In the late 1960s, Citroen acquired a controlling interest in the Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati. The big Citroen SM was the first fruit of this marriage (SM comes from Serie Maserati.) First shown at the Geneva Salon of March 1970 the Citroen SM was launched in France in August of the same year. The SM was Citroën's flagship vehicle competing with other high performance GTs of the time from manufacturers such as Jaguar, Lotus and Porsche.

1970 - 1975 Citroen SM

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1970 - 1975 Citroen SM
  • Torque: 172.00 Ft-Lbs
  • Transmission: 5-speed gear manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array



The SM was also Citroën's way of demonstrating just how much power and performance could be accommodated in a front wheel drive design.

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, superbly stable at speed and with the magic-carpet ride familiar to DS owners

Designed in-house by Citroën's chief designer Robert Opron the SM  is very much a Citroën in design and execution, particularly with its wider track at the front and emphasis on the front wheels and 'glasshouse' of lights. In addition, many of the details reflect M. Opron's American background, notably the truncated 'fins' at the rear. Power came from a smaller V-six version of Maserati's long-lived quad-cam V-eight engine. At 2.7 liters, it stayed just the right side of the punitive French tax laws that came down heavily on engines over 2.8 liters.

Like the DS, the SM had front-wheel drive, with the gearbox/transaxle unit slung out ahead of the compact engine. Its 170 bhp through the front wheels was handled by Citroen's now well-tried hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, interconnected with the four-wheel disc brakes (in-board up front) and ultra-quick power steering

The SM combined many unusual features - lights that swivelled with the steering, unique self centering and fully powered steering, self levelling headlamps, wiper mechanism that is 'sensitive' to rain, and many other features that are now common place on cars of today.  In fact sitting in an SM today apart from the 70's interior styling there is nothing that makes you feel that the car is old or out of date.

Much of the technology of the SM was carried forward to the CX - the DIRAVI steering being the most obvious example. The engine (in enlarged 3 litre form - also used in some SMs) was used in Maserati's own Merak which, together with the Khamsin used Citroën's high pressure hydraulics.

The SM was never produced in right hand drive although a few prototypes were constructed by Hertfordshire Citroën dealer, Middleton Motors. One of these still survives in the UK. The North American market took 2,400 cars, in the years 1972 and 1973. Eliminating this impact, sales declined a dramatic 43% from 1971 to 1972 and a further 50% in 1973.

The SM was sold with three very similar, small, lightweight engines, all derived from the contemporary Maserati V8 fitted to the Quattroporte. Because of the V8 origin, this engine sported an unusual 90 degree angle between cylinder banks - a trait shared with the PRV V6.