The Citroen DS

The "Goddess" has just celebrated its 50th birthday in Paris. Not a nightclub or an aging supermodel ... but a car: the quintessential Gallic object of desire which is the Citroen DS saloon. Alright, if you are not a car buff (I'm not either) then the initials mean nothing. But you know it when as you see it. The sleek lines; the tapering rear window; the indicators like rocket thrusters; the long bonnet surging forward. Inside, the extraordinary single-spoke steering wheel that mutated out of the steering column; the mushroom shaped brake pedal (I have done my research). And the technology! The motor-heads go into vapours over it. Have you heard of hydro-pneumatic suspension? It is some liquid-and-valve contraption that allows you to dispense with springs, and keeps the car permanently horizontal, eliminating unsightly car sickness. Rolls Royce bought the patent from Citroen. Anyway the long and short of it is that the DS was one hell of a car. Exactly 50 years ago it went on display at the Paris motor show, and the reaction was instantaneous: 12,000 orders on the first day. I am not a car-freak, but the DS (D.S. == Day-Ess in French pronunciation = deesse = goddess) is the rare vehicle that does indeed get my consumer glands moist and supple. One day maybe. But then I think, what's the point. It's bound to break down with three children in the back en route from the Loire valley, and then it doesn't matter how sleek the bodywork is --I'll still give it a good kicking.