Proof to some that Planet Earth is periodically visited by little green men from beyond the stars, the front-wheel drive Citroen DS was introduced to a spellbound Paris Salon on the 5th of October 1955.

Responsible for unleashing more technological 'brainstorms' upon the field of automotive design than any production car before or since, its wonderfully futuristic 'speeding teardrop' profile was penned in-house by Flaminio Bertoni.

Featuring an olio-pneumatic operating system that controlled its self-levelling suspension, power steering, semi-automatic gear change, and brakes, the big Citroen offered an uncannily smooth ride.

In production for some twenty years, the DS was subject to a number of face-lifts, with perhaps the most recognisable change from the 1968 model year being a redesign of the front end to include aerodynamic, faired in SEV Marchal headlights that turned with the steering movement to more effectively see around corners on dark roads.

The DS became the choice of ...