it might be a stupid idea , but I think that Citroen ( and other car manufacturers) should get this cars back in to production keeping the look intact but upgrading the rest to modern vehicles standards ( airbags, satnavs, etc...
I'm french and trust me, you dont want a new version of this car because it made its time. And I know and want to see a 21's century version of it but I have to admet that this could not go for 500 km without an issue. But it is a really beautiful car and DS is already making new cars that are really good and quite as classy as the SM. This car was born to early.
No way Peugeot would allow Citroën to produce an updated SM. They wouldn't even allow Citroën to use up the remaining bodies, engine-transaxle sets and parts, rather forcing their destruction. Everything that makes the SM what it is could be duplicated even more easily electrically rather than to go back to hydraulics. Electric steering, electric primary brake actuation, electric suspension control, electrically operated self-leveling suspension like a 1955 Packard. A hybrid ICE-battery electric drive could allow a small ICE that could maintain designed cruising speed, using electric boost for acceleration and grade climbing could attain high fuel mileage yet have ample power for rapid acceleration. The 2.7/3.0 litre DOHC V6 by Maserati could attain only 9.3 seconds 0-60 mph, upper 8 seconds with risk of clutch damage. It's 170/178/180 hp wasn't enough for a car in its class. An up-to-date rendition of the SM would require at least 300-350 peak hp including electric boost. As the DS has been gone for 44 years a new "SM" couldn't utilize any DS pieces anyway.
@@algrayson8965 No "electric" suspension comes even close to the feel of a hydro-pneumatic one. O properly set one is like driving on clouds and basically all top notch luxury cars use them. Rolls, Bentley, LS from Lexus, all higher end/trim models from the germans, the Toyota Century,... Its just the peak in luxury drive. A modern SM without the pneumatic suspension would feel no different than your run of the mill caddy.
@@algrayson8965 I have a Merak SS engined SM. I don't care what HP it puts out, I've no interest in what it's 0-60mph might be, nor what it's top speed is. All I can say is, that when I'm driving it, I feel on top of the world, and no one could tempt me to swap it for ANYTHING made since the SM appeared. NOTHING. Sure, I'd take a Bugatti Chiron, but only to sell it, buy an SM MyLord and pocket the change.
Today I saw an electric hyundai that looked like a spaceship with a super simple design and I had the exact same thought: "Why don't they build one of these with the design of yesterday?"
Comme pianiste, en 1974, je partais en concerts (avec un chanteur connu) avec cette voiture; nous étions 4 plus les instruments, les places à l'arrière étaient étroites , celles de devant royales; on roulait à 180/200 , voire un plus plus: que de bons souvenirs avec cette voiture! Quel pied!
Its the one car that fascinates me ever since I drove my uncles SM 23 years ago in Greece. it blew me away. I have owned many BMWs, a couple of Mercedes, driven all kinds of 911s, even a Miura S (my parents rented out a used car lot and our tenet let me drive all the cars he got in, mainly European models). I can tell you nothing compares to this car. I killed me when my uncle told me some idiot run a red light and totaled his SM in 1998. He had promised me that car and my plan was to bring it to the States. Excellent video sir.
I have loved the SM since I saw my first one in the late 1970s.The interior is sublime. I have also seen the mythical only factory made RHD SM that was rescued from an order to destroy it from Slough Citroen when they decided not to proceed with the factory option. ( it was taken to Australia for a few years before coming back to the UK).
He forgot to mention the Diravi power-steering system, which varies with the cars speed, and has enourmous power, so that even at a stand still you can turn the wheels with just one finger. And the steering always returns to center-point, even at a stand-still!
@ Layth Alkhaer of course, a light car is easy and fun to drive (if it is good in certain ways). Still, Citroen's 'diravi' is very good and easy to deal with. Last thing I had to drive had a delayed power steering (and brake). So you turn the wheel a bit, nothing happens, then power comes and displaces the car for a sudden. Almost crashed the thing, luckily other people saw that there was an Opel on the street. I do not understand this. A 2CV, an R4, a Fiat 'box' Panda, even a shitty Trabant, they all stick to the road and do what the driver wants. Entering so-called 'middle class', cars become adventurous in behaving.
A 2cv as (if roll) a strong inline return because the high pivot angle (who garantee a perfect inline stability), but need some muscle to move the steering wheel at stop because the high pivot angle= you lift a part from the car weight...The DIRAVI is a variable inline return force system low power at stop (but enought to make the wheels inline alone), maximum at 130kmh, regulation is centrifugal...was the first car with variable power steering, the next was the BMW 850...twenty years later...
@@leneanderthalien -The power is the same at all times: constant 2,300 psi on the rod side of the piston. The variable is the centering force, just enough to scrub the tires to straight-ahead when sitting still. The centering force rises with speed until it is quite stiff at 80 mph/130 kmh.
Thank you for taking the time to do a wonderful presentation of a master piece of automobile engineering. Most people only see horsepower as the only measure of automotive success. Any one who spends the time to learn will be amazed at the massive engineering feats of the SM and the DS. (actually all Citroens before 1976). My BMW's are crude trucks in comparison to my Citroens (1957 DS19 to 1973 SM). The Germans will never learn how to make hydraulics work reliably, not leak or not cost a fortune to repair. If there is one fault it would be Citroen's modesty on boasting about what they can achieve. (Like eliminating the seals on the dual tandem brake master cylinders since 1955. Yes, metal to metal. Good enough for Rolls-Royce to quietly use in their own cars.) For those who don't know, Citroen DS (the SM's father) was voted #3 of 20th Century automobile achievement behind the Ford Model T and the Austin Mini.
