60 years Pike: 12 things you didn’t know about the Citroën DS
Posted on 05-10-2015 at 21:59 by Dizono – 74 Comments”
Today it is exactly 60 years ago that Citroën is the world a first look at the DS allowed. An ideal moment to this characteristic classic once in the limelight with a number of facts, which you most likely didn’t know.
The Citroën DS was designed by an Italian
Not a Frenchman, but the Italian Flaminio Bertoni, the DS. And not only the DS, the Traction Avant, 2CV, Ami, HY, were of his hand. Even more than the better-known Robert Opron, Bertoni was responsible for the quirky image of Citroën. A selection of car designers such as Giugiaro, Tjaarda and Callum, chosen the DS as the most beautiful car ever.
Citroën sold ‘only’ 1.45 million DS’and
Only relatively, because almost one and a half million cars produce is quite a feat. Yet you have a and another in perspective. Citroën had almost twenty years to get as many DS’s to sell, while Renault 1.85 million copies of the 16 managed to wear out in fifteen years. A commercial success was the DS neither, the car was quite expensive to produce.
The Citroën DS got not one, but two facelifts
At the end of 1967 will receive the DS a major facelift, signed by Robert Opron. This gives the DS its distinctive co-steering headlights behind glass. However, this is not the first facelift of the DS, which dates from 1962. The differences between the first nose and second nose are admittedly less significant than the transition with the by Opron drawn third nose whereby both the first and second nose with and without the additional lights are provided. Below, the differences at a glance.
The roof of a Citroën DS is fiberglass
Optical seems to be the roof of the DS to float, and that’s true for a part also. It is made of fiberglass, the weight and centre of gravity down. The Break has, however, a steel roof, since the roof rail is calculated on a heavier load.
In 1955 were only 69 DS’and built
As a Citroën on 5 October 1955, the DS shows at the Paris auto show, in the first quarter, all 743 orders written. After a day, the counter is 12,000 copies, but Citroën may still be a long way off that demand. In the first year roles, namely, only 69 DS’and the band and customers need sometimes more than a year on their car to wait. The last DS run on april 24, 1975 of the band, the production remains that years stitches just 847 copies.
The DS won in 1959 and 1966 Monte Carlo Rally
If you like the handling of a DS must describe, but one word: comfortable. However, there was also raced with the DS, and not without success. So wrote the Citroën in 1959 and in 1966 the famous Monte Carlo Rally on his name.
The tires have a different size than rear
That the DS is a lot narrower track width on the rear, you probably already noticed. That’s not all, because the tires themselves have a different size than the specimens on the front axle: they are narrower.
A Citroën DS Break has three number plates
The station wagon version of the DS has a in two parts open to fold back, in which the lower part in the closed position recessed compared to the upper part. The license plate is, therefore, difficult to be visible and therefore there is room for a second, horizontal license plate mount. Even the number plate light is adjusted accordingly.
The DS is also built in England, South Africa, Yugoslavia, and Australia
The largest part of the DS’s are built in France, but production also took place in other parts of the world. This was the case in particular for assembly. Many components were manufactured in France, but the cars were locally assembled. Usually extra high import duties on foreign cars to avoid.
Citroën sold the DS 16 years in the U.S.
From 1956 were also Americans enjoy French comfort, but the high price compared to the locally produced cars accounted for only 38.000 copies sold in sixteen years time. The co-steering headlights at the end of 1967 appeared facelift, of course, were not allowed in the conservative America.
In the Netherlands, was the Citroën ID more popular than the DS
The DS had hydropneumatic suspension, but also hydraulic power steering, superb brakes, and a hydraulic semi-automatic modes. The goekopere Citroën ID had the hydropneumatic suspension, but not the power steering and power braking, and was fitted with a conventional gearbox. This cheaper version was in our country a lot more popular than the DS: there were a total of 24.762 IDS sold, compared to 9.173 DS’s.
The most expensive DS ever was afgehamerd on 343.497 euro
That was a DS 23 Injection Electronique Decapotable from 1973, or a Chapron-built factory convertible. In total, between 1958 and 1973 only 1365 Cabriolet d’Usines built by bodybuilders Henri Chapron. Outside the factory convertibles, there are also several other homeless variants built, among other things, by Chapron itself. Except Cabriolets, built by Chapron also other variants, such as a car, coupe, or this particular Majesty Spécial.
