1974 Citroen SM - SM Injection

One of the most extraordinary cars of its time

An Italian engine paired with French avant-garde design

Fitted with a five-speed gearbox and air conditioning

Extensively documented history

When Citroën unveiled the SM in 1970, auto motor und sport called it “France’s secret weapon”. That was not entirely far-fetched. Citroën had taken over Maserati two years earlier and now combined French ingenuity with Italian temperament. The result was a Gran Turismo quite unlike anything anyone else would have built.

Beneath the seemingly endless bonnet sat a V6 developed by Maserati’s Giulio Alfieri, with four overhead camshafts, initially displacing 2.7 litres and producing 170 bhp. It came with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a three-speed BorgWarner automatic. Citroën contributed an advanced version of its hydropneumatic suspension and the speed-sensitive DIRAVI power steering. Robert Opron wrapped the lot in spaceship bodywork with six headlights behind glass and a drag coefficient of 0.33 – remarkable for the period. More than 220 km/h was possible. With front-wheel drive, mind you.

Early on, SM was variously interpreted as “Sa Majesté” – His Majesty – or, rather less flatteringly, “Sado-Masochisme”. The latter was not entirely wide of the mark either. Its complex engineering demanded knowledgeable hands, and even Citroën workshops were sometimes overwhelmed by the Maserati V6. Nor did it help that an SM cost more than a Mercedes 280 SE Coupé or a BMW 2800 CS.

Citroën remained undeterred. Electronic fuel injection followed in 1972, although this hardly made matters any simpler. Then came the oil crisis, while Citroën and Maserati simultaneously ran into financial trouble. In 1975, after 12,920 examples, it was all over.

The SM was never a sensible car. There were others for that. It was fast, expensive and spectacular – all the more of a statement for it. The SM set out to show what the future of high-speed travel might look like. The fact that the future had other ideas only makes it more interesting today.

This Citroën SM, a 2.7-litre fuel-injected example, was delivered to Gelsenkirchen in April 1974. From 1979 until 2010, it remained there with its third owner. It came to Austria in 2017 and was registered to its current owner the following year. He was happy to use the rapid Frenchman for holiday trips south as well. Equipped with air conditioning, the SM was ideally suited to the job.

Peu à peu, its various technical shortcomings were ironed out, while an unfortunate encounter provided a good excuse for a complete repaint in Brun Scarabée Métallisé. Inside, the SM remains wonderfully original and delights with all those unusual details in the cockpit that made these Citroëns so different.

Of course, Citroën could have built a fast grand tourer the easy way. But then it would not have been an SM – and we would not have this wonderful example to enjoy today.