Why The Citroën DS Is The Greatest Car Ever Made! (1973 DS23 Pallas Automatic Road Test)
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The Citroën DS was the culmination of 18 years of secret development and stunned the world at the Paris Motor Show, setting a launch day sales record that took 60 years to beat! Replacing the Traction Avant and spawning the cheaper ID, its gorgeous styling clothed hydropneumatic suspension, a phenomenal ride and an unlikely ability as a rally car, not to mention save President Charles De Gaulle from assassination. Almost 70 years on, the DS remains a wonderful driving experience and a landmark in the history of the car. The Citroën DS also happens to be Joe’s dream car and he thinks it could be the greatest car ever…
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Great video. I'm as big a fan at you.
Wow, thanks Michael! Have a great day :D -Joe
Another car they need to bring back
@@Ali.Al-Mahdi I used to be a fan, but after watching all the videos on this channel, I'm now an air conditioner
I really hope they will bring back. I will rob a bank to own one as it has always been my childhood dream to own one since I sat on it when I was five years old in 1971 for several years. The experience is amazingly wonderful and unforgettable till today.
it is not a car. it is a legend. A cloud moving just above the road. Something magic in our world.
What a wonderful way to put it. Lovely.
It is a flying carpet. The one which saved Charles De Gaulle's life
When was young (55 years ago) a family member had a DS. It could not be compared with any other car . The comfort , the smoothness of the drive …
I love le decapoutable version.
It's a class of its own.
My father bought a new DS23 Safari in March 74. It took 8 of us on holiday every year. Covered 116000 miles, in 7 yrs, and never broke down. To this day I’ve never been in any car that comes close to equal it. Yes the Goddess is the Greatest car ever made. It’s the eighth wonder of the world.
An English speaker who understands puns " DS/ Goddess " it's nice , i appreciate
The floor carpet was my favorite part, very thick and comfortable
My dad bought a 1972 DS21 in white. Loved loved loved this car. I installed a CB radio in it as well as fake white goat fur everywhere and red interior lights. So quirky and fun to drive. Too bad the rust got the better of it and we had to sell it.
we be always being fascinated how it crouches when parked;;and we always want to be there when it is started and it rises as it usually does...another fascinating thing about the smaller Citroen trekking home from school back early 70s I witnessed European man driving smaller Citroen to the edge of a pool of water formed after a lengthy rainfall under IJORA Bridge the pressed whatever and rises and Waded through the water effortlessly....that was a cheap functional work of engineering....❤️💯
@@abdulganiyusanusi620 indeed. However when the suspension is raised to higher positions, there is no longer any suspension. Very rough drive. Only to be used for short special circumstances.
My father loved these cars, so a hand me down ID 19 became my high school car. This was in the days of muscle cars, and I got laughed at a lot.....until they tried to chase me down a back road. They couldn't turn or stop, but I could! I earned respect beating one V8 at a time. I wish I still had it.
Was that in the USA sir?
@@tindo9833 Yes sir it was. One downside as a teenager, I was very easy to identify when doing something stupid like driving too fast! Nobody had radial tires at the time, but I did. With windy roads all around me I was usually driving too fast and enjoying every second of it. That car tracked incredibly well for its size. Really wish I still had it.
@@tindo9833From 1956 to 1972, but did not have much success.
@@MREnzoHerbie Thanks. I never knew the Citroen model was sold in the USA
@@tindo9833 You are Welcome! ;)
Apart from all its cleverness, this car is the most comfortable ride I have ever experienced. One of my friends dad had one, and I used to always look forward to getting a ride anywhere in the car.
Once I grew up, I really got to appreciate the beauty in the design as well.
Same here. Had a drive with my friend who's mom was driving. Never had such a smooth ride since. The jacking up of the car after it started was such a quirky thing.
Great video and I totally share your views absolutely without hesitation. I've owned my DS Safari almost 30 years and in that time it has transported my kids as babies right up to fully grown adults in the upmost comfort and for over 500,000 km since I bought it and it's still going strong. An amazing car I shall never part with. I also own a DS21 saloon, an SM, a CX and a couple of Traction Avants - just to feel the heritage. The joy of ownership over so many years and experiences, through snow, winds, floods and heatwaves - nothing comes close to the DS as such a capable machine in all driving situations. Truly an all time great car that even today cannot be bettered for its sheer breadth of ability. What a fabulous piece of engineering and design. Nothing like this will ever be seen again. We should all be thankful to Bertoni and Lefebvre and of course, Citroen, for their fabulous vision and stunning genius.
