A wheel on every corner of a car is so nice. Just ask Reliant Robin riders with a sporty driving style. For a long time, it was not strictly necessary for Citroën to have them all on it to continue driving. That was not just any gimmick, but sometimes even a life saver!
Citroën amazed the world in 1955 with the DS. A car that was not only groundbreaking in terms of design, but certainly also in terms of technology. Which car enthusiast is not familiar with the Citroëns ‘taking off’ when they start? It was one of the many special aspects of the hydropneumatic suspension system. That officially debuted (partly) in the Traction Avant and was reflected in the DS at full power. The self-regulating system uses air and oil in ‘spring balls’ to get the car in the air, and to absorb unevenness as comfortably as possible while driving.
Although it turned out not to be problem-free, for decades it was Citroën’s benchmark for its higher-ranked models. Further developments ensured that teething problems disappeared as much as possible, with the CX it was much less prone to problems than with the DS. In any case, the handling of the Citroëns was unparalleled. Gliding like a ‘flying carpet’ above the asphalt, you must have experienced it once. Modern air suspension systems (to which Citroën has also switched) mimic this, but the original concept remains unparalleled.
A special feature of the system – bear in mind that it came on the market in 1955 – is that it works holistically. Which means; it ensures that the entire car is kept flat as much as possible. In a pothole, one wheel sinks into it, but the opposite wheel stays at a shorter distance from the body, so that the nose or butt of the car remains flat. The speed at which this works ensures that such irregularities are barely noticeable by the occupants. The way the system works brings us to the main topic of this article: driving on three wheels.
With one wheel less
The suspension system works so well around the car that not only a hole is caught, but even a flat tire or the complete lack of a wheel. The corner where things went wrong is spared and kept off the ground as much as possible. According to the system’s designer, Paul Màges, this feature was especially useful with a flat tire and the lack of a spare wheel. Of course, missing a wheel completely goes a step further. Nevertheless, in both cases it is possible to continue driving a Citroën with the hydropneumatic suspension. At the other wheels, the ride height and the pressure in the spheres change to such an extent that the lack of one of the corners is compensated. Of course, continuing to drive with a problem on one of the front wheels is a bit more difficult, since the wheels there also have the steering and driving effect. Anyway; if a tire is flat or even one is running off, the Citroen will not just grind and scrape to a stop. Of course, this not only works on the DS, but also on later models with the hydropneumatic suspension, such as the GS and the BX.
De Gaulle
De Gaulle’s DS
It became very clear a few years after the introduction of the DS that this skill can help in practice. In 1962, a group of madmen felt that French President Charles de Gaulle should be removed from office with the help of a machine gun. On August 22 of that year, fire was opened in Paris on the car in which De Gaulle and his wife were sitting. The car was De Gaulle’s presidential DS. The attackers managed to destroy the rear window and all tires of the DS. Despite the deflating rubbers, the DS ran like crazy and the president and his wife managed to survive the attack. The suspension system had ensured that the car could be kept under control and could still make speed.
De Gaulle later stated that the DS had saved his life. As president, the French later helped ensure that Citroën was not taken over by the Italians (Fiat) and that the company did not go bust. It is said that his love for Citroën grew strongly due to this incident. Incidentally, in the film ‘The Day of the Jackall‘from 1973 imitated the attack on De Gaulle.
The video below demonstrates three-wheel driving with the DS: