Journal: A Fitting Tribute To The Citroën DS

A Fitting Tribute To The Citroën DS

By Michael Banovsky
November 12, 2015

Concept, design and art direction by Counterpoint. Studio and location photography by Oli Tennent.

How does one do justice to a vehicle that defined the careers of so many who worked on it, and won accolades the world over for its revolutionary style and performance? The Citroën DS was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement brought to market by the team who worked on the 2CV, and other groundbreaking vehicles. It’s pretty special.

UK studio Counterpoint knew this, and so when it decided to produce a book to honor the car, no detail could be overlooked. That’s how best to describe the captivating Deity: A Goddess Amongst Us. Over two years was spent getting everything right, from capturing often overlooked details to matching the book’s ink to the car featured within. Oli Tennant provided photography, and automotive writer Jon Pressnell provided words for Deity.

The result is a piece that should help to honor the DS, while being a fresh and contemporary approach to how it’s all put together. If you want a copy, send a note to hello@wearecounterpoint.co.uk; price is £25 plus postage. 

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Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
8 years ago

Ahem . When errr .. promoting or reviewing a new book might i suggest that a few ‘ facts & figures ‘ and other pertinent information such as number of pages , photographs etc be included in the write up in order to facilitate the decision process ?

Greg Mack
Greg Mack
8 years ago

I always chuckle imagining my Dad deciding to buy a new DS21Pallas as our “family car” and his daily driver back in ’71. He ran an auto parts store in a small city in the Midwest and his boredom with the Detroit iron for which he most often supplied parts compelled him to find more interesting rides. First, a series of Alfas and then, because the family was growing, or so he explained to my ever practical Mother, the DS. He loved sharing the engineering and execution of the all the details with his gear head buddies and reveled in its highway cruiser sophistication. It was literally unstoppable in bad weather including the deepest snowfalls. But most all, he absolutely delighted in telling tall tales: Fellow gas station customer, “what’s she got under the hood?” “well, if you were wondering about that faint charcoal odor, it’s because of the revolutionary wooden engine, etc.” or “what’s this thing ride on, rubber bands?” “as a matter of fact, yes. the French are known the world over for the finest bubbly and high performance rubber bands” and so on. I’ve wondered how many folks that were told those stories retold them to friends and family members… Everything about the DS created a unique experience, from the hydro-pneumatic suspension, brakes and semi-auto shifter, absurdly comfortable seats and padded floors, to the very practical deep trunk, easily removable wings and slightly boring but run-forever, easy to service drivetrain. Truly a memorable automobile in so many ways.

Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
8 years ago
Reply to  Greg Mack

My dad came within a hairs breadth of buying a DS back in the day . Seriously … I was with him and my mom the two times they test drove it as well as came to an agreement and then a couple days later went with him to the dealership [ 5 miles from our town ) when he went write the check , sign the contract and take the car home … until the deal suddenly went south [ I was a little too young to comprehend why and my father refused to divulge the details once I was old enough to understand ] I remember crying all the way home that day … and then crying even more three days later when he came home with … yet another Yank Tank

Fact is the eyes still get a little moist thinking about it . Snif ………..

Which is to say Mr Mack … your tale has me envious as all ( bleep ) … snif

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