01 Jun 01
The ultimate in '70s chic, the SM was one of the great GT cars of its era. Strange to think you can now pick one up for the price of a good MGB. First fruit of the strange - and short - marriage of Citroen and Maserati, power flowed from a smaller V6 version of Maserati's long-lived quad-cam V8 which, at 2.7 litres, came in just under the punitive French tax laws, which heavily penalised engines over 2.8 litres.
Like the DS, the SM was front-wheel drive, with the gearbox/transaxle slung out ahead of the compact engine. The 170 bhp put through the front wheels (for many years, the SM was the world's most potent front-drive car) was handled by Citroen's now well tried hydropneumatic self-levelling interconnected suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and ultra-quick power steering. Fast and refined, with excellent handling (once a sensitive touch with the steering and brakes had been learnt) the SM was a consummate long-distance GT. It was the shape, though, that captured enthusiasts' hearts: crafted inside Citroen, its broad, completely glassed-in nose section was all drama, while the tapering tail was as slippery as it looked.
Sales were initially strong, but the love affair was to be short-lived. The fuel crisis hit in 1973 making big 18 mpg supercars somewhat unfashionable. Citroen improved the car with fuel injection, a bigger 3.0-litre version and an automatic option, but to little avail. Production ceased in 1975 after 13,000 cars had gone down the line. Legend has it that Citroen crushed the last few hundred bodyshells.
