a train. They missed the train. Bill put the foot down. They were crossing a mountain range, faced with a sign of recommended speed of 30 mph. But was doing 75 mph. Back 2 gears and let the car go. Came out safely. No other car would do that
No other car would do 75 in a 30 zone ?
My E Type would do 160 in a 30 zone.
We get it, you like the car but this story seems a little bit made up
My late father in law had one. When he let me drive it I pressed the brake button like I would in my Avenger and nearly went through the windscreen. Fabulous car.
I LOVED this video. A DS23 Pallas is my absolute dream car since the day I was hitching rides to get me around France. A DS owner stopped and gave me a lift and the experience was truly sublime.
I have been living permanently in France for 21 yrs now, so I really should get on with it and 'bag me one'.
Go for it!
@@ClassicsWorldUK I would love to - you got any Dosh ? 😀
This was a truly amazing car, years ahead of its time. It looked stunning and the ride was as comfortable as a Rolls Royce. It even had a mechanical system which turned the headlights as you went round a corner so you could see the road ahead. I drove a number back in the 1970s and was always amazed by the quality of the ride. I also loved the adjustable ride height. Parked up it was practically touching the ground but as soon as you switched on the engine it gently floated up to normal height. Its Achilles heel was the engine which was underpowered for the weight of the car, but once you got it up to speed, it was a magic carpet ride!
A slight change in wording necessary here: “the Rolls-Royce ride was as comfortable as a DS” …
@@m3photo726 Rolls Royce used citroen suspension. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydropneumatic_suspension
In those actual and unfortunate days of ludicrously “portholed” Evoque’s and etc.;
Deesse is also the blazing, ultimate proof that a car can be simultaneously aerodynamic, sleek, elegant yet SPACIOUS!!!🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤩
Thanks for a great video!🖖
I had a 1972 DS and I would tow a trailer with a race car on board and the car coped beautifully, the only problem was that after 10 minutes I was the only one left awake ! If i came to a flooded road I would simply click the suspension lever back and the car would rise so I could drive through the flood, I've seen many a driver wide eyed and open mouthed in disbelief after doing this.
Just a brilliant car.
Absolutely magical! Citroen at its best! The most advanced car till this day! Brilliant! 🙏🏽
Couldn't agree more!
I remember in the mid 1970s when I was like 5 or 6, we had a neighbour who had one. He took me for a drie down to the local shopping mall that had a row of speed humps. He floored it over them and you couldnt feel a thing. Brilliant cars and a brilliant clip. Thanks mate.
Ha, can relate to that. The DS is the nemesis of supermarket speed humps around the world.
Love them. Had a couple.. the front seats recline to flat with the rear . You can then have a massive squishy double bed. The only car to drive round France in and guarantee to be treated like royalty everywhere you go . Park it anywhere.
Yeah, you did get treated well in them, I crashed mine in France once, it got a flowery and quite ridiculous write up about it in a national newspaper.
MK1 Twingo seats do the same.
...Renault 16 would also oblige...
Bought one in early 80’s for £300. No one wanted them. Best car I ever had-amazing engineering,quirky and totally unique. It had headlights which turned with the steering wheel and hydraulic self levelling suspension,and a cushion pad instead of brake lever,also hydraulic.unlike any other car,it was wonderful to drive. It’s no wonder you’d have to pay over 30K to get one now!
Yeah in New Zealand a DS was driven by oddball eccentric people in the eighties and they were cheap!! Nowadays they are worth good money
The DS and the 2CV are iconic. Even my wife got excited when she saw these on our trip to France. The lady at our little hotel had a 2CV and she had owned it for 30 yrs. She said it made her life slow down so she could appreciate the texture of the world. LOL.
These cars came to my attention back in the 1960's in Saigon. Along with the many cyclos, mopeds, Lambretta scooters, bikes, and blue and white Renault taxis they were a part of the city traffic.
My favourite of all time! That car broke so many firsts. Impossible to have something this advanced today in so many levels.
Totally agree. The DS23 was unparalleled before or since. Gorgeous and eye-catching wherever it went.
My family spent a year travelling around Australia in the early 1980s in a DS safari wagon. Superbly capable and comfortable on all road conditions, though spare parts were not easy to come by. When I got my licence I drove it a few times, and absolutely loved how smooth yet precise the column-shift gear changes were.
