24 Nov 05
Neither the sales nor the marketing of the SM addressed these fears. Citroen's dealers and mechanics were, wrote Setright: "Out of their depth, dealing not only with cars but also with customers of a higher class than those with whom they were familiar. Taking a Renault or a Ford in part-exchange for a DS was a comfortable process... but taking a Porsche or a Jaguar in part-exchange for an SM, let alone recognising the qualities in such cars with which the SM had to compete, were ideas above their station."
A grand total of 12,920 SMs were made, including the eight Chapron Decapotable cabriolets, with production dwindling to 273 in 1973. Just 2,000 were sold in the US, before Citroen withdrew, bruised, from Stateside sales completely.
In financial difficulties - partly down to the costs of developing the new GS and CX ranges - Citroen was bought out by Peugeot in 1974. Peugeot pulled the plug on the SM programme, offloading Maserati to Alejandro de Tomaso (with a little help from the Italian government).
The SM experiment was not repeated and we are unlikely to see such an exotic Citroen again.
Throughout the SM debacle, the DS had remained on sale, but for all its wonderful features, by the early 70s it was pretty dated.
It was heavy and bloated-looking compared to the new wave of family cars (including Volkswagen Passat, Audi 100, Peugeot's 504 and the 604 flagship saloon), which were elegant with their sharper-edged profiles and more sporting stance.
The CX reflected many of the new styling trends and the latest thinking on aerodynamics, while remaining a clear descendent of the DS and SM. Neat touches included the concave rear windscreen: the airflow over it meant there was no need for a rear wiper.
Larger than the DS/ID, the CX was literally cavernous, even in four-door saloon form. The longer-wheelbase Safari estates, offered in five- or seven-seat formats, were even more massive, and stretched limousines were commissioned for the French government and civic dignitaries.
