1971 CITROEN SM

Begun in 1961, 'Project S' emerged from Citroën's requirement to develop a sporting variant of their revolutionary DS. As was customary for the quirky French firm, many running concept vehicles were developed with increasingly complex and upmarket features to differentiate the 'sports' project from the popular DS. The acquisition of Maserati by Citroën in 1968 was motivated by the possibility of harnessing Maserati's high-performance engine technology to produce a true Grand Tourer, combining Citroën’s sophisticated suspension and running gear with the power of a medium-capacity Maserati engine.

The result was the SM which took DS technology such as 'Hydropneumatic' self-levelling suspension and powered brakes, threw in a Maserati V6 engine, high geared self-centring steering and finished it off with a swooping, highly aerodynamic body that was distinctively 'Citroën', but conversely looked very prestigious and rather expensive. It was also Citroën's way of demonstrating just how much power and performance could be accommodated in a front-wheel drive design and was solid, well made and had huge inherent strength. As an example of Citroën's optimism and progressive technology, the SM was untouchable and similarities drawn by pundits of the day to the design and futurism of aircraft such as Concorde cemented the love affair still borne by many aficionados today.

The car on offer here was imported to the UK in 1997 by its English owner who had purchased it in France and enjoyed it whilst he was working there. He moved back to Sloane Square but presumably used the car whenever he returned to France, as the history file contains an invoice dated April 2005 from Troyes in France and also one from Andrew Brodie Engineering from the same year, to fit a new air-conditioning unit. He then sold it and our vendor believes that at that point it had a total engine rebuild and mechanical recon at Citroën SM specialists, BL Autos in Welwyn Garden City in 2012. 12 months later, in 2013, BL Autos replaced the steering column and accumulators with the odometer indicating 74,418. In 2016, it was serviced by BL Autos at 75,041 miles. The car was subsequently sold to DD Classics in Surrey who in turn sold it to the Methodist Minister from whom our vendor purchased it at around 76,000 miles. Further work was carried out in 2019 by Andrew Brodie Engineering which included the steering headlamp control and a window motor etc.

It returned to BL Autos in March 2025 for a service and overhaul in preparation for our vendor’s planned trip to Le Mans in July 2025. The work included replacement rear spheres, both rear tyres, oil/filter, rocker cover gaskets, tightening of various pipes and replacement of the leaking coolant tank. The indicated mileage at that point was 76,755.

The arrival of a long sought after Aston Martin in our vendor's life much earlier than expected meant that the SM has had to be, a little reluctantly, offered to market.

It continues to present well in its original Vert Argenté Metallise and sits well and square, a clear indication of regular hydraulic maintenance. Wheels and tyres appear excellent and the chrome work and badging all look original. The engine bay is very tidy and appears to have been repainted during the engine out rebuild in 2012 and a can of the essential LHM fluid sits nicely to hand.

This is an excellent example of Citroën's legendary SM and attracted considerable admiration recently when it appeared on the 'Pride of Ownership' stand at the NEC in March 2025.