Tag Archives: DS

Avante Garde Hyper Typage – Devine DS

Leave a Reply

Star of the seriously bizzare at the 2014 French Motorshow was the Devine DS which Citroen offered up as a vision for the future of it’s DS brand.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

As if to emphasise the DS as a stand alone brand the Devine features no Citroën badging.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

While the avant garde design is based on the most important C segment hatchback dimensions, think Citroën C4, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, the Divine DS does not prefigure any specific model that is being planned for production.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The 20 inch front wheels are powered by a 266hp 1.6 litre four cylinder engine sourced from sister company Peugoet’s RCZ R model.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

It is unlikely that the front hinged front and rear hinged rear scissor doors will ever go into production on any model, they were fitted merely to offer viewers a great view of the bold hyper typage interior.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

According to Citroën ‘Hyper-typage’ is a new concept for an interchangeable interior ambience manifested by dashboard and door scrolls that can be changed in just 15 minutes.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The three ambiances envisaged are sober‘Mâle’ alternating alternating carbon fibre textile with glazed, burnished leather, sophisticated and elegant ‘Parisienne Chic’ made in cooperation with fashion embroidery experts Maison Lesage, and finally a darker and even more glamourous ‘Fatale Punk’.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Fashion jeweler Swarovski was responsible for setting crystals into the Divines head lights and door panels.

Divine DS, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Exterior design leader Bertrand Dantec points out that since technology provides a panoramic digital rear view both the interior rear-view mirror and rear window have been dispensed with, though the rear view door mirrors have been retained.

Thanks for joining me on this “Avante Garde Hyper Typage” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

French Presidential Idiosyncrasy – Citroën C6 Lignage HDi Auto

Leave a Reply

Much to Peugeot’s credit since acquiring Citroën in 1974 it has allowed the company to pursue it’s own identity characterised by technological innovation and extreme, some might say idiosyncratic, aerodynamic styling when conservative badge engineering the brand around Peugeot models must have been a tempting option that might have offered some benefits of from the economies of scale.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto Bristol,

In 1999 Citroën took it’s Citroën C6 Lignage concept car featuring rear rear hinged suicide door to the Geneva show as a spoiler for the model it hoped would replace the XM in it’s range by 2000.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Not for the first time production of the new Citroen was delayed and the production C6 did not appear until 2005 now sans the suicide doors, while production of the XM had ceased in 1999.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Originally only two engine options were available either 208hp petrol 3 litre / 183 cui V6 or 201 hp turbo diesel 2.7 litre / 164 cui V6, these were joined by a 168hp twin turbo four cylinder 2.2 litre / 134 cui diesel in 2006 and the 2.7 V6 turbo diesel was replaced by the 237 hp 3 litre / 183 cui V6 turbo diesel in 2009.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

As one would expect of a top of the range Citroën the model rides on hydropneumatic suspension, first seen on the DS, now known as Hydractive 3+ with electronic censors and a computer chip ensuring a ride so steady one would have no problem driving one across a field with a camera mounted on the roof to film a horse race for television.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Other technical innovations carried by the C6 include a head-up instrument display, a lane departure warning system and the directional headlamps are now of the Xenon type.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

French Presidents Jacques Chirac & Nicolas Sarkozy both chose C6’s as their official cars of which 23,384 examples had been built when production of the model ceased on 19th December 2012.

The 2007 example seen in these photographs taken in Bristol is powered by the 201 hp turbo diesel 2.7 litre / 164 cui V6 engine and was first registered in the UK on the 30th July 2007.

Thanks for joining me on this “French Presidential Idiosyncrasy” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a Cambrian adventure. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Exécuter Classique – Chipping Sodbury

Leave a Reply

This weeks French themed blog returns to Chipping Sodbury for a look at some of the cars from our the land of our closest neighbours.

Donnet G2 Torpedo Lux, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Donnet is not a manufacturer I recall coming accross before by 1927 the company was based in Paris and this is a 1927 G2 Torpedo Lux model that on the evidence of the tax discs on display was imported new into the UK.

Renault 4cv, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The occupants of this 1953 750 cc / 41.5 cui “La Motte de beurre” Renault 4cv got right into the spirit of their cars cultural heritage and dressed in stripey Bretton shirts and bore strings of garlic.

Citroën Dyane, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Launched in 1967 to replace the Citroën 2CV which dated back to 1948, the production of nearly one and a half million Citroën Dyanes came to a stop in 1983, while production of the 2CV carried on until 1990. The Dyane 6 seen here was built in 1979.

Citroën CX Gti Turbo, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The Citroën CX was launched in 1974 and the following year it was voted European Car of the Year. This is a range topping Gti Turbo model built in 1985, six years before production of nearly 1.2 million CXs came to a halt.

Citroën 2CV6, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Described by one esteemed journalist as “ruthlessly practical”, for me an ex multiple Citroën 2CV6 owner, they never fail bring a smile to my face when ever I them. Back in the day whenever I was on holiday in France I made a point of spending at least one afternoon in a scrap yard looking for 1960’s 2CV aluminium grills of the type seen on this 1987 example, if I could find enough of them in an afternoon the profit would usually cover my petrol costs for the whole journey.

Citroën DS20, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Voted third in the 1999 Classic & Sports Car ‘Car of the Century’ pole the Citroën DS went into production in 1955 and came to an end 1.5 million units later in 1975.

Thanks for joining me on this “Exécuter Classique” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the British cars on the Chipping Sodbury Classic Run. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share