October 6, 1955, Paris Motor Show. Visitors stroll leisurely between the stands, stopping in front of a Peugeot 403 here, a Renault Dauphine there, when suddenly... BAM . At the Citroën stand, there's a riot. Literally. People jostle, step on each other, some even climb onto the barriers to get a better look. What could possibly cause such mass hysteria? A car. But not just any car.

A car that looks like a spaceship, with shapes that defy all the laws of the automobile as we know it. A car so revolutionary that 743 people sign an order form in the first 15 minutes . I swear, 15 minutes! It takes me longer than that to choose my Friday night pizza.

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This car is the Citroën DS 19 , and I'm going to tell you how three men created the most futuristic vehicle in automotive history. A story of genius, technological revolution, and a car that literally saved General de Gaulle's life. Sit back, because we're going to travel back in time, to the time when France still drove on cobblestones and having suspension that didn't break your back was the stuff of science fiction.

The trio of geniuses who revolutionized the automobile

It all began in the early 1950s, in the Citroën design offices. Pierre-Jules Boulanger , the brand's visionary boss, had a crazy idea: to create a car that would be to the automobile what the Concorde would later be to aviation. An object of the future, but for the present.

To carry out this pharaonic project, he brought together three men with completely different profiles but whose talents complemented each other perfectly.

André Lefèbvre: The engineer of the impossible

First, there's André Lefèbvre , an aeronautical engineer who worked on airplanes before joining Citroën. This guy thinks in terms of aerodynamics, lightness, and technical revolution. For him, a car should cut through the air like an airplane, not roll like a tank. His obsession? Compensating for engine weaknesses through weight savings and aerodynamics .

Lefèbvre was the technical mastermind of the project. He wanted front-wheel drive, optimized weight distribution, and above all, he wanted this car to be able to drive fast on the rotten roads of the time. Because yes, in the 1950s, France didn't yet have its highways. We drove on rutted departmental roads, and traveling meant accepting being shaken like a cocktail.

Flaminio Bertoni: The sculptor of the automobile

Then there's Flaminio Bertoni , an Italian sculptor who's been working at Citroën since 1932. He's not an engineer, he's an artist. And it shows! The guy designs cars like others sculpt statues. For him, a car must be beautiful before it can be practical.

Bertoni had a completely unique approach: he sculpted his ideas in plasticine, then in blocks of plaster. And wait for it, it was a fish that would inspire him to create the lines of the DS . One Sunday morning in 1953, he carved the almost definitive shape of the future DS19 into a block of plaster. Just like that, instinctively, based on the fluid movements of a fish in water.

Paul Magès: The magician of hydraulics

And finally, there is Paul Magès , the most discreet but perhaps the most brilliant of the three. This guy is a pure autodidact, having joined Citroën at 17 as a simple worker. But he has a gift for mechanics that borders on the supernatural. He is the one who will revolutionize automotive hydraulics .

Magès is developing a hydraulic system of incredible complexity that will control the suspension, power steering, clutch, AND brakes. All this with a pressure of 17.2 MPa. To give you an idea, that's 172 times atmospheric pressure. Unheard of in the automotive industry.

October 6, 1955: The day the automobile entered the future

So, let's go back to that famous October 6, 1955. The DS is unveiled to the public , and it's the apocalypse. Not in the sense of catastrophe, but in the sense of revelation. People can't believe their eyes.

Picture the scene: you're in 1955, driving a 2CV or a 4CV, small, straight rectangular boxes, and suddenly you're shown this. A car with no visible grille, with fluid lines that seem to flow like water, headlights hidden behind small hatches . It's as if someone had opened a window onto the year 2000.

And I'm not even talking about the technical innovations yet! We discover that this car raises and lowers itself, that it remains perfectly stable even when you remove a wheel, that it has disc brakes when everyone else is still driving with drums...

12,000 orders on the first day . Twelve thousand! By the end of the show, they had 80,000 signed order forms. A record that wouldn't be beaten until 60 years later by the Tesla Model 3. And yet, Tesla had the internet to create a buzz. They only had word of mouth and newspapers.

The technical revolution hidden beneath the beauty

But hey, a beautiful body is all well and good, but what really makes the DS revolutionary is what's underneath. And here, my friends, brace yourself because we're entering science fiction.

First crazy thing: the hydropneumatic suspension . Forget everything you know about conventional suspensions with their springs and shock absorbers. The DS works with pressurized oil and nitrogen-filled spheres. The result? Crazy handling combined with comfort that was compared at the time to a "magic carpet."

I remember the first time I drove a restored DS. It was a few years ago, a collector friend offered me a little ride. Well, even today, with our modern cars full of electronics, the feeling of comfort of this suspension remains astounding . It feels like you're floating above the road.

Second crazy innovation: disc brakes . In 1955, this was unheard of on a production car. Everyone still drove with drum brakes that overheated, tired, and were dangerous under intensive use. The DS, on the other hand, stopped like an airplane.

When the DS becomes the official car of France

Very quickly, the DS would become much more than just a revolutionary car. It became a symbol . General de Gaulle, who had just returned to power, immediately chose the DS as his presidential car. And that was no small feat.

De Gaulle was a man who understood the importance of symbols. He wanted France to shine, to show the world that it was capable of extraordinary innovations. And what better way to embody French modernity than with a car that resembled a spaceship?

