Looking back: Citroen SM
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12th March, 2010
Citroën’s upmarket coupé, the SM, is celebrating its
40th 'birthday'.
The famous French marque enjoyed success in 1970, selling some 700,000 vehicles and launching its rotary
piston engine project. It also unveiled the SM, presented as the crowning touch to the Citroën range, at
Switzerland's 1970 Geneva Motor Show.
The SM project started was kicked off in 1966 by Jacques Né, who wanted to develop a faster version of
the DS, thus giving Citroën its first GT model.
But the Citroen SM was not designed like a standard GT, where comfort is generally of secondary
importance. On the contrary, the DS-inherited hydraulic suspension system and the height adjustment function
for optimum ground clearance made the new vehicle exceptionally comfortable.
One of the Citroen SM’s numerous special features was its lighting system. With six iodine headlamps
connected to an automatic levelling system, the SM combined the performance of swivelling headlamps with a
brand new aesthetic.
Styling work on the SM focussed primarily on aerodynamics. The vehicle was put through a high number and
wide range of wind-tunnel tests during the development phase – and the result was remarkable. The Cd
(coefficient of aerodynamic drag) of the SM was 0.46, a full 25% lower than that of the DS, already a
reference in the matter.
The SM has angle-free styling. Although the body is tautly designed, no angular features interrupt the
vehicle’s streamlined flow.
Encompassing the headlamp units and the number plate, the front-end glass casing lends the Citroen SM a
resolutely innovative look. This pioneering beauty is furthered by the oversized bumpers, giving the
vehicle its utterly distinctive 'character'.
But for purists, the essence of the SM is in its profile, which clearly reveals all the work that went
into the vehicle’s aerodynamics. The flowing lines seem impossibly elegant. Dynamic features such as the
rake of the windscreen, the sharply-drawn quarter-windows and the rear subframe bring the SM its unique,
streamlined appearance.
The Citroen SM’s engine was for a long time its Achilles’ heel. Designed by Maserati, a Citroën partner
at the time, the V6 unit was initially warmly greeted by the public. GT fans loved its “highly strung”
Italian feel. But things soon started to go sour. A series of technical imperfections undermined the car’s
reliability, traditionally a key Citroën strong point. The SM required fine-tuned maintenance like all GTs,
and drivers paid heavily for any imprecision.
The SM gearbox was entirely Citroën-made. The five speed unit, with the top two gears in overdrive,
gave SM drivers a full-throttle sports experience.
The top-of-the-range SM was launched in suitably top-of-the-range style in 1971, via promotional
events.
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Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
Denmark, WA
..... more
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Sales were promising in the launch year. With 5,000 units in 1971, SM registrations matched its critical
reception. Sadly, the ensuing years were somewhat less rosy. Sales dropped so much that Citroën halted
production in 1975. The Citroen SM’s career was cut short by the oil crisis. The first oil crisis utterly
changed the view of the automobile, as did the road safety laws limiting motorway speeds introduced at the
same time. Buying and owning a GT vehicle at this time was reserved for passionate fans only.
Citroën announced it was stopping production of the SM in the northern summer 1975, with these words:
“The SM was born from speed and died with speed”.
The Citroën SM was streamlined, swift and dynamic like a sports car, yet comfortable and pleasant to drive,
with outstanding roadholding, steering, suspension and braking. Unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, it is
one of the most prestigious models in motoring history.
Developed by Citroën and Maserati – the latter for the engine – the front-wheel drive SM pioneered a new
concept of “grand touring” and made speed with safety accessible to owners of mass-produced cars.
The Citroen SM’s 'career' was cut short by the speed ban introduced during the oil crisis. Citroën sold
2,658 units in 1973, and a mere 352 in 1974.
| Technical data |
2-door, 4-seater coupé |
| Engine |
Maserati V6 at 90°. Bore: 87 mm; stroke: 75 mm. Capacity: 2,670 cm3. Fiscal
rating: 15 HP. Effective horsepower: 170 bhp DIN at 5,500 rpm. 4-bearing
crankshaft. 4 chain-driven OH camshafts. Water-circulation cooling. 2
electronically controlled fans. Twin contact-breaker, twin coil ignition. Fuel
feed by 3 Weber 42 DCNF 2 twin-body carburettors, followed by electronic
injection from 1972. 90 litre petrol tank in non-rigid plastic |
| Transmission |
Hydraulically operated single-plate dry clutch. 5 speeds plus reverse. Gear
lever on central floor-level bracket. Front-wheel drive |
| Steering |
Servo-assisted and indexed to vehicle speed. Wheels return automatically to
straight line position when the driver releases the steering wheel. Cornering headlamps |
| Braking |
4 power-assisted disc brakes controlled by DS-type pedal. Independent front and rear circuits |
| Suspension |
Constant-height hydropneumatic |
| Body |
Integral, all-steel welded body on rigid platform with side members |
| Tyres |
Michelin 195/70 VR 15 tubeless |
| Weight |
Unladen: 1,450 kg; maximum gross vehicle weight: 1,830 kg |
| Performance |
Top speed: 220 km/h. Fuel consumption DIN: 12.5 l/100 km |
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