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But what public and DS creators Couldn t known is that one day, incredible technology of the car would be helped save the life of French President Charles De Gaulle.
Join us to explore a very interesting chapter in the history DS, or as I like to call it, DStory See what I did there folks, the kind of quality you are writing will not find here .
Citroën has long history of developing cars that were well ahead of their time in terms of design and the 1934 Traction Avant was the first unibody front wheel drive car in the world, pioneering a configuration that would become the norm in most cars just before the start of World war engineers in Europe, Citroën began working on both cars coming innovative economy car, but basic and luxury cars feature highly advanced loaded.
But Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940 devoured with the engine is, the president Citroën Pierre-Jules Boulanger hated the Nazis, he told his engineers to hide their designs and prototypes cars Germans lest they militarize the .
But Baker knew the war wouldn t last forever and when it did end, France is in poor condition Both cars they developed, which as you can guess became the 2CV and DS should be saving fuel and built to handle extremely rough terrain He also wanted the DS to be the most advanced car in the world, a shining example of what France was capable.
Being defined by the Second World War was something the DS Charles De Gaulle had in common De Gaulle was a World War I hero who unsuccessfully lobbied for France to modernize their armed forces before the outbreak of the war with Nazi Germany De Gaulle also some hated Nazis.
He was fiercely opposed to surrender to the Germans, and when the French finally did surrender, he became the leader of the Free French forces and led the country's government in exile in England after the war, De Gaulle was brief Prime Minister of the provisional government, but ended up coming out of retirement after a political crisis and was elected president in 1958.
In that time, the DS was a huge success, and was the preferred mode of transport for France of the richest and most powerful in addition to its beautiful shape, streamlined DS have a long list of technical features who place well ahead of other cars of that time the car had front-wheel drive and had front disc brakes standard, the unibody construction, a spacious and comfortable interior, and a manual tranny automated slick.
But the crowning of Citroën and the key to our history was the DS hydropneumatic suspension Most of the cars, as now, the springs and shock absorbers used in their suspension systems Not with the DS He had a fully independent suspension with shock absorbers short oil pressure filled shocks and gas on each wheel allowing the car's suspension to adjust its firmness and ride height on automatically load and what type of car road was on this system meant the car would still the level and the driver can adjust the ride height manually.
Put together, these characteristics made for a car with superior handling and comfort Many described driving in a DS riding on a magic carpet.
Fast forward to August 1962 De Gaulle granted independence to Algeria, a country in North Africa that was previously a French colony in the grip of a fierce and bloody war for sovereignty His decision has greatly anger the OAS, a paramilitary group that wanted Algeria to stay french, so much that they decided to murder apparently de Gaulle was the subject of some 30 different assassination attempts the guy had a talent for piss people.
So when De Gaulle was driving with his wife from the Elysee to Orly airport on the avenue de la Libération, 12 gunmen OAS opened fire on the presidential Citroën DS The story goes that there a hail of 140 bullets, most of them coming from behind, killing two bodyguards of President motorcycle, smashed the rear window of the car and punctured all four tires of his other reports I've read says the bullets blew a couple tires instead.
In any case, the DS was too high for technical close by something as simple as gunshots Then he entered a skid at first, the car's suspension kept the level and can be driven, even without the help of de Gaulle driver tires managed to escape the situation, and the president and his wife did to the airport and healthy except this attempted murder was dramatized in the film day Jackal.
The DS role in foiling the attempt on his life made De Gaulle like the car even more, he refused to travel in anything else and in 1969, when Fiat has sought to take a Citroen troubled in 1969, De Gaulle has limited their participation to 15 percent Citroën eventually remain in French hands within the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.
How the Citroën DS rescued a French president's life, Citroën, French president, life.