Citroen DS: The Greatest Automobile Ever Made 

I was captivated by these as a child (in England). My maths teacher had one and we used to watch it rise up when he got in to drive it home. Many other teachers had Dyanes and 2CVs - I’ve been obsessed with these Citroens ever since. 😀

"Exquisite" is the word that springs to mind first. As a kid, it was impossible not to be open-mouthed upon first sight. As an adult, it is impossible to ignore the importance of the DS in automotive history. Lovely video as always, thanks!

Definitely a car that deserves a place in the top 10 of automotive design history!

The most amazing car of all time. Really futuristic when introduced in 1955. I remember traveling in these cars in the early 1960’s on the dirt roads , full of potholes in East Africa and the DS gave the smoothest ride of all.

It's hard to say it for me as an Italian as well, but the DS could be the most beautiful design piece in the modern history.

I have been smitten with the DS ever since I laid on one. After getting over cancer, I bought one and drive it daily. If you love these, get one! It makes me smile - everyday! (Thanks for the well-done video.)

I first saw a DS in 1961 My reaction was what is that? and then the driver started the engine and the whole car raised itself up WOW I still remember it so well

‚A hideous car‘, my father commented when our neighbor purchased a DS in 1967. I was 5 at the time and this is one of my first memories of total disagreance with my beloved Dad! Thanks for your passionate video on la déesse!

As a child in the 60's, I remember seeing these and was captivated by them.

Citroen DS was a space ship for a Hungarian kid like me in the 70's. Amazing video, thank you!

The best car I've ever owned! My most memorable moments were parking in Central London completely free. It had French plates so no fines, and when lowered right down could not be clamped or towed! 😅

I am nearly 60 - its telling that the automobile future was born 6 years before I was and still has not been overtaken

Tree belle” For one who repaired cars for 51 years this car still brings tears to my eyes! ,Still unequaled in beauty and design , from pat 💔🇨🇮

Such a tribute to the DS by an Italian car lover, it's quite something. But you're right. I owned many and drove over half a million kilometers in them. They offer a unique experience which is hard to describe and is addictive. One quality that I never see described is that there is not one rubber bushing (such as subframe or control arm bushings) in any linkages between the wheel and the body. It's all tie rods and bearings (like on race cars), making the handling extremely precise despite the soft suspension. It is worth mentioning because on other cars of the era there was often a compromise between comfort and handling. Not on the DS. I also owned many Mercedes of the same era. They have many qualities, but the driving experience cannot be compared, even with the 300s and their air suspension.

After 65 years i still LOVE this car!

It is a DS. I put the like, then I watch the video. That's how much I like it!

A declaration of love which I can only underline. A bit of a pity that the 6 cylinder Boxer they had designed for it didn’t turn out as powerful as they had hoped for.

Opera d'arte ! Non serve dire altro.

The largest Citroen gathering in North America takes place a short drive from my home here in the US state of New Hampshire and is even closer to where I grew up in the state of Massachusetts (in the northeastern part there's this small cluster of states known as the New England area owing to its former colonial status). It's in the town of Northfield and I remember accidentally being there for one meeting as a kid of maybe ten or so. A friend's dad that owned a rattly SAAB 900 convertible had stopped there to take care of some business with a shop and the owner of the place owned an ultra rare cabriolet DS that he drove us around in for a bit. Over the same bit of road on the way back the notoriously under-structured 900 shook like mad when the older DS just took it as if it were a bit of a tremor. Such cars were always pricey here and were never on my radar given their cost (I own a '72 GTV, which should say something). But, each time I see one now I always think of how stable the top of the windscreen looked going over that bumpy road.

Non è un auto,è un concentrato di genialità e stile!un capolavoro che nessuno riuscirà a ripetere

Hi, I had two Citroen BX’s (19TRD and a 17TRD intercooler) plus a C15 Diesel when I lived in Italy during the 80’s and early 90’s - loved them all. Greetings from Cumbria in the UK.

My first trip when I was a young teenager was in a cream DS exquisite the most comfortable car ever unforgettable and still a beautiful car.

I loved my 1963 that I only had a few short years before moving to a city where I had no way to garage it, unfortunately.

