CITROEN SM 1970-1975 Photos, engines & full specs

One of the most advanced cars produced by the 70's, the SM had a revolutionary exterior design and technology.

While the aviation world was revolutionised with the first supersonic aircraft produced, the Concorde, Citroen was busy with the SM, one of the most prestigious vehicles in the history.

The SM was fast, almost like a sports car, but still comfortable, pleasant to drive, with a precise handling and steering, as well as a great suspension and effective brakes. Fitted with a front-wheel-drive system, the Citroen SM was equipped with a new type of variable assist power steering to solve torque steering. The system was not the best, with not much feedback offered to the driver.

The exterior design was done by the Citroen chief designer Robert Opron.

Released in 1970 at the Geneva Motor Show, the SM was the fruit of the collaboration between Citroen and Maserati. The large V6 Italian engine was however, besides powerful, one of the reasons for the SM’s commercial failure, due to high taxation.

The SM inherited from the Citroen DS the hydraulic system and offered great comfort, thus the SM was not designed as a standard GT where comfort was not the first on the list.

The SM had an aerodynamic styling, improved by 25% compared to the DS, Citroen reaching this performance with numerous wind tunnel tests made during the development stages.