American Reacts to the Citroën DS

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[@derpherbert3199]

Hey there Ian, thanks so much for delving deep into this one and I assure you haven't seen all of it's wonders yet :) I thought your end credits thoughts on liking foreign things were really nice and I share your fascination for all things fast, cool looking and interesting. I live in Germany but have been following US car culture closely just because it was so very different from what I was used to in my upbringing. Particularly the 60s&70s muscle car era's styling became soooo cool to me around age 15-16, it made me fall in love with Mopar (426 HEMIs in particular) and learn all about the available stock engine configurations which led me to learn about early Cali hot rodding and Bonneville salt flat racing which still fascinates me a lot even though I never was a great fan of the Steve McQueen movies... The cars were always the coolest thing about those movies, same with Burt Reynolds :) But there was one other movie which made me fall in love with 55' Chevys: Two lane blacktop (it's gloriously cheesy). I never thought the 55' body style was all that 'aggressive' compared to 'Cudas or even Dodge Charger/Challenger styling but once I saw that car in that movie, I started looking at the 'American design language' differently.. I suppose it was a hold out of me being used to European design language from the period where a car that looked menacing or aggressive was somehow considered crude, which I adopted without previously thinking too much about why that is. When I first saw a 68' Charger I thought I'd just seen automotive Arnold Schwarzenegger. I remember thinking "How on god's green earth is the grill just soooo perfectly simple and also ultra cool at the same time???" From there on, I started following a couple of YT channels but there's one surviving all these years I can whole heartedly recommend to every gear head who reads this: When you've got a bit of spare time spend an hour watching 1320video's coverage of any drag and drive event. Jeez, I started watching when Cleeter McFarland hadn't even been on camera yet and anything that wasn't a Promod north of 1000hp was the fastest car in their respective state. I value the German system of "no TÜV certificate, no driving" since I believe it's over all beneficial for society and people involved in accidents BUT the thought of building a 3-5mpg +500cui twin turbo, power glide/turbo400 transmission STREET CAR on a 67' Ford Fairlane/Dodge Dart which you drive and race from track to track is just... my personal heaven. That's ABSOLUTELY NOT possible in Germany. KZbin made me fall in love with Americana, the reason I know anything and almost everything about the highlights and lowlights of US car culture comes from Finnegan&Freiburger's Roadkill show on MotorTrend (before you had to pay), 1320video, early Hoonigan, Chris Harris on Cars and Matt Farah on Drive. I think it's wonderful you are so interested in learning new things, the treasure of knowledge you already have doesn't make you scoff at things that are different and foreign and I think that's such a wonderful thing. I'm still amazed you like Skodas as much as you do, to me they're like modern rebadged Buicks or something lol :) I'm happy you didn't let the fact you can't use Jay Leno's content without them copyright striking you into oblivion deter you from being curious. Cheers Ian, I hope you and yours are doing well.

[@IWrocker]

This was seriously a joy to read, excellent thoughts and perspective you have 😎 Thank you for sharing 👍 reading comments like this and sharing in learning and reminiscing in past wonders with this community is the BEST part of this channel. It makes me so happy 🎉

[@MrTchou]

@@IWrocker look for the citroen SM which was the follow up to the DS, when citroen Owned Maserati. Also on another front you may watch for the russian SHERP vehicle, a truly all terrain vehicle that even drives on water.

[@ronnie7277]

​@@IWrocker Check out BMW Isetta 300 and 600, NSU TT, Simca Rallye, Talbot Matra Murena and Renault Alpine A310

[@jonaslechat9472]

​@@IWrocker if you want really another intresting french brand that sadly doesn't exist anymore: Panhard (pronounced "Pan - ar"(with the french -an not to sure you have that sound in english, and no liaison between "pan" and "ar")). As many say Germany was the place of birth of automobile but France was it's nursery, and Panhard is one of the most important brand as far as innovation, on par with Citroën, and a lot of what are in modern cars Panhard invented it (one of their invention even bearing their name "Panhard rod"). I would encourage you to learn about the history of the french brands as well if you can find good videos in english: - Citroën being one wild story, the european industrial equivalent of Ford bringing innovation en masse but not only (Have you ever heard of a man having the balls to display his name in giant letters on the Eiffel tower for marketing purposes) - Panhard, just wizards in everything, even the most simple and nowadays normal things they made it: like the simple thing to put the transmission after the engine they were the ones that made that. Without even speaking about innovation just their cars, in 1954 they had the dyna Z wich was 6-seaters sofa on wheels (like most french cars of the time) that had unique styling, a drag coef of 0.26, 40 MPG, a 0.8L flat twin (like the 2CV) that could output between 42 and 71 hp instead of 9 hp. Even in the military domain (as most french car manufacturer they also made military stuff) before WW2 they made ocsillating turrets prototypes (cold war tech) - Bugatti is also wild if you're intrested in pre-WW2 cars, 'cause those were the true ones even tho the new ones are also wild in their ways, made by one of the best engineer and his son for some models, they were also innovation kings and the most prestigious brand of the time (like to buy a bugatti Royale money wasn't enough to buy it, you had to have an interview with Ettore Bugatti, and if you weren't deemed worthy or your maners weren't gracious enough he would not sell one to you (He did that to a prince, and the prince wasn't deemed worthy enough)) - Matra reknown for their motorsport history mainly (and the fact thay weren't even a car brand, they make missiles for the army), for their V12 that sounded like no V12, their early F1 cars that had an insane chassis. But the best of it is in the road cars, or rather on what should have been on their road cars but never was as the other french brands prohibited them to do so, because what they did was just unmatched period. like the fact that for their 1970 3-seater mid engine sport car (Bagheera), they developped a 1.3L naturally aspirated inline-4 that could produce 200 HP (engine that was denied by others because too powerful); or that in 1980 for their 3-seater mid engine sport car replacement (Murena) that was the first FULLY galvanized car (EVERY SINGLE PART), they developped a 2.0L NA inline-4 that could produce 300 HP (denied), they also planed to put their F1 V12 in it instead (denied also). And we won't even speak about their 90s bi-turbo V6 that had 800 HP - Renault and Peugeot are also something but they feel bland in comparaison to the others PS: Also as you like the DS, at the time Citroën didn't make a coupe version of the DS, but recently the French designer that designed the peugeot 205 and that also was co-creator of the sports car brand Venturi (with the 300 atlantic/ 400 GT/etc) is producing and selling coupe version of the DS (the coupe version is his original design) called the DS Grand Palais that is just what a DS coupe should have been and it is maybe even greater looking that a normal DS. I encourage you to check it out, he takes unrestorable DS and make the coupes out of them

[@DenUitvreter]

Citroen is a manufacturer to do everything different all at once, but the USA has had it's stubborn unconventional manufacturers too. Studebaker, Tucker, Cord, Auburn, Duesenberg, it's more that the conventional big manufacturers survived I guess. The most unconventional manufacturers besides Citroen, which sticks out in any comparison, are Tatra, Saab, Lancia, NSU I guess and Panhard indeed. Pegaso is very exotic, and the 30-50's era has very interesting designs from coach builders like Figoni&Falschi, Saoutchik with DelaHayes, Talbot, Hispano-Suiza, Bucciali, the weird and wonderfully extravagant. Pegaso is also very unknown but spectacular Manufacturer. A shame btw, because I wrote about the DS earlier YT pushed me a video of two Australian guys driving the DS and chatting about it, with the owner being very knowledgable about the car, some background video's and demonstrating what it's capable of. Would have been a great fit for this channel but I didn't recommend it in time. For who can't get enough of Aussies or the DS: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXOQiGCErcl3htE

[@arthurvg2217]

I am french and honoured to see how this car is treated. All I can add is that the seats in this car are comfier than my bed or any other seats ever. You would drive a week before feeling uncomfortable.

[@ahorton6786]

You should be proud of such an amazing vehicle!