Bravo sir -but I think your collection needs a 2CV and a GS.
You sum up a DS so eloquently
I had a 73 DS23. It was without doubt the best car I've ever had. It's the only car I've ever had in which I could drive from Melbourne to Sydney, have a cuo of coffee and feel that I could drive back again. I wish I still had it.
Would be nice cruising down the Hulme in it
André Citroën was a genius ! He also developed the 1st front wheels powered car ( Traction avant ) in1936 !
My grandfather was a engineer for Opel for his entire career.
He and my grandmother were in the South of France on holiday when they encountered one of these.
They were driving a new Opel Kapitan and the DS driver wanted to race.
The Kapitan easily out ran the DS until the road surface deteriorated and the Opel had to slow to a snails pace and the DS barely slowed down and disappeared down the road.
Worst thing on the DS was it's underpowered engine
@@SuperDirk1965 Saddling the magnificent DS with that sewing machine 4 was a crime.
@@SuperDirk1965 It only depends where and on which surfaces, because in tight mountains roads, and other, this Citroën with no power would just left you behind.
The French president at this time, Charles de Gaulle, literally have been saved by this car. Some opposants wanted him dead, and sent people to kill him.
That group of killers with they powerful cars, didn't succeeded simply because the Citroën DS is so much amazing, that even with all tyres damaged by the guns, it successfully escaped and left behind the killers on twisty and tight roads.
@@kasugakyosuke6441 nothing like a bit of embellishment to make a good story😉
@@iamthebroker there's no embellishment, just true story reported by the president himself, who said he would only ride Citroën for the rest of his life, since the car literally saved him.
Even Jay's Leno, who got one these amazing DS in its garage, just left the camera car of its TH-cam channel behind, unable to keep up with him in the twisty mountain roads.
A Citroën Xantia activa is capable to pass the moose's tests at 80+ km/h without any flaws on its trajectories. It remains exceptionally more stable than a porsche.
My uncle used to have a DS, and 45 years later (I was 5) I still remember the feel, the experience ride in a DS. He used to tell me that a DS can ride even only with 3 wheels! and he demonstrated, the car can elevate to high and low setting because of hydraulic suspension system.
DS, unlike any other car I've ever been is, yes! A moving cloud, flawless ride experience, feel almost no vibration even in bumpy roads. Plus, futuristic design. Definitely ahead of it's time even by today's standard.
A buddy bought one of these back in the early '70's and took me for a ride. What a ride that car had! I recall the carpet padding was extremely thick; 'cushy' really. He suggested I take my shoes off and see if I could feel the bumps in the road either through the seat or floor. I could feel not bumps; it was like riding aboard a magic carpet. The seat was big, plush, and SO comfortable. To this day I have never ridden in a more comfortable car than the Citroen DS; nothing has even come close.
I think if Citroen were to make a version of this with a modern engine it would still sell like hot cakes
I love the car, but no, I don´t think so! The general public have never understood or appreciated the greatness of the original DS!
It needs a proper boot
Citroen DS EV
A BIGGER engine. A 4 cylinder in this fantastic car should have been considered a crime.
@@jourwalis-8875 This fantastic car had a mere 4 cylinder engine. For people paying as much as this car cost, the last thing they want is a little 4 cylinder engine. If it had a V8, lots of people who bought Cadillacs, Lincolns, senior Buicks, and senior Chryslers would have bought this car.
The first time I saw one of these was in Switzerland. My buddy and I noticed one in a parking lot and stopped to admire it. We heard a voice in accented English say "You like my car?"We jumped back and uttered apologies but he didn't mind and opened it up and we discussed it's features with him a while. I was impressed. It was such a unique car. A few years later I had an opportunity to drive in one in L.A. I have been in a lot of different cars over the years, but the Citroen was the coolest and most fun the drive of all of them. 👍👍
I had the privilege of helping restore and repair a few of them. The hydro-pneumatic system, once you understand it, is remarkably brilliant yet easy to service. And of course, I carried that knowledge over to service the CX, BX, and Xantia. It's been years since I last was involved with one of these, but my heart still beats faster whenever I see a video like this one.
I bought a DS21 whilst in Paris many moons ago, and to this day it remains my most favourite car I've owned
I was the lucky owner of a Citroën DS Pallas, the luxury version. The problem was that I couldn't afford the car so I had to sell it. Until today I regret it. There is no car in the world that drives as well as this car. There's also no car that looks as great as this car. If they would decide to build these cars again I would buy one.
