Citroën CX: The Spaceship That Fell to Earth (And We’re So Glad It Did
If cars were voted "Most Likely to Start a Cult" in their school yearbook, the Citroën CX would have won in a landslide. It’s not merely a car; it’s a rolling testament to French audacity, a beacon of aerodynamic weirdness, and a reminder that for a glorious, brief moment, the future wasn't just chrome and fins-it was curvaceous, hydropneumatic, and utterly brilliant.
So, grab a croissant, pour a glass of something respectable, and let’s pay homage to the car that looked like it was delivered, not from a factory, but from a parallel universe.
A Brief History: Stepping Out of a Giant’s Shadow
Introduced in 1974, the CX had the unenviable task of replacing the legendary DS. That’s like being the band that has to go on stage after The Beatles. The DS was a goddess on hydropneumatic suspension, a design so radical it remained in production for 20 years.
Citroën’s engineers, a breed of men and women who clearly thought about physics differently from the rest of us, didn’t back down. Their motto seemed to be: "Why follow trends when you can define them?" The CX wasn't a departure from the DS's philosophy; it was its evolution. It took the core tenets of aerodynamic efficiency, revolutionary comfort, and technical innovation and launched them into the 1970s.
It was an immediate hit, winning the prestigious European Car of the Year award in 1975. For over a decade, it was the choice of French presidents, taxi drivers who valued their spines, and anyone who wanted to traverse continents at high speed while feeling like they were on their living room sofa.
The Shape of Things to Come: Why Does It Look Like That?
You don’t just look at a CX. You study it. Its design, led by Robert Opron, wasn’t about style for style's sake. Every curve, every line, was dictated by the relentless pursuit of the lowest possible drag coefficient (Cd).
In an era when many cars were still shaped like boxes with a protractor, the CX was a masterpiece of fluid dynamics. That long, sloping, fastback nose wasn’t just dramatic; it sliced through the air. The curved windshield and side windows were not just cool-looking; they reduced wind resistance and interior noise. The most famous feature? The "directional" headlights. The outer covers were fixed to the body, but the inner lenses swivelled with the steering wheel, lighting up corners before you turned into them. It was witchcraft.
And then there’s the rear. The CX doesn’t have a traditional trunk lid. Instead, it has a massive, single-piece glass hatchback that lifts to reveal a cavernous, practical space. It was a spaceship, yes, but one you could fit a suspiciously large amount of groceries into.
The Magic Carpet Ride: The Hydro-Pneumatic Heart
If the shape grabs your eyes, the suspension captures your soul. The CX’s party trick is its legendary hydro-pneumatic suspension system. Forget springs and dampers; this car sits on spheres of nitrogen gas and hydraulic fluid.
The experience is… surreal. You get in, turn the car on, and the CX rises from its slumber like a waking dragon. You press a lever to select ride height-you can literally lift the car over obstacles or lower it for easy entry.
On the road, it doesn’t drive over bumps so much as disregard them. Potholes, cracks, and even sleeping policemen are met with a dismissive, Gallic shrug from the suspension. It floats. It glides. It delivers a level of ride comfort that modern sports SUVs still struggle to match. It’s the automotive equivalent of being carried by a team of obedient clouds.
The Quirks and Charms: Love Means Never Having to Say "It Makes Sense"
To love a CX is to embrace a beautiful, slightly dysfunctional relationship.
The Single-Spoke Wheel: You steer with a glorious, spaceship-style single-spoke wheel. It’s cool, but it completely obscures the instrument cluster. Citroën’s solution? They put the gauges in a pod that rotates with the steering column. You are always looking directly at it. Madness. Genius.
The "Lollipop" Stalks: The turn signal and wiper stalks are bizarre, umbrella-handle-like devices that sprout from the dashboard on either side of the instrument pod. They feel like nothing else on earth.
The Maintenance: Let’s be honest. Owning one is an act of passion. The hydraulic system, while robust if maintained, can be a source of mystery and expensive leaks (the green blood of the Hydraulics is a special mineral oil, not brake fluid!). You don’t choose a CX as your only car; you choose it despite that.
Why We Love It: The Unbreakable Cult
People don't just like the CX; they adore it with a fanatical devotion. Why?
It’s Unapologetically Different: In a world of increasingly homogenized cars, the CX stands out like a peacock in a pigeon coop. It represents a time when a car company had the courage to be utterly, brilliantly itself.
The Comfort is Unmatched: Once you’ve traveled long-distance on a CX’s magic carpet, every other car feels… inadequate.
It’s a Driving Antidote: It doesn’t care about lap times or 0-60 stats. It cares about your well-being. Driving a CX is a relaxing, stress-free, and profoundly enjoyable event. It’s a reminder that driving pleasure isn’t always about going fast; sometimes, it’s about going in sublime comfort.
The Citroën CX is more than a relic. It’s a statement. It’s proof that the most interesting path isn’t always the straight one-sometimes, it’s a beautifully curved, hydraulically suspended, wonderfully French one. It’s the spaceship that fell to earth, and we are all the richer for it.