[@TheAxel65]

A friend of mine used to have one back in the day- we called it "sofa on wheels" then 😄

[@werxpolizei]

Je viens d’Allemagne et je peux vous dire que la Citroën est une voiture de rêve depuis que je suis enfant. Dans les années 80, il n’y avait pas de voiture aussi futuriste. Le châssis est toujours l’un des Je viens d’Allemagne et je peux vous dire que la Citroën est une voiture de rêve depuis que je suis enfant. Dans les années 80, il n’y avait pas de voiture aussi futuriste. Le châssis est toujours l’un des meilleurs aujourd’hui. 👌👌👌

[@jgsheehan8810]

When you compare to the other cars of 1955 it is really incredible

[@DenUitvreter]

It's also a passenger's car, the carpet is thick and soft and has about 5 inch of 'travel'.

[@johnkochen7264]

I was with my uncle and his family driving his Citroën on a night with really foul weather. He was passing a truck going 120 kph when we heard a flap flap flap sound. He pulled off the road to discover a big hole in a rear tyre. He had had a real blow-out but not noticed a thing with steering. The pneumatic suspension kept it on track and probably saved our lives.

[@alro2434]

May have been a blowout, the XAS tires came apart incredibly frequently, large crack on the tread let in water & rusted the steel belt & the tread came off. Most likely just a flat that was run too long & tore it apart. Right rears have the most flats, that side has more road trash and the front tire kicks up the nail whatever, and then it's in position to puncture the rear.

[@romizeevcohen8818]

As a french mechanic i am floored as a 25 minutes video covers so much yet missed a lot, just shows how advance this car is

[@Stoufclown]

Just to make how important some of the technical elements : from high school to the end of my ingénieur school. I workshops we always had one atelier on one of the elements of this car: from hydractive suspension to security items. Such a revolution.

[@manuelatreide]

I’m French. My grand parents used to have one DS when I was a little boy and I remember the incredible feeling of this car rushing on the highway like a spaceship. No bumps, no shakes, just the feeling of being in a plane while other people were just… driving. It felt being in a different world. The DS also conveyed a real sense of pride. I remember my grand mother driving it like she was a queen, with the pride of having achieved something meaningful with her life. She was born in rural Brittany in a poor family and then she was « piloting » this wonder? I still can see her smile, feel her pride and it was during the early seventies so this car wasn’t new anymore but still seen as the best french car one could ever dream of. Mercedes? BMW? Rolls Royce? « No thanks, I have a DS ». That was the feeling back then. I’m mid fifties now and not a « car guy ». But the DS is still one of the few cars that I would dream of. The goddess of all cars.

[@Gittas-tube]

The Swedes called it the 'bullfrog' because of its broad and flat front and the short back. Pure envy, I'd say...🐸

[@manuelatreide]

@@Gittas-tube never heard of this nickname but to be honest, it’s sort of accurate. A French car nicknamed after a frog species? Could be worse!

[@toraabe]

Best car ever made. No doubt

[@seanclark2085]

The most beautiful car ever made, the convertible is beyond classic .

[@bobogliddabrun]

The cabrio version is a stunning car indeed. Shame they are the price of a small house these days 😢

[@obelic71]

Citroën never build convertibles themselves. Henry Chapron was a coachbuilder who converted them. Also the fellow DS designer Flamino Bertoni converted some DS's to a convertable.

[@scb2scb2]

@@obelic71 Yeah but about 1500 where directly done by chapron for citroen. They shipped them new converted them and shipped them back... They will cost you these days... One of the reasons they looked to good is because the doors have no window rim to begin with a fact very few people notice.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

Agreed, the cabrio is stunningly beautiful. The Jaguar E type does get a shout in for most beautiful car ever though.

[@seanclark2085]

@@rmyikzelf5604 the E-Type never did it for me, it’s the upright windscreen, just never looked right .

[@martinboidot4888]

Left pedal is parking break it replace the hand break. Another crazy feature is the directional light : when you turn the steering wheel’ the light turn in the direction…

[@mothmagic1]

The steering headlights had to be fixed to comply with US law.

[@augure2589]

Like in modern Mercedes

[@Semperitus]

The company was founded by engineer André Gustave Citroën (February 5, 1878 - July 3, 1935), who during a trip through Poland acquired a patent for a method of manufacturing a machine for machining crown gears. The brand's logo shows the crown mesh.

[@SVsX-bm7ci]

Not crown gears, but herringbone gears (also called double helical gears)

[@Semperitus]

@@SVsX-bm7ci It's sentence from Wikipedia translated by Google

[@baubelepreux1561]

@@Semperitus In french, we use to say "engrenage chevron".

[@mathewdunstan4142]

I used to work with a guy who delivered brand new cars to dealers up and down the country. When the DS first came out they had to deliver the cars at night, because when they tried delivering during the day it caused traffic congestion because people just stopped to get a better look and admire them

[@dynosu]

The DS was a beautiful car that was way ahead of its time. Was also use by many camera crews because it was so stable. There was a Car SOS episode about it aswell, amazing engineer in that car.

[@raverdeath100]

the car was the official camera car for decades at the Grand National horse race in the UK.

[@stanislavczebinski994]

IIRC it was a later boxy-shaped Citroen (CX GTI?!?), but with the same suspension system. They needed a new "octopus", though.

[@1ihws]

@Dynosu... that was a new ‘perspective’ on the stability of these old beasties for me - i have lived memories of them, usually paint peeling and semi rusted, and being thrown around a few australian dirt track paddocks as motorkhana vehicles, in the 1970’s - irreverent about such classics as most ‘modern’ aussies were, I dare say there’d be a few folks wishing they hadn’t sent them to the scrap metal yards!

[@dim4233]

Top Gear also made a comparison between the Citroën C5 and I don't remember which high end BMW by making a horse race filming in those 2 cars.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

@@dim4233 It was the C6 and a 5-series BMW. Citroën won, obviously.

[@JRTP-Bart77PL]

Hi. I'm from Poland. I really like Citroen cars. The DS is a stylistic and technological masterpiece of its time. It is also worth watching the successors of the DS, such as the CX, then the XM and finally the C6, which I drive myself on a daily basis.

[@Crushwokery]

I've never been a Citroen fan boy but, the DS is one of my all time cars that makes my heart skip a beat when I see one. My uncle had one back in 1971. As an 11 year old it looked like a space ship, and drove like a hover board. The ride was compared to a Rolls Royce. It was very quiet inside and gave the occupants an air of finesse and luxury you just couldn't get from even a Jag or a Rover P5 another beauty that tugs the heart strings. The thing also had adaptive headlamps that physically turned with the steering. The SM was the DS' younger bigger brother which was equally amazing in every way but more futuristic. In my opinion that car doesn't have a bad angle and is impossible to answer your question on a favourite view. If they did another run of DS today exactly as the original I'd BUY ONE in a heartbeat.

[@marchorton1070]

Hi Rolls Royce took the suspension design in the 1960s,there is a Citroen patented plate on every Silver Shadow under the bonnet.

[@KayoMichiels]

If you love this car, you might love it's sportier -brother- sister, the SM with it's Maserati engine and the awesome looking headlights...

[@augure2589]

Not brother, daughter (car are females in french language) then CX the grand daughter, then XM, then C6...then chinese vacuum and microwaves

[@chongtak]

@@augure2589 indeed, I will add that cars are female in English too. As planes, ships and most vehicles they can be/ should be refered as "she" and "her".

[@bennyfromthe72]

@@chongtak cars are female in french, but not planes nor boats though… go figure (the overall shapes probably, often more feminine on a car)

[@module79l28]

2:30 - Fun Fact: when Citröen launched this model (which we called "Arrastadeira" here in Portugal), there was rumour that they would give a fortune to whoever managed to flip it over because they were sure it was unflippable. That "challenge" was abandoned when someone found out that it could be done by reversing at full speed and then turn the wheels all the way to one side. 😄 3:20 - Here in Portugal we lovingly call it "boca de sapo" (freely translated to "frog's face", even though the literal translation is "frog's mouth"). For some time they were assembled in the now PSA factory of Mangualde, in Central Portugal. 14:29 - In that particular model that's the parking brake, in the early models the parking brake was a push-pull lever underneath the dash, next to the steering column. What he meant by semi-automatic gearbox was that you don't need to have a manually operated clutch to shift gears. They were called clutchless manual transmissions. Jay Leno's has a standard manual gearbox, hence the "extra" pedal. 22:30 - Jay Leno had the steering headlights retrofitted in his DS because for some stupid reason they were forbidden in the US.