This should be SHOUTED out loudly for all to hear. I own 2 Citroen CX (a 1975 CX2000 & 1987 CX25 GTI) I find modern cars are disposable rubbish & unsafe & uncomfortable. Give me a CX or DS over ANY modern car.
I remember seeing one of these about 10 years ago in London. Same lovely bronze-y/gold-y colour and in the same concourse condition and I thought 'wow, what is that?!'. Luckily the owner turned up and filled me in. I was interested because my Dad was a Citroen owner, but one of the more modern kind from the 90s (CX25 GTi Turbo 2 I believe), but also because it just looked amazing. The ultimate Citroen, really.
Just saw one of these for the first time in my life this afternoon, parked in front of a roadside apartment complex. I knew it's a Citroen, but I didn't know what model was it, and yet there was that striking presence I was unable to explain, maybe almost the same feeling as recognizing a Lamborghini Espada. What a beautiful car!
I own one, 73 EFI - and can only say one thing about it...…..COSMIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! life is too short not to buy one of these iconic cars if u are a petrolhead ! DO IT !! Let it do the talking, with that DS smoothness and the GT Maserati sporty note.
I fell in love with the Citroen SM when I saw a review of one in my fathers What Car magazine back in the 1970's. I always wanted one but never did. Dad loved French cars and always had either Renaults or Citroens. Thanks for the upload
Scott, if you inherited a SM for free you need lots of money to maintain it just the same even if it was in perfect like-new condition with all post-production upgrades done. Not for the faint of purse.
01:45 Video says the car has hydraulic suspension, while in fact it's hydropneumatic. I know that's a nerd detail to complain about ("hydraulic" isn't technically incorrect, just incomplete) but since the system was rare, it's worth mentioning.
The brake pedal is mostly pressure sensitive. The original 1956 Citroën DS19 had a more solid rubber pad on the pedal. It soon was replaced by a rubber "mushroom" that added a little "squish" to the pedal so that deceleration and pavement bumps would not cause the driver's foot to bounce the pedal, causing sudden grabbing braking.
Nice! I own a few Citroens, a 1980 Dyane 6-B, a 1965 2cv AZU, a 1966 ID-19 and a 1964 DS-19, i've owned some classic cars (i've just never owned a new one, i don't like them), i have a Dodge, a Seat/Fiat.... But after owning different cars and having the chance of testing and comparing them i've realised that Citroën are always diferent, in many ways, you'll like them or you'll hate them, but you must accept they're different and i think they're different in a good way. Nowadays at the age of 21 I proudly work for an oficial Citroen garage in my town, long life Citroen!
That would be easy, this cars you mention are extremely cheap and easy to get here, maybe someday I'll look for one of them but i'm now restoring a '58 Plymouth Plaza Silver Special, everything else will have to wait!
Indeed, a great automobile designed by engineers who have a real passion for design. I grew up in Montreal as well and my dentist had one and I considered the real sci-fi style car of the time. I alos loved th see Citroen's in French movies. But still Citroen are fascinating cars as they keep winning rallies and make such good use of space.
The most wonderful car I have ever driven.... rare here is Australia... a drive through the Southern Highlands and back along the South Coast including Macquarie Pass and the 'Kiama Bends". Sensational - visually, driving and as a passenger..... Only zee French - with Italian oomph...
dont worry no many people knows it... even citroen fanatics usually never heard about this ..it was sold only in 4 or 5 countries and just a few of them
I want you to tell just so we got them on 70tis as a friend done these up.great on a then German motorway (71) was up to A' dam great performer and this heck is a full time job to repair luck fans lots now gone.shit SUV's got yourself a good great performer there have fun KARIN
sir your SM is beautiful! have you ever considered fitting Jerry Hathaways anti roll valves? working with the roll bar the valves prevent hydraulic pressure from the suspention from shifting from side to side while cornering keeping the car surprisingly flat. i dont remember how much he wants for them but for how small they are, i think its the single best upgrade for a hydropnumatic suspension. -cheers
the citroen SM is one of the most MCM stylin' cars there was imo. so quirky and different. This is the first time learning about the bizarre brake pedal. I can imagine the surprise and embarrassment of someone first driving one without knowing the idiosyncrasies.
