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Sensational on its introduction in 1955 and still extraordinary today, the Citroën DS in any of its forms is a comfortable and fantastically stylish classic. The futuristic looks and the sound if unconventional engineering give it a unique appeal that hasn’t dampened almost 70 years on. The station wagon variant – known variously as Safari (UK and Australia), Break (France) and Wagon (USA) – was added to the range in 1958.
Characterful yet cool, quick yet suave - and as French as they come THE MARKET / Buying GuideHow does the Lamborghini designer get to Lamborghini? It was a question asked and answered by Citroens clever ad department in the late 1980s, making a feature of the fact that the man responsible for styling the Countach, Marcello Gandini, chose a BX 16 Valve as his daily driver. In a class filled with conservative family cars, the BX was a real breath of fresh air.
For 23 years my brother has come over from Australia for Beaulieu and Goodwood, latterly buying a cheap 2CV on arrival to get him around Europe, then shipping it home and selling for enough profit to pay his air fares. Impressed by his driving it flat-out to the South of France and back, I began looking for a 2CV for myself and soon found a local dealer ad for a 28,000-mile, one-owner, five-year-old example for £2500.
We’re not exactly looking at a real performance classic this month, but readers have been asking when my promised follow-up to the ID19 would appear. This is deservedly one of the top five most innovative cars ever produced and will remain so, always. Magic carpet ride Citroën DS 20 1962–1973To find the latest New & used cars for sale PACKAGINGStyling was the brainchild of Bertoni and Lefèbvre, and it had an impressively low drag coefficient for the time.
Citroën XM This heir to the DS and SM offers a lot of Citroën for the money, but they’re complex, so buy carefully. Words RICHARD DREDGE Photography JOHN COLLEY Buy a space-age Citroën XM for £3k to £10k Buying Guide How to buy a cool Citroën XM before the prices rise like its suspension What to payYou can still find running XMs around £2k, although these tend to be unloved 2.0 cars. For a reliable, sorted car, budget at least £3k.Traditionally, diesels commanded more, with the best 2.
I don’t know a soul who isn’t enamoured by the thought of owning a large Citroën, even though most are usually rather inhibited to take the plunge. The CX, released in 1974 and replacing the seemingly irreplaceable DS, is one such machine. Styled by the incomparable Robert Opron for a company on the verge of bankruptcy with monumental illusions of grandeur, Citroën created the car for sale worldwide and in doing so, brought all the political ravages of the day crashing down upon its dreams.
The Citroën 2CV was a car that defied convention, but which was brilliant at providing minimalist motoring in a full-size package. Rob Hawkins outlines its history, and explains what you need to know if you are thinking of buying one. Your guide to buying this beautiful ugly ducklingRob Hawkins looks at the pitfalls and the pleasures of buying a Citroën 2CV.
Wrong car, wrong time, sums up the troubled history of the glorious Citroën SM. France’s staunch nationalism desired a grande routière to follow the defunct Facel-Vega marque, yet Citroën would have made more profits concentrating on a range of smaller, family cars as an antidote to the rising costs of petrol. The carefree world where you drove from Paris to Saint Tropez before lunch was changing fast.
The Citroen DS has been highly desirable since the moment it was launched, and the appeal is obvious to many people. But so are the oddball design features and pitfalls for the buyer. Here’s how to get hold of one of the most influential cars of all time. Getting a goddess - All the info on the futuristic French masterpiece It’s almost impossible to imagine just what a stir the Citroën DS caused at its launch in 1955.