Citroën Bulletin No. 524 (15 February 1956): the DS 19 triumphs at the Monte-Carlo Rally

In this document

The XXVI Monte-Carlo Rally

The bulletin announces that the new DS 19, "barely off the production line", participated in the Monte-Carlo Rally p. 173. Six DS 19s were entered in the 1,300-2,000 cc category, distributed across the Lisbon and Paris routes, with details of the crews and cars (No. 115, 98, 61, 48, 53, 68) and departure cities (Lisbon, Paris, Glasgow, Munich, Rome, Athens, Stockholm) p. 173.

Five of the six DS qualified for the mountain circuit reserved for the 90 best cars, over 240 km including the Castillon, Saint-Jean, Turini, Braus and Saint-Roch passes p. 173. The Courtès–Court-Payen crew (car No. 115) finished first among French cars in the general classification and won their category p. 173.

The DS at the Brussels Motor Show

The Brussels Motor Show (14-25 January) "confirmed the triumph of the DS 19 in Belgium"; nearly 2,000 people test-drove the car, and a "major automotive weekly" is cited, mentioning owners of American cars who were convinced after just a few kilometres p. 174.

Other sections

The bulletin also reports on the Wiesbaden Rally (14-15 October 1955), where the Jaillette-Schenk crew in a 2 CV 425 cc lost first place in their category due to 10 seconds of miscalculated lead, synonymous with 30 penalty points p. 174-175. This is followed by an ideas competition for Parisian traffic won by the architect Mr. Marouzeau p. 174, a humorous text taken from L'Équipe of 10 January p. 175, the announcement of the annual Mutuelle ball on 14 April p. 175, a detailed table of social workers by sector p. 175-176, advice from the Social Service, a note from the Fishermen's Association, staff classified ads and the obituary section "Our losses" p. 176.

Context

The DS 19, presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955, had caused an aesthetic and technical shock, thanks in particular to its hydropneumatic suspension, developed by Paul Magès. Its participation from January 1956 in the Monte-Carlo Rally, a demanding endurance race on winter roads, constituted for Citroën a full-scale showcase of the road-holding and comfort qualities promised by this still brand-new technology.

This type of bimonthly bulletin, distributed internally to workers and employees of Citroën factories, traditionally mixed the brand's sports news, the company's social life and staff classified ads — a reflection of the paternalistic corporate culture of the time.

Archivist's perspective

This issue of the Citroën Bulletin does not emanate directly from Paul Magès' design office, but it documents, seen from inside the company, the immediate reception of the DS 19 — a car whose suspension is his major work — only a few months after its launch p. 173-174.

It allows us to measure, through sports results and the reception by the Brussels public, the concrete impact of an innovation whose technical origins are preserved in Magès' technical archives, such as the plans for hydropneumatic suspension with differential interaction dating from 1944. It seems that this document primarily has the value of social and media testimony, complementary to the technical files themselves.