DS (1955–1975)

A Sensation in 1955 The DS debuted at the Paris Salon on 6 October 1955 and stunned the public with its futuristic shape and engineering. Contemporary accounts describe a deluge of orders, though the exact figures are the stuff of legend and vary by source.

Bertoni's Aerodynamic Sculpture Italian-born sculptor Flaminio Bertoni shaped the body, working with aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre. The result was a slippery, cab-forward form with a flat underbody, tapering tail and, later, a distinctive glazed nose. Many designers have since called it one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

Revolutionary Hydraulics The DS's centrepiece was its hydropneumatic suspension: nitrogen-filled spheres and hydraulic fluid replaced conventional springs, giving self-levelling ride height and a famously supple ride. The same high-pressure system powered the brakes, steering and semi-automatic clutch. This complexity delivered comfort and safety far ahead of rivals but demanded specialist maintenance.

ID vs DS To widen appeal, Citroën offered the simpler ID range (later D Special/D Super), which retained hydropneumatic suspension but reverted to conventional clutch, brakes and steering, making it cheaper and easier to live with than the fully-hydraulic DS.

Evolution and the Swivelling Headlamps Engines grew from the original 1911cc unit to 1985, 2175 and finally 2347cc. A 1967 restyle brought the signature directional inner headlamps that turned with the steering behind glass covers, improving night vision through corners. Body styles expanded to the Break estate and the rare Chapron-bodied Décapotable convertible.

The De Gaulle Legend On 22 August 1962 at Petit-Clamart, gunmen ambushed President de Gaulle's DS. Despite punctured tyres, the car's suspension is said to have kept it stable enough to speed away, cementing the model's mystique.

Legacy Production ended in 1975 after more than 1.4 million cars, replaced by the CX. The DS remains a design and engineering landmark.

Corrosion is the biggest structural risk: sills, boot/rear floors, roof gutters (water trapped inside), rear wing gutters, screen surrounds and front suspension mountings around the wishbone bolts. Repairs to the windscreen surround or suspension mounts can run into four figures. Hydraulic leaks and seized components are common if fluid maintenance was neglected, and old LHS fluid is corrosive and hygroscopic. The BVH semi-automatic transmission can develop internal leaks causing it to jump out of gear. The 2.3-litre engine is most prone to big-end failure; check compression (roughly 120–140 psi) and listen for noisy tappets or worn cams.

Confirm the self-levelling suspension rises and falls smoothly from each corner and that the hydraulic pump ticks only roughly every 30 seconds at idle (frequent ticking suggests leaks). Establish whether the car runs LHS (red) or LHM (green) fluid and whether it has been correctly converted, as the fluids do not mix. Prefer later cars for parts availability. Check the semi-automatic gearchange engages cleanly. Budget for specialist inspection of the hydraulics and inspect extensively for rust in the structural frame and hidden box sections.

As of mid-2025, the DS is a passionate but relatively accessible collector car. Aggregated sales data (classic.com) shows a wide spread: project cars have changed hands for as little as around $1,350, while the finest cars and factory convertibles reach the low-to-mid six figures, with a headline sale near $259,500 for a Décapotable/Usine cabriolet; average sale prices sit in the mid-$60,000s across mixed conditions. Coachbuilt Chapron Décapotables command a 2–4x premium over saloons. Among saloons, DS Pallas and larger-engined DS21/DS23 cars are most desirable, while later ID-derived D Special/D Super models (especially a five-speed D Super 5) are recommended as sensible-value buys. Slough-built right-hand-drive UK cars carry a premium over cheaper left-hand-drive European imports. The market rewards mechanical honesty over cosmetics because hydraulic and rust repairs are expensive.