Citroen DS By Malcolm Bobbitt 250mm tall x 207mm, 9-7/8in tall x 8-1/8in tps Pages 208 artpaper 250 pictures (175 colour) Cloth hardback binding ISBN: 1-904788-30-0
£ 34.99

 

Features

Written by a well-known DS owner and aficionado
Contains much new material
Work supports many previously unpublished photographs
A new and different insight into this extraordinary motorcar
Will appeal to Citroën enthusiasts everywhere
Describes the DS in detail
Tells the story of the sought-after Chapron models
Reveals Citroën's often bizarre publicity material and marketing strategies
Buying and ownership advice
Encompasses 50 years of the DS in words and pictures

Description

In-depth look at Citroën's idiosyncratic DS, for fifty years a design icon and one of the world's most controversial, radical, idiosyncratic and technically advanced motorcars.

Synopsis

The most radical of Citroën's idiosyncratic offerings, the DS was sensational when it was introduced in 1955. Twenty years and 1.45 million cars later it was still technically advanced to most other cars. Revolutionary in driving characteristics and comfort, it remains one of the most innovative cars of all time.

Independent Reviews

From Classic Car Weekly

THE Citroen DS is without doubt one of all the all time great automotive icons and is a true design classic. With its perfect blend of idiosyncrasy and utter logic, it's a unique car that was light years ahead of its time and could have only come from the French. Even now, it remains fresh and more exciting than most of today's so-called cutting edge designs. People tend to use that old cliché of ‘spaceship styling' when they talk about the DS, but you can hardly blame them. At its launch at the 1955 Paris Motor Show when it was surrounded by the dull post-war offerings from rival manufacturers, the DS must have looked like it just beamed down from Mars.

The radical design of the DS actually drew its inspiration from one of Mother Nature's most aerodynamic creations, the tear drop, although it also looks a bit like a streamlined egg with a flat base. However, it's what's under the body that really divides peoples opinion of this car. The clever hydropneumatic suspension has led to superlatives like ‘poetry in motion', ‘magic carpet ride' and ‘plumbers nightmare'. This innovative technology controlled the self-levelling suspension, steering, gear selection and brakes. In fact, the ride was so good that Rolls-Royce used the same system to compliment the coil springs and wish bone suspension on the 1965 Silver Shadow.

Written by Malcolm Bobbitt, this fascinating book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in this unique car. With 275 mostly colour photographs to thumb through, it's a lovely looking insight into the models design origins and development history. A prolific member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, he has produced books on a wide variety of cars and in this one, describes the DS in great detail, explains its baffling technical specification and provides plenty of buying and ownership advice

With iconic looks that still captivate today, the DS is the choice of designers and people with an artistic temperament. This book provides a terrific insight into this extraordinary car and would make a fantastic addition to any motoring enthusiast's library.


From Mark Paxton, 2CVamour.com

As it is 50 years since the launch of the DS, it was inevitable that something would turn up in print to celebrate that fact, and Malcolm Bobbitt has duly obliged.
Fortunately, the author is a well known Citroen fan, and his love for the marque, and the sighing Goddess in particular shines through. Several books on the D grace my shelves already, but Malcolm has managed to provide new insights on a well covered model, particularly the arrival of, and reaction to, the car in the UK.
As well as the usual trot through the history of the double chevron marque as a preamble, there is good coverage of the development of the model, along with numerous photos from the author's collection , which make a change from the same old factory shots.
The book also features the convertibles in some detail, plus Slough production and a chapter on the SM, which clearly shows its lineage to the D.
A few pages on buying and living with the car finish things off, with some sensible advice for those who may feel immediately driven to reach for their cheque books, by the enthusiasm Malcolm manages to transmit.
A worthy addition to any Citroen lover's shelves, and a fitting tribute to probably the most important car of the 20th Century ( after the 2cv of course ! )