Citroen 'goddess' feted in Paris

BBC News ^ | October 9, 2005 | By Hugh Schofield, Paris

[aculeus]

France has marked the 50th anniversary of one of the great design icons of the last century - the Citroen DS, or Deesse, saloon car. Hundreds of DS cars from around Europe drove in procession past the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris.

Known by its nickname, the Goddess - Deesse in French - the car was an instant sensation when it went on display at the Paris car show in 1955.

Nearly one-and-a-half million were made during its 20 years in production.

The parade featured Citroen Deesse cars of varying colours and vintages, but all with the same sleek bodywork, the tapering rear window, the space-age indicator light, and the long bonnet that appears to surge forwards and upwards.

Futuristic

The Déesse was developed for Citroen by the Italian designer Flaminio Bertoni in the austere post-war years, and when it went on display in Paris exactly 50 years ago, it had the crowds goggle-eyed in awe.

Twelve thousand orders had been placed at the end of the first day.

It wasn't just the aesthetic beauty of the machine, the futuristic dashboard and the extraordinary single-spoked steering wheel that mutated out of the steering column.

The technology was also well ahead of its day, notably the famous hydro-pneumatic suspension, which dispensed with common or garden springs and relied on liquids and valves.

Charles de Gaulle chose it for the presidential fleet - an inspired decision because in 1962, it was the car's ability to stay on the road at speed, despite two shot-out tyres, that saved his life in an assassination bid outside Paris.

Today the car is recognised as one of the great design triumphs of the last century - looked back on by the French with a deal of pride, and not a little nostalgia too, for an era of national self-confidence that seems long gone.

Story from BBC NEWS:© BBC MMV

[synbad600]

Why do the French plant so many trees? So the Germans can march in the shade.

Euro Disney had to discontinue the fireworks. As soon as the French heard them they surrendered.

[Cobra64]

beep beep. It's almost as ugly as a 1961 Plymouth Valiant.

[calex59]

Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s.

I am sorry, but I thought they were ugly then and I think they are ugly now. They may have been a good design as far as quality goes but they were, and are, flat out ugly, IMO.

[Cobra64]

The bottom pic reminds me of The Pink Panther driving debacle. Is Peter Sellers at the wheel?

[TXnMA]

Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s.

OK, here's what I will say:

"The French stink, and the Citroen always was -- and always will be -- one of the ugliest and most ill-conceived mechanical contrivances that has ever existed upon this planet."

[Dark Skies]

Is Peter Sellers at the wheel?

"Maybe, yes...maybe, no."

[Cobra64]

Thanks. Sellers was a terrific actor! In one movie, he played about six different characters. Very clever.

Too bad he's dead.

[Nik Naym]

"Say what you will about the French, this was a great looking car for the mid 1950s."

Well, the looks are Italian. Reread the article.

Nik

[kiriath_jearim]

I thought the word "citroen" was part of the French national anthem "Marseillaise": "Aux armes, les citroens!"

[Ninian Dryhope]

I always liked the look of it.

[nicollo]

2CV... A couple Belgian friends of mine once tried crossing Algeria in a 2CV. They indulged in too much of the local smoke and awoke the next morning somewhere in the middle of the desert. The damned car just rolled along all night long. I'll have to admit one or two bad nights in a 2CV...

Thirties french design was world shattering:

'37 Delage


'39 Delahaye Twelve

[kingsurfer]

Wow! I wish designer would take a look back to the 30's and 40's for ideas rather than making everything look like silver blobs.

I love the old Rover's and Austin's.

[kingsurfer]

Wow! I wish designers would take a look back to the 30's and 40's for ideas rather than making everything look like silver blobs.

I love the old Rover's and Austin's.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Hot rod citroen ping.

[Dark Skies]

Holy Smokes...incredible! Love that teardrop style. They look like Bugatti's...

[nicollo]

They look like Bugatti's...

Correction: Bugattis look like them!

A huge influence on automotive design was the French Concours d'Elegance, which stressed individual coachwork. While not a tear drop, this earlier example from the Concourse is sweet on so many levels...

[nicollo]

Thirties design was amazing. I credit it to the 1927 demise of the Model T. With that pox finally dead, car makers were freed to stress individuality over manufacturing repetition. GM led the way, but the smaller builders were more free to pursue it. Chrysler was especially innovative, although not always with success, such as with this sales bomb that started the whole tear-drop craze:

1934 Chrysler Airflow

Here are a few more images from the early Thirties:

Custom Cab



Harry Hartz mounted his car body backwards in order to prove the aerodynamics of the tear drop shape... he drove it from Michigan to NYC!




Fox Film built this limousine for actress Lillian Harvey

[LibWhacker]

Yucko, it's definitely one of the ugliest cars ever made, imho. Always made me feel slightly queasy when I saw one.

[uglybiker]

I like the '53 Studebaker hardtop coupe better.

I'll stick with my bulletnose.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Hot rod citroen ping.

Sorry, #43 was meant for CD