I'm Canadian, eh?, and due to the "French Connection" with the province of Quebec, way back in the '60s and '70s, Citroen was far better represented in Canada than in the USA. But nevertheless it was silly US regulations regarding bumper heights and swiveling headlights that convinced the manufacturer they were never going to survive in N. America. So it was in 1973 (I believe) Citroen pulled out of the N. American market altogether. And that was really a shame, at least for lovers of exotic sedans like my Dad and, later, me. Because all the futuristic elements of the beautiful SM were based on Citroen's bread-and-butter big four-door, the DS-series, which at the time sold in North America for around the price of a loaded Olds 98 sedan. And for that reasonable amount of outlay, you got a sedan that in most ways could rival the best Mercedes had to offer, their S600. When I was in my mid-teens my Dad, a dyed-in-the-wool car guy, bought a slew of big Citroen sedans in succession. He was a country doctor and needed a car that could get him around in brutal 20-below Ontario winters with huge snowfalls that wouldn't be cleared for hours. His Citroen DS-21 and DS-23 Pallas sedans did him one better. In the late fall after the snow had fallen, my Dad and his pals made the trek to their deer hunting lodge way back in the Ontario woods. As it turned out, only two of their vehicles could make it though the axel-high snow to the cabin -- the Citroen, its suspension jacked up to maximum, and a Jeep Wagoneer owned by another club member. Their two-week stay required a visit or two to the nearest village for provisions. But on mornings when it was 25 below, that Jeep's battery was toast. So my Dad would open the trunk and remove the Citroen's tire iron, which doubled as a starter lever. he'd open the hood, plug the handle into the engine, and after only one or two cranks would fire that engine to life -- just as would the owner of a Model T Ford! I remember seeing this as a young teen. The Citroen would splutter to life, its long-stroke hemi-four overcoming the huge resistance of the nearly frozen oil in its crankcase, and then settle down to a purr as its hydraulics defrosted themselves and brought the whole car to life, literally, for it seemed to be a living thing. In due time and in a discretely feminine manner it would raise itself on its haunches and the dual heaters -- rear-seat passengers got their own--would kick in and within 15 minutes the car was ready to transport would-be mountain men to the nearest purveyor of distilled beverages. The car was able to plow through two-foot snow drifts to the nearest road. Most astonishing of all, nonebofbmy Dad's DS's were equipped with snow tires! The Citroen dealer in nearby Ottawa, Jackie Jaquot, advised my Dad not to bother -- the front wheel drive could deal with Ontario winters wearing the car's original summer-spec Michelin X tires. Through my own adolescent adventures soon thereafter I later found this to be true. As a teenager I'd get one of my Dad's big DS sedans into all kinds of rural winter driving situations, like parking in a snow-filled ditch a hundred yards down the road from a barn dance, and never once did that car fail to gain traction. What's more, it rode like a Cadillac and handled like an Alfa Romeo -- and its front seats reclined all the way to meet the rears and form a queen-sized bed! What teen-aged guy could not fall in love with such a car? Probably the best of the bunch of the four or five DS series my Dad owned was the station wagon version. I urge you to seek one out here on CZcams. I can almost guarantee no station wagon on earth could approach it for practicality, versatility, and sumptuous comfort. And beyond all that, it was an exotic among exotics. So unlike any other car to drive or be driven in. And in all the important ways, it was superior not to its competitors at the time, but to what people are driving today! The fatal flaw with the big Citroens was that they were not built to last. The salt used on Ontario roads throughout the winter would totally rot a DS-21's body panels in two years. The four-cylinder engine, which was obsolete in the mid-50s when the car was introduced, wade pathetically little power and spewed pollutants. And, the car being designed for optimal fuel efficiency (in later years mine gave me an honest 30 mpg and delivered Rolls-Royce comfort in the process), the parts were lightweight and prone to failure. This is why you don't see many golden-age DS series sedans on the road today, even in Europe. I'm now retired, living in California, and happily driving a supercharged Jaguar sedan. I've been lucky enough to own Euro sedans all my life. And much as I love my fourth Jaguar, no other marque has surpassed Citroen's DS series as the car with which I've had my closest personal connection. In France they call her the "Dayesse", the goddess. And with good reason. it is a car you cannot own without falling hopelessly in love.
Citroën pulled Maserati's bankrupt, closed down butt out of the 🔥. Replaced their antique factory equipment with then-modern numerically controlled machinery. Gave them the assistance of the Citroën engineering department. Assisted them with the design and tooling for the Khamsin, considered the outstanding GT 2+2 of the '70s. For that, Maseratisti look on Citroën like a dead cat the dog dragged in.
The C-114 DOHC V6 was designed by Giulio Alfieri, Maserati's chief engine designer, to order for Citroën’s Projet S. No other Maserati but the later Merak ever needed an intermediate shaft to drive the accessories. To save on tooling both cylinder heads are identical. The upper chains that drive the camshafts come up from the intermediate shaft and lap over the camshaft sprockets and adjustable tensioner sprockets. The tensioners are manually tightened to a specified torque every 6,000 miles/10,000 kms. An item of interest: Alfieri also developed the prototype 260 hp (190 kW) 4.0 L V8 engine for the SM, tested over 12,000 kilometers, proving that the capabilities of the chassis could easily accommodate a 50% increase in power. The engine was then removed and preserved, while the rest of the car was destroyed by Alejandro de Tomaso. The SM Club of France created an exact replica of this car using the actual engine from the original and displayed it at the 2010 Rétromobile show in Paris. The SM V8 was constructed from two V6 blocks (including the lower barrel crankcase) and four cylinder heads, sawed apart, fitted together and welded. As the cast iron cylinder sleeves are separate from the cast aluminum block, shrink and expansion fitted into the block.
Among the best driving experiences I have had. Sadly in Los Angeles, where I grew up, they were owned by idiots and shabbily maintained. There is no one close at hand to help keep one near me.
