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50 years old:
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new! Cathedrale Saint-Gatien at Tours
the perpendicular or English style of cathedral the fire at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris Stone tracery in church and
cathedral construction stained glass and cathedrals in Normandy fortified churches, mostly in Les Landes cathedral labyrinths and mazes in France Germans in France on first arriving in France - driving
Transbordeur bridges in France and the world 2: focus on Portugalete, Chicago,
Rochefort-Martrou France’s western isles: Ile de Ré Ile de France, Paris: in the context of Abelard and of French cathedrals Marianne - a French national symbol, with French definitive stamps la Belle Epoque
Pic du Midi - observing stars clearly, A64 Futuroscope the French umbrella & Aurillac 50 years old:
Citroën DS the forest as seen by Francois Mauriac, and today bastide towns what a hair cut! m & french pop/rock
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On the 6th October 1955, a revolutionary-designed car was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show at the Grand Palais. This was the start of a French love-affair with the DS or la déesse [the goddess] [1]. Now, what the French would regard as “the” car of the 20th century is a collector’s piece. Called a spaceship by some, this originally conceived car had aerodynamic lines, a range of new colours that escaped from the drab Ford-initiated black, and introduced innovative engineering that included fully hydraulic steering, brakes, gear change and suspension. It might be said that the Citroën DS revolutionised automotive standards for not just the 1950s, but also decades to come. The DS started with a 1.9 litre engine [the DS19] that came from a previous Citroën model, the Traction Avant - an engine that while adequate was not appropriately powered for this novel car. An upgrade was made with a 2.1 litre engine [the DS21]. Finally, after Citroën had bought Masarati in 1970, the DS received a Maserati V6 engine - 2.7 litres then 3.0 litres. This model could do 140mph and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 8.2 seconds. This was the Citroën SM.
For the fiftieth anniversary of the DS’s début, there is an exhibition at the Cité des sciences et l'industrie, Port de Villette, north-east Paris until 1st November. Meanwhile, 1,600 DS are gathering at St Quentin en Yvelines, near Versailles in preparation for a parade from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, 9th October.
Technical
end notes
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related pages: the Citroën 2CV: Les Bréguières, A8: motor museum
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