the return of the citroen DS
 

citroen recently announced it would revive the legendary citroen DS! this might very well spell the return of the wheelskirt... citroëns have always stood appart from the mainstream with their unique design and technology, much of wich was a head of its time, and recent citroens, especially the bigger ones, still had a bit of that DS flair about them.

i hope citroen will have the balls to reuse one of the best features of the ds wich is that fully faired boat tailed back... but even other clasic features like a warp around windshield might return.

i hope the first pictures won't be a disapointment, but here's a few recent citroëns as wel as the DS ... so that you can imagine or bether photoshop the DS3

the DS1
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...citroen-ds.jpg
the DS2
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...Citroen_ds.jpg
with integrated and teering headlights... only in recent years cars began to adopt similar shaped headlights... for decades cars had simple square or round lights without much style....


the titroen C6
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...6-hir3q-st.jpg
citroens curent luxury barge... not my favourite design but extra points for originality


the C5 sedan
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...c5-picture.jpg
the C4 coupé
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...-red-r3q-s.jpg
with its swept back rear winshiedld... good for low drag and not at al dissimilar to the rear window layout of the original DS

the C3 pluriel
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...iesel-4535.jpg
a semi convertible "fun" version of the subcompact C3... a car that echoes features of the lovable 2CV but wich has a nose wich wouldn't look out of place on the DS when it was a little stretched.


the C3 picasso
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...en/087250a.jpg
a very recent mpv based on the C3, included in this list becouse it brings back another interesting feature that has been lost in cars over the years... the warp around windshield... never cars have increasing thick a pillars and with the ever more reclined windows these pillars can become as much of a safety hazard as they protect you... the c3 picasso has semi A pillars to support the 3 piece front window, and thick structural A pillars at the doors...
i'd vote for this feature on the DS3 as well!


finally a concept wich has been nemtioned in relation with the DS3 the airlounge
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...f0afa7945b.jpg

anyway, if all the best features of the cars shown above end up in the DS3 it might end up a very modern car wich retains the character and look without sacrificeing the good things of modern cars for the sake of "retro" like the beetle and the mini did (they both have terrible aero and their pricetag puts them out of teh league of all round economy cars they once where)

Thank god they don't sell that garbage over here.

i take it you're not that fond of citroëns styling?...

but that's partly my point... at least this brand is not trying to look like every other car out there, and their technology used to be well ahead of it's time, and even today they build clever and decent cars...

Lots of speculations by here, no real information. It seams they are only going to use the name to build a luxury brand to replace the C6 that doesn't sell very well.

In these times, the DS was full of technical innovations, noticeably the way its hydraulic system was used, while the standard car was the Traction Avant. They tried to replace the DS by the SM (despite the look, its Cd is 0.336) but Michelin sold Citroen&Maserati to Peugeot and Peugeot sold Maserati which engine was in the SM, so SM production stopped.

I don't remember having seen any C6 in the street, while I can see several C4 coupé (Cd=0.28) everyday.

They should present the new DS Thursday.

Denis.

I thought the C6 was mean to be the "new DS".
The C5 has both hydropneumatic and conventional steel spring suspension , depending on the model.

Having owned both a Renault 16 (steel torsion bar suspension and conventional dampers) and several Citroen cars (DS 23 - a blue one , like the photo above- , CX 2400 and an SM ) the advantages of the Citroen system are few and the complexities many. Not in my opinion a worthwhile trade off.

By the way the SM model was never intended to replace the DS. The CX was the DS replacement and the SM was intended to be the company flagship aimed to a higher market niche. It was also the only two door built by the factory at the time.

The Traction Avant was the forerunner to the DS released in 1955 , which is the red one in the photos above The two models over lapped for about 18 months while Citroen struggled to get the DS into production.

Pete.

Incidentally ,
The DS series had a teardrop shape when viewed from above and the spare wheel was under the hood so there was a completely flat trunk floor which held about 18 cu ft.
The self leveling suspension ensure the car remained in the ideal angle of attack to take advantage of the shape regardless of the number of passengers and volume of luggage carried and the ride frequency was also virtually unchanged.

The Renault had a similar arrangement for the spare and the body was a five door hatch and better aero then the blunt front would suggest.

Cheers , Pete.

lunarhighway -

I messed with the concept version :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1233717745

- Decreased rear wheel track (not really noticeable)
- Rear wheel skirt
- Side view mirror downsize
- Racing disks
- Lowered smaller air intake to where licence plate was
- Front faux-grille would stay for aesthetics and/or be covered in clear-plastic
- De-emphasized "scooplet" in front of front wheel
- Reduced depth of dark cavity in horizontal chrome accents

It appears that it has rear passenger suicide doors. It would be neat if the new DS comes with same.

Edit: Oooooooh, accidental symmetry on 90-day MPG :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1233718347

The answer to the universe in forward and reverse. DON'T PANIC!!!!

CarloSW2

.

here's the 80's citroen XM
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5..._cliff_top.jpg
pretty low Cd 0.28 or 0.29 i believe...not bad for such a boxy look... but i mainly like the wheels! these are one of my all time favorite rims

i think carmakers urgently have to reintroduce full hubcaps... they'd look awsome on the curent size of wheels...certainly would give even existing models a new more spacey look

Can't find an English article with pictures so here is a Spanish one :
Confirmado: Asi es el Citroen DS3 (concept, por el momento) - Autoblog Espanol

The pictures :
Citroen DS Concept - Autoblog Espanol
Citroen DS Concept - Autoblog Espanol
Citroen DS Concept - Autoblog Espanol

Edit: for the pictures follow the link "Gallery: Citroën DS Inside Concept" inside the article. Currently this link is this one and gives access to 12 pictures.