Great review, as always #RoadsterLife The only thing preventing the Citroen DS from being the perfect automobile was it’s pre war 4 cylinder engine as they couldn’t afford market development costs of a larger engine after this unbelievable clean sheet design and engineering effort. Still an icon of the modern era. The DS as well as the SM also are a reminder that France, although being associated with economy cars today, was in the first half of the XX. century known for building the most advanced and most outrageous luxury and GT cars (Talbot Lago, Delahaye, and many more)

Caro signor Licata, eccomi a rivedere questo video un anno dopo. Un breve ma autentico omaggio di un appassionato a questa icona della civiltà occidentale! Come ho già fatto, lascio i miei saluti dal Brasile.

Plus qu'une voiture une œuvre d'art. Elle représente le génie des ingénieurs Francais.

For me, it's simply a beautiful timeless design. Not just aesthetically. But in it's interior, ergonomics and engineering. Just perfect!

My first car was a '74 D Super 5. Will never forget her. With my very best wishes from Italy!

My father in law had one in the early 70s, the ride quality was truly amazing

My father was a Citroën man. I mean...he loved Citroëns. Started with "traction avant" - the 11 CV and than the 14 CV - and once the first ID19 came out he bought one and started his love relation with these cars and than too with the successor: the DS model . The last DS he owned was the DS23 Pallas Injection. Altogether I think there were about 5 cars of these in the family. We never had the DS21. We did numerous long trips on the ID19’s, DS20’s and the DS23 and these last two where the ones I drove for many miles. The DS is a car in his own class. It’s different, feels different and you drive it differently from other cars too. The suspension is the DS metaphor of comfort and road handling. Although feeling a little like a boat when cornering, once you enter a curve decidedly and steeping on the gas pedal, the car just grabs the road like having claws on the wheels (Michelin XVS tyres are absolutely mandatory) and you cannot believe what it can do. For more than one occasion, my father damaged front tyres curving at high speeds and in one of those occasions he set one tyre on fire. The braking is brutal due to the front discs being placed at the gear box shafts and not in the wheels and specially with wet roads you must be careful. Obviously this is aggravated by the brake pedal travel of only about 2 to 3 cm. In the DS23 there is no pedal, instead you have a brake button. This lady wants to be handled very smoothly and that’s the way to be very efficient at higher speeds. The "traction avant" concept is “all in the front”, so if you get that front glued to the road don’t even worry whit the back of the car. In my modest opinion although the DS20 lacks the power and luxury of the DS23, was a more balanced car, with a fair performance and consumption an capable of sustain a speed of 120 to 140 Km per hour for many hours. Changing a tyre with the LHM fluid spheres suspension and crossing a small river was easy. The DS23 was a really fast car, with a 2.3 litter injected engine, but the consumption was high. The car comfort in any version is amazing and because of the chassis design, the seats and the carpet with about one inch rubber insulation high you just feel royal. Driving with the gear lever near the steering wheel was a pleasure and all the interior of the car was well built and functional and the materials very durable for the time he was built. From all the cars I drove, this one together with the VW914 and the Datsun 240Z is one of my favourites and apart from rusty issues with almost every cars of the 60's and 70's this can only be described as a marvel. Still today it is a brilliant car in design and technical solutions and a daily driver, effortlessly.

During the 60s and 70s my parents owned four of these beautiful cars, three DS and one Slough built DW. I’ve been in love with these cars ever since. Very enjoyable video.

My favourite car of all time. Just a pity they don't make them now

I agree completely with your "hyperbolic" assessment. The only weak point is the engine itself, which was ready for the grave at launch in 1955... But Citroën persisted with it and somehow made it work. Although the 23 was the pinnacle, for many it was the 21 that was the best. This was a car somehow perfectly suited to the Routes Nationales of the 50s, 60s and 70s. It worked very well outside France, but was never as wonderful anywhere as it was at home in France. Too many wonderful features to fit into a short video, but a good video and it brings a smile.

Love this car thanks for making the video. I currently have an SM and would love to add a well sorted DS to my collection.

Very good video Matteo! Fully agreed about the DS being the greatest car ever made. Actually, if I had the means, it would be the first classic/youngtimer car I would buy and restore.

Citroen ds...a vehicle over engineered...beautiful looks..thnks again for the nice video...

