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Launched in 1970, the SM stunned the
world at a scale no smaller than the DS did 15 years
ago. It was a big luxury coupe enclosed with a streamlined
body, powered by a Maserati quad-cam V6, equipped with
all the most advanced technologies available and could
travel up to 140 mph, hence was the fastest front-drive
car in the world. All journalists were excited by this
state-of-the-art coupe, but in the end it was a big
commercial failure.
The SM was an even more ambitious project than the DS.
Regardless of cost, Citroen wanted to show the world
it could better the offerings from Jaguar, Porsche,
Lotus, Mercedes etc. Its design chief Robert Opron created
a striking proposal — it was very large, measuring
4893mm long and 1836mm wide, had a streamlined shape
that looked beautiful from the side. The front end was
a little odd, with a long long bonnet and six rectangular
headlights housed behind a full-width glass shade.
The cabin was small compared to the exterior, but enough
to carry two adults and two children. It had a high-tech
dashboard, a one-spoke steering wheel (like the DS),
full leather seats and all the luxurious equipment that
you couldn't find in other French cars. Rain-sensitive
wipers and a speed-sensitive hydraulic power steering
seem like the latest technology today, but they were
already available in the big Citroen coupe in 1970.
Most other technologies came from the DS, such as the
self-leveling hydro-pneumatic suspensions, the servo
disc brakes and the headlamps that swiveled with the
steering.
The real departure from the DS was
the engine. The DS always cried for a six-cylinder engine
but it never got that during its life. For the SM, Citroen
asked its new subsidiary Maserati to develop a new V6.
This explained why the car was called 'SM' — Sport
Maserati. Based on Maserati Indy's V8, Maserati developed
a quad-cam aluminum 90° V6. In 3.0-litre and 220hp
form it served Maserati's mid-engined sports car Merak.
For the SM its capacity was reduced to 2670cc in order
to fit in a lower tax category in France. The result
was 170 horsepower and 170 lbft of torque. Later, power
was raised to 178hp by the adoption of fuel injection.
A 3.0-litre engine with 180hp was used only for the
SM equipped with 3-speed automatic.
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While such power output was a marked
improvement from the DS, it was not enough for the big
coupe which weighed 1450 kg in dry. Citroen claimed
8.4 seconds 0-60 for the 5-speed manual fuel injected
SM. For comparison, a contemporary BMW 3.0CSi could
do that in 6.9 seconds, while Jaguar E-Type V12 was
quicker still.
Nonetheless, SM was a good high-speed touring car. Its
streamlined body with Cd 0.34 allowed it to run to 140
mph. Its advanced suspensions delivered a supple ride
while the self-leveling function led to remarkable high
speed stability. Its power steering contributed to a
relaxed driving. Sure, it rolled a lot in corners and
it delivered no feel through the steering, but it never
pretended to be a Lotus Elan. SM was designed to be
a luxury grand tourer while retaining the good tradition
of French cars.
Initially, car journalists loved the
big Citroen coupe very much. Unfortunately, it soon
became known for serious reliability and servicing problems
— even more so than the DS. Its Maserati V6 was
found especially problematic — the vibration due
to its 90° V-angle and the requirement for constant
re-tuning. Maserati had little consideration for servicing
when it designed the engine. Besides, the complex gearbox,
suspensions and hydraulic system were all difficult
to service. SM became a victim for its over-engineering.
As these problems surfaced, sales declined. This was
not helped by the 1973 oil crisis either. After Citroen
was sold to Peugeot, the new owner decided to terminate
the SM.
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