Citroen DS voted most beautiful car of all time
What’s the most beautiful car of all time? A multi-million pound Ferrari or the curvy Jaguar E-type perhaps? No, it is now officially Citroën's DS.
That was the verdict when Classic & Sports Car magazine polled a jury of the world’s leading car designers to nominate the most gorgeous cars ever. The 20-strong panel ranged from Car designer of the Century Giorgetto Giugiaro – the man behind the Maserati Bora, VW Golf, Fiat Panda and Lotus Esprit – to current Jaguar director of design Ian Callum, and each picked their top three beauties.
Although Ferrari secured the most votes as a marque, they were spread across nine different models, leaving the Citroën to scoop the honours as the single most beautiful classic.
The top 10:
1. Citroën DS
2= Jaguar XK120
2= Ferrari 275GTB
4= Cord 810/812
4= Ferrari 250GT Lusso
4= Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase
4= Jaguar E-type
4= Lamborghini Miura
4= Lotus Elan
4= Lotus Elite (1957)
James Elliott, editor of Classic & Sports Car, said: “The Citroën is a benchmark design, but we were still astonished that it came out on top when you look at the sexiness – and values – of some of its rivals. Apart from the Mini, it’s by far the most affordable car to get any nominations at all, which probably means it’s a great investment!
“Petrolheads everywhere are forever arguing about the most beautiful cars and we hope that this will put an end to the debate once and for all, though we suspect that it might just be lighting a rocket under it. I don’t think anyone has ever asked this many great designers what their views are, so who better to pick the official winner… even if they all missed my favourite, the Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale?”
"It’s great to see the iconic DS getting such recognition amongst such an august group of car designers , and with the amazing news that a new DS range from Citroën will appear over the next few years, it's clear we have lost none of our styling panache or instinct for innovation," commented Citroën spokesperson Marc Raven on hearing the news.
What they said about the Citroën DS:
Giorgetto Giugiaro: “The only example of a car really conceived ‘outside the box’. It is just impossible to imitate.”
Leonardo Fioravanti (former Pininfarina design chief and the man behind Ferrari’s Daytona, Dino and 308GTB): “A real road car that, at its time and perhaps still now, has represented the ‘dream’ in its extreme progress.”
Peter Stevens (British great responsible for the McLaren F1 and second-generation Lotus Esprit): “I have always considered the fact that this car was first drawn in 1955 to be extraordinary.”
Marcello Gandini (Bertone stalwart responsible for Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Countach among many others): “At the time I think it was complete folly, madness from a business and industrial point of view... but it was a really innovative car in 1955. A few people may have thought of all those beautiful ideas, but it was real bravery to implement all of them in one car.”
With its name derived from Déesse (French for Goddess), this innovative design was styled by Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and launched in 1955. The futuristic shape was an instant design classic and over the next 20 years more than 1.5 million cars were sold in a range of specifications. But it wasn’t just the shape that revolutionised automotive design: the complex self-levelling suspension, plus powered steering, clutch and brakes were otherwordly compared to rival cars of the era.
While regarded today as a technical masterpiece – and a potential nightmare for the home mechanic – it was of pioneering construction for its day with unitary ‘tub’, bolt on panels and a plastic roof. But the appeal of the DS is as much as a cultural icon as a car with a long list of celebrity owners and fans (Alec Guinness, Peter Cook and Will Self among them), plus regular appearances on film and in design museums and art galleries.
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Related categories: Citroen Ferrari Jaguar Lamborghini Lotus Luxury cars Sports car Supercars