The DS will be used at the Élysée Palace for years to come, in its Prestige version with chauffeur-driven partition . But be careful, it's not just for the comfort of the world's elite. This car will literally save the life of the President of the Republic.

The Petit-Clamart attack: when the DS saves de Gaulle

August 22, 1962, Route du Petit-Clamart. General de Gaulle and his wife are driving their presidential DS when suddenly, war breaks out. The OAS, opposed to Algerian independence, has organized an attack. Bullets rain down on the car, the tires are punctured by the projectiles.

Any other car would have ended up in the ditch. But the DS? It continued on its way as if nothing had happened . Thanks to its hydropneumatic suspension, even with flat tires, it maintained a perfectly stable ride. The driver, Francis Marroux, was able to continue driving normally and take the general to safety.

This time, French technology literally saved the Republic. And you can imagine that it didn't go unnoticed. The DS instantly became legendary , the car that wasn't fazed by bullets.

Well, I had planned to talk to you about the cars of this era, and that's good because on my site BernardMiniatures.fr, I have some miniature DSs that are worth a look. I collect and resell miniatures of vintage cars, mainly 1/43rd, and I must say that DSs are among my favorite pieces . There is something magical about holding in your hands the replica of this automotive revolution.

I have more than 1500 miniatures in stock on bernardminiatures.fr, with free delivery in France from 75€. As I am only a reseller and not a large distributor, I often only have one or two pieces of each model, but this is also what makes the charm of the collection. And believe me, when you hold a miniature DS in your hands, you feel a little bit of that magic of the 60s .

Well, back to our story...

Roland Barthes and the philosophy of the "Goddess"

The DS not only revolutionized the automobile industry, it also left its mark. In 1957, philosopher Roland Barthes devoted an entire chapter to the DS in his "Mythologies." And what he wrote is absolutely fascinating.

For Barthes, "the automobile today is the fairly exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals" and "the new Citroën clearly falls from the sky." He compares the DS to a magical object, something that transcends its simple function of transportation to become a symbol, a modern myth.

And it's true that when you think about it, the DS has this unique ability to make you dream. Even today, 70 years after its creation, it continues to fascinate. I often have customers who tell me about their childhood memories with their grandparents' DS, that feeling of traveling in a machine from the future.

The evolution of an icon

Between 1955 and 1975, the DS continued to evolve . Citroën first released the ID19 version in 1957, more accessible and less equipped, to reassure customers a little disoriented by so much futurism. Because yes, some found the DS too avant-garde!

Then came the improvements: the Pallas trim in 1964 (French luxury), electronic injection between 1968 and 1969 (another first!), and especially in 1967, directional headlights. Those famous headlights that turn with the steering wheel and illuminate corners. Today it's common, but at the time, it was pure magic.

In total, nearly 1.5 million DSs were produced over 20 years. A phenomenal success for such a revolutionary car.

The tragedy of Flaminio Bertoni

But this story also has its dark sides. Flaminio Bertoni, the brilliant sculptor of the DS, would not enjoy his success for long . On February 7, 1964, while working on the lines of a future DS coupe, he collapsed in his office, the victim of a heart attack. He was 62 years old.

Bertoni's death is a bit like the end of an era at Citroën. This man who had revolutionized automotive design with the DS was already working on new projects. A funny little anecdote: despite the DS's global success, Bertoni still considered the Ami 6 to be his most accomplished work . The Ami 6, this small car with a "Z"-shaped design that had completely baffled the public! It just goes to show that artists don't always see their work the way we do.

But just before his death, Bertoni had still managed to create the famous "shark nose" of the restyled DS. In December 1963, in just a few hours , he had destroyed and rebuilt the hood, bumpers, and fenders with a hammer, plasticine, and Plexiglas. A genius to the end.

Worldwide consecration

Even today, the DS continues to fascinate the world . In 1999, it placed 3rd in the "Car of the Century" competition. Even more impressive: it was voted the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine, according to a panel of 20 renowned international designers.

In the 1990s, artists like Arman and Gabriel Orozco drew inspiration from it for their works. The DS transcended the automobile to become an object of art in its own right .

And then there are all these movies, all these series where the DS plays the star. Because a DS in a movie immediately gives a 60s vibe, a chic and revolutionary side that fits perfectly with the era.

The Goddess's Legacy

So, what remains today of this 1955 revolution? Well, a lot! The hydropneumatic suspension invented by Paul Magès still equips some high-end Citroëns today. Bending headlights have become standard on premium cars. Disc brakes have been standard for decades.

But beyond the technology, what the DS has left us is above all the idea that a car can be revolutionary . That you can break the mold, innovate, surprise. In the era of Tesla and electric cars, we find a bit of the pioneering spirit that inspired the creators of the DS.

Every time I hold a miniature DS in my hands, I think of those three men—Lefèbvre, Bertoni, and Magès—who had the nerve to reinvent the automobile. At a time when France was emerging from war and rebuilding itself, they created a car that looked to the future .

And perhaps that's the true genius of the DS: to have embodied the optimism of an era, this faith in technical progress and industrial beauty. A car that told the whole world: "Look, we are capable of creating wonders."

Seventy years later, the DS continues to inspire us . Because it reminds us that with genius, audacity, and a touch of madness, we can truly change the world. Even if it's only on four wheels.