Expanding on the personality of the host of the Elysée, the president’s car somewhat embodies his personality in the eyes of the French. “The French love cars,” said Georges Pompidou. What remains of these statesmen? Great works, diplomacy, but also his car whose protocol precisely defines the “decoration”. When the President of the Republic is on board for an official act, he adorns himself with a French flag attached to the front right part of the vehicle, on the side where the Head of State enters and exits. And the national holiday is often the occasion to see him parade.
Another distinctive sign, its registrations that until the 1970s were recognizable by the plates from 1PR75 to 5PR75. Presidential cars now carry a normal registration assigned, chronologically as for all vehicles, by the Vehicle Registration Service. A retrospective look at some of the models that marked the history of the Fifth Republic.
• 1958-1969 – Charles de Gaulle protected by DS 19
If there is a legendary French car, it is the famous DS and its hydraulic suspension. It is this car that Charles de Gaulle chose to represent him on the roads. The DS 19 reached the height of its notoriety by saving the life of General de Gaulle during the attack on Petit-Clamart directed against him on August 22, 1962. Despite the front tires with holes, the Citroën kept going thanks to its air suspension.
• 1969-1974, Georges Pompidou and his Citroën SM
The third president of the Ve continued for some time using the DS of his predecessor. He then adopted the two powerful twin SMs, also from Citroën. The SM is not just a luxury car. She is an athlete and Georges Pompidou is a car enthusiast. Under the hood of this Henri Chapron-designed coupé, a powerful Maserati V6.
The presidential version, produced in three copies, was designed with the Elysée teams establishing precise specifications. Two delivered to the Elysee. They were used during the presidency of Jacques Chirac, also a car lover.
• 1953-1958 – 604 by Valery Giscard d’Estaing
Valery Giscard d’Estaing will opt for modernity and dynamism, choosing the favorite car of business leaders, the Peugeot 604 with automatic gearbox. He took Peugeot to the Elysee in 1975. The president’s cars were no longer black but “moss green”. Elysée will order four 604s over the seven-year term. Three of them are production models, top-of-the-line SL versions powered by the 136-hp 2.6-liter V6 that the president sometimes enjoys driving himself.
• 1981-1995 – Safrane, CX and 605 for François Mitterrand
The socialist president will begin his trips aboard a Renault, 30 then 25, before moving to Safrane. But his private trips are done under the cover of a CX, then an XM. In 1991, the Elysée Palace purchased an armored Peugeot 605 from the Breton company Labbé. This model equipped with the 170-horsepower V6 engine was equipped with high-strength steel armor and windows made of a composite of polycarbonate and bulletproof glass. Balance on the scale: 2,500 kg, or 1,000 more than the standard 605 V6.
• 1995-2007 – Jacques Chirac between the CX and the 607
Jacques Chirac will remain faithful to Citroën and opt for the CX Prestige, then an armored C6. However, during the twelve years he spent at the Elysée he regularly used the Peugeot 607s that joined the fleet of the Presidency of the Republic. But the Peugeot that undoubtedly marked the French the most at that time was the red vintage 1984 205 SR that Bernadette Chirac, his wife, drove on the roads of Corrèze.
• 2007-2012 – A 607 Paladine for Nicolas Sarkozy
Between the Citroën C6 and the Renault VelSatis, it is the Peugeot 607 Paladine that undoubtedly marked Nicolas Sarkozy’s five-year automobile career. In 2007, his team was looking for a vehicle to embody renewal and modernity during the ascent to the Champs Elysées that the new president would do on the day of his investiture. Someone then remembers the Peugeot 607 Paladine concept car presented at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show.
Carried out by coachbuilder Heuliez, this limousine, over 5 meters long, has been transformed into a landaulet with a retractable glass and metal roof. The passenger compartment has been refurbished by the saddler Hermès. Therefore, it is extracted from the Peugeot Museum to drive on the Champs-Elysées.
Small detail, the installation of the retractable roof mechanism was done to the detriment of the fuel tank whose capacity is only 6 liters, barely enough to travel a few kilometers. After this presidential trip, the 607 Paladine will no longer be used.
• 2012-2017 – François Hollande and his hybrid DS5 made in France
François Hollande is not a fan of cars, but the announcement was made as soon as he was elected, he who usually travels by scooter in Paris, will use the hybrid version of the Citroën DS5. This half-diesel, half-electric vehicle is made primarily in France. It is built on the Doubs. With an output of 200 horsepower, this DS emits only 99 grams of C02 per kilometer.
A first in the history of the Fifth Republic. But, in fact, Citroën revealed that this model had been offered to all the candidates “before the first round of the presidential elections”. The presidential DS5 had been modified with a sunroof to receive the crowd on the Champs Elysées. But that day, the rain was part of it. Therefore, the president will prefer to use an armored Renault Espace V.
• 2017-2022: Emmanuel Macron in an armored hybrid DS Crossback
Emmanuel Macron used François Hollande’s armored Renault Espace before opting for a DS7 Crossback from May 14, 2017, the day of his inauguration. The president only uses armored vehicles. On July 14, 2017 he will be aboard a Peugeot 5008 II. In November 2021, Emmanuel Macron will go hybrid but still with an armored version of the DS7 Crossback.
Source: BFM TV
