The president of France from 1958 to 1965, Charles de Gaulle (the same man who liberated France in WWII), was not known for being a petrolhead by any means. However, when presented with the futuristic Citroen DS as his presidential transport, he was taken by its unique looks and quirky gadgetry.
In 1962, de Gaulle faced significant resistance (not because of his choice of car) from the militant OAS (the Organisation Armée Secrète or Secret Armed Organisation). These men were hugely opposed to de Gaulle’s policies and of the Liberation of French Algeria – a policy de Gaulle supported.
Represented in an great film called “Day of The Jackal”, de Gaulle was ambushed by a group of OAS militants on the 22 August 1962. He was on his way to the airport with his wife as they drove through the Parisian suburb, Petit-Clamart and the militants had planned to disable the vehicles and then kill the president.
They were not successful and their leader, Jean Bastien-Thiry, was arrested and sentenced to death – the last to be executed by firing squad in France.
During the ambush, the car’s tyres were shot to bits by machine gun fire, yet the driver managed to speed away with the help of the car’s innovative independent hydraulic suspension (and obviously some skill) to the airport. De Gaulle and his wife would leave the car completely unscathed. Holes from fourteen bullets were found in the car and it was astonishing that it had managed to get away at full speed.
The Citroen became very popular once the news got out that it had practically saved the president’s life and de Gaulle never travelled in another make of car, saying that the unarmoured car’s resilience had allowed him to live another day, speeding away with two tyres blown out by bullets.
Nowadays, the Citroen DS is considered an icon by many enthusiasts (for me, it’s a dream car), winning multiple rallies from 1959 to 1974. The DS also came third in the Car of the Century poll for most influential car designs of all time in 1999. It has also been named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic and Sports Car magazine.
One thing’s for sure: whether it saved a president’s life or not, the DS will forever remain an icon of French automotive excellence.
More Than Paris 
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