In the late 1990, a DS was still operating as a taxi in Berlin. All the other taxi drivers hated it and its driver because passengers ran for it once it approached the taxi stand at Tegel airport, effectively making him a serial queue jumper...
I remember this car when I was a kid our neighbour had one when I was taken for drive I always remember how lovely it was that's got to be over sixty years ago.
This design has aged surprisingly well.. it is gorgeous
Born '74🇦🇺, as I kid I would stare at these cars,,,and their occupants in amazement , theirs definitely still a few on the road and many more locked up or rusting away here in SA .
My first car was a Citroen Light 15 (traction avante) and I thought I had learned everything I could about them decades ago but this is the first time I have seen this image of the “hatchback”. Thank you.
I am old, but I can remember driving from Roubaix to Mulhouse with our French clients in their new DS. It was a revelation. A whole new concept of motor car at the time.
I bought a DS21 when I was 18 and when I finished high school went off travelling to France with 3 friends, A lovely car to drive and you can almost steer with your fingertips. The only thing I did not like in my manual was the parking break.
My stepfather had a Goddess here in Australia in the early sixties when I was a young teenager. I remember being in it and people would get his attention while stopped at traffic lights to say, "Your tyres are down." He'd answer, "They're Michelins" whatever that meant. It was not until I was driving myself that I learned about radial tyres. His other love was pulling up next to a petrol pump with the suspension at full height. He's turn off the motor, set the suspension to the lowest and get out as the whole car dropped several inches over a few seconds. People would see it happening and wonder how the car went down instead of up as an obviously heavily built man got out. It was like a party trick to him. It was a sad night when some vandal fire bombed it in the streets of inner city Sydney and it was totally burnt out. Some part of me is still in love with the car and I almost dream of buying one myself.
What a sad ending for the car.
I rode in one of these back in 1977. Absolutely superb!
I've never ridden in or driven one but I'd love the chance. I do remember reading road tests in the 60s and 70s in which the engine was constantly criticised for being rough and unrefined even though it soldiered on into the CX - another fantastic car with enhanced modernity and to my eyes, looks even better!
I have driven examples of both the DS and the CX - interesting and very impressively comfortable cars but just as you reference the aspect that let them down was that Citroen never had a really smooth and refined engine. Their 4 cylinder units, though reliable and in their ultimate guises even quite powerful were indeed rough, noisy and unrefined. The Citroen SM was an effort to address that - I drove one of those once - the Maserati V6 engine was better though it had an unusual sound and rhythm to it being a 90 degree V6 (a V6 would typically be a 60 degree design) and really ran a bit unevenly for a 6 cylinder engine. Nice and certainly sweeter than the 4 cylinder units in the DS and CX but still fell well short of the best 6 and V8 cylinder engines.
I recently bought a mint condition one of these for my collection, and I must say it a beautiful and well built automobile. It rides like no other!
Without doubt the greatest car ever made. I’d have a fleet if or won the lottery: 23 Pallas, a safari, an electric conversion and decopatable. Then I’d have an SM and then some ordinary cars.
I've wanted one since I was 10 years old, I am now 59, one day!
They would be great for conversion to electric they look so futuristic then you fire up a rather underpowered petrol engine
It was my mom, NOT my dad who always wanted one. She was so proud of him when he brought home a brand new DS21. In the then Rhodesia. She went full Mrs Hyacinth Bouquet! We kids loved it as one of us could sleep comfortably on the flat floor at the back whilst the other 2 shared the back seat. Whilst you could raise or lower the suspension, it really was near undrivable except for short distances unless in the ‘recommended’ slot on the adjustment lever. Also it was one of first cars to have ventilated front disc brakes: there were two large ducts under the front bumper. Dad’s was manual column shift so it was tricky to drive smoothly with a long clutch pedal action. It felt slow at first and not one to race at traffic lights, but once on the open road, would cruise effortlessly at what was, for those days, heady high speeds. Few other saloons could keep up, and if they did, we sailed past as their high fuel consumption to compete resulted in more frequent refuelling stops.
A DS saved my uncle’s life when he hit a kudu bull late one night at high speed: the engine submarining under the passenger compartment. Police were amazed he walked away with only a few superficial cuts, bruises and a broken collar bone. Oh yes, the DS 21 had the brightest, most penetrating headlights I’ve ever witnessed on high beam. Another Southern African plus.