[@IWrocker]

Excellent facts thank you for this!!!! 🎉😎👍

[@msviper]

They had the same marketing strategy a few years earlier with the 2cv , fun fact , someone did get a new 2cv because he did flip it , he did it in reverse , there was nothing on the rules about it at that time , two days on the hospital was a cheap price to pay for a bran new car , it was a relative of mine that did it , i still remember sleeping on that red 2cv back seat... However i do believe that the DS coudn´t flip , even in reverse...

[@StevenQ74]

That left pedal is the parking brake, not a clutch , just like the foot pedal on the Prius

[@stephenberry8658]

The rumour about a free car if you flipped it was the 2CV. The left pedal is the foot operated handbrake with separate brake calipers. Clutch is automatic when you move the gear lever or stop and start.

[@JH-lo9ut]

In Sweden it is called "padda" wich means "toad". It does look a bit like a toad or frog's face, but I think this amazing car deserves a fancier nickname.

[@reynaldparisel3852]

The DS ("Déesse") was the Général de Gaulle's favorite car when he was president. At the end of a movie ("Fantômas se déchaîne", with the french actor De Funès), we can see a flying DS !

[@photolover6944]

I've had a DS in the past and I can say that the mushroom brake pedal is great because very little pressure has to be applied to stop the vehicle. It just needs to get used to. As for the pedal on the left of this mushroom, as weird as it may seems, it's the handbrake.

[@johnnyrosenberg9522]

I guess we should rather call it a parking brake then. 👍

[@bedboy7028]

Actually, there was also a manual version of the DS, and pretty common… i would say that in the photo is a manual model

[@1650313155230]

As per the US regulations, the lights turning with the wheels were not allowed as well as the glass covering the 2 lights. This is why the exported models to the US did not have that and were much less esthetics than the original version. The same for the further US version of the Citroen SM.

[@IWrocker]

Wow how strange, USA has always had weird car laws/restrictions that have came and went

[@bennygustafsson9580]

Quite true and Citroën left the US market when the legislation came about not allowing cars to regulate the height. There were some CX but Citroën withdrew from the market as a whole.

[@franciscouderq1100]

@@bennygustafsson9580 : brings the Concorde airplane US controversy back in mind!

[@D45VR]

The US was building and selling various shitboxes which they called cars.

[@jeanmariezeyen111]

@@bennygustafsson9580 weird, in a country where there are people building hydraulic lowriders ("hopping" cars) - always wondered what role protectionism played in this ?

[@saxon-mt5by]

The 'button' brake pedal takes a bit of getting used to - it relies solely on pressure rather than pedal movement, the first time you apply the brakes you're likely hit the windscreen! But after perhaps ten miles it is entirely natural, and returning to a normal car is downright dangerous.

[@stefanholmstrom1968]

Agree. I got soooo scared testing a DS the first time. But you get used to it, and after some time you don't even notice the difference. A terrific experience in so many ways. I's easy understand why my uncle's family had a DS when they made really long road trips through Europe with a camper van in the 70s and 80s. Much later I owned a Citroen BX and could enjoy the same "floating on clouds" gas suspension, it was perfect for commuting.

[@fragfacileu]

Totally true ! I have to add that the third pedal is the "handbrake" ! You can release it with a handle... 60's...

[@IWrocker]

So weird and interesting! Thanks for sharing 🎉

[@fragfacileu]

@@IWrocker you're welcome ! Feel free to ask me anything, I am a proud owner of a '73 dsuper5 :)

[@stefanholmstrom1968]

@@IWrocker Then there was the Citroen CX... with the most scary power steering I ever experienced (I worked a an import car mechanic in Finland in the 80s, making new cars ready for the road). The CX was a kind of "modernized" DS and really odd and fascinating is in own ways, it represented an updated version of some kind of a space age vehicle. I just love French cars, I drive my ... fourth (?) Renault now, also have had Citroens & Peugeots. Even if French cars are more main stream now, built from same parts, there is still something with the driving experience.

[@rihc3584]

I had in 1986 and 1989 two Citroen BX cars. The first was BX 16, the second was BX 19 16 Valve. They had this great hydro-gas suspension Today I am over 70 years old and driving a DS 4!

[@markpitts5194]

I have a BX19 GTi 4x4, and I am building a workshop to do it up in. My first BX was a 65hp diesel, and i still miss it. I have 5 Xantias at the moment, but , are they getting to be hard work. I feel like just stripping one and rebuilding from scratch would be the way to go. And still cheaper than buying a newer and inferior car. (sorry for starting a sentence with a preposition, I know you had a proper education !)

[@imagseer]

I had a GS and then two BXs, the front subframe rotted on one, and the second car caught fire and burned out when the pressure regulator failed and sprayed high pressure suspension oil over the hot exhaust. After that a CX, with my last Citroen being a Xantia. The firm were assimilated into the giant PSA group in 1976 with the order that 'no more weird Citroen designs' would be allowed; though that wasn't 'listened to' for a while. The XM and C5 were the last models which used that lovely suspension system and it was phased out in 2015.

[@omarsheriff51]

Haha la bonne vieille BX, hideuse mais confortable

[@youtourismoto6364]

Another cool feature of the hydropneumatic suspension is that when you push the brake the car instantly drops the rear suspension to prevent dive. Even when you slam the brakes hard is cero dive of the body, the sensation is awesome. Here in Europe you can find a lot of second hand quite modern citröens with this type of suspension for less than a thousand euros like the Citröen Xantia

[@Gittas-tube]

Hi there! In 1964 , I rode in a DS in the countryside outside Paris. I can confirm that the suspension is something else! It was so smooth that one really felt like the car was levitating above the road...

[@MinxiFu]

it was

[@Gittas-tube]

​@@MinxiFu😂😂😂

[@worldcitizenB]

The suspension was so advanced that Mercedes and Rolls Royce still use it today.

[@augure2589]

And paid Citroën’s patent to use it.

[@scb2scb2]

@@augure2589 Well licensed it from 1965 on...

[@Nosange]

They don't use it anymore for a while you know

[@ianjardine7324]

The Challenger tank uses a hydrogas system based on this design each wheel station has a separate high pressure tank bolted to the outside of the hull which contains the oil and nitrogen you can imagine how this beautifully smooth suspension affects the guns accuracy on the move.

[@PedroConejo1939]

We had an ID (cheaper version of DS) when I was a kid in the early 60s, one built in Slough. I've had lots of Citroëns since and still have one of the last hydropneumatic cars that Citroën built (C5 Tourer). Nothing moves you like a Citroën. I've wanted a DS again since my old man sold the ID. I just love the rear end, so Paris, but you really need to be sat in it to appreciate it. Oh, have a look at the Citroën SM.

[@johnnyrosenberg9522]

I had the C5 Tourer 2008 and I absolutely loved it. A couple of years before that I had the BX 19 GTi 1989 and I loved that one too. I have never had a DS though, is that even more comfy than the BX and C5?

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@johnnyrosenberg9522 Yes. The seats alone are like armchairs but the ride is less taut, more floaty. I find the antiroll bars on the C5 create an undesirable side to side rock not present on older cars. The BX was better and the CX better still but the DS was serenity. Never been in an SM though.

[@bennyhannover9361]

The SM equipped with the 2.7 or even 3.0 liters V6 Maserati engine is the most expensive to repair version. It is like to compare a Jaguar series 2 6 cylinder and the Jaguar 12 cylinder it can kill you financially and technically…

[@FritzPinguin]

In the 70ies I was the proud owner of two DS20, one standard and one Pallas. It was an experience I will never forget. Whenever you have the chance to drive one of those, don't miss this chance. It is just the pinnacle of riding.

[@iamTheSnark]

In the Netherlands we used to call this "The Doctor's Car." A bit too expensive for the common man, but very comfortable for doctor and maybe patients, and one of the most reliable cars on the market at the time.

[@yeplebloop]

This car is so futuristic looking that the taxi in Back to the future 2 is based on it!

