Car Goddess: The Citroen DS

“I think that cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic Cathedrals,” wrote Roland Barthes in 1957 in his rhapsody regarding the Citroën DS which was unveiled in Paris in 1955.

Futuristic in design, the car has been described by some fans as the most elegant car ever designed.

The first time I ever set foot in a DS was after a dinner given by Mary Meerson and Henri Langlois at the Cinémathèque. Wedged in between the two of them in the back seat of the DS was not unlike sitting between two Gothic pillars (both Mary and Henri were huge) – the DS amply accommodated all of us. It seemed like the ideal car in which to spin around Paris and its curving lines complemented the graceful lines of Parisian architecture (in a way that even IM PEI has yet to achieve). That was the first and only time I’ve ever ridden in a DS and I’ve never forgotten the plushness of its interior - the sense of well being unlike anything I’ve experienced in other luxury cars.

It’s only in recent years that I’m learning about some of the incredible innovations of this car. Yesterday, when I spoke to George Theofiles, a DS fan, he described the DS rooftop as being made of a material so thin (a fiberglass of sorts) that if one sticks one’s hand out the window and places it on the rooftop, one can actually see the shadow of one’s hand from the inside of the rooftop. He went on to describe the double set of headlights which raise and lower as you climb a hill.

Unfortunately, I missed the 50th anniversary Paris rally that brought hundreds of Citroën DS to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, but it’s never too late to drool over a beautiful example of car craftsmanship. There are tons of DS sites to visit (I’ll note just a few to get you started) and you’ll quickly learn that the Citroën’s DS name was chosen as a play on words. In French the word for goddess is pronounced exactly the same: la déesse.

Citroen DS sites:

http://www.id-ds.com/PlanetD&G/ds.but.html

Swiss Miss Design

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