What the car is and where it came from
The CX is a front-engined, front-wheel-drive executive car launched in 1974 as the successor to the DS. It was Robert Opron’s personal favourite and final Citroën design, developed as Projet L and debuted at the 1974 Paris Motor Show.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The CX uses front-wheel drive and hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension. It moves air and fluid to keep the ride height constant, regardless of load or road surface. The driver feels a floating, unbroken connection to the road — not isolation, but absorption.
What it gets right
It gets the fastback form right: clean, low-drag (0.36 Cd), and functional across saloon and estate variants. It gets the hydropneumatic system right: refined, self-levelling, and calibrated for long-distance composure.
What it does not
It does not offer rear-wheel drive. It does not have a manual transmission option in right-hand drive until well into 1975. It does not carry forward the DS’s glass-fibre roof or its structural daring.
What it changed
It ended the ‘big Citroën’ era that began in 1934. It proved a fastback saloon could be both executive and aerodynamic without abandoning hydropneumatic innovation.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for drivers who value ride integrity over steering feedback, aerodynamic honesty over stylistic repetition, and French engineering autonomy over corporate consolidation. It is not for those who require driver engagement through mechanical linkage or chassis talk.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It is the last car Citroën built as its own master. Its design logic is intact, legible, and uncompromised by merger-era cost-cutting or platform sharing.