Nice looking car until you get to the back. The front was designed by someone who worked for Plymouth and the back by the person who designed the first Honda Insight.
the sm is thecar that goes between the ds and the later xm but the sm was less popular they sold just a few and only in a few countries ...i think it was too expensive
There was a few SMs running around Orange County CA back in the 70s and 80s. Good looking (in their own way) cars. Still want one, but I've heard horror stories of what happens when the hydraulics go bad. Truth or fiction?
@ flyingmerkel6 if you do qualified repair by yourself, hydraulics is not a menace at all. If you rely on dealers or workshops, you'll end up bad. Very bad.
Paul Standeven I've seen his video of the sm, maybe it's not on youtube anymore. He said that it's the best car for driving in rain, 'cos the aerodynamics help to keep the windshield water free so well..
It drove superbly. But it was a devlish car to own. Very expensive in repairs and maintenance. And it needed a lot of repairs and maintenance, believe me. Like in, a LOT.
@ Ronald if you dive-in and do repairs as well as good mech can do, this car is a pet. At its time, best things mechanic guys could do was to replace a gas-rope or a spark-plug.
The fascinating thing is that even a low-budget 2CV Citroen gives comparable impression of driving. Whatever you do, dumb things included, the car will stick on the road. I did a lot of mileage on those, just one accident, not my fault, someone slided into my way (took an afternoon to repair, the other car was crap). In fact, the SM is a complicated thing, but still easy to repair, if you are a real mechanic. Citroen workshops were run by complete idiots, so the SM failed over all. They couldn't even make a 2CV work. Laymen maintained 2CVs start-up at -30°C (-22°F), no problem. Citroen workshop 2CVs fail all the time, at any temperature. So did the workshop-done SMs.
uuuh! the SM is not easy to repair, because the Maserati engine was extremly fragile, with fast wearing caused from a very long list of design and build faults, and need complicated , difficult and very expansive maintainance (ex: engine overhaul (chains) all 70 000km)...in comparision was the DS (who is technicaly the same except the DIRAVI and the engine) very simple to maintain because the engine was simple and very robust...clearly the Maserati was not a engine for common workshops mecanics...but for high performance italian sport cars mecanics... but the V6 Maserati was NOT a high performance engine even in 1970 (power to cubic: only 66 hp per liter (with injection), a Porsche 911 2.2 liter 1970 had 82 hp per liter)
@@leneanderthalien have you seen the torque curve of an sm? The torque goes to close to max at 1500rpm and stayes there without bumbs all the way. The maserati engineers gave three choices for the tune of that engine and this what they used had the least amount of horsepower. Reliability is not good compared to DS engines..
Without a doubt the most fascinating car of the last 70 years.
it might be a stupid idea , but I think that Citroen ( and other car manufacturers) should get this cars back in to production keeping the look intact but upgrading the rest to modern vehicles standards ( airbags, satnavs, etc...
I'm french and trust me, you dont want a new version of this car because it made its time. And I know and want to see a 21's century version of it but I have to admet that this could not go for 500 km without an issue. But it is a really beautiful car and DS is already making new cars that are really good and quite as classy as the SM. This car was born to early.
No way Peugeot would allow Citroën to produce an updated SM. They wouldn't even allow Citroën to use up the remaining bodies, engine-transaxle sets and parts, rather forcing their destruction.
Everything that makes the SM what it is could be duplicated even more easily electrically rather than to go back to hydraulics. Electric steering, electric primary brake actuation, electric suspension control, electrically operated self-leveling suspension like a 1955 Packard. A hybrid ICE-battery electric drive could allow a small ICE that could maintain designed cruising speed, using electric boost for acceleration and grade climbing could attain high fuel mileage yet have ample power for rapid acceleration. The 2.7/3.0 litre DOHC V6 by Maserati could attain only 9.3 seconds 0-60 mph, upper 8 seconds with risk of clutch damage. It's 170/178/180 hp wasn't enough for a car in its class. An up-to-date rendition of the SM would require at least 300-350 peak hp including electric boost.
As the DS has been gone for 44 years a new "SM" couldn't utilize any DS pieces anyway.
@@algrayson8965 No "electric" suspension comes even close to the feel of a hydro-pneumatic one. O properly set one is like driving on clouds and basically all top notch luxury cars use them. Rolls, Bentley, LS from Lexus, all higher end/trim models from the germans, the Toyota Century,... Its just the peak in luxury drive.
A modern SM without the pneumatic suspension would feel no different than your run of the mill caddy.
@@algrayson8965 I have a Merak SS engined SM. I don't care what HP it puts out, I've no interest in what it's 0-60mph might be, nor what it's top speed is. All I can say is, that when I'm driving it, I feel on top of the world, and no one could tempt me to swap it for ANYTHING made since the SM appeared. NOTHING. Sure, I'd take a Bugatti Chiron, but only to sell it, buy an SM MyLord and pocket the change.
Today I saw an electric hyundai that looked like a spaceship with a super simple design and I had the exact same thought: "Why don't they build one of these with the design of yesterday?"
Not to mention that the SM was one of the first uses of rain-sensing wipers, in the 1970s!
What a piece of art.
Comme pianiste, en 1974, je partais en concerts (avec un chanteur connu) avec cette voiture; nous étions 4 plus les instruments, les places à l'arrière étaient étroites , celles de devant royales; on roulait à 180/200 , voire un plus plus: que de bons souvenirs avec cette voiture! Quel pied!