[@IWrocker]

I’ll have to go back and look at this now that i know that 😎🎉

[@STARDRIVE]

And since it was introduced in 1955, it wouldn´t be out of place in BTTF 1 either. Although I guess if they did use a DS in the 1955 portion of that movie, people would think it was a goof..

[@nickduf]

Des taxis volants, de mémoire.

[@NoahEliasDennis]

It is also widely seen in the Sci-Fi movie "Gattacca"

[@gladiusthrax4941]

Citroen have always played by their own rules. As a result, many of their cars have ended up strikingly different. But they have always featured great amount of comfort and they have even brought many innovations which we now take for granted. I have driven a few Citroens and even the smallest hatch back rides like a limo. Once I drove an old C5 for about 5 hours straight and I couldn't get used to how comfortable it was all the way till the end

[@IWrocker]

How cool 😎 i applaud them for being different and unique, great to hear your experience 🎉

[@pistonburner6448]

Can you list some of those "many innovations which we now take for granted"?

[@ULTRA_2112]

@@pistonburner6448 I'll answer the question... In 1919, the Citroen Type A 10HP was the first to have electric lights and an electric starter 1920, Citroen is the first to introduce replacement parts to authorized dealers 1921, Citroen is the first provider of leasing and rental cars 1927, Citroen is the first company in Europe to introduce the 13th monthly salary 1928, Citroen founds a vocational school 1929, Citroen gives a one-year warranty on new cars 1934, with the Citroën Traction Avant, Citroen built one of the first cars with a self-supporting body. By installing the engine behind and the gearbox in front of the front axle, an optimal load distribution was achieved 1934, front-wheel drive for the first time in the Citroën Traction Avant 1955, disc brakes and dual-circuit brake system for the first time in the DS 1955, load-dependent high-pressure brake 1955, level control in passenger cars for the first time by Citroen hydropneumatics 1955, belted tires (radial tyres) developed together with Michelin, Michelin owned Citroen at the time 1955, the DS was the first production vehicle with a safety steering wheel and Two tone horn 1955, use of plastic and aluminum to reduce weight 1955, use of air resistance-optimized vehicle bodies in large series 1968 saw the introduction of cornering lights on the high-beam headlights, as well as situational automatic height adjustment of both pairs of headlights (low and high beam) on the Citroen DS and ID

[@pistonburner6448]

​@@ULTRA_2112 Hmm, that's a very brief and mostly incorrect list. Any manufacturer should have a massively longer list. Actually I also meant mainly this DS model, but it's fine that you added all you could think of (and make up) since looking back the OP was talking about all Citroëns even if I meant the DS model in particular. There's hardly anything on that list, especially ones that are in use or meaningful today. I'll skip through non-items and find the first one with some meat on it: and even that is false propaganda. Listing "one of the first cars" is invalid, and you shouldn't be putting that on your list. But clearly you have false, dishonest motives so no wonder you're adding not only totally irrelevant things like French socialist salary policies but also false information (or misleading) like that. You start off right away with a lie: Citroen did not invent nor pioneer electric headlamps. They were introduced already in the previous century!! Other car makers had them as standard for over a decade before your Citroen date of 1919! And as for ignition? Same thing: you're lying. Others had it almost a decade earlier. Swiveling headlamps connected to the steering were also not invented nor pioneered by Citroen. Traction Avant's pioneering front-wheel-drive system is a valid item on that list. Unfortunately that's also inferior to all other systems so I personally hold them as the genesis of one of the worst things to have happened to the automotive world because of that. I hope the people responsible for introducing front-wheel-drive burn in hell. Disc brakes having been invented or introduced first by Citroën is also false information. Disc brakes were widely in use in other industries and there had been several other cars with disc brakes before Citroën simply had the big Michelin budget to put them on their cars...mostly just because they wanted to leverage the use of their hydraulic system which they were going to introduce with their suspension system anyway. Their braking system was horrible. Is not used by anyone today. So no. It's famously totally devoid of any feel and nearly impossible to modulate properly because of its extreme on/off binary nature. Hydropneumatics is sort of impressive, but on that list it's also an invalid item since it proved to be an inferior system. No-one but Citroen used them just out of arrogant pig-headedness (except a few rare exceptions) and because they didn't want to admit their system just didn't cut it. No-one uses that system anymore, so it was not pioneering or meaningful for today's automotive industry. The radial tires were developed by Michelin. They could've introduced them on any car, and Citroën didn't have anything to do with it. I guess by "safety steering wheel" you mean the weird supposedly slightly less impalement-prone single-spoke steering wheel? Also invalid as no-one uses them today and it was not a pioneering thing which was meaningful The real advancement was the proper solution, the collapsible steering column, was invented far before the DS and not by Citroen, and introduced on other cars than Citroëns. That was the true solution to the impalement issue, and that's the technology which is in use today. You have got to be kidding with your: "use of plastic and aluminum to reduce weight"! Totally dishonest! Absolutely not invented nor pioneered by Citroën! That is an outrageous lie! Also your absolute nonsense of: "use of air resistance-optimized vehicle bodies in large series" is a total lie!! Cars had been shaped aerodynamically for decades before that. Pretty shameful to try to lie like that. And when all the falsehoods are taken away from that list that's an awfully short list for any automaker, so you've actually proven Citroen to be pretty awful when it comes to prioneering meaningful innovations instead of what you set out to do. Or maybe you didn't mean to lie and you were just duped by some marketing brochure which lied to you? It's possible that they tried to spin those items, maybe some of them were the first ones in use in Europe or something...anyway your list was horrendously wrong.

[@pistonburner6448]

@@gergelystechnicmodels8565 No, there absolutely are NOT a ton of automotive innovations in that list. Especially not ones that were successful. If there were tons of innovations in the DS then you could list them or shoot down my argumentation. There is good reason why you can't do either of those things. Mercedes SL 500 was absolutely not the only one with disc brakes before the DS. There were others too, they just had small production series. It is 100% fact that the DS has ONLY been MARKETED with the slogan of it being the first MASS-PRODUCED car with all-disc brakes as standard with a production volume. So many others had disc brakes and disc brakes were NOT INVENTED by Citroën. Disc brakes were widely used in other vehicles, it was not a new invention either. I already told you why the DS even was equipped with disc brakes on all corners. The DS's brakes sucked in their execution too. Trying to use ONE item in the list to justify those bold claims of Citroën having been some visionary, super-innovative and meaningful brand or the DS having been such a model is pretty ridiculous. I have no problem with saying that the hydropneumatic suspension was very innovative etc., but even that in the end was not meaningful in the automotive world. And that's just one thing. Making a car weird and quirky has always been the thing that the French socialists have tried to use as an excuse, but that has overwhelmingly just been attempts at getting attention when otherwise the products lacked competitiveness, and ended up as a series of failures or obsolete little tricks that are fun to look at in hindsight and as a non-shareholder. Most other major brands absolutely crush Citroën with their lists of innovations....at least any lists of Citroën's innovations presented here.

[@Apathik]

I remember an episode of an early 80's series called CHiPs where one of the highway patrolmen asked a driver to stop because his car was missing a wheel. The car was a DS and the man tried to explain the officer that it could be driven with 3 wheels only.

[@dth2brny121]

I remember that episode, seen it a couple of times. The driver of that DS only spoke French, LOL

[@Aleks_Z]

Brake pedal (mushroom type) acts just like a valve. By pressing on it, you release pressure 175bar/2500psi) into brake calipers (2 pistons per disc with 30mm/1.2in diameter) that act on 300mm/12in discs. Mushroom itself has a 6mm/ 1/4in travel and also has front/rear brake bias built in, bias depending on weight in the back. Suspension is on roller bearings instead of bushings, 8 for front suspensions and 4 for rear suspension arms. Gearboxes were used in Lotus Esprits and they survived being spun backwards. List of details and specific stuff is very long, wouldn't fit in one comment. I've been working on DS for the past 10 years, still learning fine bits and bobs (they were constantly changing stuff). Glad you covered DS, it's a car that has it's own place in automotive history.