Yet there are also few sedans, hatchbacks or station wagons, if any, as long as the GAZ-14 Chaika (over 6 m) although the GAZ-13 Chaika, who Andy Wilman, in a 1997 Top Gear episode, called a "V8 Chaika" (from the video "Andy Wilman on Top Gear - Soviet Cars 1997"), is over 5 m long.
Still looks modern,it must have been truly ground breaking back in the day.
Saw it for the first time in Paris in 1956 and I love it just as much now 67 years later as I did then. You either love it or you hate it. There's no in-between.
I grew up in the DS. My father had two - a ID19 first, then a '68 DS21. We did many long holiday travels to South West Africa from Johannesburg. The grace, pace and comfort was evident to me, even as a young boy! The car could also go places others could not, with the engine weight on the front wheels, it had better traction than anything else. What fond memories, but sadly, also the last REAL Citroën. He never should have sold it.
This can be a reply to all these comments... Why not lobby Stellantis (buyer of PSA/Citroen) to introduce this retro car icon, after all the Mini was a huge success for BMW! And this car is way out on it's own, futuristic, style that totally still holds up and intrigues... They're sitting on an amazing investment and they seem to not even know it!!
My dad had one when I was a kid. Gorgeous red, we used to sail down to cape town every holiday with it. Fond memories indeed.
@@westonsunset I think Stellantis is run by pencil-pushers, not car guys. They also own the Chrysler Corporation, and this is the last year for the HEMI V8, to be replaced with a little tiny 6 with not one but TWO turbos. Will probably be nothing but trouble, and when off boost, will have no power at all.
The chair of Stellantis (what a stupid name!) is none other than John Elkan. He has destroyed Juventus FC Ferrari F1 so far. Need more?
I loved the 1967 DS 21, for it's unique styling and the ride was spectacular.
I once had 700 lbs of cement bags the trunk and it still rode level.
Every bag I unloaded, the car would rise up, then settle in again...
Love them. Had a couple.. the front seats recline to flat with the rear . You can then have a massive squishy double bed. The only car to drive round France in and guarantee to be treated like royalty everywhere you go . Park it anywhere.
Yeah, you did get treated well in them, I crashed mine in France once, it got a flowery and quite ridiculous write up about it in a national newspaper.
MK1 Twingo seats do the same.
...Renault 16 would also oblige...
My father had a DS in the early 1960’s and it was the car I learned to drive in. Well before I was old enough to get my driver’s license, he used turn me loose in the fields around our house and let me drive to my heart’s content. Thanks for the wonderful video.
Very cool!
What still amases me : There is no other car that looks even remotely like the DS - before or after !
What still amasses me have those assassins killed de Gaulle that day his son won't be doing bussines with Putin today.
a bit like Porsche ...
Actually, search Citroen SM. Different clearly, but also clearly related.
Because it was ugly looking
Really funny since the creator of this car knows its fantastically good and sellable, why did he stop producing it??
I bought a 1972 Citroen ds special last year. Same colour but with a black roof in similar condition I wanted one since I was a teenager - thirty years later the dream came true!! Was surprised how excited friends and family were ! One mate from school even mentioned the car in his 50th speech !! Sometimes I look at it and cannot believe I made it happen
Sensational ride and forever finding new quirks Great video !!
Thanks Karl, I'm very jealous! -Joe
@@ClassicsWorldUK For Australian conditions, the white roof was much more sensible, making a great contribution to interior comfort.
Way over here in Hawaii my Uncle owned two of the earlier models. He loved those cars and actually sent a mechanic to learn how to maintain them. I rode in it many times. He drove it on rough roads a lot, even jeep trails. I still remember how comfortable the ride was.
My father worked for a couple of CEO's that had a car pool. The 1973 DS 23 Pallas Prestige (with separation window!) was one of them. I loved it when he allowed me to ride with him to distant places. Sadly it was stolen and abused. Police found it after two weeks but it was damaged beyond repair and sold for scrap. It was only four years old. One thing, I seem to remember it was a full automatic, not a semi automatic. According to my father, only 2 were built exactly like that one. One for the president of France that was armoured, and a non armoured one that "we" had. It had a lavish interior. My father saved the clock that was there for the rear passengers and used it in every subsequent car he owned as a tribute to the DS that had such a terribly short life.
I saw this actual car at a 2CVGB registers day in Warwickshire about 4 years ago, it was parked up on the grass at the bottom of the field in a separate section. As you do when you see one, you're drawn to it by some invisible force and then you find yourself walking around and around it, speechless. I wasn't the only person afflicted by this phenomena. Truly one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
I grew up with Citroens so am a bit blasé about Ds but here you describe my own reaction to a rare encounter with an SM earlier this year.