Our family had one in the late sixties.I am so sad we do not still have it. greatest car ever ....yes.
I’ve been in one of these as a passenger several times and I found my self having a very satisfied sleep a remarkable car 🎉
With the trend of bigger and bigger wheels with less and less tyre, this hydropneumatic suspension would be a godsend on todays cars.
What a brilliant review. I could sense the absolute awe that the author felt - anyone that misses it, is probably not alive anyway. Thanks - it's my dream car too. Have not been fortunate enough to see one, let alone experience it. Maybe one day....
Very unique & beautiful cars, they were made to last, not plastic & unsafe like today's cars
pretty clueless stating present cars are unsafe.. There is loads of safety, stability, consumption and comfort improvements available, even in the low end segment.
And a DS Cabriolet appeared in the 1997 dystopia. sci-fi movie Gattaca, set in the 'not too distant future '. Brilliant movie. And so much has come to pass.
My dad used to drive one glad ive stumbled across this channel. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching!
French man I worked for in 1972 in Miami Monaco Motors had a photo of him driving a DS21 in NYC with only 3 wheels, with 1 rear wheel.
It was Buffalo, Andre Garnier
If I can afford, and, if there’s one out there that’s impeccable, I’d buy it in a heartbeat! Saw this in 1972 with one of my military instructors, and I fell in love!
Impeccable means that you'll never drive it. Also expensive. So don't bother. These cars are meant to be driven, it is how they survive. Find one that runs well and doesn't look too flash - you'll never regret it.
My one is in excellent nick and I drive it every possible weekend trick is too keep garaged but you must use them or else they pack up
I still have mine from 1974,same as the car in the video. I serviced it for the original owner from new and bought it at 5 years old.I restored it in 1984, and rebuilt the engine in the 1990's after it had done 200,000 miles on all the original parts, including the clutch.(the car isn't clutchless and it is operated by a hydraulic cylinder, NOT a solenoid. I wish these presenters got their facts right before doing these videos) It was my daily driver until 2003. I sold it and the new owner did 4000miles in 2 years then put it in his garage for 12 years. I bought it back in 2022 and I am putting it back on the road.
Great story. Wish you well with the restoration.
Wow, great story with buying back! I have a regular driver Dsuper 5 (drove for 100 000 km-s in 15 years) and I have an ID that is in pieces, chassis work fully done.
Mon père était chauffeur de direction dans une multinationale, il conduisait systématiquement les tous derniers modèles de DS, de vraies merveilles !!! Parfois il venait me chercher à la sortie de l'école dans sa DS noire éclatante de mille feux, c'était la classe !!! J'adorais quand il m'emmenait en balade dans ce véritable tapis volant
I've never driven a DS, but my first car was a 1977 CX back in the early nineties - magic carpet indeed. Apart from a short affair with a Ford Sierra about 20 years ago I've stayed faithful to Citroën.
I have a real soft spot for these classic Citroen’s. My first car back in 1991 was a 1984 GSA Pallas!
I too had a GSA Pallas in 1979-1980 as a company car and it was an amazing car, never let me down in over 40k miles.. unlike the VW Passat that followed it!
I really wanted one of those but never did later I had a 2CV loved it and a CX estate which had many of the attributes of the DS in this review.
@Chris Wright......I too had a GSA Pallas.....absolutely sumptuous and easily the most comfortable car I have ever driven [even to this day]. I was only in my early 20's when I bought mine [I'd had a 2CV before] and would be constantly mocked as the GS range did have a slightly 'old man's car' image. That is until I gave people a ride in it!
The 'big' Citroens were never about how fast you got there - but how you got there! Stylish, elegant and effortlessly comfortable. Even though I bought mine second-hand, it was extremely reliable - I never had a single problem with it. I was so said to sell it on [I changed jobs and was given a company car as part of my package - the very latest iteration of the Ford Cortina GL]. But boy, did I miss my GSA Pallas!
Sorry, but the GSA cannot be compared to the ID or even the DS. The GSA is much inferior.
@@rheinmoses29 in your opinion. No one has compared the GSA to the DS.
