"The Goddess" and The Future
If you drove a Citroën DS in 1955, you were effectively driving a spaceship. At a time when American cars were using leaf springs and solid axles (technology from the 1800s), Citroën introduced a car that looked like a teardrop and floated on a cushion of oil and gas.
The DS (pronounced "Déesse," which means Goddess in French) stunned the world at the Paris Motor Show. It had a single-spoke steering wheel, headlights that turned with the steering (on later models), and a brake pedal that wasn't a pedal at allâit was a rubber "mushroom" on the floor that required almost no pressure to stop the car instantly.
[Image of a futuristic Citroën DS floating on its suspension]
The Magic Carpet: Hydropneumatic Suspension
The core of the Citroën legend is the Hydropneumatic Suspension. Instead of metal springs and shocks, the car sits on green metal spheres filled with nitrogen gas and hydraulic fluid.
The result is a ride quality that has never been equaled. It doesn't drive over bumps; it erases them.
The Party Trick: The system is self-leveling. If you get a flat tire, you can raise the suspension to its highest setting, prop the car up, and the car will lift its own wheel off the ground. You can famously drive a DS on only three wheels.
The Umbrella on Wheels: The 2CV
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was the 2CV (Deux Chevaux). It was designed in the 1930s with a specific brief: "Carry two farmers and a sack of potatoes across a plowed field without breaking a single egg." It is the most utilitarian, charming, and terrifyingly slow car ever made. It is the VW Beetle of France.
The Maserati Connection: The SM
In the 1970s, Citroën bought Maserati. The result was the Citroën SM. It combined the futuristic hydropneumatic chassis of the DS with a screaming Maserati V6 engine.
It was named Motor Trendâs Car of the Year in 1972. It was fast, incredibly complex, and beautiful. It was the car you drove if you were an architect or a supervillain.
Buying Advice: Green Blood
Owning a classic Citroën in the US is a commitment to chemistry.
- LHM Fluid: The lifeblood of the car is LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Minéral). It is bright green. It powers the brakes, the steering, and the suspension. If the car leaks green fluid, do not drive itâyou will lose your brakes and your suspension simultaneously.
- The Spheres: The suspension spheres act like accumulators. They eventually lose their nitrogen charge and need to be recharged or replaced, otherwise, the "magic carpet" turns into a bouncy castle.
Citroën is for the person who believes that doing things differently is better than doing them normally.