Citroen CX

Saturday 26 September 2009
The CX was initially a huge sales success in Europe, producing a little over 132,000 units in 1978. It accrued new customers beyond the loyal Citroën DS customer base and brought the technology of the advanced, but somewhat impractical Citroën SM to the masses. Unlike its principal competitors, the CX did not have worldwide distribution — the cost of development and improvements had to be met from a geographically small sales base. Contemporary reports indicated that the cost of setting up a new production facility for the CX on the northern edge of the Paris conurbation, at Aulnay-sous-Bois, played a central part in undermining the company's finances to the point where it was obliged to surrender its independence to the more financially cautious Peugeot company. The CX's flowing lines and sharp Kamm tail were designed by auto stylist Robert Opron, drawing upon its precursor DS. Mechanically, the car was one of the most modern of its time, combining Citroën's unique hydro-pneumatic integral self-leveling suspension, speed-adjustable DIRAVI power steering (first introduced on the Citroen SM), and a unique interior design that did away with steering column stalks, allowing the driver to reach all controls with his or her hands on the steering wheel. The British magazine "Car" described the sensation of driving a CX as hovering over road irregularities, much like a ship traversing above the ocean floor. This suspension was used under licence by the Rolls-Royce Camargue and the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 and Mercedes-Benz W124 since it was considered the best ever made.


Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 2500 cc
- horsepower: 95 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 185 km/h