Love your videos. Couldn’t agree more about the ID/DS - it’s utterly beautiful lines have never really aged, even after all these years. I remember holidays in France in the early 1970s being amazed by these stunning cars floating along the terrible (at that time) French roads. Turning headlights and rocket shaped rear indicators just made them seem like space ships to my young eyes... (How about a video in the Ami 6? Another amazing Citroën!)

Had a DS in Spain loved best car ever far ahead of its time comfortable safe easy to change a spare the chicks on the Spanish Rivera really loved it!

I had a '72 DS 21 that I lost about a dozen years ago. One of the two biggest mistakes I have made in my life. I regret it every time I see one.

Fantastic video, Matteo. Thanks.

Beautifull car! One of my favourite citroen cars! I have a 1977 citroen dyane 6, the oppositte car of the ds, but, i love drive it

You created a wonderful tribute for La Déesse! This has been my dream car for a long time - the Citroëns in my price range were the 2CV that we drove for a total of more than 10 years. At least one day in the 1990’s I left a note with my phone number at the windshield of a DS parked in town, and guess what, the owner let me even drive it a small detour of some kilometers after I had told them of my love for this masterpiece. Proud and happy memories :-)

I can't really add any original comments but the DS is truly a design classic. C'est magnifique!

To this day, I never sat in a more comfortable seat than the rear seats of a DS. Is it really that hard to create something similar?

It's interesting , in 1970s italian films the DS was always driven by the bad guys along with BMWs ( made abroad ). And good guys drove Fiats and Alfa Romeos ( made at home ) . But they must have been popular in Italy as I'm sure they appealed to italian good taste and appreciation of good engineering . Vive la France.

Very well detailed video. This must be one of my favorite cars of all time

Beautiful car, masterpiece design...

Love it, Matteo. Fantastic tribute to the DS.

Bellissima. È un auto che non muore mai.

Having driven DS for over 30 years I have to agree...extremely stable, comfortable and efficient. I miss driving one every day in my modern car as I bump up and down over every bump. Manufacturer's efforts in suspension design is pathetic in 2020..even a Tesla Model S with air suspension is bumpy. DS was first to have disk brakes (front), radial tyres, self levelling suspension with zero increase in spring rate as it travels up and down, very low centre of gravity and long wheel base. A beautifully engineered design.

Ein geniales Auto! Mein Vater hatte einen DS. Wunderbar!

Talking about it's design being inspired by aquatic creatures.... In Portugal these are know as "Boca de Sapo" or "frog's mouth" for it's appearance. Great video!

DS is incredible but CX is my all time favorite. The coolest car ever even it was not such a leap as DS. I would like to have all big Citroen cars in my garage TA, DS, CX, XM and C6. I hope they will make proper C6 successor. DS9 is probably great but still just a modern car to compete with Audi and others.

Simply the most beautiful 4 door saloon ever created.... I could push for the most beautiful car, but there are a few others fighting that front....

Thanks again.. Love your work. pjd

After three Citroen videos , I had to subscribe.

What is there to say about a Goddess, other that it was and always will be... divine!! This car, is made as if Citroën could time travel and find all the technical solutions, the art and the design through history, all at it's best... apart from the engine! The only letdown, but anyway it is a masterpiece! Loved the video!

Merveilleuse auto. Merci beaucoup :-).

My father had two of these - the Safari version. Called the Break in some markets. Fell in love with the design the moment I saw it. And the technology......the downside was getting it serviced cost a fortune, but, hey, I wasn't paying for that!

This is a great car. I saw one yesterday. And maybe for the future videos: a video about the "piaggio ape" when i was little i saw them much in Sicily. I like them very much. So maybe a idea for the future.

Ne ho avute due. Inarrivabile. Era una cosa diversa dalle altre auto

Magnifique ds 23 confort bleu delta ...velours ryvoline bleu boite 5 vitesses. Dans un état remarquable !

Thanks for this video - I fell in love with the DS as a 10-year old too, and persuaded my father to buy a '74 D Super a year later. Even now, it is incredible how different and interesting some of the design solutions were that Sig. Bertoni and André Lefèbvre developed for the DS. In the video, the sphere's were yellow - I remember them to be green - where they from a DS that used the earlier LHS suspension fluid instead of the LHM fluid?

