“From its creation in 2014, the French automotive brand DS drew on an outstanding heritage, that of the DS 19, launched 60 years ago. The legendary car embodies the values of innovation, excellence and avantgardism. With its sister model, the SM, the DS is the ultimate symbol of French high-end automobiles. Like the 1955 DS, today’s DS models combine remarkable design, technology, comfort, performance, premium materials and refinement. As history marches on, the two letters continue to stand for the finest in automotive luxury around the world.” Yves Bonnefont CEO of the DS brand
THE FATHERS OF THE DS Launched in 1938 on an initiative from Pierre Boulanger to replace the Traction Avant in the long term, the VGD project culminated 17 years later in the launch of the DS 19 in October 1955. Three men in particular were involved in the design and development of the new model. The first one, André Lefèbvre, an aeronautical engineer by training, was a fervent proponent of front-wheel drive, as well as aerodynamics, light-weight design and mass centring. The second, Paul Magès, a self-taught engineer, was the creator of the hydraulics system. He invented the famous hydropneumatic suspension, together with the hydraulic powered steering, clutch and braking systems on the DS. Lastly, the Italian Flaminio Bertoni, a stylist, sculptor and talented painter, worked with his team to give the DS its revolutionary and elegant body styling. DÉBUT APPEARANCE FOR DS AT 1955 PARIS MOTOR SHOW The DS made its debut at the 1955 Paris Motor Show on Thursday 6 October. Under the majestic vault of the Grand Palais, the reveal elicited both astonishment and admiration. The model’s avant-garde body design set a new benchmark immediately. Visitors and journalists succumbed to the new car’s charms, while rival carmakers could only applaud its genius. Some 12,000 DS 19 models were sold that day, but by the end of the Paris Motor Show ten days later, some 80,000 firm orders had been taken! RISE TO GLORY IN THE 1950’s DS production began on 7 October at the Javel plant in Paris (France), the day after its Paris Motor Show debut. The first models on the road turned many a head with their outstanding originality. The car’s pioneering technical and aesthetic solutions stirred endless curiosity since, not content with being a true automotive sculpture, the DS was also a concentrate of advanced technology. Its hydropneumatic suspension provided unprecedented levels of roadholding and comfort. And in an all-new safety feature, the DS 19 boasted an extremely powerful hydraulic braking system, shocking some first-time drivers with its ultra-short stopping distance. Several versions of the DS 19 were launched over the course of the 1950s. The first was the ID 19 in October 1956, followed by the estate versions and the DS 19 Prestige in 1958. The DS 19 also broke new ground that year by increasing the body paint choice from four colours to an unheard-of eight colours. The first styling upgrades came in 1959, when the body lines were refined by lengthening the rear wings and adding large, ashtray-style air vents to the front wings. The DS 19 enjoyed a highly international career right from the word go, assembled in the UK and Belgium from 1956 and in South Africa starting in 1959. As a symbol of French elegance and avant-garde, the car was exported across Western Europe, to almost all the Commonwealth countries, including Canada and Australia, and to the United States, where it garnered a large base of die-hard fans. THE CHAUFFEUR-DRIVEN DS PRESTIGE A chauffeur-driven version of the DS 19 was revealed in October 1958 at the Paris Motor Show with exclusive black body paint, a retracting glass pane between the driver and the rear seats, and grey upholstery with front and rear benches covered respectively in leather and Jersey fabric. Dubbed the DS 19 Prestige, the model was launched in June 1959, available with an interphone, car radio and telephone as options. Exceptionally comfortable, it became the go-to car for major political and industrial leaders. Over the years, it received the same technical upgrades as the regular DS. Production continued until January 1975.