Probably the most beautifully shaped car ever made. My first bucket list car if I win the lotto!! It's art on wheels❤
I dream daily of a modern version of the DS in EV version. I can only imagine what the smooth power of an electric motor would do to enhance the sophistication of an already wonderful car.
Back in 1969, I hitch hiked from Ostend to Istanbul and home via Copenhagen.
I had a lift in a Citroen DS from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, 500 miles. We were travelling at 220 km per hour (135 mph) the fastest I've ever been.
I think you might just be right. few designs survive the test of time and this car is now more desirable than when it was first launched
Citroen ID19-DS23 Pallas are absolutely matchless. It’s an ingenuity creation!!
This Surely one of the greatest cars ever built. I drove two in my better days. First an ID 19 and later a DS 20. It had so many 'first ofs' it was decades above any other car. I think it was a first for ABS breaking. One did not dare to put jour foot hard on the breaking 'knob' - you would have gone straifgt through the widscreen. At 100mph you could take your hands off the steering wheel, break and it would stop like a dream. Yes Citroën should build it again - it will kick dust in the eyes of many of today's modern teck cars. So sorry that service in South Africa was not available later and my last one was parked, never to hit the road again.
Grew up with one in the 1980s - my dad drove me to school in a Safari station wagon model. It couldn't stand the Australian climate though - broke down all the time. I got a shiver just looking at that temperature slider! While it overheated in the summer if the traffic light stayed red too long, it kept us dry in the floods by just rising above it. One time he didn't even know he had a flat tyre when it drove perfectly on 3 wheels all the way home. I still remember the way it "lifted off" at ignition, and the pumping noises it made every few seconds at idle.
One of my favourite cars also and would be in a dream collection if I were to have one. Only really trumped by the 'Decapotable' which is worth significantly more. Prefer these over the SM (which I also love).
I was brought up in my parent's various DSs - the last one being the eight-seater DS Break in fire fighter red. We - my parents, four kids, an au-pair and a dog - drove numerous times from France to Sweden and back in unparalled comfort. La déesse was - is! - the best car ever.
This is an excellent video. I want Citroen company to rebrand this vehicle. I have never come across any vehicle that can challenge the engineering precision of the SHOCK ABSORBER.
THANKS.
I always loved the look of the Citroen DS as a kid, seeing the very first one rise up slowly as the driver adjusted the suspension option, it look so cool and space age like.
Ive been in these cars as my dad had one... amazing ride... I still remember.... quite and it feels like you are riding in a cloud
Back in 1950's at Citroen, it seems it was part of the French character to do things in a unique way, not necessarily better, but in a French way. The same can be said for the Classic Italian, German, British, and Swedish cars, they all had their own national character. IMO, todays cars don't have as much of the unique national character that the Classic cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s had. They are influenced by global corporate culture has taken over the world.
My dad had one being Ambassador back in tge 70ies. I inherited it. The highlight of my life...
The DS series were absolutely wonderful cars. My uncle had a dealership in Canada which sold Alfa, Fiat, Lotus, Triumph and Citroen. As a young "lot rat", my absolute favorites were the Citroens.
Literally nothing is as quiet or rides as smoothly. The upholstery and fittings were luxurious and that crazy steering wheel !
First car I ever drove I was 7 sat on my fathers lap … it wasn’t the 23 at the time we had the 19 then he went on to buy a 20 Pallas I spent all my childhood in them and I can confirm that the ride is hyper plush so much so that no one wanted to sit in the middle in the back , you had to rotate so with my brother and my sister and my mum too occasionally we where swapping positions on longer journeys…. Beautiful memories driving down the south of France for our summer Hollidays , sadly they are no longer in the family … I do miss them a lot and I cannot remember it letting us down in all those many years , towards the end she was starting to have the classic LHM hydroneumatic corroding the lines issues but hey appart from that she had us covered in the snow in the rain on the long trips … majestically ….
A real icon …
when I was around8 years old, I had a friend whose aunt had a DS .Even then, I knew it was special so I had him ask her if we could go for a ride. She showed us all the neat tricks you could do with the suspension .It rode and looked like nothing I have seen before or since.
used to drive in modern cars, even big comfy SUV (like Volvo XC60), i was stunned to try this DS (as a passenger) : i am confident in saying that even today, absolutely NO car on the plant can give this flying-carpet sensation. The silence is impressive too.
it's really incredible and gives you the impression that compared to the sixties, we are facing some sort of technological regression.
