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by dylan6047 hours ago |
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upvoteby groby_b6 hours ago|
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No, a moveable couch. One of the most comfortable cars ever. (It was designed to be a vehicle that farmers could use to e.g. transport eggs to the market - hence, soft seating and amazing suspension)
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upvoteby olelele4 hours ago|
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My dad has a Citroen B11 from -54 that he bought when he was young at the end of the sixties and has kept alive since. The design is from the thirties and revolutionized suspension at the time, winning races. Citroen has always been at the forefront of suspension development.
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upvoteby lores3 hours ago|
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The Traction Avant is a thing of beauty. Literally the only car I ever lusted after. Pure class, with a slight air of lawful evil.
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upvoteby olelele3 hours ago|
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The one my dad has isn't polished and perfected in renovation, he uses it as his summer car and its got great patina. No exhibition car. He's around 80 now so he had it for 60 years. He took it apart and reassembled it completely at some point. Also drove it from mid Sweden to Italy and back with my mom.

It feels like going 200 kmh when you push it to 80 :)

It was also the ultimate gangster car for European film makers.

The Vichy-french cops use it in Joseph Losey's movie Mr. Klein, there are lots of them on screen at some point. Great film!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074916/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_acc...

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upvoteby PorciiVorbesc5 hours ago|
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Something most modern (and expensive cars) don't have because of endless cost cutting on the mechanical side.
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upvoteby Swizec5 hours ago|
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> Something most modern (and expensive cars) don't have because of endless cost cutting on the mechanical side.

No it's because Citroen had super nifty _non-independent_ suspension back then. Pushing the front wheel up would push the rear wheel down making the car feel like it's floating across bumps. Present in various forms on several models in the 70's.

Turns out linked suspension isn't great for handling and road feel at higher speeds. Modern cars are fast and heavy so these systems have fallen out of favor.

https://www.hotcars.com/extraordinary-suspension-of-citroen-...

The "Frog" (can't remember official name) had a similar system but with hydraulics.

The Citroen 4 had this but with twisting rods instead of springs. You could easily get it up on 3 wheels with spirited cornering.

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upvoteby stymaar5 hours ago|
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I wouldn't take the 2CV as an example of suspension that modern cars don't match, but Citroën's later hydropneumatic suspension[1] are indeed unmatched.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKyWKKs4ISo

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upvoteby prominent6603 hours ago|
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Those were amazing! But also Bose made some incredible electro magnetic suspension system, which might see the commercial usage only now:

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/this-is-how-bose-s-failed...

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upvoteby PorciiVorbesc4 hours ago|
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>Citroën's later hydropneumatic suspension[1] are indeed unmatched

Yes, and ask yourself why they aren't making it anymore. Answer: cost and reliability, which is also a function of cost.

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upvoteby yason1 hours ago|
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ClearMotion has the Bose technology now and apparently is productizing it again.
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upvoteby dodders3 hours ago|
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my father owned a series of CXs with that suspension and it was magic. the car went round corners like it was on rails - completely flat
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