Citroen DS special - picture gallery

As French as the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame or Centre Pompidou, 42-year-old DS is still à la mode on streets of Paris

Hydraulic set-up used oil and nitrogen-filled ‘spheres’ to support car’s weight and take care of damping, giving a supremely refined ride

It looks dated now, but at time Citroen sold single-spoke wheel as a safety feature, claiming there was less chance of driver being hurt in a crash

This was used to select ride height settings for the hydropneumatic suspension

Our man Batchelor takes in sights such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre on his tour of Paris behind the wheel of an automotive icon 

Driving the DS is one long photo opportunity, proving there’s no let-up in the Parisians’ love affair with the car

DS’s powerful disc braking set-up was a first for a mass-produced car

“When DS was unveiled 1955, it must have turned heads next to conventional, boxy British family cars”

Rocketship-like indicators were mounted up high for added visibility 

Driving experience Hydropneumatic set-up lets DS float up and down, and as our man experiences for himself, it results in fantastic comfort over even the worst road surfaces

Our man Carson gets a close look under the bonnet. At launch, DS featured a 1.9-litre petrol engine, but more power was added on later cars

Holds hydraulic fluid that allows power operation of suspension, steering, brakes