Paul Magès: the secret history of Citroën's suspension inventor

As the summer season draws to a close, so does our exclusive series dedicated to the historical figures who forged the Citroën legend. To conclude this journey, we highlight a remarkable individual whose name remains largely unknown to the general public, yet whose technical legacy defines the very essence of the double chevron brand. Paul Magès represents the perfect embodiment of a genius in the shadows. Without holding the prestigious degrees of his contemporary peers, this visionary mind is universally recognized as the father of hydraulics at Citroën. At a time when the automotive industry relied on traditional mechanical solutions, he dared to challenge the established laws of physics to offer drivers an unparalleled driving experience. Let us dive into the life and work of a self-taught master who transformed automotive technology into a genuine art form.

From the anonymity of Maurienne to the Quai de Javel design offices

The story of Paul Magès begins far from the bustling Parisian factories. He was born on March 9, 1908, in the small village of Aussois, nestled in the heart of the Maurienne Valley in Savoie, France. Coming from a modest background, the young highlander did not follow the classic path of the great engineers of his era. His formal education ended early after obtaining his lower secondary school certificate (BEPC). However, his natural curiosity and an obvious inclination toward mechanics soon guided him toward the rapidly expanding industrial sector.

It was in 1925, at the age of just seventeen, that Paul Magès’ destiny took a major turn when he entered the company founded by André Citroën for the first time. Initially hired as a draftsman and technician, he gained his early experience within the industrial organization and production methods departments. This practical training proved foundational, allowing him to understand mass-production mechanics and develop a sharp eye for technical rationalization. Demonstrating remarkable discipline, he climbed the company ranks during the 1930s, becoming head of workshop scheduling and planning, before working as a quality engineer between 1940 and 1942.

The year 1942 marked a decisive turning point in his career. During the German Occupation, Citroën's boss, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, noticed Magès’ initiative and unconventional problem-solving style. Defying expectations, he integrated him into the brand's highly secretive clandestine design bureau. His mission was clear yet incredibly complex: solve the chronic suspension and braking issues holding back the development of the TPV project, which would eventually become the iconic 2CV. It was within this secret laboratory that the self-taught technician began designing solutions that would soon stun the automotive world.

The hydropneumatic suspension epic and major innovations

Far from being a disadvantage, his lack of traditional academic training proved to be Paul Magès’ greatest asset. Where university-educated engineers would have applied pre-established mathematical formulas to conclude that certain theories were impossible, Magès approached challenges with total intellectual freedom. His ultimate masterpiece remains the invention of the hydropneumatic suspension, a major technological breakthrough that eliminated conventional metal springs in favor of a unique partnership between liquid and gas.

The core principle relied on using steel spheres divided internally by a rubber membrane. The upper section contained highly compressible nitrogen gas acting as a spring, while the lower section was filled with an incompressible hydraulic fluid connected to the wheels. By adding an ingenious automatic height corrector, Paul Magès succeeded in keeping the vehicle's ride height completely constant, regardless of payload or road imperfections. The benefits for drivers were immediate: an exceptional, smooth damping quality often described as a flying carpet ride, paired with impeccable road-holding stability.

After quiet initial testing on the rear axle of the Traction Avant 15-Six H in 1954, this revolutionary technology achieved historic status at the 1955 Paris Motor Show with the unveiling of the Citroën DS. Under Magès’ technical leadership, working closely with chief engineer André Lefèbvre and stylist Flaminio Bertoni, high-pressure hydraulics became the central nervous system of the car. The centralized system managed not only the suspension but also power steering, variable high-pressure braking, and the semi-automatic gearbox control.

Paul Magès' technical ambition extended far beyond the DS. Over the following decades, as head of the hydraulic development department, he continued researching to optimize chassis dynamics and active safety. In the early 1970s, he introduced another landmark innovation: DIRAVI (speed-sensitive power steering). Premiering on the prestigious grand tourer Citroën SM, this system offered maximum assistance during low-speed parking maneuvers, then gradually firmed up at high speeds to ensure absolute directional stability, while automatically centering the steering wheel back to a straight line. His engineering philosophy, deeply empirical and intuitive, rested on a firm conviction: nothing is impossible if you are willing to reinvent everything.

The twilight of an immense career and the posterity of his legacy

The year 1974 stands as a pivotal milestone in Citroën’s modern history, marked by the launch of the CX but also by deep financial restructurings that eventually led to the brand's integration into the PSA Group. It was precisely during this transitional phase that Paul Magès chose to retire, bringing an end to nearly fifty years of continuous service for the double chevron.

Living a quiet retirement away from industrial pressure, he observed the lasting impact of his creations from a distance. His hydropneumatic technology continued to equip the brand's flagship sedans, from the GS and CX to the XM and Xantia, proving the enduring relevance of his original concepts. On September 22, 1999, in the town of Garches near Paris, Paul Magès passed away at the age of ninety-one. He left behind a monumental technical heritage that continues to inspire modern automotive engineers working on intelligent active suspension setups and modern variable power steering systems.

At the conclusion of this historical retrospective, Paul Magès firmly stands as one of the invisible yet fundamental pillars of the Citroën epic. A man of deep discretion who avoided personal honors to focus entirely on the precision of his research, he nevertheless injected a wave of technical audacity that guided the brand's direction for over half a century. From the magical complexity of the hydropneumatic suspension to the surgical precision of the DIRAVI steering system, his years of activity at the Quai de Javel made an unforgettable impact and permanently redefined global automotive standards for comfort and active safety. Because he perfectly captured that unique philosophy of daring what others deemed impossible, his place at the summit of our summer series was absolutely inevitable—a well-deserved tribute to the creator of the finest automotive flying carpet.