Talk:Citroën DS

de Gaulle

In fact it seems de Gaulle favorite car was not the DS but the Stout Scarab that was given to him by US officers during the WWII. As he was really tall it was the only car he feel really comfortable in. Ericd 17:42 13 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I don't think I said "favorite car". However, this picture seems to indicate that he was in fact too tall for the DS. B-) EvanProdromou

Nice pic ! I like theses too : http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/chan/gaulle/CHANGau3.htm

I don't said you said ;-) He really like the DS and considered it as a national pride ;-) that's one of the POV we share but I am more a fan of the Citroën 2CV it might be ideological differences :-( or it might because the DS was a mechanical nightmare :-O that made the fortune of some DS specialists while the nearly anybody could disassemble and reassemble a 2CV. The fact is that De Gaulle didn't feel comfortable in any normal car thus he love the Stout Scarab that was "a monospace before the monospaces" (and a great commercial flop). Of course an American car was not appropriate for a "Président de la République". Ericd 22:22 13 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Hmmmm... you sure are pushing that Stout Scarab, aren't you? B-) I wonder if you have one to sell.... ESP 23:00 13 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Not at all someone (not me) added a reference to the Stout Scarab at the end of the Citroën 2CV article so I made some research on it. Ericd 00:11 14 Jul 2003 (UTC)

There's a DS in Ghostbusters? David.Monniaux 08:29, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Yes a Break ! Ericd 18:19, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Oooops ! The Ectomobile was Cadillac Station Wagon not a DS Break ! Ericd 10:35, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I removed some of the unnecessary linking in the article (research and laboratory, for example). --16 April 2006.

One of my favorite cars ever...

I've always loved the DS/ID. When I was a kid a family I knew owned one. It was a '67. It was black and loaded with all the option's. The original owner was the French consulate in NY. It was the car DeGaul rode in when he visited NY. I thought it was so cool. Wish I'd been old enough to drive when you could still own these. I knew a few people who owned one.

Stu Pickels drove one in the Rug Rats movie. I think I saw a few in Diva. The last one I saw on the road was about five years ago in Lyon. An old Frenchman told me (in French) that it was also the first one he had seen in a long, long time. I think the last one I saw in the U.S. was at a junkyard in TX about 17 years ago. I drive a Peugeot. They're practically extinct in most parts of the U.S. now too. I can drive for months without seeing another.

On holiday in France this year I found a couple old rotting ones, even more happily I found a pristine one back home in Scotland outside a local furniture store celebrating some party. It was truly gorgeous, I had to stop, pull over, and come admire it. Even better than in photos. Talking of photos, I'll see about getting mine online...

Working in Skopje, Macedonia fairly recently, I was waiting at the side of the road looking like I wanted a taxi, and a DS pulled up to give me a ride. I could hardly believe it: still functioning day in, day out as a taxi. I didn't actually want a taxi, but it was pretty tempting to just get in and have a ride anyway! ;) – Kieran T ^{(talk | contribs)} 11:27, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Day of the Jackal clarification needed

Not clear on meaning of this reference: ' The preceding text indicates the tires were shot out and the car could still drive - is the question about exactly what was visible in the film? 66.77.124.61 22:30, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

It is my understanding that the car could be driven with with only three tires. I have not seen this done however.

Gam3 19:07, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Headlights

I don't know the full history of the model well enough to edit this point, but it seems like the headlights aren't very well explained. There's mention of the redesign and streamlining of the front of the car, and the swivelling lights, but there's no clear explanation that the ID had the older single lights, nor that they're not the same as the exposed lights on the US model; in fact a photo of a single-light DS with added spot or fog lamps had been labelled wrongly as the US model. I've changed that in the label, but it'd be great if somebody who knows the chronology could clarify it in the article. I'll try to research it so I can do it if nobody else wants to :) – Kieran T ^{(talk | contribs)} 11:24, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Made changes under Design Variations - issue covered?66.77.124.61 04:11, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Looks great, thanks. I've just one more question: did the ID gain the double lights? The new text seems to say so, and I'd always assumed it didn't, but I'm not sure why! – Kieran T ^{(talk | contribs)} 10:36, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes - both ID and DS received the same four headlight under glass treatment for model year 1968. Directional headlights were an extra cost option on the ID - if not ordered, the inner lights would be fixed. 66.229.151.43 08:29, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Disc Brakes

Elsewhere in Wiki the Crosley Hotshot is mentioned as the first production vehicle equipped with disc brakes. Can someone help resolve this discrepancy?LorenzoB 20:44, 8 October 2006 (UTC) Go to the disc brake page in Wikipedia - it has a pretty thorough explanation of the 'who was first' issue. 66.77.124.61 19:50, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

LHM

I think the article dwells a bit too much on 'what is LHM' - good info that other articles could also reference. Interestingly the brake fluid article indicates there are exactly 3 kinds of brake fluid, none of which is LHM. 66.77.124.61 19:55, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

LHM isn't actually a brake fluid - it's a hydraulic fluid :) 193.77.184.32 06:31, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

SM & DS

The article implies that the SM had many interchangable parts with the DS. That is not correct. While the SM is conceptually like the DS in many respects, it is a unique model. More generally, cars from different generations don't have interchangable parts, unless those parts are very generic - you can take the battery from a 2006 Toyota Corolla and place it in a 1990 Corolla and it will probably work, but not say the exhaust manifold or the transmission.66.77.124.61 02:32, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't have details, but my recollection is that parts of the suspension and the steering were interchangeable between SM and DS in the early 1970s. Certainly not "generic" components. Clearly the engine and gearbox were unrelated. Groogle 00:56, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

I recall the original citation had something to do with the SM & DS using the same parts - not interchangable parts.66.77.124.61 02:55, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

DS Engines duplication

The sections DS Engines and Technical Details - Drivetrain cover the same territory. Consolidate? 66.77.124.61 04:52, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

DS cylinder head on Traction engine

There's a "citation needed" against this item. I think I wrote it in the first place, and it's based on my experience: I have done this in about 1971 (required a different exhaust manifold), but I don't have any backup documentation. Any idea how to confirm that it worked? Groogle 00:54, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

The whole article reads like a brochure for the company or for collectors

I mean really, is this what an encyclopedia is for? Why do so many people have this compulsion to write marketing copy in an encyclopedia? (06:09, 17 August 2007) 24.90.17.134 (UTC) Not sure what "marketing" means in terms of a 50 year old car. The DS was a milestone automobile design - the article touches on that. In fact an "encylopedia" article that glosses over the car's impact that would be false and misleading.76.168.255.29 02:15, 2 September 2007 (UTC)