Finally the new DS are "better" versions of current cars. The DS3 is a better C3. A DS4 and DS5 are awaited after that.

Denis.

Denis,
I cannot get the links in your post to work.
Have they changed?

Pete.

from what i've learend the DS will just be a badge stuck to premium version of existing or new citroen models, the one shown in the pictures is a new version of the c3 wich would be the DS3 as shown...

still i don't think any new incarnation of the new DS could outdo the original

Peter7307: edited the message to mention the link to follow from the Spanish article to access to the photo gallery.

lunarhighway: yes, DS will be only better versions of current C3, C4 & C5 cars. The first one is the DS3.

Denis.

groar and lunarhighway -

That's a shame. I don't like meaningless rebadgings. The pictures look like a cross between a Mini and a Volvo C3. No "DS-DNA" to speak of, :( .

CarloSW2

Citroen hasn't been able to turn a profit on a large luxury car in 20 years. They depreciate faster than yesterday's newspaper, parts are at least as expensive as any high end BMW or Mercedes on the road and they are horrible to drive. Nobody in Europe wants a new DS. Its the answer to the question nobody asked. PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) make some mildly interesting hatchbacks with a few signs of life here and there. But they are outclassed on all fronts by the Germans and the Japanese in both build quality and fuel economy. I hope we never see that garbage on US roads. Imagine Korean cars from 10 years ago but more expensive.
I don't want to take anything away from the original DS. It was an extremely advanced car for its time in terms of aerodynamics, suspension, FWD etc. PSA today is just another French industrial giant drowning under the weight of its labor unions.

Yeah Citroen are bad cars.

Thats why I have 5 of them. I'll let the uneducated keep up their delusions so I can buy another for $200, $400, $600.

Hahaha I'm mad hahahaha

Sooooo well engineered.... those froggies auto engineers have it all over you English with your pooh pooh, titty and bottom jokes. And planes, and boats.

American cars are really successful on the world stage no? A long list of pioneering engineering achievements no? Innovation no? Strong international race results no?

Baa! Tres Drole!

Viva la Citroen!!!

Oh, and which country has auto industries is on the rocks?

Citroen have been the target of ill informed ugly mob commentaries by Anglo centric, 2 bit, narrow minded, ************************************************** ****************** for decades...Citroen is french for lemon...

Face it, you Brits and Yankees, stop being so fiercely patriotic, Froggie cars especially Citroen rock.

And French women make your femmes cringe in shame. Slim, suave, sophisticated and sexy.

American and English beer is so popular around the world.

Not!

Hmm, someone likes Citroens...
They are one-of-the-kind, you must admit that. And that means that you either love them or hate them.

Ahh ,
got a few unresolved issues there blue flame?

Pete.

Resolved now, thank you.

Or speak your truth, lying dogs with tails between your legs!!

Infidels!!!

Viva la Citroen!!

The Citroën DS came up twice to me this week, and I thought of starting a thread. I looked it up in Wikipedia and didn't note any FE info. I went to Google and the first hit was this thread!

I have been going through waxing and waning interest in the French brand over the last few years. Ever since the C4 Diesel-Hybrid Concept was proposed a few years ago, I began appreciating them more. I picked up some mags in Britain a couple years ago: basically a pictorial of all available cars, specs, engines, and FE.

Take a look at WhatCar? Magazine's yearly compilation of available new cars. It will have you drooling over what we don't get in the 'States.

But, I have yet to drive or own anything European but a UK-spec Ford Fiesta. The older DS looks like a classy and advanced combination of intriguing design, but (what is the drag coefficient)?. The C4 Coupé is exactly what I'm looking for in a 3-door hatch (with an available Diesel or 2, or 3).

Essentially we should learn from the local successes of the French and English market vehicles. Why not?

RH77

RH77 ,
The original single light cars were around the 0.38. This is the red car in the photos above.
The four light cars were better around 0.35 depending on the specs.This is the blue car in the photos.

What Car? is one of my favourite mags for exacting analysis and decent technical articles.
One of the well written few these days.

Pete.

I found an interesting picture of an old DS.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1282744371

Notice how smooth it is without wheels?

BTW, I've seen a few DS3's in Warsaw in the last few months. I don't have a camera in phone (or phone in my camera, whatever?!?) so no pics in the wild, but there's nothing terribly cool about it, to be honest. Of course, the Wife thought it's pretty cute and wouldn't protest if she got one...

the new ds3 is not shockingly interesting, but citroen deserves credit for bringing out a premium small car rather than going for a retro look.

the old ds was a very interesting car... i recently spotted on at an oldtimer meeting and noticed an interesting detail
just ahead of the rear tires there was something that looked like a mudflap...
now if this was a new car i'd think it was an aero device right away, but if it is that the ds was way ahead of it's time.

also note this is a late model from the 70's with faired headlights
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...n/IMG_2131.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...n/IMG_2132.jpg


the picture you show probably is a promotional picture of the time, and it still does a good job of showing just how pretty the car really was. also i believe the underside of the ds was pretty much smooth, nothing compared to the average car today

...are those "home-made" or OEM wheel spats?

not sure about this item, although it looked oem, but i've seen other ds's with a similar thing so i'm guessing it's oem