VOLTE-FACE
Top Gear|July 2022
Is it possible to swap out the beating heart of a Citroen DS for batteries, and still retain its je ne sais quoi? Mais, oui!
PAUL HORRELL
VOLTE-FACE

Behind me, sitting in the big sofa of a back seat, I have passengers. They’re the ghosts of the DS’s creators, but the apparition doesn’t feel sinister. They are surely delighted, finally satisfied that after all these years this is exactly the DS they would have built were they able.

It’s beyond argument that the DS is one of the most beautiful cars ever. But also for its era the most advanced, both stylistically and technically. During its Paris show appearance, Citroen took 80,000 deposits, a record unbeaten until Tesla’s Model 3. Right from its 1955 debut it had high-pressure hydraulics for the self-levelling suspension, steering and brakes, which had discs mounted inboard to cut unsprung mass. It ran on radial tyres.

The monocoque body had demountable panels and a lightweight glass fibre roof. Later, that shark nose got faired-in headlamps that steer around corners.

But none of that is what we’re here to talk about. Because missing from that list of advances is the propulsion. The DS was meant to have a new flat-six. But Citroen ran out of money, so it inherited the boring pushrod four from the older Traction Avant.

So it makes perfect sense to replace that with the electric drive as Oxfordshire converter Electrogenic has done. You might think other electromods – perhaps evicting a wonderful Jaguar XK engine or a Porsche flat-six – are sacrilege, but surely you can surely get behind a transplant that gets rid of an engine the car’s creators never wanted. Or do you fear an electric drivetrain will subtract from the complex engagement of driving a classic? Carburetted engines cough and splutter; old gearboxes have weak synchro. Negotiating that lot takes skill. Wouldn’t a one-gear electro mod be duller?

Bu hikaye Top Gear dergisinin July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Top Gear dergisinin July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

TOP GEAR DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO
BBC Top Gear UK

HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO

For as long as we can remember the Porsche 911 has been the default best sports car money can buy. Does the new Aston Vantage represent a changing of the guard?

time-read
7 dak  |
November 2024
BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO
BBC Top Gear UK

BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO

In a world exclusive, three makers of the world's most powerful hypercars are cordially invited... to drive each other's creations

time-read
10+ dak  |
November 2024
THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION
BBC Top Gear UK

THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION

Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar's future, or gone mad?

time-read
6 dak  |
November 2024
Koenigsegg Jesko Attack
BBC Top Gear UK

Koenigsegg Jesko Attack

The Jesko Attack drives like a conventional supercar. Brakes like one, turns like one, grips like one. But it doesn't accelerate like one.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 2024
STIC LAPS are back!
BBC Top Gear UK

STIC LAPS are back!

It's a 1.75-mile figure of eight on an old Canadian Air Force base just south of Guildford. Hardly Monza, or the Mulsanne straight, and never in a million years - you'd think a place that would become one of the most sought after performance benchmarks in the motoring world.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 2024
URBAN OUTWITTERS
BBC Top Gear UK

URBAN OUTWITTERS

Does the solution to city motoring lie in designs from the past with powertrains from the future? TopGear goes in search of answers... at rush hour

time-read
8 dak  |
November 2024
FUTURE FERRARIS
BBC Top Gear UK

FUTURE FERRARIS

If you thought Ferrar's past was colourful, wait until you see what it's cooking up next. The future's bright, the future's rosso

time-read
6 dak  |
November 2024
DIRTY DOZEN
BBC Top Gear UK

DIRTY DOZEN

Ferrari's new super GT makes no secrets about what's under the bonnet, but can it swallow five countries in just a few hours? Better get on with it...

time-read
9 dak  |
November 2024
MYTH BUSTER
BBC Top Gear UK

MYTH BUSTER

\"ADAPTIVE DAMPERS ALWAYS NEED TO ADAPT\"

time-read
2 dak  |
November 2024
The S2000 from a parallel universe
BBC Top Gear UK

The S2000 from a parallel universe

Meet Evasive Motorsports’ Honda S2000R, the car the Japanese firm should have built itself

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024