Translation of a South African article (June 1965) on the Citroën-NSU project and its radar suspension

In this document

An announcement from South Africa

This is a handwritten translation of an article from the magazine Motorist (South African), dated "June 1965" p. 99. The article presents a still-secret Citroën project: a two-engine car, the commercial release of which is not expected "before 1967" p. 100.

The Citroën-NSU project

The text refers to a company formed by Citroën and N.S.U of Germany p. 99, intended to develop a car equipped with two Wankel rotary engines, one driving the front wheels for city driving, the other the rear wheels, engageable for "4-wheel drive for highway and touring" p. 99-100.

The NSU-Wankel engine is described as a compact piece "the size of a saucepan" with only ten parts, including two moving ones: the primary shaft and the rotor p. 100. A 500 cc version would already equip the "NSU Spider" and develop 64 horsepower p. 100. For the Citroën-Wankel project, the text announces a total displacement of 2500 cc, 140 horsepower, a top speed of approximately 193 km/h and fuel consumption estimated at "30 m.p.g.", with a handwritten note from the translator specifying that it would rather be 9.42 l or 7.84 l/100 km depending on the type of gallon p. 101.

Operation and radar suspension

The switch from the front engine alone to the twin-engine mode would be done "by the touch of a switch or a sharp jab of the accelerator" p. 101. The text mentions previous tests of twin-engine vehicles, in the Sahara by Citroën and by B.M.C with the "MOKE" p. 101.

The article also details an evolution of the suspension: a "dial control system" on the dashboard, then, in final extension, a radar-regulated suspension, a device deemed "perfected, but [...] expensive at present" p. 102. A radar at the front would detect bumps and lift each wheel before the obstacle; secret tests reportedly allowed a rear passenger to write while the car crossed 15 cm deep potholes at 112 km/h p. 102.

The text further specifies the envisaged dimensions (less than 4.57 m long, 1.68 m wide, 4 to 6 seats) and a price range of 9646 to 11024 F in France p. 102. A captioned figure p. 103 details the components: front/rear engines, luggage, radar device, disc brakes and air suspension.

Context

This document is situated in the well-known context of the actual cooperation between Citroën and NSU in the mid-1960s around the Wankel rotary engine, which would give birth in 1967 to the Comotor company and, later, to the Citroën M35 model and then the GS Birotor. The hydropneumatic suspension mentioned here extends the principles already applied to the DS 19, presented in 1955. Radar control has, historically, remained at the experimental prototype stage and was never commercialised.

Archivist's perspective

This document offers a curious testimony on how the foreign press, as early as 1965, perceived in anticipation certain works carried out around Paul Magès and the Citroën suspension. It seems that this translation was kept by Magès as a documentary watch on the suspension/engine innovation projects of the time, rather than as a direct trace of his own work.

The handwritten note on consumption units p. 101 and the marginal annotations ("Hors-texte", "V4") suggest an attentive, almost critical, treatment of the source — revealing a practice of technical verification by the translator or the archivist himself.

This document dialogues with other pieces in the same collection devoted to Magès's technical watch, such as the documentation on the Zenith-Stromberg carburettor, testifying to the same concern to follow, translate and annotate the international technical press.