Why Did This 1955 Citroën Get 80,000 Orders In 10 Days?

In 1955, Citroën pulled the cover off a car so radical that 12,000 orders came in before the day was over, and 80,000 by the end of the show. The Citroën DS looked like it came from another decade, with no front grille, a single-spoke steering wheel, and a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension nobody had ever seen on a production car. But the DS almost broke the company that built it. The same hydraulic system that made it feel like magic also made it a nightmare to repair. Years later, that system would help save President Charles de Gaulle's life, not once but twice, including a 1962 ambush where 187 bullets were fired at his car.