[@johnchristmas7522]

To me, as a Brit, think that this car is really something special. It first appeared in 1995 when the British Motor Company was in its death spiral. Building crap car after crap car. Seeing this beautiful French car was amazing. Its probably the most comfortable car I've ever ridden in. Probably years ahead of anything out there at the time. True magnifique!

[@flokisviking_longboat_ship3111]

It appears 40 years earlyer in 1955!

[@NenadTrajkovic]

They drove me to school in my mother's company car,DS 21 Pallas, then in a Citroen CX 2400 Pallas... Look at the CX, a wonderful Citroen too… Great video of a great car!

[@augure2589]

CX is the grand daughter of DS. There is a great Doug Demuro’s video on it.

[@tolstoyed]

cx was my first car. i got it completely restored from my grandpa and it was a joy to drive…also had that suspension/height adjustment feature which was quite unusual at the time. always wanted a ds though, such a beautiful car

[@christiansommer390]

Ever since I saw a friends dad park his new DS for the first time, I was in love. To this day it is to me, the most beautiful car ever made. I drove a 2CV and four CX’s as a grown up and still have a soft spot for Citroën. ❤️

[@pat81100]

I had a DS 23 in 1977 in Paris. It was an amazing car. I loved the dirctional high beam who were lightning the curve before you started to turn the steering wheel so you will not be surprised by any unespected obstacle in the curve. Never see that on another car since. The "mushroom" brake pedal was very efficient and everything was in the dosage of your foot on the pedal. Once you had "bong your head" on the steering wheel once by putting to much pressure you "knew" it. Like the semi I am driving now. It'is all in the dosage. So much thoughts was put in this car. Same for the 2ch or the Maserati Citroen.

[@ianmcevoy7106]

I still drive a Citroen Xantia as my daily drive, this has the same hydropneumatic suspension. The DS would be my dream car but so expensive. I hope to get a CX next and I have a savings fund just for this.

[@alexandrorocca7142]

My Grandfather had one. I was very young when he passed and one of the few memories I have of him is driving in that car.

[@cyclingchantal]

My dad used to own a Citroën GS. It was a different model, but it used a lot of the suspension techniques. I always loved the ability to raise the car.

[@swiftb00n61]

In Germany we call this amazing masterpiece of engineering called DS made by our very much appreciated french friends „goddess“ for a reason. An amazing oldie and AFAI remember the first or one of the first cars with hydropneumatic, right? Great content. Loving it!

[@shabingly]

Their Traction Avant was really ahead of its time, too.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

This car also gave us the modern Radial Tyre, as the ordinary type wheel made it too nose heavy, so French Michelin invented a new type for this car! A type which also lasted much longer. The Michelin X.

[@augure2589]

Citroën was owned by Michelin in DS era🙂.

[@scb2scb2]

@@augure2589 They also used a rebuild DS for testing tired including truck tires. google "citroen ds michelin tyre tester".

[@stephenberry8658]

Michelin owned Citroen from the 1930s after the Traction Avant Light 15 bankrupted Citroen. The L15 was the first car with radial tyres. Michelin X

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@stephenberry8658 I didn't know that!!

[@stephenberry8658]

The stress also killed Andre Citroen... He was also a well known gambler. Maybe his desire for innovation and risk taking gave us such amazing cars... But pushed the company resources to the limit.

[@Consequator]

My dad was a big Citroën fan so growing up we always had cars with this sort of suspension, when you went from a Citroën to a different car with regular suspension it tended to be a shocking experience about how bad the roads were but you just never noticed.

[@verttikoo2052]

Same here. My father had a Citroën BX at one point and we were going to our summer house, when my father asked me that is that ours? There was a tire 🛞 going in the forrest jumping up and down. And yes it was. We had lost the front right tire 😳 Normal car would have just crashed to something, but we didn’t notice it at all. The suspension made the corrections and we were able to stop safely and off I went after the tire. We secured it and continued the trip. Just amazing 👍

[@Pointillax]

About the Citroën's logo, André Citroën was an industrial, while he visited some factory in Poland he came across the Herringbone gear, wich were WAY more efficient and quieter than traditional gears. He brought the design back to his factories in France and used them so much that the Herringbone gear's chevron pattern became the logo for Citroën. He wasn't building cars at the time, but his thing was to get into a sector and try to innovate, make things more efficient, and push forward every field his brand touched. On another point, the DS was revolutionnary, but was subject to tons of mechanical issues. So many of it's features rellied on the hydrolic system that, if it broke down, you lost assisted steering, assisted braking, directionnal headlights, and suspension. In an era when the DS technology was for most auto repair shop rocket science, that caused some problems. So much so that for the first years Citroën facilities were the only one capable of servicing the DS and had to issue guides and training to repair shops so that they could understand and work on the DS

[@waynec3563]

The DS has appeared in a few movies which were set in the future, with the DS representing future vehicles. The DS also came in a wagon body and a 2 door convertible. The Citroen SM was a sports coupe development that used a Maserati V6 engine (Maserati was owned by Citroen at the time).

[@johnhendriks4085]

One of the best cars ever. Not only the technology of it but also the great design. Citroën had a big department only for design. I had one for many years. Here in the Netherlands the nickname was de snoek(the pike)

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

They had Paul de Casteljau working for them. He pioneered techniques for mathematical rendering of curves for use in computer graphics. Though, oddly, another guy working at Renault got his name on those curves. Pierre somebody.

[@jantimmerby]

The most beautiful car ever created and that's from every angle. It still looks futuristic to this day.

[@gicugigel3790]

And not just beautiful but very advanced in every way. I mean, that suspension cant be found not even in premium cars from today. And look at those headlights, they look so modern, you see such headlights shape on cars from 2000+

[@wastafus]

I was lucky enough to drive a DS a couple of times. It is an amazing car, every control is easy to operate and the brake button works like a charm with excellent subtle feedback and no need to exert a lot of force to make the car stop pretty quickly. This car was emancipating for people other than big strong males. I owned an XM, a third gen DS, also a car with striking looks and magic carpet ride.

[@ignatiuskhan]

Glad you could complete this DS video at last. I'm not a car person. I don't even drive... I like the aesthetics in older cars hence my coming across you 2 CV vid... but yes, I watch your videos and I like your passion, your curiosity and your enthousiasm. I grew up with the DS here in France. My best friend's dad had one he kept for at least 10 years. My memories of it, me sitting in the back seat, was definitely the "flying carpet effect". As a kid, since it was so smooth you couldn' "feel" the road, since there were no safety belts at the time to keep you in place and you were too short to properly see the road ahead, you could easily feel sick. I mean, far more than in any other car. The exact opposite of a 2 CV ;)

[@ProjectVastness]

In Portugal we called it "Boca de sapo" it means Frog's Mouth, because of the front :) my father had one. Eheh it was awesome.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

The air suspension on this car was able to adjust the ride height dependent on the surface you rode on. Many a journey would start with feeling the car rise up to ride height. Like the modern day 'kneelbus' . As a child I was mesmerised by this car.

[@rjft7003]

Hydraulic, not air suspension 👍

[@paulfletcher3998]

The suspension is hydraulic and it was also used by Rolls Royce for years because it was so smooth.

[@alanonline32]

Cool cars for sure. That pedal you were asking about - "handbrake" but yeah, obviously, the pedal version. Had similar when I had a Mercedes 200E, mate has a BMW with same. AFAIK always seemed to be a typically European thing in their cars, but I've noticed other manufacturers have turned to this style now (a later Japanese car of mine has it too for example).

[@mattephoto6850]

You should also check out the Citroën SM which is similar, and even more beautiful, with the V6 engine from Maserati 🤩

[@raymartin7172]

Seeing these on the streets in England (and you didn't see many) they struck me, as a liitle boy, as looking like space-ships.

[@fredvictor752]

I knwew about the DS21 years ago, in a brazilian magazine about classic cars. For my surprise, years later, I saw a DS23 in my neighborhood in gold. I was so surprised as puzzled. For some minutes, I forgot what was I doing, just admiring the lines and thinking their engineering solutions.

[@VPB1970]

There are no less beautiful perspectives of a Citroen DS. It´s all a pure work of art! the most amazing car in history.

