Citroen SM (1971) – Into the Wild

Just by the side of the road, in the early spring sun, AutoWeek forum member Johan82 came across this impressive Citroën SM. Where you can sometimes spontaneously encounter the DS and CX, this applies to a lesser extent to this special coupé, which once shared the showroom with those two. The SM has always been a lot more exclusive and of course it was intended that way. With the SM, Citroën entered a part of the market in which it has never been active before and since, that of luxury and sporty coupés. It was also a relatively short adventure, as the SM was only in production for four years.

In the 1960s, Citroën toyed with some ideas to do more with the basis of the highly successful DS. For example, it considered bringing a sportier version of the DS to the market. In the end things turned out differently. There was a completely new model, which in terms of performance and luxury still came to stand above the DS, but not – as was also considered for a while – really succeeded the DS. After all, ‘Project S’ dried up as the SM, a coupé with Maserati engine drawn by Robert Opron. The latter was due to the fact that Citroën became the owner of the Italian sports car brand in the late 1960s. Maserati developed a new V6 and so Citroën could finally get a six-cylinder, something that was seen by many as the greatest lack of the DS.

The SM just didn’t quite come at a good time. Just when the French dared to abandon their somewhat Calvinistic post-war approach with the SM, the oil crisis reared its head. Suddenly a luxury coupe with a big engine was just the kind of car that very few people wanted. That, however, contributed to the SM getting a little more allure, because you came from a good family if you could drive one. Moreover, it was a very striking appearance and several celebrities fell for it. The most famous example of this in the Netherlands is of course Johan Cruijff, an outspoken enthusiast of the SM, who has ridden several in his life.

In Cruijff’s heyday as a football player, this blue copy was not yet available in the Netherlands. It was only registered in the Netherlands in 1984. That also explains why there are yellow plates on it, something you don’t often see with an SM. Since his arrival in the Netherlands he has gone through two owners and now the SM has been with his current owner for over 16 years. It looks like he’s just going on the road with it, something we can only applaud. Although he or she will be used to it after 16 years, it is a special experience to drive an SM. The then quite revolutionary DIRAVI power steering, whereby the steering wheel always returns itself to the central position when you let go of the steering wheel, among other things, takes quite a bit of getting used to. It is a speed-dependent power steering, which makes steering quite direct, even at higher speeds, but due to the self-centering you also have to pay close attention when steering. Combine that with the particularly comfortable hydropneumatic suspension and you know that every ride is an experience that is almost incomparable. We hope this one has many more special rides ahead of us!