After 10 years of development in secret as the successor to the venerable Traction Avant, the DS 19 was introduced on October 5, 1955 at the Paris Motor Show . The car's appearance and innovative engineering captured the imagination of the public and the automobile industry almost overnight. 12,000 orders were taken for the car during the launch.
The high price tag, however, hurt general sales, and a submodel, the ID (Idée, or Idea), was introduced in 1957 to improve distribution. The ID shared the same basic body design, but had more traditional features under the hood. A station wagon variant, the Break ID, was introduced in 1958. A luxury upgrade kit, the DS Pallas (after Greek goddess Pallas Athena), was also introduced.
In 1967 the model line was revamped and the DS 21 was introduced. This submodel had a larger engine and a more streamlined headlight mount, giving the car a notably shark-like appearance. The headlights swivelled with the steering wheel, allowing the driver to see around turns. The station wagon edition, the ID Safari, was also upgraded.
In the early 1970s the model went through a final revision in the form of the DS 23, which essentially replicated the DS 21 with a much bigger engine. The model was phased out in 1975 in favor of the new and ill-fated Citroen CX.
Throughout its model lifetime the DS managed to remain well ahead of its time. It featured power disc brakes, the previously mentioned hydropneumatic suspension including an automatic levelling system, and a semi-automatic transmission system. Above all the smooth, aerodynamic body lines gave the car an amazingly futuristic appearance.
To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II, and struggling to find its identity in the post-colonial world, the DS was a symbol of French ingenuity. More importantly, it posited the nation's relevance in the Space Age, as the car bore a remarkable resemblance to images of flying saucers just then becoming famous.
Structuralist philosopher Roland Barthes, in an essay about the car, said that it looked as if it had "fallen from the sky." To Barthes, the car was a "monster of modernity," a symbol of the new and somewhat threatening future ahead.
The DS was adopted as the official car for the French government for a number of uses -- as police cars, as ambulances (in the station-wagon form), and even as limousines for the nation's highest officials. President Charles de Gaulle was a big fan of the DS, and used one for all official functions. de Gaulle survived an assassination attempt on his life -- a machine-gun ambush by the OAS on his motorcade in the Paris suburb of Petit Clamart -- because the DS he was on board was able to escape on only three working tires, due to the hydropneumatic suspension.
Outside of France, the car's radical and cosmopolitan image appealed to non-conformists. An American advertisement summarized the car's main selling point: "It takes a special person to drive a special car."
The car is seen in many films and television shows, notably Ghostbusters, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Model History
1972 Citroen DS SafariDS in Popular Culture