[@cudwieser3952]

Bit of trivia but the sportier version of the DS (the SM) appeared, driven by Patrick McGoohan in the Columbo episode Identity Crisis.

[@augure2589]

A DS was the flying cab in Back to the future 2 supposly happen in 2016 in 80's eyes... If I don’t said bu*ls*it

[@augure2589]

It also the car of the professor in Buffy vampire slayer, and there is SM in GTA5 called Pigalle.

[@pierre-frederickgalland5810]

@M.Reed Columbo was also driving a french Peugeot 403 convertible car of the 50's

[@dth2brny121]

The DS was Simon Baker's ride in "The Mentalist" (which is an AMERICAN TV series)

[@renniks1975]

You should check out the Citroën Oli for another example of their unique design/styling. The Oli is a pickup body too! I personally like it, and would be interested to hear your take on it It's also the first model to carry their redesigned logo

[@PedroConejo1939]

I love the hatred that the Oli generates among the ignorant. All the journos love it.

[@rjft7003]

Great video! Jay Leno and a KZbinr from Kansas (Hoovies Garage mechanic Car Wizard) have DS's. The one from Kansas is actually an ID (base model) and is still fitted with the US specification headlights as the swivelling headlights type were banished by US regulations at the time. Leno and The Car Wizard are fascinated with the car's advanced technique and quirkiness. It is even more incredible that this car was presented to the public in 1955, only a decade after the end of WW2.

[@stelbent]

Their first logo with the diagonal stripes represents the diagonally cut gear which Citroën was first with in the car industry. They might be the inventor of the diagonally cut gear, but I'm not sure about that. They were also first with front wheel drive and integrated frame body.

[@elkevera]

It's an amazing ride in this vehicle. -My husband worked in Berlin(Germany) in the 70s for several weeks so I flew up there to visit. His collegue was driving a black model and we were cruising through the night.- Funny feeling when he started it up and the hydrolics clicked in lifting you off the street.

[@nigeldewallens1115]

My parents used to have a Citroen GS, it was the smaller car! It was so unique to drive and was a delight to drive, as it had that magical drive too! We had friends in Belgium and we all once went out in this car and it was just so comfortable to ride in! I really do miss that car and our little GS too! Well done Citroën

[@PedroConejo1939]

I think my GSA Break was my favourite car, weird, comfortable and could stop like it had hit a wall. I caught a good few drivers out with that but it saved my life more than once. Rust got it in the end.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

A Danish Motor Editor, after a fine Test Verdict, pointed at the bottom of the one door, on which the outer plate hardly met the inside, being folded round it! Naming that this was the reason also other car brands had a chance! And in Denmark with much salt and rust!

[@didierlacroix6488]

Hi, glad you like our DS. I used to own one and it is truly awsome !! greetings from France

[@dedeegal]

Before I had my own car after getting my driver's license, I sporadically drove my parents' "Citroën Pallas" for about a year. The cornering of that thing is still unmatched today. Actually, the entire suspension was simply perfect. Driving, as if on "cloud nine". But it was also this suspension that made me hate the car. It took about a minute every time until you could drive off. My buddies were long gone by the time "my" car had finally pumped itself into a driveable state. And the car was not easy to maintain either. To replace a front light, for example, half the front end had to be removed. For that you had to go to the auto repair shop. The worst thing was the low-quality metal. My parents had three Citroëns. All three were completely rusted through after pretty much six years each. My first own car was an eight year old "VW Derby". Four years later I got 100 DM for it from the scrap dealer. Coincidentally, one week later, my father brought his third (and last) six year old "Citroën Pallas" to the same scrap dealer and had to pay 100 DM to accept this rusty piece of junk 🙂 Oh yes... this last Citroën model I drove had normal manual transmission. Only the handbrake was a bit strangely placed next to the steering wheel. And the speedometer was designed as a horizontal rotating ring. My conclusion: nice exterior design, perfect suspension, innovative ideas ... but everything else was rubbish. I will never buy a French car. They rust!

[@freelanceopportunist559]

We used to see a lot of these in Australia back in the day.

[@davidhiscock1969]

An old boss of mine always had Citroën cars. BX , XM etc . I can't recall the model he originally had that made him change to Citroën only but it was because he had a blow out on one of its tyres at motorway speeds. Due to its suspension system the car remained stable on the other 3 wheels allowing him to bring the car to a stop safely. The DS certainly is a beautifully styled car

[@user-tk7cg1uv5l]

Did anyone already mention in the earlier comments, that it was virtually impossible to flip the car over? The front axle was just a little bit wider than the back axle and that, in combination with the Hydropneumatic Suspension made it seem the car was glued to the surface of the road, any road!

[@photolover6944]

Before the DS came the 'Traction Avant' in 1934. It was the first front wheel drive car in the world and it also had no chassis. The body was self-supported. Bandits of the time loved this car because they could take the turns so fast that no police car could chase them before they also got Tractions ! It was 21 years later that the DS came out in 1955.

[@DenUitvreter]

Notice the headrests. It's not all brilliant engineering, it's also a lot of elegant simplicity that is simply well thought through for your comfort. You can adjust the head rest by undoing and redoing the snap fasteners on it's front cushion. Citroen kept using that until the 80's on the GS for sure and also the CX if I remember correctly.

[@bennygustafsson9580]

Yes, and you can also put the cushion up-side-down if you like to have another kind of rest.

[@DenUitvreter]

It doesn't come across as very luxurious but head rests were no way standard back then and andjustables even less. And it works, people didn't panick about having to do something with their own hands other than pushing a button back then.

[@girlinagale]

Even the 2cv has a unique piston linkage between front and rear suspension. I had one in the 80s, drove a few friends from UK to Amsterdam, driving off the ferry in Calais lifted the roof back and set off towards Belgium on holiday.

[@robertlondonse14]

I have a 1971 DS21 i.e. Pallas semi auto (the first mass-production car with electronic fuel injection), it will still glide along on any road and will happily cruise all day at 130km/hr (80 mph) which is the French speed limit. It still has a better ride than any car I've been in, and it just makes you smile.

[@alro2434]

Volkswagen and MANY others had EFI long before Citroen even thought about buying it from Bosch.

[@lesflynn4455]

I'm Australian. Iwas taken for a ride in a Citroen DS as a 12 yo in 1982. From then until now, never have I been so comfortable in a car. It was beautiful.

[@awmperry]

Francis Bacon wrote that "there is no beauty that hath not some strangeness about its proportion" and the DS really exemplifies that. It looks weird, but it's gorgeous.

[@tonzelle2720]

My wife and I married in a DS!

[@rosen3121]

I love the Citroen series. Keep it going there's a lot more to learn. I recommend you learn about the Xantia Activa which for the last 30 years is the record holder for the slalom test.

[@jash1281]

Citroën did not only build awsome and original cars, but they pulled out quite big communication stunts. The black cruise trough Africa and yellow cruise trough Asia were crazy

[@erik....]

Cloudy headlights have never been a problem for me. I had it on my previous car (Saab 9-5) when I bought it but polishing the plastic makes it look like new again.

[@ludwigmichiel188]

My absolute dream car, and one of the main reasons Citroën is my favourite car brand!

[@markkoetsier6475]

The DS was just an explosion of innovation. The vid didn't even mention that the revised double headlights were the first in the world to swivel with the wheels, illuminating your turn. Really useful and most non-luxury cars today _still_ don't do that!

[@eljanrimsa5843]

Watch the full video. He talks about it in the end.

[@markkoetsier6475]

@@eljanrimsa5843 Oh crap, I only watched until the original video stopped for some reason (just to be clear, that's what I was referring to when I said he didn't even mention it, didn't mean IWrocker). 😅

[@gggggggg3542]

Amazing old buckets these, headlamps that turn with the steering, hydraulic suspension......... not to mention the old camera cars at horseracing - - so stable they actually had a camera on it's roof with a person operating it (and we're talking about the 1970's here), most radical thing was the steering wheel as it only had one "spoke"

[@hpdj6620]

we had "my father" an DS 19 (older than the DS 23 you are showing), twice a year we drove the 600km on the old french roads to visit the family, in one straight shot, no stops, no needs.

