The Unaffordable Classic

A dead DS that has settled to the bottom of the suspension travel is likely to become part of the fossil record at precisely the spot where it died

by Rob Sass

The introduction of the Citroën DS19 at the Paris Motor Show in 1955 had all the drama of  Klaatu’s flying saucer landing in Washington, DC in the 1950s sci-fi movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” By the end of the motor show, Citroën had over 700 firm orders in hand for the “De-esse,” which literally translates to “Goddess” in French.

In addition to the styling, which some derided as flounder-like or the ultimate in Gallic weird, the specification was like nothing else on this planet, or for that matter, Klaatu’s. Hydropneumatics, pressurized by an engine-driven pump, powered the clutch, power steering, brakes, and self-leveling suspension. Ride height was adjustable from inside the car.

When lifting the massive hood of a DS, one is struck by two things: how lost the little 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine looks, and, who left their croquet balls in there? The spheres, in Citroën-speak, are each partially filled with highly pressurized nitrogen and...