Citeron SM
The Citroën SM is well noted as being one of the most prominent cars built by Citroën in the 1970s. The car was designed to be the ultimate in high performance, with a coupé styling, it was built between the years of 1970 and 1975.
The SM has be admired many a time and as well as having a large number of TV and film appearances, it had a number of well known names driving the car as a fashion symbol. Well known names such as the Rolling Stone bassist Bill Wyman, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and the Shah of Iran were among those owning this vehicle.
The History of the Citroën SM
The first work began into the the SM, when 'Project S' was born in the Citroën design room. This was in 1961, and the concept was to design a sports version of the at the time revolutionary DS model. Citroën always started their projects by designing and running concept cars. It was around the same time (1968) that Citroën purchased the Maserti brand and utilised the available technology to bring the combination of the Citroën suspension system and the Maserati V6 engine perfomance, to produce the Citroën SM.
The car was first showcased to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1970. Interest surrounding the car was high and the SM was released for sale in France in September 1970, which were all a left hand drive.
There have been a number of debates surrounding where the model name came from. It is thought that the 'S' in the model name may have been a nod to the 'Project S', and potentially the 'M' being the influence of the Maserati brand on the engine design. Other common theories are that it stood for 'Sa Majesté' (Her Majesty in French). This is a theory which has also taken hold as it reflects the DS model's nickname 'La déesse' (The Goddess in French).
The SM flew the flag for Citroën in the high performance GT stakes. The SM took on manufacturers such as Jaguar, Lotus and Ferrari to name a few and this was the first time a french manufacturer had managed to have a vehicle in the running since World War II. Due to this, this was a big success for the Citroën brand.
The SM competed in the 1971 European Car of the Year award, and placed a credible third place. Competing again in 1972, the SM won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the States.
The brand was bought out by Peugeot in 1975, after Citroën went backrupt. The decision was made by the company to stop building the SM, as sales had fallen rapidly and only 115 cars were ordered that year.