Behind the Collection
My enduring fascination with cutting-edge technology in machines led me to embark on a career in engineering and research. However, my strong environmental consciousness clashed with the idea of the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing and buying new consumer goods, especially cars.
To reconcile these conflicting interests, I started repurposing our family’s old cars from a young age and later expanded to salvaging discarded vehicles from others. My passion for exceptional vehicles went beyond the mere metal and plastic components of luxury or high-performance sports cars. What I truly sought was to merge our technological history with the Earth’s future by preserving and reviving “endangered technological species!” Hypcars became the perfect focal point, showcasing intricate, innovative technology and boasting distinct personalities through their daring designs – embodying the last traces of the freedom championed by past visionaries.
As a family, we don’t heavily depend on cars for transportation, rendering the hypcars in our collection more symbolic than practical assets. Instead of being used for functional purposes, they are meticulously curated and displayed as a tribute to our technological and industrial heritage, enriching the narrative of automotive history. Consequently, their environmental impact and carbon footprint are minimal, a testament to our commitment to sustainability.
My journey with hypcars began in childhood, listening to the mechanics work on our Citroën DS, tossing around terms like “bleeding” or “hemorrhaging” to describe its (not-so-rare) hydraulic fluid leaks. In my imagination, the DS transformed into a living entity, much like today’s “Transformers,” with green blood coursing through its circuits! This vivid imagery was likely influenced by my limited understanding of what blood actually looked like, having grown up on black-and-white television.
Even with its occasional “bleeding” moments, I became a devoted DS fan, collecting miniature hypcars since I was too young to own a real one. Eventually, I got behind the wheel of actual models—often pushing them to their limits—studying, dismantling, and yes, occasionally crashing them. Over time, I restored, curated, upgraded, or upcycled a wide range of hypcars, always celebrating their distinctive suspension systems.
Today, I’m thrilled to reflect on the incredible benefits of hydropneumatic suspension and its derivatives! Developed by visionary designers and engineers who dared to think outside the box, these systems provide an exceptional cruising experience along with top-notch safety. Remarkably, the qualities of this system were so outstanding that Rolls-Royce and Bentley licensed it from Citroën to incorporate into their models. Now, its advantages are being embraced by many brands, including Mercedes-Benz and the Chinese BYD and NIO, and even commercial airliners and the military sector (for more details, see Hypcar History).
My initial admiration for the DS soon blossomed into a passion for all those heretical cars that prioritised mechanical ingenuity over electronic gimmicks. This journey included all Citroën hypcars, alongside selected models from Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, and BLM/Austin. But our family’s hypcar adventure truly kicked off with the Citroën DS—a vehicle that changed the automotive game forever.
Our very first DS, dating back to 1971, holds a special connection to the legendary Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida. Her enthusiastic shout-out about the car’s impressively spacious boot at the Geneva Motor Show in 1955 (photo on the left) captured my father’s attention, prompting him to purchase a second-hand Citroën ID fifteen years later. The right photo showcases the ID 20 at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September 1972, where my mother made a stylish entrance. Just a few months later, the same DS had a rather dramatic moment when it accidentally rolled down a cliff—yet somehow, it ended up saving the entire family from what could have been a disastrous outcome. For all the thrilling details, check out “Living with the DS.”
In 2015, another DS whisked our family away to Paris to celebrate its 60th anniversary. The automotive press embraced that fabulous event, dedicating several articles to our hypcar collection. A few years later, we launched the Hypcars© project, a passionate initiative to collect and showcase hydropneumatic, hydrolastic, and hydragas models, ensuring these gems are preserved for future generations to enjoy!