[@DavidBerry-pq6cp]

My Dad had a CitroenDS ID19 in the 70's and the one thing I remember was a sign on the passenger side of the car that said "Please keep the windows closed in excess of 125 mph". Remember, this was over 50 years ago.

[@trespire]

Was your dad the Fantomas ? A DS21 can to 155 kph, so a 19 is up there.

[@303qwertyuiop303]

The ID19 had only 66HP, so it's unlikely it would even hit 100mph... The '72 DS23 model however had fuel injection and a power output of 130HP (which isn't bad at all for a naturally aspirated 2.3L engine in those days). Top speed was around 118mph (190kmh), thanks to the excellent aerodynamics

[@trespire]

@@303qwertyuiop303 To be more specific, there was a carborated DS23, and there was a fuel injected DS23i, the later had a bit more HP and better performance, about 130 or 135 HP if I recall. For top speed, the aerodynamics of a ID/DS is perhaps more significant than just adding more power. Modern designers could learn a lot from the ID/DS.

[@raverdeath100]

i love the DS but the SM will always be my favourite.

[@augure2589]

They’re relative! SM is the daughter

[@JDgo]

I'm American and my first car was a '61 ID-19 (4 speed on the column stick shift w/clutch). I also owned a '67 DS-21 & later a '69 DS-21, both of them with stick shifts (clutch). If the hydraulics fail, I could still move the car. RE: The break 'button' ~ Loved it! Just slide my foot from gas to break with ease. Saved time & it's so sensitive, once I was used to it, I could make the rear end 'squat' when stopping. The '61's backseat backrest is the MOST pliable & deeply comfortable backrest anywhere!! The newer model front seats are awesomely comfortable with support as well. My '67 was the best of the three because it didn't have all the smog equipment that cut into mpg's like the '69 did. With 3 in the car at 70 mph, A/C on, it easily got 33 mpg Vegas to L.A. Citroen decided to stop importing them to the U.S. because Big Gov't said Citroen's bumpers didn't meet their height requirements (because the ride was adjustable). Citroen probably said B.S. to that and pulled the plug. I was very sad they went away; now parts are hard to get for those that have them.

[@TheChill001]

On the mushroom button, it takes a bit of time to get used to, especially if you come from cars with bad or unassisted brakes (which rly got some...accidents back in the day), but overal...imagine it like pushing the square button on your playstation controller, but with your feet. It's relatively easy to feather your dosage of pressure on the button and when you got the taste for it down to your toes, it is actually much easier of a system than the pedals due to how little effort you need to slam down the brakes full bore.

[@IWrocker]

Great explanation thank You 🙏 🎉

[@vincentchabert3312]

il est amusant de voir l’Amérique fascinée par les autos française d'une époque où nous rêvions des leurs! I let you translate;)

[@GoldenCroc]

The grass is always greener... etc.

[@fabien2430]

oui enfin, c'est pas l'amérique c'est UN americain, et comme de nombreux reacteurs, sur toutes leur vidéos ils trouvent tout super car c'est rafraîchissant. et c'est positif (c'est bien pour la commu)

[@vincentchabert3312]

@@fabien2430 oui façon de parler, mais effectivement cette voiture vaut le coup d'etre connue du monde entier

[@augure2589]

Ok boomer!

[@Wrecker3D]

Fun fact: Dutchies also call DS De Snoek¹, and we also know the 2CV De Eend/(lelijk) eendje²... We love nicknames door stuff like our trains too, colorful names like hondekop³, de buffel⁴ and de wesp⁵ come to mind ¹=The Pike ²=The Duck/(ugly) Duckling ³=Dogface ⁴=The Buffalo ⁵=The Wasp It's not always animal related, DAF made a tiny car once it had the nickname Raincoat die to its size and keeping you dry (of course) Last example in nicknames would be the gearbox of DAF which was called "pientere pookje" or "smart stick" you just choose the direction you wanted to go and the gearbox did all the "thinking" (No computer back then, just a belt drive in a special setup) which had you go as fast forward as backward... So going backward at about 80km/h ~ 60m/h-ish was no problem... Dutch tv even maar a racing event out of it: achteruit racen

[@mbpoblet]

It was known as the Citroën _Tiburón_ (shark) in Spain.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

The company my father worked for as a driver, bought a 1967 Citroën DS 23 automatic. But it was not a normal DS. According to my father, it was a copy of the one built for the French president, but without the armour. It had a separation window and intercom, very thick velour tapestry, and many other cool features. It was fast (because not armoured) and extremely comfortable, probably with extra sound deadening. I was only 4 but they kept it for years so I have vivid memories of driving in it. Unfortunately it got stolen, was found in a bad shape by the police and sold for scrap. That was a shame, because there were only two built, one for the president of France (with armour) and one for that Dutch company (without armour), all according to my father. I did not research it.

[@stephenberry1205]

Love your delight on discovering your first Citroens - 2CV & DS. Have a go at a GS, CX or SM or C6 to be further amazed. I will fill you in with some more details that you asked about. I experienced Citroen conversion with a 1967 DS21 Pallas hydraulic gear change at aged 16 at a friend's uncle in Sydney. Like you I was flabbergasted!! Just getting into a DS with the frameless glass doors, seat that you keep sinking into like the most luxurious sofa you ever sat in. Then you realize your feet are sinking too, because of the 2 inch foam underlay beneath the carpet. Both elbows sink into sculptured leather arm rests. Then you prod the roof lining, the edges are very squishy velour. The main roof area is also velour. Getting to the pedals. The accelerator and brake button are soft touch too. The button works on pressure, not travel. The fastest car in the world to go from accelerator to braking as you gain the time of getting your foot up to a pedal and then down again before braking starts. For normal braking you do little more than rest your foot on the mushroom button. If you press firmly the car actually squats front and rear on its soft suspension, no nose dive and weight transfer rear to front. Squatting increases the adhesion on all 4 wheels. And... there is an anti lock valve to the rear wheels - in 1955. The rear wheels have a narrower track than the front for aerodynamics.... Yes, you can drive on 3 wheels. I was stripping a 1966 DS19 for parts and I removed all the body panels which unbolt.. You asked about the rear guards. There is one bolt which allows you to slide it off two locating pegs. The handle for undoing the wheel nuts also does the rear guard. Early DSs had a single central wheel bolt in a locating hub. All panels and doors and roof (unbolts too) and windows, all seats but driver's seat. Still had rear stop and tail lights and number plate. Even took the muffler off. Roared up to the local shops on 3 wheels in my naked DS.... The pressurized suspension also powers the brakes, the steering and the semi automatic hydraulic change gearbox, with a selector that is a finger tip wand behind the one spoke steering wheel. You turn on your ignition and with one finger in neutral nudge the wand to the left to engage the starter... Outside France no one steals a Citroen DS because they don't know how to drive it! Brake button v pedal. Citroen pressurized braking system have used mushroom buttons and pedals of various cars since the DS. I have owned 17 Citroens over 51 years. The first 1962 Aussie assembled ID19 had a pedal to make it seem more normal. From my 1963 model onwards they had mushrooms through to my 1972 DS21 & 1974 DS23 EFI 5 speed Pallas. The 3 GSs, 1 CX Prestige and a Xantia all had pedals disguising the same small travel brake valve. Only DS and SMs had mushrooms. And yes... I prefer the mushrooms.... more sensuous... more crazy Citroen.... And the system has built in safety features. A valve that prioritizes the brakes first, suspension and gear change second and power steering assistance last. If the engine stalls in a boring normal car you lose power steering and brakes. Not in a hydropneumatic Citroen. And, the brake pedal left of the brake button is the parking / emergency brake with its own calipers on the front inboard discs. On a manual car you have a hand brake which has a child lock on the release handle in 1955! Did I mention it was the first car with pedestrian protection - with soft sloping bonnet with the spare tyre beneath the front to cushion your pedestrian. The curved single spoke steering wheel was offset to cushion the driver before seat belts. AND in a big accident it was the first progressive crumple design front and rear. In a bad crash the engine dove down beneath the cabin. AND it had large side box sections that you stepped over getting in. These were structural and side impact protection... This was all 1955. PLUS variable height self levelling progressive suspension with 5 height settings. Top and bottom for service and changing wheels plus 3 ride heights for bad roads. Top at slow speed was also good for floods... If you suffered a blow out up front no loss of braking or steering control. A rear flat you would not notice it... You might just hear it or driving really fast the rear might drift a little more. So, once you have experienced Citroen conversion no other Car God (DS in French means Goddess) will suffice. The DS in particular is the most stylish sensual car ever built. You caress all her controls like a mistress who likes to be stroked. The steering, the brakes and the gear selector. She will delight you as only a seductive French person can.... Ahhh... La DS.... you sigh as she sinks after coming to rest.... magnifique.... Bonjour from Australia... Now I have a 1990 2CV6 Charleston and a C4 Cactus... oodles of character... Not as much as the pinnacle - La DS....

