France-Soir, 9 May 1975: the end of the DS and the suspension of the Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

In this document

Michel Le Paire's article on the DS

Dated Friday 9 May 1975, the France-Soir article looks back at the end of DS production, of which the "1,415,719th and final unit rolled off the Javel lines a few days ago" p. 186. It recalls that the DS had been unveiled on 6 October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show, triggering a "rush of orders" p. 186.

The article locates the origin of the project: "work on the hydropneumatic suspension had begun in 1945", inspired by an earlier invention by the engineer Georges Messier, an "oleopneumatic suspension and ride height corrector, variable flexibility and constant operating frequency" which had fallen into the public domain after its inventor's death in 1939 p. 186.

According to the text, André Lefebvre then entrusted this file to a man "more specifically in charge of this task": Paul Magès p. 186. The project, named "V.G.D." (Voiture Grande Diffusion / Mass-Market Car) from 1947 onwards, progressed: as early as 1948, "special 11 CV Tractions were running with hydropneumatic suspension, a hydraulically controlled gearbox, brakes and power steering" p. 186. The first prototype was tested by Lefebvre in 1951, and Citroën launched the oleopneumatic "15 Six" in 1953 as a "trial balloon" before the 1955 DS p. 186.

The article finally mentions the "teething troubles" of the DS and their lasting commercial consequences for Citroën p. 186.

The technical dossier on the Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9

Signed by Jean Bernardet, this second article compares the oleopneumatic suspension of the new Mercedes to that of Citroën, which "has had this type of suspension for... 22 years!" p. 188. It details the high-pressure circuit (70 to 130 bars), the radial pump and the hydraulic element replacing the shock absorber p. 188, and points out that Mercedes, unlike Citroën, multiplies independent pressure sources for steering, braking and suspension, whereas "at Citroën, they thought of a single central unit for pressurized oil" p. 188.

A complete technical data sheet (engine, weight, speed) and a diagram of the rear suspension accompany the article p. 188.

Context

Historically, the Citroën DS, presented in 1955, remains famous for its hydropneumatic suspension and its aerodynamics designed by Flaminio Bertoni — elements that the article also mentions. The Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9, released in 1975, is indeed known for having adopted a hydropneumatic suspension inspired by the Citroën principle, nearly twenty years after the DS — which is confirmed by the comparison made by the article itself.

Archivist's perspective

This press clipping clearly illustrates the place of Paul Magès in the collective memory of the time: as early as 1975, the mainstream press explicitly associated his name with the origins of the hydropneumatic suspension p. 186, confirming research documented as early as the BBC Conferences of 1960 where Magès presented his work himself.

The second article, dedicated to the Mercedes, offers a valuable external perspective: it validates, twenty years after the first internal studies (see the Note of 11 September 1959), the relevance of the technical choice made by Magès, by showing that a prestigious competitor ended up adopting a similar principle — while judging the Citroën approach more coherent in terms of integration p. 188.