Its the one car that fascinates me ever since I drove my uncles SM 23 years ago in Greece. it blew me away. I have owned many BMWs, a couple of Mercedes, driven all kinds of 911s, even a Miura S (my parents rented out a used car lot and our tenet let me drive all the cars he got in, mainly European models). I can tell you nothing compares to this car. I killed me when my uncle told me some idiot run a red light and totaled his SM in 1998. He had promised me that car and my plan was to bring it to the States. Excellent video sir.
That's too bad your uncles SM was totaled. Hope that it's parts were used to keep other SM's on the road.
Follow our heart, get another SM.
αυτοκινητα πολυ μπροστα απτην εποχη τους σιγουρα καλυτερα απτα σημερινα σκουπιδια
Everything about that car is beautiful. Love it
Garret McTavish they dont exist in the south east usa.
I would die to have one, and i would baby it and never let it go.
I grew up in 70s Montreal & saw DS's on almost every corner. A SM was a rare & special sight.
I am impressed with the presenter's enthusiasm!
Une merveille de création
I have loved the SM since I saw my first one in the late 1970s.The interior is sublime.
I have also seen the mythical only factory made RHD SM that was rescued from an order to destroy it from Slough Citroen when they decided not to proceed with the factory option. ( it was taken to Australia for a few years before coming back to the UK).
One of the most elegantly chic cars ever.
SM = Absuletely Icon. Best of Citroen
He forgot to mention the Diravi power-steering system, which varies with the cars speed, and has enourmous power, so that even at a stand still you can turn the wheels with just one finger. And the steering always returns to center-point, even at a stand-still!
@ Jourvalis
the 2CV steering did almost same thing without any tech ... just to say
akronymus Sure, it's easier to turn a steering wheel that dictates nothing loo
@ Layth Alkhaer
of course, a light car is easy and fun to drive (if it is good in certain ways).
Still, Citroen's 'diravi' is very good and easy to deal with. Last thing I had to drive had a delayed power steering (and brake). So you turn the wheel a bit, nothing happens, then power comes and displaces the car for a sudden. Almost crashed the thing, luckily other people saw that there was an Opel on the street.
I do not understand this. A 2CV, an R4, a Fiat 'box' Panda, even a shitty Trabant, they all stick to the road and do what the driver wants. Entering so-called 'middle class', cars become adventurous in behaving.
A 2cv as (if roll) a strong inline return because the high pivot angle (who garantee a perfect inline stability), but need some muscle to move the steering wheel at stop because the high pivot angle= you lift a part from the car weight...The DIRAVI is a variable inline return force system low power at stop (but enought to make the wheels inline alone), maximum at 130kmh, regulation is centrifugal...was the first car with variable power steering, the next was the BMW 850...twenty years later...
@@leneanderthalien -The power is the same at all times: constant 2,300 psi on the rod side of the piston. The variable is the centering force, just enough to scrub the tires to straight-ahead when sitting still. The centering force rises with speed until it is quite stiff at 80 mph/130 kmh.
Thank you for taking the time to do a wonderful presentation of a master piece of automobile engineering. Most people only see horsepower as the only measure of automotive success. Any one who spends the time to learn will be amazed at the massive engineering feats of the SM and the DS. (actually all Citroens before 1976). My BMW's are crude trucks in comparison to my Citroens (1957 DS19 to 1973 SM). The Germans will never learn how to make hydraulics work reliably, not leak or not cost a fortune to repair. If there is one fault it would be Citroen's modesty on boasting about what they can achieve. (Like eliminating the seals on the dual tandem brake master cylinders since 1955. Yes, metal to metal. Good enough for Rolls-Royce to quietly use in their own cars.) For those who don't know, Citroen DS (the SM's father) was voted #3 of 20th Century automobile achievement behind the Ford Model T and the Austin Mini.
This should be SHOUTED out loudly for all to hear.
I own 2 Citroen CX (a 1975 CX2000 & 1987 CX25 GTI)
I find modern cars are disposable rubbish & unsafe & uncomfortable.
Give me a CX or DS over ANY modern car.
great example of technology meets art
Thanks for the ride!
I love these cars. Even in Europe, they are extremely rare.
thank you for preserving , honoring and driving one of the most iconic Citroên . When the others are saying that we only built junk cars...
I remember seeing one of these about 10 years ago in London. Same lovely bronze-y/gold-y colour and in the same concourse condition and I thought 'wow, what is that?!'. Luckily the owner turned up and filled me in. I was interested because my Dad was a Citroen owner, but one of the more modern kind from the 90s (CX25 GTi Turbo 2 I believe), but also because it just looked amazing. The ultimate Citroen, really.
Just saw one of these for the first time in my life this afternoon, parked in front of a roadside apartment complex. I knew it's a Citroen, but I didn't know what model was it, and yet there was that striking presence I was unable to explain, maybe almost the same feeling as recognizing a Lamborghini Espada. What a beautiful car!
So ! How exactly did you know it was a Citroen !
What was it about the car that told you what it was ?
N.B. I own 2 CX
uh....rear wheels...?
I'm here because of the Longest Yard. RIP Burt Reynolds.
I own one, 73 EFI - and can only say one thing about it...…..COSMIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! life is too short not to buy one of these iconic cars if u are a petrolhead ! DO IT !!
