1960 Citroen ID - ID19 F Familiale

Very early nine-seater from the second year of production

A practical piece of French automotive avant-garde

Part of a DS-collection for almost 20 years

When Citroën unveiled the DS in 1955, the rest of the motoring world suddenly looked rather old. Hydropneumatic suspension, streamlined bodywork, inboard brakes and a shape that seemed to have come from another planet – it was difficult to pack much more of the future onto four wheels. There was just one thing the Goddess was not at first: practical.

That changed in 1959 with the Break, as estate cars have long been known in France. It was based on the technically somewhat simplified ID 19, which Citroën had introduced in 1957 as a more affordable alternative to the DS. Less hydraulics, more conventional controls, but the same revolutionary basic idea. For the Break, the bodywork behind the B-pillar was comprehensively redesigned. The roof stretched far back, the rear gained a split tailgate and the load compartment became positively enormous. Alongside the regular Break came the Familiale, with its rear bench moved further back and three small folding seats between the two rows, and the Commerciale, which dispensed with the rear bench in favour of an even larger load area.

This was precisely where the hydropneumatic suspension played its greatest trump card. No matter how much luggage, equipment or French extended family was loaded aboard, the self-levelling suspension kept the Citroën stoically at the same height. Depending on the version, additional folding seats allowed the Break to swallow an astonishing number of people. Ambulance services, tradesmen and families appreciated it in equal measure.

Under the bonnet initially sat the familiar 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine, whose origins were rather less futuristic than the rest of the car. An ID 19 Break was hardly a sports car. Instead, it floated along with its load over roads on which other estate cars gave their passengers a thorough shaking. And so one of the most avant-garde cars of its era also became a remarkably ingenious utility vehicle along the way – typically Citroën.

This particular Break is a Familiale and therefore ideally equipped for the ultimate large-family stress test. Parents, children, grandparents – whoever wants to come along can find a place among its nine seats. In 2005, a friend of the current owner bought it in the south of France and drove it all the way home to the Salzburg region. Two years later, said friend was persuaded to sell the supersized Break, and ever since it has shared space in a suitably specialised collection with several DS saloons and a Cabriolet.

Until two or three years ago, the Break was driven regularly, though rather less so of late. Even so, it starts at the first push of the button, although it will certainly appreciate a thorough inspection. Thanks to its southern French origins, the Break boasts solid bodywork as well as a beautifully preserved cloth interior. So much space, so much comfort and so much French eccentricity have rarely been found beneath one roof – the avant-garde could hardly have been more family-friendly.