The star of Retromobile this year was the Citroën DS, presented at the Paris Show in 1955. Nothing like this had ever been seen before.
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Retromobile presented a retrospective of the Leyat Helica, a very strange motorcar designed by an ingenious Frenchman, Marcel Leyat. 23 examples were built between 1913 and 1926.
Another French skilled craftsman was Germain Lambert who built this coupé. Presented at the 1948 Paris Salon, its design was inspired by the Bugattis of the time.
As promised, Black Bess was proudly in attendance at Retro.
Ferry was another of these French artisanal manufacturers. After many class wins in Europe, the 750 Sport ended its racing career in California driven by John Green.
On the rally front, the Alpine-Renault with the A110, dominated the scene in the early 70s and clinched the 1st World Rally Championship in 1973.
In 1934, the Peugeot 401 ‘Coupé Eclipse’ became the 1st production car with electric retractable roof.
Darl’Mat is better known for the 302 and 402 coupes and roadsters but some 120 Peugeot 203 saloons were transformed by lowering the body and the suspensions as well as upgrading the engine capacity.
The 235 coupe was the last car offered by Delahaye. This example of 1952 is bodied by Henri Chapron.
The new DS was such a success that 80,000 orders were been placed during the 1955 Salon.
One of the most sought-after versions of the DS is the cabriolet, produced between 1960 and 1971. The car you see here is a 1964 DS19 U.S. version.
This Citroën SM was also destined for the US market as it is fitted with specific front end lights.
The Renault Alliance is the US version of the Renault 9. Built in Wisconsin between 1982 and 1987, this 1986 cabriolet version is fitted with an unusual (for USA) manual gearbox.
At the end of the 60s, the Matra team became a strong contender in the chase of the victory at Le Mans. This MS650 finished 4th of the 1969 edition.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Peter,
Your lead photo of the Citroen DS states that “nothing like this had ever been seen before”. And I add “and fortunately, never since then!”
Jerry
The “Ferry” seems to have Panhard wheels. Was it based on a Panhard chassis and engine?
Speaking of Citroens, the last 3 that I saw that were not rusted away were right here in La Jolla. One chap had a DS21 and a ID19. Also on the hill here was a Citroen Maserati; the SM model (and we all know what SM means!) Ya gotta be one to own one. I drove it quite a bit, although painfully. I do believe that the dash clock was worth more than the rest of the car combined.
The only Citroen I see now is in the TV series “The Mentalist”
Citroen was on the cutting edge of car technology that we are just experiencing today. Should we knock the Wright brothers for “building” a flimsy plane that couldn’t fly for more than 90 seconds. Back from a fall vacation in the Dordogne region of France. Saw many Citroens there and no Chevrolets!
The Ferry has a Renault 4CV engine. The chassis seems to have been built by Mr Ferry himself.
I’m not owner of a Citroen but I’d very much like to know what car Mr. Jerry Lehrer drives.
My guess would be a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, with the big bird on the hood to make it go faster. Or a late 70’s Thunderbird or some such insult to the eyes.