Popular Mechanics chooses the DS as one of the 10 cars auto enthusisats should drive.

As 2014 draws to a close, Citroën’s DS has once again received timeless recognition.  In Popular Mechanics’ tribute to the top 10 cars automotive enthusiasts should drive before dying, they recount that shortly after its launch in 1955, French philosopher Roland Barthes wrote that the DS had obviously fallen from the sky.

They go on to mention the advanced aerodynamics and some of the key DS engineering virtues we know so well.  But it’s how they describe driving the DS that really makes us smile:

“Driving the DS for the first time, you will look like an absolute fool. Back when it was launched, just like today, you basically needed to learn driving it from scratch.  The brakes bite at the hint of a touch, the steering is strongly self-centering, and the optional semiautomatic transmission needs to be treated with the utmost care.  In today’s environment, the DS would be utterly demolished by consumer advocates.  But when you master the goddess, she reveals her beauty.”

“The driving experience soothes and is superbly comfortable, and the DS despite its four-cylinder-only engine portfolio is a fast car, with late models topping 115 mph.  For decades, the irreverent DS was a preferred mode of transportation by intellectuals and aesthetes, based on a quality seldom associated with luxury cars: intellectual superiority.”

There you go; confirmation from Popular Mechanics that those of us fortunate enough to own a DS are an elite group who can take pride in our achievement.   (Well, we feel all owners of classic Citroëns actually).   Happy New Year!

By the way, the other 9 cars they chose were:

• Fort Model T
• Duesenberg SJ
• Ferrari 250GT SWB
• Mini Cooper S
• Plymouth Hemi Cuda
• Porsche 911 Carrera RS
• BMW E30 M3
• Lotus Elise
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Read their reasoning here:  https://www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/enthusiasts/drive-these-10-cars-before-you-die/ss-BBgQ4iV#image=1