As successor to the famous DS, a heavy task rested on the beautiful shoulders of the Citroën CX. Fortunately, the Frenchman did well and was renewed twice in his career. Time for a comparison!
After almost twenty years, the CX took over from the prestigious DS in 1974. Designer Robert Opron was thrown into his lap with the heavy task of drawing the successor and came up with this aerodynamic design. It is not without reason that the CX derives its name from the official French name for the drag coefficient. In terms of design, the CX elaborates on the previously presented GS. With its 4.63 meter long carriage, the CX extends a lot more. Furthermore, a CX is of course immediately recognizable by its flat and smooth body where the rear wheel is half hidden behind the body. Other design elements with which the CX made the history books are the extremely long wheelbase (for that time), the hollow-shaped rear window and the futuristic interior with the ‘glass eyes’ and the typical control satellites on either side of the instrumentation.
When the CX was introduced in 1974, Citroën introduced a four-door Saloon, followed by the more spacious Break a year later. Both versions had to be able to sing it out until 1985, because only then Citroën came with a real facelift. Over time, the developers made some adjustments here and where, such as an extra set of (yellow) fog lamps and other materials, but the real rigorous round of renewal took place in the mid-1980s.
A big step was made with the second model series. For example, the stainless steel front and rear bumpers were overhauled and Citroën introduced plastic bumpers for the CX. In addition, the separate grille was also said goodbye and from now on it merged with the hood. The lamps were somewhat polished and especially the separate light strip for the indicators, among other things, got a modern, clear look. In the revised CX, the (yellow) fog lights get a permanent place in the bumper, instead of loose on the bumper. As with the bumpers, the stainless steel at the side mirrors disappeared and the CX got plastic mirror caps in the body color. Furthermore, the second series CX is slightly stiffer due to a different suspension. Inside, they say goodbye to the typical meters and round clocks make their entry into the still futuristic-looking instrument panel. In addition to revised engines, a lot of attention was also paid to the rust sensitivity of the CX: it was now better organized.
The history of the CX is so rich that it is almost impossible to describe in a short story like this. Dozens of different (extreme) versions passed in review during the 18 years that the model has been around. Take the different diesels, the CX Prestige, the CX Athena and various GTI versions. Do not forget the special purposes for which the Frenchman was deployed, such as with the French ambulance service. In 1989 Citroën ceased production of the sedan, two years later the Break fell. The XM was now the new flagship.