I have had the honor of owning two. The car is everything that people say it is. I remember once driving along
came across a flooded cross road. People in their cars were stopped. I simply raised my suspension to it's
highest level and drove straight through, the look on their faces was priceless. Best cars I have ever owned.
My favourite car of all time. I fell in love with it as a child when we went on family holidays to Spain, driving through France in the late 60s and 70s. Back then the estates were used as ambulances and the saloons as police cars. Many taxis were DS as well, so they were relatively common. You never forget your first love.
In 1961 when I was 16 we lived in Mbuya a little way from Kampala in Uganda, our neighbour was a Polish lady & her Greek husband, they were very friendly with a Greek batchelor who lived in a semi detached bungalow a few doors down the road, one day he asked the Polish lady if she could do him big favour and go to his bungalow while he was at work and neaten up his abode as he would be bringing home an exotic French lady he had recently met, the Polish lady went out of her way to make his abode sparkling clean and neat....
Late afternoon the batchelor walked to his friends house and collected the keys to his abode, he also insisted that the Polish lady walk back with him so that he could introduce her to this French lady....
Upon arriving at his semi he said to the Polish lady, please meet this beautiful lady, it was a brand new ID 19!
Best story ever.
Best story ever.
I had the smaller brother of this, the GS. Someone slashed tires at the college I was attending, but I was able to drive home, about 30 miles, with that suspension!
there are always people who do not like Citroens But there are also converts ! My sister's teacher in the mid 80's had a ds as a daily driver She hated the car ! When she saw mine recently she absolutely loves it!!
I used to have GS Clubs. This was the only car where it was actually FUN to change a flat tire. Loosen the wheels, Use the engine to raise the suspension; place jack; change wheel and lower the suspension boom. Done. It was also great for driving over floods.
They are the best smooth riding cars ever. I used to have a DSpecial. One time when my parents were alive we went out for dinner in the car. They are headturners and when I saw someone along side me waiting for the light to turn green, I initially ignored their hand gestures. But then they made the motion to roll down the window. They told me my rear tire was flat and also to say great car! What is amazing is we felt no suspension issues and how the suspension compensated the side where the flat tire was! Loved the car but had to sell it after we had kids. Yours is slough built!
You’ve jogged a memory. I was driving my Dspecial on a long freeway drive (this was 1980s) and someone passing was waving and pointing at the front wheel. The second time this happened I stopped at a rest area to see my drivers side front tire had picked up a nail and was very slowly deflating. It was down to a couple inches of flat yet the car confined straight and I hadn’t felt anything wrong until it was that low. I put on the show of changing the tire as only the D can provide and was on my way. Thanks for the memory!
No Question, absolutely the best car ever,
I have had two DS Safari’s while in my twenties and thirties, I’m now Seventy six
And no car has come anywhere near the
Beauty, comfort and practicality of a DS,
Thanks for your enthusiasm in this lovely little video. Mike
The first DS19 in the family was a black 1956 beauty. The 4th and last one was a metallic grey1965 DS21 Pallas (same color seats as yours). This one I drove a lot in the late 60's Everything you described is 100% true. What a total gem. I must remark that the one you are driving makes me salivate. It looks almost brand new. Well done.
The DS and the 2CV are iconic. Even my wife got excited when she saw these on our trip to France. The lady at our little hotel had a 2CV and she had owned it for 30 yrs. She said it made her life slow down so she could appreciate the texture of the world. LOL.
My late father in law had one. When he let me drive it I pressed the brake button like I would in my Avenger and nearly went through the windscreen. Fabulous car.
I am old, but I can remember driving from Roubaix to Mulhouse with our French clients in their new DS. It was a revelation. A whole new concept of motor car at the time.
Here in Australia I share your addiction - over 50 years of it.
A 1967 DS21 Pallas hydraulic gear change was my 'Conversion Experience'.
Seductive shape, sensuous comfort, amazing ride and brakes with hands off the wheel.
Then driving on three wheels.
My first car aged 19 was a 1962 Aussie assembled ID19.
My ultimate was a 1972 DS21 EFI Pallas 5 speed with leather.
Which morphed into a 1978 CX 2400 EFI Prestige 5 speed with leather...
In that same year 2CV6s charmed me to bits....
After a year in the UK we pulled it apart and sent it home as second hand parts to be reassembled by two friends in the Citroen Car Club.
Current conveyances - 2CV Charleston & C4 Cactus.... dreaming of a C6....
19 & owning a DS? You were wise beyond your years.
I miscalculated. I was 18 yrs 6 months.
