DS Platinum Jubilee Celebration in Paris

230 Classic Citroën D models of all types gathered in Paris on October 18 & 19, 2025 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the DS. Citroënvie member from Florida, Philippe Claude Laine, was one of the lucky participants to snag a ticket to the prestigious 2-day event organized by the ParIDS Club. The weather was great for a parade through Paris that happened to pass by the Louvre Museum just one hour after the notorious break-in and theft of France’s crown jewels!

Citroëns on display included; the DS of former French President Charles DeGaulle, the iconic DS on Balloons, and a DS race car.

Here is a video of the festivities:

Philippe sent us these photos of the event:

Philippe was able to meet Henri-Jacques Citroën, grandson of André Citroen, who posed for this photo with him:

Henri-Jacques Citroën gave the following speech to attendees at the event:

^{Ladies and Gentlemen, dear collectors, proud DS owners, dear friends from France and various European countries,}

^{What a pleasure to meet you here to celebrate together the 70th anniversary of the DS!}

^{In 1955, twenty years after the death of my grandfather André Citroën, the car of the future appeared—a car he surely would have loved to create: the “DS,” the mother of all cars.}

^{André Citroën always knew how to surround himself with the right people, and two of his main collaborators, engineer André Lefèbvre and designer Flaminio Bertoni, became the fathers of this exceptional car. They had previously designed the famous Traction Avant, my grandfather’s last creation. As early as 1938, Citroën instructed them to invent a car “faster, more comfortable, and lighter than the Traction Avant,” and they were given complete freedom: “Study everything, even if it seems unreasonable,” was a frequently repeated exhortation.}

^{My recent LinkedIn post about our weekend celebrations received a very insightful comment from one of my contacts: “The divine DS emerged from the meeting between inspired creators and the soul of a country.”}

^{“I think cars today are almost the equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals,” said writer Roland Barthes in 1957, “in other words, the supreme creation of an era, conceived passionately by anonymous artists and consumed as images, if not in actual usage, by an entire population who appropriate them as purely magical objects.” He added: “It is obvious that the new Citroën (the DS) fell from the sky, since at first glance it appears as a superlative object”; and he concluded: “The Goddess (sic) is first and above all a new Nautilus.”}

^{The Citroën mystique is reflected in the myth of the DS, the car of the 20th century, an object of so much admiration, curiosity, desire, and dream. A French creation, it was a symbol of success: technological success for Citroën, always at the forefront, but also social success for those who owned and drove it. It starred in politics by becoming the official car of the French Republic. It was also an actress, featuring in numerous well-known films.}

^{An extraterrestrial car for all terrains, unique, revolutionary, voluptuous—it surprised and still surprises. So many singularities in one vehicle: the elevated position of the rear indicators, the airy shape of the steering wheel, the soft seats, the flat and carpeted floor, the swiveling headlights, the hydraulic clutch, steering, brakes, and, above all, the suspension, just to name a few! Such a famous suspension that even those abroad who’ve never seen a DS know of it. But the DS also drew attention for its body shapes that are from another time. Timeless.}

^{André Citroën gave his teams a permanent goal: to be more than five years ahead of competitors in technical and aesthetic domains to approach the company’s future with confidence. This instruction became a mindset that endured in Citroën’s teams throughout the 20th century. Hence the creation of this marvelous DS and so many other mythical models, making Citroën the most collected brand in the world.}

^{Citroën enthusiasts and collectors are fortunate: in the Citroën universe, there’s always an anniversary to celebrate, bringing us together and moving us. Take 2025 as an example: the centenary of La Croisière Noire, the centenary of the illumination of the Eiffel Tower with the Citroën name, the 110th anniversary of the start of the shell factory, the 20th anniversary of the C6, and the 70th anniversary of the DS.}

^{At the last Rétromobile, the newspaper Le Figaro reported the 70th anniversary of the DS in an article with a telling headline: “From the 1955 Motor Show to Fantômas via de Gaulle: the Citroën DS, symbol of a France that dares.” Well put. Something to ponder…}

And here is a video of the gathering at Parc André Citroën in Paris: https://www.facebook.com/reel/24680815451572749