Great video!

i've only been ONCE in a DS, on the rear seat, when i was 12 or so...very cosy experience..when i was old enough, i began my career as a "citroënnist" . have driven 10 of them in 40 years, always hydraulic ones GS BREAK, GSA X3, BX 14 RE, BX SPORT (fantastic!), XM DIESEL, XM 2.1 TD, XM 2.5 TD, C5 2.2 HDI 170 BITURBO, C5 2.2 HDI 204, and now again an XM V6 PRV 12 167 hp !! once you have caught the LHM virus , you're doomed 😜

Keep them coming 😷👌

Que belleza , me enamore de este auto , cuando lo vi por primera vez , en las calles de Santiago , yo siendo un niño

Its my favourite car of all time, suffers from corrosion like all cars did in those days. I had a Citroen GS, the DS's poor little brother and as nice a car as it was to drive it rusted away in front of your our eyes almost. I would like to see a modern version reintroduced but no doubt they would mess it up with coil spring suspension and the like.

Interesting story, keep it up :)

Great by ideas realized at the time, but less great by manufacturing quality. Only because so many owners were also DS enthusiasts, a remarkable number of DS are still on the road.

This car was/is a masterpiece. Nowadays its so hard to distinguish cars between them, they look the same, they use the same technology / engines. I really love the Story about how the DS saved the General de Gaulle's life despite so many shots.

This is the perfect car for an electric restomod. Love it!

I do not know if there was a nickname in Italy, but in Portugal, we called it "Boca de Sapo" (Frog Mouth). A lovely car, and after all these years, it's still modern.

Meravigliosa!

Probably one of the most beautiful classic cars ever made. It would be ideal for converting to electric powered motor

A technological leap it was for sure. I'm one of the few persons who did not fall in love with the design, though. Like the CX much better. Great video and nice filiming of the actual car. Thanks a lot! Ciao 🙋‍♂️

Probably the only “concept/dream” car available for the masses in all automotive history. Industry - including Citröen - never learned the lesson.

A majestic beast indeed

Awesome as usual. Please do one on the BX ( or CX).

Another masterpiece

Yes indeed, a true masterpiece, I would love so much to own one.

Vous oubliez ce qui fait la spécificité de la DS , l'hydraulique conçu par le regretté Paul Mag'es ,un genie !

The thing I miss most is the individual, sovereign nature that cars used to have. Growing up in the 60s-70s I loved how cars reflected the culture of their respective countries of origin. American cars were big, powerful and unsophisticated. Western Europe’s were small, efficient and good handling. Asian were compact, precise and inexpensive. Eastern Europe were ‘mostly’ crude and laughably miserable. Drill down farther and each individual country is reflected. Italy = Style and Romance, Germany = Function and precision, UK = Tradition and engineering, Japan = Efficiency and innovation. France = Individualistic and quirky cool. Russia = Terrible unless you’re in the Politburo. On it goes... Now? Who cares. Most cars like globalism in general speaks to a boring kind of homogeneous plain vanilla sameness that wipe out their reflection of culture. I guess that’s the point. Pity.

Clearly Citroen made three of the truly great cars of the 20th century: Traction Avant, 2CV and DS. I own a 1972 SM, possibly the coolest car ever. But if the SM is a great car, it is derivative of the DS, which preceded it and proved the concept. The DS is surely the most iconically French car in history.

Of course it was the greatest car ever made and it is so French it is elegant and arrogant in the same way, still I choose to have its main rival as a classic for almost 20 years : the 404 by Peugeot and of course the Peugeot suspension was totally aimed at the Citroen's comfort. The DS triggered many other companies, NSU to develop the R0 80 and Renault developing the R16. I think for roadster life and car enthusiasts, the nineteen sixties were the golden age of European cars, the individual models by each country and the evolutionary and revolutionary designs. French cars were comfortable, Italian cars had small powerful engines, British cars were so British and Germans were built more stronger. By the way did you know that BertonI (with an I not an E ) is also responsible for the design of the Ami 6 and he believed that the Ami 6 was his best design.....some people hey !

Italian car stylist + French car = The best combination! I agree that it's the most revolutionary car ever created! If I should go to the goddess, I would take the last models which were more advanced technologically and that stronger engines. This car is a myth at the automotive industry!

That’s an exceptional presentation of this remarkable car . Congratulations . Your last part and dedication is truly moving as I wholeheartedly agree and share ...