Let it do the talking, with that DS smoothness and the GT Maserati sporty note.
Magnifique
La Citroen SM, une voiture d'exception, belle, élégante, superbe, une classe de voiture de Prestige
I fell in love with the Citroen SM when I saw a review of one in my fathers What Car magazine back in the 1970's. I always wanted one but never did. Dad loved French cars and always had either Renaults or Citroens.
Thanks for the upload
Italy + France = Masterpiece
Amazing car, tecnique, engine, incredible design, amazing.. all
what a gentleman..ty sir..
I want want to join this wonderful club badly, but, have not much money in the pocket right now.
God bless you!
Scott, if you inherited a SM for free you need lots of money to maintain it just the same even if it was in perfect like-new condition with all post-production upgrades done.
Not for the faint of purse.
01:45 Video says the car has hydraulic suspension, while in fact it's hydropneumatic. I know that's a nerd detail to complain about ("hydraulic" isn't technically incorrect, just incomplete) but since the system was rare, it's worth mentioning.
What a stunning design, still looks amazing today.
The brake pedal is mostly pressure sensitive. The original 1956 Citroën DS19 had a more solid rubber pad on the pedal. It soon was replaced by a rubber "mushroom" that added a little "squish" to the pedal so that deceleration and pavement bumps would not cause the driver's foot to bounce the pedal, causing sudden grabbing braking.
Amazing car. I love citroen DS and now I love this too.
Superbe voiture bien entretenue. Magnifique!!
Hi George! It was great meeting you in.person in Chicago a couple of weeks ago.
A real masterpiece! The most advanced, safe and beautiful car in the whole world! I have owned one myself! It is also a real Super DS!
I will definitely buy one if I get the money to buy and maintain it. What a stunning design, sound and amazing technology innovations.
Nice! I own a few Citroens, a 1980 Dyane 6-B, a 1965 2cv AZU, a 1966 ID-19 and a 1964 DS-19, i've owned some classic cars (i've just never owned a new one, i don't like them), i have a Dodge, a Seat/Fiat.... But after owning different cars and having the chance of testing and comparing them i've realised that Citroën are always diferent, in many ways, you'll like them or you'll hate them, but you must accept they're different and i think they're different in a good way. Nowadays at the age of 21 I proudly work for an oficial Citroen garage in my town, long life Citroen!
Good for you. If you ever have a chance to get hold of a Visa, CX, BX, GS, GSA.
These are all very interestingly unique cars.
Even a C15.
That would be easy, this cars you mention are extremely cheap and easy to get here, maybe someday I'll look for one of them but i'm now restoring a '58 Plymouth Plaza Silver Special, everything else will have to wait!
I'm so in love with the SM and really happy to see how much you take care of your car!!! Would love to drive or own one! A Frenchman in Toronto!
You can love or hate it but that's a cult car.
Indeed, a great automobile designed by engineers who have a real passion for design. I grew up in Montreal as well and my dentist had one and I considered the real sci-fi style car of the time. I alos loved th see Citroen's in French movies. But still Citroen are fascinating cars as they keep winning rallies and make such good use of space.
Up there with the 58 Plymouth Fury as one of the most beautiful cars of all time.
Fantastic piece of rolling art.
Meraviglia lo avuta ora ho solo le borchie❤
Citroen are Bonkers but I love this car. However I would probably go for an XM. Spaceship on wheels
Man this is a masterpiece.
Very cool!!!
one of my very favorite cars
One of the coolest cars ever made.
MARVELOUS CALASSIC.......
i remenber an episode of inspector columbo with a Citroën DS and a SM . it was the top of french brand in USA.
Hello from Romania! Nice video
The most wonderful car I have ever driven.... rare here is Australia... a drive through the Southern Highlands and back along the South Coast including Macquarie Pass and the 'Kiama Bends".
Sensational - visually, driving and as a passenger..... Only zee French - with Italian oomph...
Loved them ever since i saw burt reynolds wreck one in the longest yard
WoW! Did not even know the SM existed. I am impressed. I am happy with my 2CV in Bangkok. Looking for a DS, but not easy to find.
dont worry no many people knows it... even citroen fanatics usually never heard about this ..it was sold only in 4 or 5 countries and just a few of them
Stunning.
my all time dream car
The longest yard car with burt Reynolds lol!
even in GTA5 is a great car.
It's the best car with forward wheel drive.
Skefil
@ Francesco
I owned a GSA 1200 ... a small Citroen close to SM design, sadly rust took it from earth.
Yea Pigalle
This is a really well made video. And factual! Really nice example plus you can see it has been set up to perform correctly.
Real beautifull car ... Love it
I want you to tell just so we got them on 70tis as a friend done these up.great on a then German motorway (71) was up to A' dam great performer and this heck is a full time job to repair luck fans lots now gone.shit SUV's got yourself a good great performer there have fun KARIN
that's the spirit
Masterpiece, still it send to fly any moder car, especially SUVs.
I'd give my TVR Tuscan for a nice SM what a great car! Chesworth Cues, Sheffield, England
amazing car
Pure masterpiece!
