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Car Culture

Countries and their cars: France

France has a long history producing cars, it has given us BugattiBugattiFrance, 1909 > present41 models
976 photos
7 videos
, PeugeotPeugeotFrance, 1882 > present120 models
3839 photos
7 videos
’s 205 GTiPeugeot 205 GTiFrance, 1986 > present2 photos
, AlpineAlpineFrance, 1955 > 199414 models
219 photos
’s A310Alpine A310France, 1971 > 19847 versions
22 photos
and the Citroën DSCitroën DSFrance, 1955 > 197630 versions
215 photos
. It is the last of these that I am going to nominate as the car that epitomizes France.

It would have been easy to plump for the 205, because it is iconic and lots of fun. In the hands of Juha Kankunen and the other group B warriors it was spectacular and it is a collector’s item that can also be used as a daily driver. So why didn’t I pick it?

When I think of French cars I think of style, class and an ability to do things ever so slightly differently. Citroën is the brand that does this better than any other, look at the C6Citroën C6France, 2005 > present10 versions
32 photos
today…it is stylish, luxurious and is as comfortable transporting the president of France as it is a family of four.

The fact that the company has reinvented the DS badge is testament to the esteem that the badge holds in the eyes of car aficionados and seekers of luxury alike.

When we think about luxury cars today it is the German model that is forefront in our minds – rear wheel drive, powerful engines, sporty dynamics and impeccable build quality prevail. But true to the French mentality the DS eschews this list of qualities in favour of comfort and Gallic style.

The DS has even been popularized in culture. Many people will have seen the US drama ‘The Mentalist’, I certainly have. And the hero, a psychic working with the police, drives a Citroën DS. It suits his sense of style and his eccentric nature to a ‘T’, all the while giving the impression of a man who knows what he is talking about, and cares about quality above all.

I remember driving through Lisbon a few years ago and seeing a black Citroën C6 with cream leather and thinking how luxurious, interesting and even exclusive it looked. Maybe it was the ambassador’s car? I cannot think of another manufacturer with the same type of lineage (without resorting to an up market sub-brand), ToyotaToyotaJapan, 1937 > present155 models
4570 photos
10 videos
? No. FordFordUnited Kingdom, 1909 > present33 models
3718 photos
5 videos
? No. FiatFiatItaly, 1899 > present159 models
4864 photos
35 videos
? No. Maybe RoverRoverUnited Kingdom, 1904 > 200523 models
24 photos
, but they don’t exist anymore do they?

Anyway, that C6 made me want a Citroën, and the C6 isn’t even half the car a DS was in its time.

Anyway, the original Citroën DS was produced from 1955 to 1975 and succeeded the most Gallic of sounding cars: the Traction AvantCitroën Traction AvantFrance, 1934 > 195723 versions
43 photos
. Perhaps the most famous feature of the DS was the self leveling suspension, something that needs some looking after today, but in its time was a revelation. The ride was compared to that of a ‘magic carpet’. The DS went a long way to convincing the world that Citroën was an innovator.

The DS may have had directional headlights and fancy hydraulic suspension, but it was not quite up there on the engine front. Citroën chose to base the flat six engine on the two cylinder 2CV unit and it was a constant battle to keep the car’s power plant up to date.

However, it wouldn’t be French if there wasn’t a little bit of a compromise involved, would it? And that is why the Citroën DS is the car that epitomizes France the best. Let’s hope Citroën produce something like it again.

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