The 9 year old ID delivered the afternoon of my final High School exam.
I joined the Citroen Car Club at 16, just 6 weeks after my first ride.
I was smitten.
In the first 3 weeks I did 5,000 kms at high speed all over South Eastern Australia....
I LOVED this video. A DS23 Pallas is my absolute dream car since the day I was hitching rides to get me around France. A DS owner stopped and gave me a lift and the experience was truly sublime.
I have been living permanently in France for 21 yrs now, so I really should get on with it and 'bag me one'.
Go for it!
@@ClassicsWorldUK I would love to - you got any Dosh ? 😀
I'm lucky enough to have grown up with the DS' as my father always drove nothing but the Citroen DS.
The earliest one I remember was an off-white ( creamy looking ) DS 19, the one with round headlights ( yellow headlights that is ) as this was back in the early 1970's when we lived in France.
He then 'upgraded' to the DS 21 in pure white ( the one with the twin headlights ), twin headlights that rotating when you went round a corner, that you didn't actually mention in your video.
He was obviously an enthusiast well before the DS enthusiasts also got the bug, as a 10 year old boy I distinctly remember giving him a hand washing our family car every Sunday morning, lovingly 'caressing 'her' features!
Back in the days when people tended to go for 'Sunday Drives' purely for the adventure and a means of getting out the house for the weekend, we used to go round to our grand parents house, my 80 year old gran loved the car as my dad used to lower the suspension to the ground so she could get in easier, then raise the hydraulic suspension back up.
In the mid 70's we moved to the UK, my father used to drive me and my sister to school on occasion, it wasn't long before there was a crowd of school kids and teaches alike, surrounding the car, asking all manner of questions ................. we were almost treated like royalty! Baring in mind that most of the other 'normal' vehicles in the school car park were Fords, Austins and Mini's!
I'll remember those great years till the end of my days.
TURK
I had a 1972 DS and I would tow a trailer with a race car on board and the car coped beautifully, the only problem was that after 10 minutes I was the only one left awake ! If i came to a flooded road I would simply click the suspension lever back and the car would rise so I could drive through the flood, I've seen many a driver wide eyed and open mouthed in disbelief after doing this.
Just a brilliant car.
A friend of mine owned one. A truly remarkable car. He was taking his Daughter to catch a train. They missed the train. Bill put the foot down. They were crossing a mountain range, faced with a sign of recommended speed of 30 mph. But was doing 75 mph. Back 2 gears and let the car go. Came out safely. No other car would do that
No other car would do 75 in a 30 zone ?
My E Type would do 160 in a 30 zone.
We get it, you like the car but this story seems a little bit made up
My dad first pointed one of these out to me on a trip to Spain in the early 1960's. He loved them, and I have ever since. Gorgeous.
This was a truly amazing car, years ahead of its time. It looked stunning and the ride was as comfortable as a Rolls Royce. It even had a mechanical system which turned the headlights as you went round a corner so you could see the road ahead. I drove a number back in the 1970s and was always amazed by the quality of the ride. I also loved the adjustable ride height. Parked up it was practically touching the ground but as soon as you switched on the engine it gently floated up to normal height. Its Achilles heel was the engine which was underpowered for the weight of the car, but once you got it up to speed, it was a magic carpet ride!
A slight change in wording necessary here: “the Rolls-Royce ride was as comfortable as a DS” …
@@m3photo726 Rolls Royce used citroen suspension. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydropneumatic_suspension
With the trend of bigger and bigger wheels with less and less tyre, this hydropneumatic suspension would be a godsend on todays cars.
This design has aged surprisingly well.. it is gorgeous
You forgot to mention that the BBC used a DS as a mobile camera car for following horse racing. It used to go along the trackside gravel at 30 plus MPH and delivered rock steady pictures. Simply stunning
Yes remember that well, was more interesting watching the car than the horses 😁
There is a piece of film I've seen somewhere comparing a camera mounted on a DS like the BBC had and another mounted on a different car, I can't remember which car it was but when they showed the film they had taken one was unwatchable but the DS was almost perfect due to the fabulous suspension system.
I have to say yes definitely one of the best cars ever made. It was light years ahead of anything else and still looks stunning.
Couldn't agree more!
At the 1955 Paris Motor Show Britain was introducing the facelifted series II Standard Vanguard. Why was everyone crowding around the turntable displaying the DS???????? 🤔
In many ways it still is.