Amazing
Fab car very lucky owner -a car so advanced that43 yrs later has not been equalled re its innovative features
Beautiful car
sir your SM is beautiful! have you ever considered fitting Jerry Hathaways anti roll valves? working with the roll bar the valves prevent hydraulic pressure from the suspention from shifting from side to side while cornering keeping the car surprisingly flat. i dont remember how much he wants for them but for how small they are, i think its the single best upgrade for a hydropnumatic suspension. -cheers
the citroen SM is one of the most MCM stylin' cars there was imo. so quirky and different. This is the first time learning about the bizarre brake pedal. I can imagine the surprise and embarrassment of someone first driving one without knowing the idiosyncrasies.
I'm Canadian, eh?, and due to the "French Connection" with the province of Quebec, way back in the '60s and '70s, Citroen was far better represented in Canada than in the USA. But nevertheless it was silly US regulations regarding bumper heights and swiveling headlights that convinced the manufacturer they were never going to survive in N. America. So it was in 1973 (I believe) Citroen pulled out of the N. American market altogether.
And that was really a shame, at least for lovers of exotic sedans like my Dad and, later, me. Because all the futuristic elements of the beautiful SM were based on Citroen's bread-and-butter big four-door, the DS-series, which at the time sold in North America for around the price of a loaded Olds 98 sedan. And for that reasonable amount of outlay, you got a sedan that in most ways could rival the best Mercedes had to offer, their S600.
When I was in my mid-teens my Dad, a dyed-in-the-wool car guy, bought a slew of big Citroen sedans in succession. He was a country doctor and needed a car that could get him around in brutal 20-below Ontario winters with huge snowfalls that wouldn't be cleared for hours. His Citroen DS-21 and DS-23 Pallas sedans did him one better. In the late fall after the snow had fallen, my Dad and his pals made the trek to their deer hunting lodge way back in the Ontario woods. As it turned out, only two of their vehicles could make it though the axel-high snow to the cabin -- the Citroen, its suspension jacked up to maximum, and a Jeep Wagoneer owned by another club member.
Their two-week stay required a visit or two to the nearest village for provisions. But on mornings when it was 25 below, that Jeep's battery was toast. So my Dad would open the trunk and remove the Citroen's tire iron, which doubled as a starter lever. he'd open the hood, plug the handle into the engine, and after only one or two cranks would fire that engine to life -- just as would the owner of a Model T Ford!
I remember seeing this as a young teen. The Citroen would splutter to life, its long-stroke hemi-four overcoming the huge resistance of the nearly frozen oil in its crankcase, and then settle down to a purr as its hydraulics defrosted themselves and brought the whole car to life, literally, for it seemed to be a living thing. In due time and in a discretely feminine manner it would raise itself on its haunches and the dual heaters -- rear-seat passengers got their own--would kick in and within 15 minutes the car was ready to transport would-be mountain men to the nearest purveyor of distilled beverages. The car was able to plow through two-foot snow drifts to the nearest road. Most astonishing of all, nonebofbmy Dad's DS's were equipped with snow tires! The Citroen dealer in nearby Ottawa, Jackie Jaquot, advised my Dad not to bother -- the front wheel drive could deal with Ontario winters wearing the car's original summer-spec Michelin X tires.
Through my own adolescent adventures soon thereafter I later found this to be true. As a teenager I'd get one of my Dad's big DS sedans into all kinds of rural winter driving situations, like parking in a snow-filled ditch a hundred yards down the road from a barn dance, and never once did that car fail to gain traction. What's more, it rode like a Cadillac and handled like an Alfa Romeo -- and its front seats reclined all the way to meet the rears and form a queen-sized bed! What teen-aged guy could not fall in love with such a car?
Probably the best of the bunch of the four or five DS series my Dad owned was the station wagon version. I urge you to seek one out here on CZcams. I can almost guarantee no station wagon on earth could approach it for practicality, versatility, and sumptuous comfort. And beyond all that, it was an exotic among exotics. So unlike any other car to drive or be driven in. And in all the important ways, it was superior not to its competitors at the time, but to what people are driving today!
The fatal flaw with the big Citroens was that they were not built to last. The salt used on Ontario roads throughout the winter would totally rot a DS-21's body panels in two years. The four-cylinder engine, which was obsolete in the mid-50s when the car was introduced, wade pathetically little power and spewed pollutants. And, the car being designed for optimal fuel efficiency (in later years mine gave me an honest 30 mpg and delivered Rolls-Royce comfort in the process), the parts were lightweight and prone to failure. This is why you don't see many golden-age DS series sedans on the road today, even in Europe.
I'm now retired, living in California, and happily driving a supercharged Jaguar sedan. I've been lucky enough to own Euro sedans all my life. And much as I love my fourth Jaguar, no other marque has surpassed Citroen's DS series as the car with which I've had my closest personal connection. In France they call her the "Dayesse", the goddess. And with good reason. it is a car you cannot own without falling hopelessly in love.
he should have said that the reason citroen had maserati's engines is because they owned italian firm at the time.
TheKenjoje :- Errrr... I think if you watch the video again he said they were looking for a more powerful engine for the DS, so they Bought Maserati.
Citroën pulled Maserati's bankrupt, closed down butt out of the 🔥. Replaced their antique factory equipment with then-modern numerically controlled machinery. Gave them the assistance of the Citroën engineering department. Assisted them with the design and tooling for the Khamsin, considered the outstanding GT 2+2 of the '70s.
