1971 Citroën DS - Jay Leno's Garage

This car remains as innovative today as it was when it first hit the road in 1955. Jay changes its tire without a jack - and shares Citroën's truly weird advertisements.

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1971 Citroën DS - Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno's Garage

[jemma_]

Four years ago I watched this video and commented that I could never afford the car of my dreams Today I am watching this video as the proud owner of a 1972 DS special !! Took thirty years but amazingly the dream came true !!

[fireblade]

my grandpa was born in 1940 in lisbon, portugal. When he was a teenager, he would pass through a citroen dealership everyday on his way to art school. It was his favourite car. Later he became a successful architect, and he bought a fuel injected DS23, only 7 were ever sold in portugal, one of them to the dictator. He passed away last summer with lung cancer. Been smoking since he was 13. The car is still in our garage.

[theodorekazadzis]

As a 75 year old man that was one of my dream car that I wished I had and drooled over on my teen years.
Finally 60 years later my dream has come trough. Located one in Greece in pretty good shape and well kept plus it has AC and a 5 speed transmission. Happy to say that in the next 4 months will find another home in the good old USA.
I guess Jay’s video was the catalyst!
TK, Atlanta GA

[kimpalmer]

My dad owned two Citroens, both with the same body style as Jay's: They were a 1961 ID-19 and later, a 1969 DS-21. Dad put more than 100, 000 miles on each of them. They were wonderful cars in which to ride, as well as to drive.
Dad had heard from his Citroen mechanic that even with a sudden front tire blow-out, these cars were so stable it was possible to take both hands off the steering wheel and not lose control. So, I remember once we were driving 75 mph on Interstate 5 in the Central Valley of California when Dad said, "Uh oh . . . I think we just blew a tire. I can't tell which one it is, I'm going to try it. (We were still going 70 mph). Dad took both his hands off the steering wheel, and began to brake, but the car continued its straight, rock-steady trajectory with no hint of wandering out of our lane. When we had finally pulled over and come safely to a stop at the side of the road, Dad got out of the car and found the right front tire had blown. Amazing engineering . . . not to lose control even with a blown front tire at 75 mph!
Not surprisingly, both Citroens often turned heads . . . especially when we came to a stop sign: After about a second or two, the rear end would begin to return to its normal position, and the front end would raise back to its normal position.
Because both of the Citroens were front-wheel drive, both the front and back seat floors were absolutely flat: a great convenience for carrying things on the floor. They were both exceedingly comfortable-riding cars, not only around Los Angeles, CA, but especially for our annual cross-country trips from L. A. back to the Midwest. However, because of the difficulty of parts (especially in the mountain states and Midwest) Dad did always carry a spare hydraulic pump (for the suspension/brake/steering system), should we have car trouble. We never did, though. I wish I still had Dad's DS-21. . . it was a car that was truly ahead of its time.

[hoodoo]

When Jay speaks he sounds like he is not trying to convince you of anything or impress you with his knowledge, he is just wanting to share with a friend.

I am 50yrs old now, and that was one of my dream cars as a kid growing up in Lagos, Nigeria ❤.

[jamesh.hayward]

As the original owner of a 1972 DS 21 Pallas, I was delighted to see your excellent video. There are a couple of features that were not mentioned that I feel are worth sharing. As the car was self leveling, the pressure in each suspension sphere was proportional to the weight over the associated wheel. When the brake bulb was depressed, it controlled the release of the pressure in each of the suspension spheres to the associated brake. Thus the braking force applied to each wheel was proportional to the weight over it. When the car was heavily loaded with passengers and luggage, the braking force increased to prevent nose diving.

[edouardsowa]

I had two of them in the seventies, and I can say that I never had more comfortable cars to drive since.And so reliable on the road, fantastic braking and steering. My best feelings in driving.

[leokimvideo]

A car so ahead of it's time it's unbelievable. Yes it's the most comfortable car ever built I have been in one it's like a lounge chair on wheels.

[hetgenie]

I love how Jay talks respectfully about the DS. He gives Citroen the credit it deserves.

[scot-combs]

When we lived in Europe, my Dad went to Paris to buy a DS Safari. He kept saying the Citroen was ahead of its time. He loved driving it. Thanks for doing this. You've illuminated a bit of my childhood!

[Nickabooticus]

"Take a look at this ad."
*Youtube ad about chips comes on.*
Wow what an innovative car.

[thebeautifulones]

The future was so much better back in the 60s

[northernzeus]

I live in a little tiny town in northern Wisconsin. There is one here. The elderly man who owns it was shocked when I knew vaguely what it was last summer.
He was out for the day. Coming out of the post office. True story. I love it so much and told him I would buy it whenever he was ready.

[fenrislegacy]

I didn't know I needed a Citroën DS until I watched this video.

[janwittebrood]

Hi, I'm from Europe, Belgium, Holland and France. I've driven this car in Europe, it was so well adapted to the French roads and the "Péage" Motorways. You didn't feel the bumps of the old rfrench country roads, you weren't driving you were floating, and on the motorway it was just "flying". It takes a while in the morning to build up hydraulic pressure, no problem, you needed a cup of coffee anyway, cause it was so comfortable. Without the hydraulic pressure the DS just doesn't allow you to drive away. I was brought to boarding-school in this car every monday by a Bank Director, and picked up every Friday at the bank. Amazing how we could have a fantastic conversation in the car, and the "safety feeling" just incredible. I would like to thank you so much for putting the best car ever on the Internet. Normally I don't watch items on YT, but Jay Leno's Garage has got my full attention now. Later on whe had the DX a modern dark blue son of the DS, with the hydraulic system, it was floating on the roads like a battle ship, one single wiper, which was a hype then, de-icing in one minute. Ater boarding school I got so tired that, and felt so safe, I was like sleeping in my living room, so silent and comfortable. I heard of Jay from the shows, but never followed or watched it, now I discovered his Garage, Imust admit I respect the incredible knowledge, history, tutorship and mechanical insight of Jay. Keep it running Jay! Kind Regards from Spain (Mallorca). You got a good fan here!

[volkerjanssen]

About 35 years ago, hitch hiking back from Munich to Hamburg, Germany, on the German Autobahn, I had the unique opportunity to ride along in a Citroen DS. It was the most impressive journey I've ever made to this day. You don't ride, you fly. The seats are so comfortable it's beyond description and the car is very well insulated against noise. Even by today's standards, I would choose a DS over many other contemporary cars - anytime. And then there is the Opel Commodore A GS/E Coupe, but that's another story...

[YourMajesticKyng]

Jay Lenos garage is one of the few channels where one can actually learn about the vehicle pretty thoroughly.

[geektoro]

Being born European but raised in the U.S., it wasn't unusual for our parents to send us back to the old country for the summer. In '82 my dear old dad bought us a Citroen CX . During a drive we popped a tire doing 150+kph(roughly 90mph) on the highway. We had no clue until we stopped for fuel and notice the tire had a small tear. The Citroen's suspension was so good the car was balanced on 3 wheels with no lose of control.

[glennbruner]

My friend in high school, Mike Curtis, drove Citroen’s. His dad operated a repair shop for Citroen’s. Mike drove a Citroen to a Van Halen concert at the Cow Palace and was looking for a parking spot. He found one but some left several cases of empty beer bottles in the parking spot. There were some people nearby watching him park into the spot. He used the hydraulic suspension to raise the car and pull in over the bottles. Then he lowered the suspension and had the wheels off the ground until the bottles broke. He got quite the laughter from that. Mike was always a crazy individual and I still remember this story of his to this day! Seeing this video reminded me about Mike and the various Citroen’s he would drive.