1/16 CITROEN DS 19 CABRIOLET 80796

Management at CITROEN believed that the standard of living of the French and of Europeans was on the rise. The 2 CV had just been successfully launched on the market and a successor had to be found for the 15 and 11 CV. The VGD project (Large Series Car), the first designs of which dated back to 1945, began to take shape. Andre LEFEBVRE who is appointed manager of the project decides the car should be innovative throughout. The body was the art of Flaminio Bertoni and the suspension that of Paul Mages. As for the engine, Paul Bercot updated the design of the old 1911 cc D engine. At the end of 1954, the project is completed. In October 1955, the car made its debut at the 42nd Paris Motor Show. Most surprising about the car were its lines. The design was totally new. France was divided into two groups: those who liked it and those who didn‘t. But the bodywork was not the only novel feature. Hydropneumatic suspension brought unrivaled comfort with four wheel independent suspension. Plastic became an important element in the bodywork, the roof panel and rear window as well as the light alloys for the bonnet making use of plastics. There were also other new features: a single spoke steering wheel, tapered turn signals and doors without window frames. The first convertibles were initially designed by BERTONI and marketed by CHAPRON. The factory convertibles were fitted on ID 19 bases and the cars were proposed with leather interiors. The convertible was put on the market for the first time at the 1961 Motor Show, at a price of FF 22000. As a comparison, a Dauphine at that time was selling for FF 6000.