CarBrandLogos archive · Citroën · 1974
Following the DS was impossible, so Citroën built the strangest saloon of the 1970s.
Discover the storyPhoto: Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Citroën CX, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
Replacing the DS was one of the hardest jobs in the industry, and Citroën gave it to Robert Opron, who had facelifted the old car. The CX, launched in 1974, kept the hydropneumatic suspension and the single-spoke wheel and changed almost everything else, most importantly by mounting the engine transversely — the DS had carried its four-cylinder behind the front axle line, which limited both packaging and refinement.
CX six-wheeler · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0
02
The body was a fastback with a concave rear window, shaped so that airflow kept it clean without a wiper, and the name referred to the coefficient of drag. Inside, the PRN satellite pods placed all the switchgear within finger reach of the wheel, and the instruments used rotating drums rather than needles. The DIRAVI power steering was self-centring and speed-sensitive, extremely light at parking speeds and firming up as the car accelerated — disorienting at first and, once learned, better than almost anything else available.
Citroen CX 2200 · KlausNahr · CC BY-SA 2.0
03
It won European Car of the Year for 1975. The estate, built by Heuliez on an extended wheelbase, was among the largest and most comfortable load carriers in Europe, and the later GTi Turbo gave the car genuine pace to match the ride.
Citroen CX 2000 Pallas 1983 · order_242 from Chile · CC BY-SA 2.0
04
The CX was also the last Citroën designed before Peugeot's takeover took full effect, and the increasing standardisation that followed is visible in the XM that replaced it in 1991. Build quality and rust were persistent problems, which is why the survival rate is low and good examples have become sought after.
At a glance
Produced
1974–1991Engine
2.0L I4Designer
Robert OpronBody
4-door fastbackTechnical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the CX's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →Lineage
Contemporaries from the 1970s
Spotted something wrong on this page? Send us the correction — with a source, and we will fix it. How this site is written.
