Citroen and Me

Boys and toys, you are what you drive those are just a few pretty common clichés around cars and probably there is some truth in it. My early car experience was with Dinky and Corgi Toys, my grandfathers Ford Taunus, my parents Opel Kadett and then there was Citroen. The magical name and brand from France. Style, creativity and experience over reliability were the main components. This vehicle was so distinguished and different.

My preferred car today is still the Citroen DS, the car created in 1955 and with its final production in 1974 and with a full history in between and now in 2016 it is still one of the most iconic cars ever build. The DS was the successor of the famous Traction Avant (1934-1957). 

My uncle Sander Dijkwel had a Citroen dealership in Zeeland and I used to spend a few weeks there during the summers in the 1960/70ies. Fascinated was I by the dashboard, the beams, its hydropneumatic suspension system and its size. It was a big car for a young kid. Behind the Dijkwel garage was a large open field and I must have been 13 or so when I took the wheel and drove the DS for 15 minutes or so, my cousin Hans on the side, I can still feel the sensation of that very special moment.

The Citroen DS was designed by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car. Paul Magès developed the hydro pneumatic self-leveling suspension. The car was introduced in October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show and it was an instant hit! Over its almost 20 years the total production of the DS was close to 1,500.000 of which 1,300.000 alone in France. In France the nickname was Requin, or Shark in Dutch the DS was also known as de Snoek or het Strijkijzer.

The Citroen DS was pure innovation both in technique and design. The design of the car was a feast for my eyes, even today when I see the DS, I stop, check the version, inspect its overall state, the dashboard and interiors, in case of a solid version I’m always interested if there is a phone number or email address attached. You never know.

Frans, a Dutch friend of mine from my hometown Roosendaal was the proud owner of a DS, we called it Het Paleis, or the Palace. We played for soccer club Alliance and with away games Frans was by default the designated driver and had a vast group of 3 passengers in his sumptuous vehicle, we were driving in total style to our games and it was a feast, even more so if we won!

Over the years I collected a handful of miniature Citroen DS, one version was somewhat unique, and it was a replica of President Charles De Gaulle’s Presidential DS 19. On August 22, 1962 The President and Madame de Gaulle where on their way to the Villacoublay airport when there was an attempt to assassinate De Gaulle in Petit-Clamart, the attack failed and the president survived. Specialists are crediting the armored DS for the survival. Many years later my precious replica was not armored and our dear houseaid Sonia dropped my DS from an étagère, and after a few attempts to fix it I gave up, I regret that this car is no longer around!

The Citroen DS was eventually replaced by the Citroen CX, in production from 1974-1991 with 1,200.000 totals sold. The CX was an “avant gardist” car, some loved it, and some felt it “so so”. It was a typical Citroen and throughout its existence creatively supported by outstanding advertising

Over the years I have driven a few Citroen’s. There was the Dyane, a luxury version of the deux cheveax, 2CV, a minimalist car developed in 1948. My mother drove a Dyane for many years and was replaced by a Citroen Ami 6 whilst Inge took the Dyane and we enriched the car with an “Allez les Verts” sun strip! I used the Ami 6 intensively. With the exception of a Renault 5, she has never driven any other car than Citroen. Somewhere in the 70ies I had a rental Citroen Ami Break for a vacation in the French Alps. In Holland I drove Citroens, although my first car was the classic and almost iconic Peugeot 504 followed by a Citroen’s GSA’s and 2 versions of a BX. All of these cars had somewhat of a unique and out of the box design, I’m not sure I would describe them as beautiful, nonetheless the driving experience was always pretty good. Citroen’s unique hydraulic suspension system always assured a smooth ride.

Both the DS and CX found a major clientele with various head of states, often in an enlarged “Presidential” edition. The DS featured frequently in movies e.g. the Day of the Jackal (about assassination attempt of De Gaulle’s in Petit-Clamart), Scarface, Rugrats, Thelma and Louise and with greats such as Delon, Belmondo and the unforgettable Louis de Funes in a.o. Le Grand Restaurant, Rabbi Jacob!

Over the years in both the US and in France I’ve been driving performing and luxury cars mostly Volvo and BMW and needless to say they were very comfortable, well designed, reliable and safe. In 2013 I lived for almost one year in Rio de Janeiro driving a Citroen C4, all signs of luxury and style were absent in that car, it had tainted windows and was just very functional. This Citroen was produced in Argentina the production base for Citroen in South America.

My Grandfather, Leunis de Jonge owned a few Citroen’s Traction Avant’s my family we had of course quite a few Citroenists; there was a real connection between Citroen and the Dutch! Citroen’s founder: André Citroën was born in Paris on 5th February 1878 to Levie Citroën, a diamond merchant of Dutch Jewish origin and Amalie Kleimmann, a Jewess of Polish origin.  André Citroën's father died when he was six. The name Citroën derives from "Limoenman" which in Dutch means "small lemons man".  The name was changed to "Citron" and then to "Citroën upon the family's arrival in France. Citroën was the youngest of five children.  His mother died in 1899 and his brother Bernard died in 1914 in the trenches of World War 1. He graduated as a "Polytechnicien" from the Ecole Polytechnique at the age of twenty two. André Citroën died on 3rd July 1935 having changed irrevocably the face of France and the nature of motoring and whose cars would generate a fanatical worldwide following.

Citroen remains a magical brand and vehicle and the iconic DS remains the standard for what a luxury car should stand for, when Inge and I married we could not get a hold of my preferred DS for our wedding, fortunately the father of Jeannette, a friend of ours, was the proud owner of a metallic gold Citroen CX and that became the “Wedding” car. It’s therefore very exciting that the car for Jorrit and Charlotte’s wedding in the Luberon was a Citroen DS, made in 1974, its final production year!