A Flaminio Bertoni design
In those actual and unfortunate days of ludicrously “portholed” Evoque’s and etc.;
Deesse is also the blazing, ultimate proof that a car can be simultaneously aerodynamic, sleek, elegant yet SPACIOUS!!!🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤩
Thanks for a great video!🖖
These cars came to my attention back in the 1960's in Saigon. Along with the many cyclos, mopeds, Lambretta scooters, bikes, and blue and white Renault taxis they were a part of the city traffic.
In the late 1990, a DS was still operating as a taxi in Berlin. All the other taxi drivers hated it and its driver because passengers ran for it once it approached the taxi stand at Tegel airport, effectively making him a serial queue jumper...
I've watched other videos on the DS, but this is the one that makes me wish I could take a ride on one and experience how it feels like cruising on it.
Believe me it is very comfy, like floating a bit.
I was born in Paris France to my Swiss mother. I grew up in the US on my fathers side...
Once when I was about 4 years old I was in the back seat of my uncle DS. Looking over at that famous stearing wheel and having the feeling like foating on air going down the road. Even then I knew it was a wnderful car. I never forgot.
I remember in the mid 1970s when I was like 5 or 6, we had a neighbour who had one. He took me for a drie down to the local shopping mall that had a row of speed humps. He floored it over them and you couldnt feel a thing. Brilliant cars and a brilliant clip. Thanks mate.
Ha, can relate to that. The DS is the nemesis of supermarket speed humps around the world.
Absolutely magical! Citroen at its best! The most advanced car till this day! Brilliant! 🙏🏽
Couldn't agree more!
French man I worked for in 1972 in Miami Monaco Motors had a photo of him driving a DS21 in NYC with only 3 wheels, with 1 rear wheel.
It was Buffalo, Andre Garnier
I had 2 of these cars back in the eighties . I think one was 1968 DS21 , love it ! it was so comfortable to ride and so unique in every aspect of it , I remember the only problem was finding a shop to work on it here in Canada where French cars weren't popular then and now, I wish I kept it, its braking and suspension technology was ahead of its time ...
I still have mine from 1974,same as the car in the video. I serviced it for the original owner from new and bought it at 5 years old.I restored it in 1984, and rebuilt the engine in the 1990's after it had done 200,000 miles on all the original parts, including the clutch.(the car isn't clutchless and it is operated by a hydraulic cylinder, NOT a solenoid. I wish these presenters got their facts right before doing these videos) It was my daily driver until 2003. I sold it and the new owner did 4000miles in 2 years then put it in his garage for 12 years. I bought it back in 2022 and I am putting it back on the road.
Jealously has been achieved. I had a CX in the early 80's and a BX in the late. Wish I had a DS now.
Great story. Wish you well with the restoration.
Wow, great story with buying back! I have a regular driver Dsuper 5 (drove for 100 000 km-s in 15 years) and I have an ID that is in pieces, chassis work fully done.
My favourite of all time! That car broke so many firsts. Impossible to have something this advanced today in so many levels.
It was my mom, NOT my dad who always wanted one. She was so proud of him when he brought home a brand new DS21. In the then Rhodesia. She went full Mrs Hyacinth Bouquet! We kids loved it as one of us could sleep comfortably on the flat floor at the back whilst the other 2 shared the back seat. Whilst you could raise or lower the suspension, it really was near undrivable except for short distances unless in the ‘recommended’ slot on the adjustment lever. Also it was one of first cars to have ventilated front disc brakes: there were two large ducts under the front bumper. Dad’s was manual column shift so it was tricky to drive smoothly with a long clutch pedal action. It felt slow at first and not one to race at traffic lights, but once on the open road, would cruise effortlessly at what was, for those days, heady high speeds. Few other saloons could keep up, and if they did, we sailed past as their high fuel consumption to compete resulted in more frequent refuelling stops.
A DS saved my uncle’s life when he hit a kudu bull late one night at high speed: the engine submarining under the passenger compartment. Police were amazed he walked away with only a few superficial cuts, bruises and a broken collar bone. Oh yes, the DS 21 had the brightest, most penetrating headlights I’ve ever witnessed on high beam. Another Southern African plus.
Owning one of these ('71 Pallas) from 1985-1995 was one of the great decades of my life.
Great to see my old car. Originally first registered in Johannesburg before being purchased by me & shipped to Tanzania. It was my daily driver in the commercial capital, Dar-es-Salaam as well as being used for longer family safaris including visiting the Nairobi Concourse d'Elegance & the Equator so my son Ben could check out the Coriolis Effect. Eventually shipped to the UK & driven to the Swiss ICCCR in Interlaken. Only sold when replaced with a 1954 Slough built Big Six Traction Avant.
