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ON the Continent it is possible to specify a
manual gear change with conventional clutch operation when buying a
Citroen DS, as many potential owners have been put off by the strange
semi-automatic transmission with its rather slow reflexes. Well aware of
this state of affairs, Connaught Cars (1959) Ltd., Send, Woking,
Surrey, are offering a model having almost the same specification as
this “manual” DS, with many detail improvements and substantially
better performance. Including purchase tax, the price is £1,597 19s 7d,
just £29 more than a DS.
Each car starts life as a Citroen ID, to which the
DS power-assisted circuits for brakes and steering are added. The
all-synchromesh, four-speed gearbox with steering column lever is
retained, but a DS instrument panel and dashboard are substituted, and
Microcell Contour Seven reclining bucket seats replace the normal front
ones.
The engine receives the full Connaught treatment,
comprising a modified cylinder head with an increased compression ratio
of 8-4 to 1 and twin Solex carburettors (S.U.s are optional); the
flywheel is lightened to give a more lively engine response.
As soon as one starts up, the differences from
normal IDs and DSs are immediately noticeable, although the
characteristic engine harshness is still there. Accelerating hard in
the lower gears produces all the Citroen tremors, but the performance
is decidedly crisp as the table of figures below shows. Maximum speed is
increased by just over 17 m.p.h., and acceleration from rest to 80
m.p.h. is improved by almost 27 per cent.
Although geared for the open road, the car is
quite tractable if one makes free use of the ratios. The shape of the
torque curve is remarkably flat, as illustrated so well by the even
times taken to cover 20 m.p.h. speed ranges in the gears. Maximum revs
are in the region of 6,500 r.p.m., but little, if anything, is gained
by hanging on to this point except in first. It was found best to make
the other changes at 5,800 r.p.m., and the corresponding road speeds
are those quoted as the maxima.
The extra power emphasizes the outstanding
roadholding potential of the car, and the small wood-rimmed steering
wheel is a great improvement over the standard, single-spoked one with
its thick plastic binding. By having a flat instead of a dished design,
a full-reach driving position can be adopted, giving a greater sense of
command when hurtling the car through sweeping bends—-conditions when
it is really in its element. The new seats give good support, but most
drivers found the cushion too high under their thighs; Connaught can
easily adjust this to individual fit during the installation.
It seems a pity that the opportunity of improving
the pedal layout
has not been taken, for the present arrangement becomes fatiguing on
long runs. Brake, clutch and throttle are all on different levels, and
the last two have long movements which, while making them sensitive and
light to operate, call for muscular agility.
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