Citroën DS: When France Built a Spaceship Disguised as a Car

The Design Vault

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the extraordinary story of the Citroën DS, arguably the most audacious automobile ever created. Born from the devastation of post-WWII France, this revolutionary car emerged from an 18-year development odyssey that challenged every automotive convention. With insights from retired Apple and Motorola design leader Tim Parsey, who owned multiple DS models, this episode reveals how a dream team of engineers and designers created a vehicle so advanced it seemed to come from the future. From its magical hydropneumatic suspension to its aerodynamic sculpture-on-wheels aesthetic, the DS completely reimagined what a car could be.

Original Air Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Length: 38:31

Hosts: Albert Shum, Thamer Abanami

Guest: Tim Parsey (Former Apple, Motorola, Mattel Design Leader)

Key Segments & Timestamps The Context: Post-War France’s Design Challenge (00:20 - 03:58)

• Post-WWII devastation creating space for radical innovation
• Rough roads, high fuel taxes, and the culture of efficiency
• Charles de Gaulle’s “grandeur” vision driving technological ambition
• How constraints became catalysts for breakthrough thinking

The Automotive Landscape: A World Ripe for Disruption (03:58 - 06:10)

• American excess era: 42-inch tail fins and chrome measured by weight
• Germany’s people’s car philosophy with the Beetle
• Britain maintaining pre-war conservatism
• France’s strategy to leapfrog rather than catch up

Citroën’s Culture of Radical Innovation (06:10 - 08:45)

• André Citroën’s front-wheel-drive gamble with the Traction Avant
• The critical 1934 bankruptcy and Michelin’s revolutionary takeover
• Pierre Boulanger’s radical decision: “Keep engineers, fire accountants”
• The 2CV’s parallel development funding DS ambitions

The Dream Team (08:45 - 11:50)

• André Lefebvre: Aeronautical engineer with a backlog of innovations
• Paul Magès: Self-taught genius behind hydropneumatic suspension
• Flaminio Bertoni: Italian sculptor turned automotive stylist
• Why letting creative minds loose is “highly risky but necessary”

The 18-Year Development Odyssey (11:50 - 16:21)

• Simple question: Why improve roads when you can improve cars?
• Secret development during WWII
• The hydropneumatic breakthrough: Gas compresses, liquid transmits
• Systems integration: One technology powering suspension, brakes, steering
• 40% of build cost invested in hydraulic complexity

The Theatrical Launch: Paris 1955 (17:16 - 20:03)

• Grand Palais transformed into theater
• The silk sheet drops, crowds gasp
• 12,000 pre orders—a record until Tesla Model 3
• The strategic 500-customer beta program with dedicated engineers

Living with Revolutionary Complexity (20:03 - 23:05)

• The infamous “mushroom brake” and its quirks
• Tim’s near-death experience
• “Marking territory with hydraulic fluid”
• Why the experience had to be driven to be understood

The Meditative Magic: What Made DS Special (23:05 - 27:03)

• “Like gliding around… a meditative experience”
• Magic carpet ride over speed bumps
• Why no other manufacturers copied the formula
• Engineering complexity as competitive moat

Evolution and Variants (27:03 - 28:55)

• From “frog eyes” to swiveling directional headlights (1967)
• Power progression: DS 19, DS 21, DS 23
• Safari wagons, Pallas luxury, SM with Maserati power
• “Frogs have personality. Fairings don’t.”

Design Philosophy: Engineering as Art (28:55 - 32:39)

• Perfect tension between engineering and sculptural beauty
• Authentic aerodynamics vs. American “rocket ship” styling
• Three-dimensional airflow management with under-car panels
• Flush door handles decades before Tesla

Interior as Living Room (32:39 - 35:20)

• Four interior lights creating ambient atmosphere
• Bench seats and column-mounted gear shifter maximizing space
• Single-spoke steering wheel for unobstructed view
• Dashboard-mounted mirror at natural eye level

Personal Connection: Tim’s First DS Story (35:20 - 38:27)

• £30 for two broken cars to make one working DS
• Brilliant engineering: body panels removable with single bolts
• Digging holes in frozen ground to replace hydraulic lines
• The devotion that revolutionary design inspires

Legacy and Lessons for Modern Innovators (38:27 - 38:31)

• Showing possibilities people never imagined
• The courage to exist “outside of time”
• Why serving people sometimes means ignoring market research
• Dream teams without financial constraints

Connect With The Design Vault

The Design Vault explores iconic products from the innovation-rich 1970s-early 2000s, extracting strategic insights for today’s designers, engineers, and business leaders. Each episode combines nostalgic storytelling with actionable lessons for modern product development.

Subscribe: Available on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple, and more
Follow us: Instagram: @thedesignvaultpodcast, LinkedIn: Thamer Abanami, Albert Shum

We’d love to hear your thoughts, episode ideas and feedback via the links above.

Credits

Hosts: Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami
Guest: Tim Parsey
Editor: Rachel James
Intro Music: Red Lips Media LLC
Brand Design: Rafael Poloni​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​