Thanks for sharing! It's a beauty! -Joe
The car’s quirky styling is the stuff of legend. Iconic.
Probably the most beautifully shaped car ever made. My first bucket list car if I win the lotto!! It's art on wheels❤
My dad had one being Ambassador back in tge 70ies. I inherited it. The highlight of my life...
Bought one in early 80’s for £300. No one wanted them. Best car I ever had-amazing engineering,quirky and totally unique. It had headlights which turned with the steering wheel and hydraulic self levelling suspension,and a cushion pad instead of brake lever,also hydraulic.unlike any other car,it was wonderful to drive. It’s no wonder you’d have to pay over 30K to get one now!
Yeah in New Zealand a DS was driven by oddball eccentric people in the eighties and they were cheap!! Nowadays they are worth good money
My first car was a Citroen Light 15 (traction avante) and I thought I had learned everything I could about them decades ago but this is the first time I have seen this image of the “hatchback”. Thank you.
Born '74🇦🇺, as I kid I would stare at these cars,,,and their occupants in amazement , theirs definitely still a few on the road and many more locked up or rusting away here in SA .
I bought a DS21 when I was 18 and when I finished high school went off travelling to France with 3 friends, A lovely car to drive and you can almost steer with your fingertips. The only thing I did not like in my manual was the parking break.
Totally agree. The DS23 was unparalleled before or since. Gorgeous and eye-catching wherever it went.
My family spent a year travelling around Australia in the early 1980s in a DS safari wagon. Superbly capable and comfortable on all road conditions, though spare parts were not easy to come by. When I got my licence I drove it a few times, and absolutely loved how smooth yet precise the column-shift gear changes were.
I remember this car when I was a kid our neighbour had one when I was taken for drive I always remember how lovely it was that's got to be over sixty years ago.
And a DS Cabriolet appeared in the 1997 dystopia. sci-fi movie Gattaca, set in the 'not too distant future '. Brilliant movie. And so much has come to pass.
My father drove DS23 for many years but, back then, I was still a young boy. I never stopped dreaming one day I could be able to drive that marvelous car 😢
Always been a favorite for lower budget sci-fi movies. It still looks futuristic.
In my fantasy garage there would definitely be one of these, the goddess is one of the most iconic designs ever. 😎
Indeed! They used a DS as a futuristic taxi in Back To The Future 2 in fact!
If Citroën were to re-release this car with today’s technological advances, it would be a HUGE success !!!
Too much of a gamble. Most idiot buyers these days prefer harsh riding cars that handle like sports cars.
They ACTUALLY somehow did with the C6
@@dennisvogelius8602 Thank you for that info : I had somehow overlooked the C6. It does however fall short on several counts in comparison to the DS : No hydropneumatic suspension, and it doesn’t have the DS’s retro-look. I have seen videos from a youtuber who “re-vamps” some classic cars such as eg Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. I think that he would have made a better job of re-inventing Citroën’s DS than Citroën did with the C6. Citroën has unfortunately lost a lot of their uniqueness since discontinuing their incredible hydropneumatic suspension, and they have now become one of many “me-too” companies.. 😳🚙🤷🏼♂️
@@zeejimi4044 I am not sure that you have seen the Citroen C6.
It is rather similar looking to the DS, and does also have Hydropneymatic suspension.
I know, cause I have one :)
@@dennisvogelius8602 OK, thank you - I read that the C5 was the last Citroën to have it. I think that hydropneumatic suspension had to be ordered with the C6 at extra cost.
I always loved the look of the Citroen DS as a kid, seeing the very first one rise up slowly as the driver adjusted the suspension option, it look so cool and space age like.
My uncle had a brand new one in 1973. I remember a trip from Nice France to a restaurant on a lake in the Alps. I was only 20 then, but I remember the incredible comfort whether on straightaways or through tight curves it was. Always felt safe the entire trip. Loved it!
Este modelo é tão actual que a Citroen deveria reeditá-lo, quase sem alterações
Teriam um prejuízo inaceitável, infelizmente... hoje em dia há uma standardização enorme para reduzir custos, não só entre modelos mas até mesmo entre marcas. E existem pouquíssimas marcas totalmente independentes.
Without doubt the greatest car ever made. I’d have a fleet if or won the lottery: 23 Pallas, a safari, an electric conversion and decopatable. Then I’d have an SM and then some ordinary cars.
I've wanted one since I was 10 years old, I am now 59, one day!
They would be great for conversion to electric they look so futuristic then you fire up a rather underpowered petrol engine
I fondly remember growing up with DS Citroens as my first cars.
