The Citroen DS Is the Ultimate Quirky French Car

Comments · 3.3K

• WE

  @WEB-FS · 10 months ago

  5 for styling? Get me the guillotine for this scoreboard.

  762

• GE

  @gekud4812 · 10 months ago

  5 for styling might be the single worst score Doug has ever given. The DS is a work of art.

  3.2K

• SA

  @sachinmistry1 · 10 months ago

  Styling gets a 5? This car is a museum piece.

  860

• DO

  @doyallsellcrablegs · 10 months ago

  This is THE quirk and features mobile

  2.7K

• TI

  @TigerChamp99 · 10 months ago

  One of the coolest cars of all time IMO.

  1.6K

• CR

  @crunch642 · 9 months ago (edited)

  Frenchie here ! <br>I am 81 now, and I have been driving my parent&apos;s Citroën ID (in 1965 with my brand new driving licence 😅 !). <br>The ID was the little sister of the DS, only difference was a manual gearbox with classic clutch pedal, and normal brake assistance (not high pressure). My parents purchased it in 1958 (one year after Sputnik, the first ever satellite, launched by Soviet Russia in 1957 !!!).<br>Perfect comfort when traveling from France to Tangier (Morocco) and back, via Spain, in the late fifties, on the terrible Spanish roads (today : perfect highway 🛣️).<br>The roof was in fiberglass : light, thin, and better heat barrier, not requiring any internal insulation !!!<br>One of my favourite car !!!<br>Have a nice day &nbsp;😉 🤠

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• KO

  @Konszky · 10 months ago (edited)

  Doug barely scratched the steering wheel situation. There&apos;s so much more to it than just the ease of turning. It&apos;s a revolutionary safety feature. In a head-on collision, the driver won&apos;t be impaled by the column; the offset spoke will direct the body inward towards the middle of the car, not out to the side, through the window. The lack of a second spoke also makes it less traumatic to impact the steering wheel, because it gives way. It&apos;s also an advantage to have just the one spoke so the driver can easily see ALL of the display.

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• VE

  @vesalampinen · 10 months ago

  Citroen was ahead of its time with this car.

  457

• HL

  @HLl564 · 10 months ago

  This car has soul

  44

• SA

  @salahdehina9733 · 10 months ago (edited)

  5 for styling is criminal. This is drop dead gorgeous. I cannot think of a single sedan that looks better. I have a model of that car and when my internet is down I just put it in front of me and stare at it. Who on earth gives this a five...

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• AX

  @axelk4921 · 10 months ago

  So many misconceptions about the &quot;Goddess.&quot;<br><br>1. The steering wheel was designed to ensure a clear view of the dashboard.<br><br>2. The steering wheel was also designed this way to reduce the risk of severe chest injuries in an accident.<br><br>3. The gearshift lever was positioned so that the driver was &quot;forced&quot; to check the gauges to make sure everything was working correctly before starting the engine.<br><br> 4. The position also allowed for a continuous row of seats, but this was rarely chosen as an option, and most DS models came with extremely comfortable &quot;recliners.&quot;<br><br>5. After the &quot;Goddess&quot; saved Charles de Gaulle&apos;s life during an assassination attempt, it became more or less &quot;THE&quot; government vehicle in France.<br><br>6. It can also drive on three wheels in an emergency if the spare tire is also flat, and could theoretically be sawed in half and still continue driving; you just have to install a fuel canister in the engine compartment.<br><br>7. The station wagon was mostly used as an ambulance precisely because of its suspension.<br><br>8. The DS competed successfully in rally racing for over a decade.<br><br>9. YOU FORGOT THE BEST TASK! The removable rear fenders so you can change tires... I was waiting for that until the very end, but nothing came of it.

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• ST

  @StepsOfStPhilips · 10 months ago

  That is a very non-standard DS. The louvres in the rear window are after-market. The Mercedes-style badging on the front actually makes me cry.<br>This is a Frankenstein’s monster of a D. The placement of the indicators makes me think this is a US-spec car that has been modded with European lights (the glassed-in headlights weren’t legal in the US at the time).<br>But I love the tabac leather interior. And I must forgive the semi-auto ‘box … I loved it when I had a D.

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