AN IMPRESSIVE RACER AND MONTE-CARLO RALLY CHAMPION Three months after its reveal at the Paris Motor Show, the DS 19 made its debut in the prestigious Monte- Carlo Rally in January 1956. It was the top-ranking French car, finishing seventh overall and first in the category of cars from 1300 to 2000 cc. All six cars entered in the rally made the finishing line. In 1959 the team of Coltelloni-Alexandre-Desrosiers drove the ID 19 to a first-place finish in the overall standings. That same year, the Brand won the Manufacturers’ Cup. Over the years consistently finished in the top positions. In 1966, the “21” version of the DS won the Monte-Carlo Rally with the Finnish team of Pauli Toivonen-Ensio Mikander at the wheel. Peerlessly comfortable on the open road, the DS was also a formidable racer! STILL AHEAD OF THE PACK IN THE 1960’s In the 1960’s the DS 19 confirmed its reputation as a refined and comfortable road car. The reveal of the cabriolet version in October 1960 was followed in March 1961 by the first powertrain upgrade. Engine power was upped from 75 bhp to 83 bhp, increasing the car’s top speed to an impressive 150 km/h. In September 1962, the DS gained a new, all-black dashboard underlined by a light grey strip, on which an optional car radio could be fitted, as on the DS 19 Prestige. With its first front-end facelift in 1962, the DS lost its wing grilles and gained two arrowhead rubber bumper guards and a redesigned lower bumper. The upgrade further improved the car’s aerodynamics, cutting fuel consumption and increasing top speed to 160 km/h. In October 1965, a year after the launch of the DS Pallas in 1964, a new DS was released with a higherperformance 2,175-cc engine developing 109 bhp for a top speed of 175 km/h! The new model, the DS 21, joined the range alongside the DS 19, available since 1955 (their names denoting their respective engine capacities). The DS received a new face in 1967 that, apart from its unanimously applauded good looks, also included a new safety feature, with the famous additional swiveling headlamps now fitted as standard on the high-end Prestige, Pallas and Cabriolet models. Thus equipped, the DS could light up the inside of corners before the driver entered them! After the arrival in September 1968 of an all-black dashboard and the replacement of the DS 19 by the DS 20, 1969 saw the advent of an entirely redesigned dashboard featuring three large dials and topped by a visor across its entire width. But 1969 was above all marked by a major powertrain upgrade. The DS 21’s 2,175-cc engine was fitted with electronically-controlled fuel injection, increasing power to 139 bhp and top speed to over 185 km/h. More than ever, the DS asserted its position in relation to the competition and stood as a singular car from all points of view. DS CABRIOLET: A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR FOUR Tasked with converting the DS Prestige and having produced cabriolets from DS models for its own account since October 1958, the coachbuilder Henri Chapron was commissioned to develop a DS Cabriolet production model. Following the design of three prototypes, the new car was unveiled in October 1960 at the Paris Motor Show. The meticulous finish of the purely styled cabriolet included full-leather upholstery and, from August 1964, features characteristic of the DS Pallas, such as additional headlamps and special wheel covers. A high-end model retailing for almost twice as much as the DS saloon, the DS Cabriolet remains a benchmark in automotive aesthetics and refinement. DS PALLAS: LUXURY AND EXCELLENCE The new DS Pallas revealed at the 1964 Paris Motor Show featured equipment levels never before seen on a French production car. It stood apart from other DS models with meticulous and particularly luxurious equipment, including chrome strips, special embellishers, chrome-surrounded rear lights and additional headlamps. Inside, the seats were thicker, the front seatbacks higher and exclusive leather upholstery available as an option. The DS Pallas shipped in the same body colours as the other DS models but was also available with exclusive metallic paint. PRESIDENTIAL DS: THE LONGEST EVER To replace the limousine produced in 1955 on the base of the Traction Avant by the coachbuilder Franay, the French president commissioned a new state vehicle, which was delivered to the Elysée Palace on 14 November 1968. The specifications called for a vehicle longer than the Lincoln used at the time by the US president. Developed and built by Henri Chapron, the unique DS model measured 6.53 meters long and boasted ultra-luxurious equipment, with a convex and inclined separation window, brown leather upholstery, a fold-down seat for interpreters, electric windows, air conditioning, direct and indirect lighting, an interphone and a built-in minibar. FULL MATURITY IN THE 1970S The changes made to the DS in 1970 and 1971 mainly concerned the transmission. In September 1970, the DS was equipped with a new manual gearbox with five gears instead of four. A year later, the car was fitted with a three-speed automatic gearbox produced by Borg-Warner. Before its final farewell in July 1975, after an exemplary 20-year career, the DS received a final upgrade with the replacement of the DS 21 by the DS 23 in September 1972. The DS 23 was powered by a 2,347-cc engine with electronic fuel injection developing 141 bhp for a top speed of nearly 190 km/h. THE SM: WORTHY HEIR TO THE DS Launched in March 1970 at the Geneva Motor Show, the SM was a worthy heir to the DS. The new high-end vehicle was developed on the base of DS models transformed for the purpose. Apart from its V6 engine, the SM featured all the DNA of the DS in terms of technology, equipment, comfort, high-quality finish and on-road performance. Luxurious and uniquely styled, the SM was the logical culmination of the ideas informing the DS brand. 2015, LAUNCH OF THE DS BRAND DS became a brand officially on 1 June 2014 and asserted its ambition: the return of French automobiles to the high-end segment. DS upholds the values of innovation and distinction inherited from the 1955 DS. Designed for customers looking to express their personalities, the DS line-up comprises the DS 3, DS 3 CABRIO, DS 4, DS 5, DS 5LS* and DS 6*. For its launch year, 2015, DS is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the original DS. At the Geneva Motor Show the new brand is revealing its tagline —DS AUTOMOBILES, SPIRIT OF AVANT-GARDE—, which sums up the DS state of mind. At Geneva, DS is also unveiling its new DS 5, which inaugurates DS brand identity, with its new front end, advanced-technology equipment, refinement and powerful, efficient engines. *Sold in China only. DIVINE DS LIGHTS UP THE FUTURE Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September 2014, Divine DS is a concentrate of the essence of the Brand and its future. The styling manifesto combines refinement and technology, since DS cars will always be on the leading edge of design, resolutely technological models that stand out through their on-road comfort, meticulous attention to detail and premium materials. The DS story continues!
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DS 21 Cabriolet - 66.20.3 - copyright William KLEIN-
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60 ANS DE LA DS - 3 icônes pour ouvrir les festivités
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1955 - 2015
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Press release
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