It’s hard to over-emphasise the dramatic impact that the launch of the Citroën DS had on the motoring world when it was first unveiled in Paris in 1955. Take yourself back to that time and consider what Britain’s car makers were building in downtown Dagenham, Longbridge and Cowley. Ford was busy producing its charming but utterly conventional Mk1 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac, while BMC’s saloon offerings included the Austin A90 Westminster and Morris Oxford Series II. Then Citroën came along and decided the whole family car market needed a shake-up.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time the world had been amazed by a new Citroën. The revolutionary front-wheel drive Traction Avant had shocked and impressed in equal measure when launched in 1934, while the debut of the Deux Chevaux in 1948 showed that Citroën hadn’t lost its knack when combining innovation and individuality with sheer practicality. Yet even