I remember when these cars came out They were years ahead of their rime and still are in my opinion
My stepfather had a Goddess here in Australia in the early sixties when I was a young teenager. I remember being in it and people would get his attention while stopped at traffic lights to say, "Your tyres are down." He'd answer, "They're Michelins" whatever that meant. It was not until I was driving myself that I learned about radial tyres. His other love was pulling up next to a petrol pump with the suspension at full height. He's turn off the motor, set the suspension to the lowest and get out as the whole car dropped several inches over a few seconds. People would see it happening and wonder how the car went down instead of up as an obviously heavily built man got out. It was like a party trick to him. It was a sad night when some vandal fire bombed it in the streets of inner city Sydney and it was totally burnt out. Some part of me is still in love with the car and I almost dream of buying one myself.
What a sad ending for the car.
Absoklutely the greatesst car ever. Compare it to the other cars at the time and it was (and is) astonishing
Citroen ID19-DS23 Pallas are absolutely matchless. It’s an ingenuity creation!!
I rode in one of these back in 1977. Absolutely superb!
Far be it for me to give the French 🥖 any credit, but, YES! It was the pinnacle of style, engineering, safety etc. It still looks futuristic today. And that luxury magic carpet ride still hasn't been bettered.
Great video, thanks. My dad used to have one, it was like a spaceship. Especially when going for parking mode when it would go down very low or when starting the car it would rise up, for a kid my age then it was my dad's spaceship indeed. Thanks for this video again.
Rode in one....just the once....a heavenly experience...l'm 60yr old now...were 13 or 14...a teacher at school had one, n for whatever reason had to take a few kids somewhere...think it were a sponsored walk or the like...but the memory of the journey has stuck to this day❤
Respect for Citroen for this car. I hope I will have a chance to get a ride in this model some day.
I've never ridden in or driven one but I'd love the chance. I do remember reading road tests in the 60s and 70s in which the engine was constantly criticised for being rough and unrefined even though it soldiered on into the CX - another fantastic car with enhanced modernity and to my eyes, looks even better!
I have driven examples of both the DS and the CX - interesting and very impressively comfortable cars but just as you reference the aspect that let them down was that Citroen never had a really smooth and refined engine. Their 4 cylinder units, though reliable and in their ultimate guises even quite powerful were indeed rough, noisy and unrefined. The Citroen SM was an effort to address that - I drove one of those once - the Maserati V6 engine was better though it had an unusual sound and rhythm to it being a 90 degree V6 (a V6 would typically be a 60 degree design) and really ran a bit unevenly for a 6 cylinder engine. Nice and certainly sweeter than the 4 cylinder units in the DS and CX but still fell well short of the best 6 and V8 cylinder engines.
This Surely one of the greatest cars ever built. I drove two in my better days. First an ID 19 and later a DS 20. It had so many 'first ofs' it was decades above any other car. I think it was a first for ABS breaking. One did not dare to put jour foot hard on the breaking 'knob' - you would have gone straifgt through the widscreen. At 100mph you could take your hands off the steering wheel, break and it would stop like a dream. Yes Citroën should build it again - it will kick dust in the eyes of many of today's modern teck cars. So sorry that service in South Africa was not available later and my last one was parked, never to hit the road again.
Back in 1969, I hitch hiked from Ostend to Istanbul and home via Copenhagen.
I had a lift in a Citroen DS from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, 500 miles. We were travelling at 220 km per hour (135 mph) the fastest I've ever been.
I sat in one while the owner telling me axactly what you saying in the video. A masterpiece of engineering.
I think you might just be right. few designs survive the test of time and this car is now more desirable than when it was first launched
Our family had one in the late sixties.I am so sad we do not still have it. greatest car ever ....yes.
The DS is just as nice today I think. I recently had the joy to look at one in a car park.
Your language expression n manner along with a well presented clip shows YOUVE MET YOUR HERO ... glad you did .
I heard about a Citroën which could adjust its suspension height from my father who had ridden in it once in Punjab(India)to a client's factory I think he was referring to the DS .
Looks and handles elegantly...CLEOPATRA of cars I'm guessing.
My dad used to drive one glad ive stumbled across this channel. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching!
Omg I want one so badly right now.
That is an absolutely beautiful colour combo. I’m so jealous you just nailed that road test perfectly 👍
Thanks for watching, hope I did it justice! -Joe
I recently bought a mint condition one of these for my collection, and I must say it a beautiful and well built automobile. It rides like no other!
I’ve been in one of these as a passenger several times and I found my self having a very satisfied sleep a remarkable car 🎉