I was born the same year that the DS was introduced. Here in Texas in the mid sixties we had a local priest who had a blue one with a white roof. I used to see one in Houston, a later model, routinely. It just saddens me that it never got the refined engine that it deserved. Great video!
My father bought a DS as a family car. We love it over his Holden which he drove to work. We had it for a few years till our chauffeur retired. As a child, I have loved it so much that I promised that I would earn my keep and buy this dream car. I would often tell people that this is the most comfortable car. My mum (82 years old) also says this the most comfortable car she has ever sat on. Sitting on one is in my bucket list although I still hope against hope to own one.
They're as good as you remember them!
IT took me thirty years to buy a mint ds in New Zealand last year
Respect for Citroen for this car. I hope I will have a chance to get a ride in this model some day.
I watch a few car channels, Hoovies garage and The Wizzard, the wizard as just taken a DS in a down payment for work to be carried out on various cars, the hydraulic system was copied by a few luxury car makers like Rolls Royce, it’s amazing how the DS hydraulic system allows you to change a back wheel and run on a missing back wheel.
'Copy' isn't quite the right word as it simply implies plagiarism. Rolls Royce negotiated for the licence to employ Citroën's hydraulic technology.
The hydraulic system with its „spheres“ never was copied by any other carmaker!
What an incredible video. One of the best tributes to any car I've ever seen.
That means a lot, many thanks!
Owning one of these ('71 Pallas) from 1985-1995 was one of the great decades of my life.
I was working for a small company part time while in college. year 1969.
The boss told me to pick up some parts at a local,supplier and to use his car. A DS19.
It was a 4 speed shift on the "tree" with enormous pig skin leather seats.
It took me a while to learn the shifting, and the button braking, but it was very comfortable and a great car.
YES an experience.
Without doubt, the greatest car ever. Summer holidays in France as a kid, in the family Austin Cambridge & being overtaken on a long country road by the DS was just awesome.
I remember the first time l saw a DS l was in lothian Road, Edinburgh one evening and there was a showroom with a light in it and one black and one white DS in the window and l was gobsmacked at how gorgeous they were.
Wonderful . Amazing car .
Thank you for making this video firstly
Indeed it is the greatest car ever produced! My heart just brokes when I think what Citroen was all about, and what it actually is right now. I'm never ever going to "escape" from the hydropneumatic suspension. For me, it is nothing that comes close to it. Without it, a car is just a normal metal box with an engine. With it- a real magic.
I have always been drawn to the Citroen DS, thank you.
I sat in one while the owner telling me axactly what you saying in the video. A masterpiece of engineering.
Me and my mate had a nine seater version of this in the '90s. i wish I still had it now.
Sono d'accordo è un opera d'arte, sono cresciuto su questo gioiello, mio padre ne ha possedute 12 dal 66 al 74 poi passò alla Cx. Era agente di commercio considerava questa auto molto confortevole e sicura, gli è capitato più volte di riuscire a tornare a casa con una gomma a terra senza problemi, fantastica ed intramontabile.
Love it!, thanks for presenting this. I have always loved this car for its unconventional looks. There used to be one parked not far from me in Washington, DC, the only one I have EVER seen here. Currently, I have two in my die-cast model collection. Superb!
My all time favourite car, I wish I could test one and experience how It drivers. The legend
My dad used to own one in the 60s... with its raising suspension it was amazing..
Fell for it even as a Matchbox toy as a nipper. Brilliant car.
Cool video with explanation. Recently, I watched a video of American entertainer, Joe Leno, (a collector of cars) who owned a 1971 Citroen. He loved it and said it was most comfortable, best riding car he's ever driven.
I watched that video He seemed so excited by it
If ever there was a car design that should be brought back as an EV, it's the DS. I'm sure people would still flock to buy one. In this modern, conformist world where every car looks like every other car, the DS would be a breath of fresh air.
I’ve been dreaming of finding one with a dud motor and converting to EV. Electric motor to power the hydraulics or just convert to modern air ride.
"Love it or hate it" styling...
An "otherworldly space-lemon"...
I would buy it without hesitation. ♥ ♥ ♥