Tribute to Paul Magès: the unpublished testimony of the inventor, collected before his death

In this document

The tribute article

The text announces the death of Paul Magès, which occurred "since the 22nd of last September" according to the article p. 1 — the archive establishes that Magès died on 22 September 1999 (Speech by the Mayor of Ramatuelle in tribute to Paul Magès (1999)). It quotes Roger Brioult, from his book on the history of the Citroën design office: "Paul MAGÈS is quite simply the father of all CITROËN hydraulics" p. 1.

The author, Jean-Paul Jasmin, vice-president of the Club IDéale DS Francilienne, recounts that Magès had received the club twice "at the beginning of this year" in his Chaville apartment, promising: "Come back and see me after the holidays, I still have many things to tell you..." p. 1.

The reported words of Paul Magès

The article reproduces a direct testimony from Magès about his career: attracted from a very young age by manual work and mechanics, he joined the "Maison des Automobiles CITROËN" at 17 and spent his entire career there, starting in the "super-control and testing department" p. 1.

He explains the genesis of his invention there: after work on braking devices, he concluded that "high-pressure hydraulics" was the only way to advance the automobile, and that associating "the action of a liquid on a gas" allowed for a flexibility compatible with road holding — giving birth to the hydropneumatic suspension p. 1.

Attached elements

The page includes a photographic portrait of Magès signed and dated "28/2/99" p. 1, as well as two handwritten cards signed Michel Magès (his son), thanking the club for the tribute paid — evoking DS cars lined up "like his children, in a way" in front of which people were standing p. 1.

Context

Paul Magès (1908-1999) is the Citroën engineer behind the hydropneumatic suspension, introduced on the Citroën DS in 1955 and then generalized to other models. Roger Brioult, a former engineer at the Citroën design office, has dedicated works to the technical history of the brand, including Citroën, l'art de l'automobile or writings on the "secrets" of the design office — the club mentions one of these books here without specifying the exact title in the document.

The Chaville apartment mentioned in the testimony was likely a pied-à-terre in the Paris region: after his retirement from Citroën in September 1974, Magès had retired to Ramatuelle (Var), where he was a municipal councillor and then 2nd deputy mayor, and where he died (Ramatuelle Municipal Council (1983): Paul Magès, 2nd Deputy Mayor).

The Club IDéale DS brings together enthusiasts of the Citroën DS; this type of tribute, upon the death of an iconic engineer, illustrates the lasting attachment of collectors to the technical history of the brand at the dawn of the year 2000.

Archivist's perspective

This document is precious because it preserves, probably one of the last times, the very voice of Paul Magès evoking his career — an oral testimony collected barely a few months before his death p. 1. The warm tone of the tribute, mixed with the handwritten letter from his son Michel, gives this page a dimension that is both documentary and intimate.

It seems that this page was designed as a set with the two photographs associated with the tribute, mentioned here via the credit "Photos Pierre Duby" and the scene of the DS cars "forming a guard of honour" p. 1, forming a small, complete commemorative file on the passing of the engineer.