For that, Maseratisti look on Citroën like a dead cat the dog dragged in.
The C-114 DOHC V6 was designed by Giulio Alfieri, Maserati's chief engine designer, to order for Citroën’s Projet S. No other Maserati but the later Merak ever needed an intermediate shaft to drive the accessories. To save on tooling both cylinder heads are identical. The upper chains that drive the camshafts come up from the intermediate shaft and lap over the camshaft sprockets and adjustable tensioner sprockets. The tensioners are manually tightened to a specified torque every 6,000 miles/10,000 kms.
An item of interest:
Alfieri also developed the prototype 260 hp (190 kW) 4.0 L V8 engine for the SM, tested over 12,000 kilometers, proving that the capabilities of the chassis could easily accommodate a 50% increase in power. The engine was then removed and preserved, while the rest of the car was destroyed by Alejandro de Tomaso. The SM Club of France created an exact replica of this car using the actual engine from the original and displayed it at the 2010 Rétromobile show in Paris.
The SM V8 was constructed from two V6 blocks (including the lower barrel crankcase) and four cylinder heads, sawed apart, fitted together and welded. As the cast iron cylinder sleeves are separate from the cast aluminum block, shrink and expansion fitted into the block.
Among the best driving experiences I have had. Sadly in Los Angeles, where I grew up, they were owned by idiots and shabbily maintained. There is no one close at hand to help keep one near me.
Dreary for sure ... times gone ... get a Toyota if you want a good car. I am serious. They invented durability.
The car of F A N T O M A S 😂
NICE ONE
Unique.
Please drive with the lights on, when filming the car!
Buen carro men
nice car
excelent
oh man, this break pedal
Nice looking car until you get to the back. The front was designed by someone who worked for Plymouth and the back by the person who designed the first Honda Insight.
the sm is thecar that goes between the ds and the later xm but the sm was less popular they sold just a few and only in a few countries ...i think it was too expensive
The car between the DS and XM was the CX. The SM was luxury coupé, not a sedan. A different kind of car.
There was a few SMs running around Orange County CA back in the 70s and 80s. Good looking (in their own way) cars. Still want one, but I've heard horror stories of what happens when the hydraulics go bad. Truth or fiction?
@ flyingmerkel6
if you do qualified repair by yourself, hydraulics is not a menace at all. If you rely on dealers or workshops, you'll end up bad. Very bad.
uaahhh in-su-pe-ra-ble !!
you cant imagine that they sacrify HP on the altar of profit !! the next C5 wont have hydraulic suspension, apparently..
Isn't this the car that Burt Reynolds stole in The Longest Yard?
XM FINE IUNIQUE
You should lend your car to Jay Leno
Jay Leno already owns an SM
But he didn't review it :(
I think he owns DS and XM. Not sure about SM....
Jay Leno has a gold SM and a red DS. Both are frequently visible in the background of his videos. He has done a video on the DS but not the SM.
Paul Standeven I've seen his video of the sm, maybe it's not on youtube anymore. He said that it's the best car for driving in rain, 'cos the aerodynamics help to keep the windshield water free so well..
It drove superbly. But it was a devlish car to own. Very expensive in repairs and maintenance. And it needed a lot of repairs and maintenance, believe me. Like in, a LOT.
@ Ronald
if you dive-in and do repairs as well as good mech can do, this car is a pet.
At its time, best things mechanic guys could do was to replace a gas-rope or a spark-plug.
Kid Cudi brought me here
228 km/h for the injection model !
I WISHD ID HAD SOME DAY 2 SMS 1 GREEN AND ONE RED AND MY GFS UNCLE AS WHITE
Wooow
Look like a door atelje 212 in Belgrade serbia
Cotroën🇫🇷🇮🇹Maserati
The fascinating thing is that even a low-budget 2CV Citroen gives comparable impression of driving. Whatever you do, dumb things included, the car will stick on the road. I did a lot of mileage on those, just one accident, not my fault, someone slided into my way (took an afternoon to repair, the other car was crap).
In fact, the SM is a complicated thing, but still easy to repair, if you are a real mechanic. Citroen workshops were run by complete idiots, so the SM failed over all. They couldn't even make a 2CV work. Laymen maintained 2CVs start-up at -30°C (-22°F), no problem. Citroen workshop 2CVs fail all the time, at any temperature. So did the workshop-done SMs.
uuuh! the SM is not easy to repair, because the Maserati engine was extremly fragile, with fast wearing caused from a very long list of design and build faults, and need complicated , difficult and very expansive maintainance (ex: engine overhaul (chains) all 70 000km)...in comparision was the DS (who is technicaly the same except the DIRAVI and the engine) very simple to maintain because the engine was simple and very robust...clearly the Maserati was not a engine for common workshops mecanics...but for high performance italian sport cars mecanics... but the V6 Maserati was NOT a high performance engine even in 1970 (power to cubic: only 66 hp per liter (with injection), a Porsche 911 2.2 liter 1970 had 82 hp per liter)
@@leneanderthalien have you seen the torque curve of an sm? The torque goes to close to max at 1500rpm and stayes there without bumbs all the way. The maserati engineers gave three choices for the tune of that engine and this what they used had the least amount of horsepower.
Reliability is not good compared to DS engines..
See troe enn. Try it, it's not that hard.
You must be fun at parties
A riot.