[@CaptianInternet]

I secretly love the DS. The goddess. IF I would be rich and could choose my job. I would make replicas of that one as EV. To get the most perfect gliding experience ever. But the Design is just unique.

[@Emile97427]

what a wonderful idea !

[@PedroConejo1939]

There is an EV one in England. It's perfect because the engine was always the weakness. Find it under 'Electric Citroen DS Conversion | Electrogenic'.

[@CaptianInternet]

@@PedroConejo1939 Thank you a lot! It is a dream!

[@CaptianInternet]

@@PedroConejo1939 I am watching the Video right now. The DS is like made to be electric. It is perfect!

[@iainsmith2434]

My parents owned a Ds23Pallas in the late 70’s. It was written off by a drunk driver head on in a Valiant Charger, heavy ridged car, the crumple zones saved my mother’s life, while she suffered broken ribs from seatbelts and serious whiplash from the impact, 42 years later she is still going which I doubt she would have in a lesser car. People who saw the wreck couldn’t believe anyone would have survived. It was many of the things your video shows, finding the oil dipstick was our favourite torment for local garage mechanics😁 When starting the driver had 3 different levels for driving, 4th was for tyre changing or short fording streams. You could take the car many places a normal sedan couldn’t go!

[@opinionista.]

In 1974, my friend bought a Citroen DS21 Pallas, and it was said at that time this car was 20 years ahead of its time…I didn’t believe it then, but time and history proved them right. It was not a fast (or rowdy) car on take off, but when it got going, it sailed effortlessly. I drove it at 115 mph back then and it felt extremely stable and safe at that speed (although I was a little nervous). In response to your comment, it was easy to transfer your foot from the accelerator to the “mushroom” brake pedal, and this rubber disk was quite sensitive, and, didn’t need a lot of foot pressure as opposed to regular brake pedals. The third pedal, if I remember correctly, was the parking brake. Love from South Africa

[@athrunzala6770]

You're too interested in the French car right now. We'll have to buy you a baguette and a "beret" if you continue:p

[@augure2589]

You’re a automotive noob...just saying.

[@31mazel]

Are you jealous?

[@athrunzala6770]

@@31mazel pas trop j'aime bien les baguettes ^^ c'était une boutade

[@shadowlifter]

My father had a DS Pallas late 70s early 80s.... I do remember this car with nostalgia. I loved it so much! The suspension, the 3-wheel drive, the turning headlights.... So many memories!!!! Greetings from Greece!

[@nicomeier8098]

One of the most elegant cars ever designed.

[@marijkeoord6776]

This brings back memory's.the neighbors had this car.and as you said.we thought it was something from the future.the suspension was a thing that we didn't get tired of seeing as kids all the kids in the street came looking and the neighbors kids where very proud of there Dad having that car .I still remember it as if it was yesterday.and I am 56 😂😂 .

[@PunkersTV]

My dad had one of these when I was a little kid and I still remember when he first brought it home I thought it was a freaking spaceship it was so futuristic. All the neighbours dads came out for a look. Man I was the coolest kid on the street for a while. I used to love it when he higher and lowered it. That car blew my tiny little mind and of course it's always had a place in my heart ever since. It's an astonishing car and staggering that it's like 80 years old now. Great video Ian.

[@NZKaupoi]

Absolutely fabulous from any and all angles … would love to see an overhead view. Very nice example there too… stunning!

[@chrisk7693]

my uncle was employed as a representative at a company and had to spend tens of thousands of kilometers in the car, he drove a citroen cx (1974 - 1991) and i often rode along as a child...one thing was really always great, you always believed that you were floating on clouds in this car!!!just great driving experience!

[@mevain4763]

We had one like that from 1968 to 1972. It was a pleasure to travel when many roads were still dirt roads and asphalt roads had no speed limits. On forest roads, the ground clearance could be raised by twisting the manual lever. Not very durable, somewhere was always broken.

[@blitzroehre1807]

Had a 1972 DS 20 back in the mid 80s It was the final generation DS with a fully manual 5-speed, on the tree. The engine (2.0, 104 h.p.) was no brute powerhouse, but it purred so smoothly, almost like a six-cylinder. (BTW, there were 3 variants, Manual 4 or 5 speed, the semi-automatic like in the video, and a fully automatic version with a Borg-Warner 3-sp autobox) The brake "Champignon" button needed to get used to or else you and passengers would get flung into the windscreen if pressed hard. It has maybe 1/2 of an inch movement when fully depressed, and what is not mentioned is that if a hard stop is made, the suspension is instantly lowered to crunch the weight of the car onto the tarmac for an instant halt without tires skidding. @ 14:00 what does it feel like? ..can be best described like pressing the button on a drinking fountain, first its hard and then once the valve is open, you dose the hydraulic line pressure to the brakes by how hard you press. You can actually hear the hydraulic fluid swooshing through the valves. I think though there is no advantage of this system over a standard pedal, plus you have to get used to it The magic carpet ride is no exaggeration, I can fully attest to that. The green spheres on the suspension had to be recharged with pressurized nitrogen every few years though, one had to unscrew them with a oil-filter wrench and take them to the dealer to have the job done. No big deal. Other features include the vents for cooling the inboard brakes in the front bumper @ 16:27 and what was also very neat is the bolt head above the red rear reflector @12:11. If you had a flat rear tire, you started the engine and raised the suspension with a small lever in the car, fitted a fixed height jack into the hole in the middle of the sill and lovered the suspension again. The wheels on that side of the car would then lift off the ground, and in case of the rear being flat you took the wheel wrench to that bolt in the back fender and undid it. The fender then just slides back for you to easily change the wheel👍 There were downsides though: Engine accessibility is mediocre, the transmission is mounted in front of the engine, and I did burst a few hydraulic lines while I owned the car. An emergency hydraulic reservoir keeps the brake pressure up long enough to stop, but then you are stranded on the roadside with the suspension bottomed out. No going anywhere till you get spares. Also, the corrosion protection on those cars was awful. They were utter rustbuckets, actually. This basically sums up having had one for some years as a daily driver...

[@hamrite]

I had an ID in 1987 in France, that this was a totally exceptional experience. I had been driven around a DS break as a young boy, even going around Corsica in the summers of the 1970's but driving one was a complete new experience. So comfortable and so sturdy on the road, you could drive it in a cool way, speed around like a GT or go full high suspension level, and the thing was just perfect. One of the best vehicles I had the chance to drive.

[@brianpercival1829]

This car always looks futuristic. A childhood friend of my dad, they grew up close to each other and he became our family doctor had one. I was able to get a few rides in it back then in 71 73. I asked why did he pick this car. His responce was "I need a dependable car because I have to get to emergencies, you can drive it on 3 wheels with a flat tire, and I love the ride." It had leather interior that gave it that European car smell. Seats were the best car seats I can remember ever. So much glass was a panaramic view. The blinds in the back were there to protect the seats from sun damage. They thought of everything. A dented fender was changed in 10 minutes under $100. This was so much better than a 'Doctors Cadillac or Lincoln'. The ultimate version would be the Masserati V6 engined SM.

[@paulthompson881]

The Traction Avant in the pictures at the start of your piece was also a great motor vehicle. Lots of those still in the UK, right hand drive and built here too.