France honors 'Goddess'

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PARIS, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Hundreds of owners of Citroen DS -- AKA the "Goddess" -- drove to Paris during the weekend for the 50th anniversary of the icon of French auto industry.

The celebrations included driving the DS saloon cars, or Deesse (French for Goddess) in procession past the Arc de Triomphe, the BBC reported.

The vehicle with its sleek body styling tapering near the window, designed by Italy's Flaminio Bertoni, was in an instant hit when it first appeared in 1955.

In addition to its futuristic dashboard and the extraordinary single-spoke steering wheel, the technology of the DS also was well ahead of its time, notably its hydro-pneumatic suspension.

It was the car's ability to stay on the road at high speed despite two shot-out tires that saved the life of President Charles de Gaulle in an assassination bid outside Paris in 1962, the report said.