L'Auto-Journal No. 134: "Here is the Citroën bombshell" — revelation of the future DS

On 15 September 1955, L'Auto-Journal unveiled the new Citroën (future DS) as a world exclusive, with a technical cutaway detailing hydropneumatic suspension, disc brakes and power steering.

1 / 2

Presentation and original captions

On 1 June 1952, L'Auto Journal was 3 years old. In its issue 55 of 1 June 1952, it headlined: NEW CITROËN 10 CV. The drawings presented are still quite far from the vehicle that would be released a few years later. ___________________________________________________________________________ On 15 September 1955, one month before its presentation at the Paris Motor Show, in its issue 134, L'Auto Journal, which is now 6 years old, headlined: HERE IS THE CITROËN BOMBSHELL. The journalists at L'Auto Journal, despite the secrecy surrounding the Citroën design office, are well informed; the drawings are very close to reality. A lawsuit between Citroën and L'Auto Journal would follow.

Understanding this document

In this document

The front page: "Here is the Citroën bombshell"

Issue 134 of L'Auto-Journal, dated 15 September 1955, announces the new Citroën presented at the Motor Show as an exclusive: "WORLD EXCLUSIVE FROM 'L'A.-J.'" p. 3. The article describes a car with a "flattened exterior appearance", with a "large glazed surface", "sloping front", "highly curved" windscreen and doors "opening from back to front" p. 3.

The newspaper specifies that around forty units have already been built and "stored in a tightly guarded room", with a production target of "1,200 cars per month" at the beginning of the following year p. 3. Two versions are announced: a model with a four-cylinder engine "developing 65 HP" and a faster version, with "75 HP" and "speed 145 km/h" p. 3. A selling price "close to 900,000 francs" is mentioned p. 4.

The technical page: "Everything about the new Citroën"

Page 4 offers a cutaway numbered from 1 to 25, signed by R. Bellu, detailing the car's components. Among the elements cited:

No.	Element	Detail	Page
4	4-speed gearbox	hydraulic control	p. 4
5	Disc brakes	hydraulic pushers, 150 kg thrust	p. 4
8	Steering	rack and pinion, power-assisted control	p. 4
10	Engine	11 D, 4 cylinders	p. 4
20	Rear suspension	hydropneumatic "of the same type as on the 15 CV", with stabilizer bar	p. 4
23	Tyres	Michelin X	p. 4
25	Wheel attachment	by hexagon and central tightening	p. 4

The text also notes a body designed with the help of the Italian coachbuilder Sartone [uncertain transcription of the name] p. 4, a height not exceeding "1.40 m", a ground clearance of "15 cm" p. 4, a "single-spoke" steering wheel p. 4, and proposed colours: "royal blue, apple green, brick" p. 4. The author signs the articles "M.E." and "J.M." p. 3-4.

Context

This edition announces what history will remember as the Citroën DS, presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955 (specifically on 6 October). The hydropneumatic suspension described here, the plans for which were drawn by Paul Magès as early as 17 February 1944 (Hydropneumatic suspension plans with differential interaction (17 February 1944)) and tested during the trial of the 15-Six H in April 1954, would become one of the most famous technical symbols of 20th-century French motoring. The newspaper even mentions, without naming it, this device compared to that of the "15 CV" p. 4.

The context of artisanal manufacturing mentioned (around forty units, guarded room) corresponds to the period of confidential gestation preceding the launch, as Citroën had maintained strict secrecy over this model for several years of development — a period during which Magès, who joined the design office in 1939-1940, conducted his tests from the 2 CV (May-July 1946, Notebook of the first 2 CV hydropneumatic suspension tests (May-July 1946)) to the DS.

Archivist's perspective

This document never mentions Paul Magès by name, but it documents, from the eve of the 1955 Motor Show, the public dissemination of the innovations he championed: hydropneumatic suspension, hydraulically operated disc brakes, power steering p. 4. It thus constitutes a valuable witness to the moment when these techniques, long kept secret, left the workshop to enter public and commercial debate.

It is likely that this "leak" organised by L'Auto-Journal, a media coup claimed as a "world exclusive" p. 3, was closely followed by Citroën's technical teams, including that of Magès — then deputy head of Super-Control at the design office (Draft letter from Paul Magès to Mr. Sarre and interview plan of 11 May 1969). One can compare this archive with the earlier announcement of a new 10 CV Citroën in 1952, which shows the continuity of the newspaper's coverage of the brand's developments during this pivotal decade.