It is such a pretty car. One I would love to find in someday.

Ci sono salito solo una volta in vita mia, mi ricordo benissimo la notevole altezza del sedile anteriore ,almeno 10 cm di piu' rispetto alla maggior parte dei sedili delle auto in commercio all'epoca....!

Totally agree.

I think the Traction Avant represents a much bigger leap in automotive technology. The DS was in most major respects, simply an evolution, or refinement of the Traction Avant. Even the hydropneumatic suspension was applied to the Traction first. When the Traction first appears on the market, it is really like nothing else. The DS takes the best of the technology of the era and puts it all into one car, but there is not really anything new in the DS of 1955 that hadn't been seen elsewhere already - other than its styling. In some ways I might argue that a car like the Saab 92 is more impressive technically - it takes the front wheel drive and monocoque body of the Traction, but sets the engine sideways as in most modern cars, and wrapped it in an aerodynamic body, several years before the DS appeared.

I agree, the DS is a uniquely beautiful car which offered a very comfortable ride. Sadly, too many current automobile designs seem interchangeable. And for my taste, today's automobile design focuses too much on engine performance and too little on comfort. Ah, if only we had an updated DS today.

The DS aka Goddess is the most beautiful car ever built, actually a DS21 Chapron Decapotable, although the saloon is very close. Its only real weakness were the engines, the original engine was a very old, pre WW2 design, the later engine whilst it was a great improvement, was still a bit unrefined.

I own all Citroens in 20 years with the exception of the DS. Why? Yet as a passenger I feel the nucleus feeling for all what will be come, but the DS has so many centerpieces that werent´t realized which further models would have, that you feel the gaps. For example the engine of the DS. After many years of construction Citroen realized the 4 cylinder boxer at last in the GS model. The old prewar engines with pushrods were a pity in a futuristic car as the DS. The hydraulic steering made the DS a little bit wobbly and the steering without hydraulic power made the GS much more lively. From the design standpoint the DS is much more a esthetic artwork by sculptor Bertoni than a car design. You can feel it in the enterior which their very deep rear backseats with not much headroom and the teeny weeny luggage compartment. Car styling wise the SM, or if you compare it with a Citroen 4 door sedan, the CX, is much more sublime and mature. But the CX had a problem too. With the new quieter and economical Peugeot 4 cylinder engines in the end 70s, the driving impression cries for a comfortable six cylinder (not meant the short stroke rev wonder 2.8 litre in the SM), but this came in the end 90s, when the XM get his new perfect 60 degree V6 (before there was the hilarious executed V8 PVR in the XM). For me this is the best Citroen of all time. The last ones without the insensitive Diravi and this V6, only the rare V6 Xantia with the Hydroactive ( mechanicaly realized in the DS prototypes!) technology of the chassis movement can beat it (but with many electric troubles!) The Citroen driving experience was perfect refinded to a jewel. But the end of the history of true Citroens was near. To summarize: The DS overshadowed unjustly these other unsung Ctroen heroes which realized so many things which weren´t in the DS. For me the DS is a little overpraised and this further and further until today. And by this, we overlooked for styling reasons (egg. front wheel drive = Traction Avant), the great evolution of Citroens ideas "to build the perfect car". If you will ask me for the best Citroen on the driving wheel: It´s one of the last XM V6 with manual. Yes the DS was a futuristic fanfare. But now it´s a oldtimer, still driving than no other car. But you shouldn´t compare it to another modern cars. Now it´s vintage. The XM after more than 25 years has still a driving experience of a yet modern car. The styling, not as breathtaking as the DS has it´s typical Ctroen charm. After this there was nothing more.... A true peak! PS: This comment is not for making the DS short but to done justice to the Citroens that come after the DS! Thanks for your well done video!

the best

It (or maybe i should say SHE) was the only car absolutely flawless I can remember, techically speaking. Even the name if French sounds charming - DS --> Déesse --> Goddess in English. In Italy is even know as the Inspector Ginko's car in Diabolik, a rather famous comics.

Yes it is, it is.

It also inspired the Rover P6, probably the greatest Rover ever in engineering terms.

Proposal for the next French vehicle video? The Alpine A110

The metric system is not a French invention. John Wilkins an english bischop was in 1668.