The Citroen SM Experience - a 15 minute drive
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- čas přidán 19. 03. 2016
- A 15 minute clip of driving a 1973 Citroen SM. CAUTION: There is some disappointing camera shake and wind noise in the audio, and the essential experience of a Citroen's "active" hydraulic suspension dynamics was really hard to communicate to you via video. I try my best by talking about it as I am driving and pointing out what to watch for, but suffice to say the driving experience of almost any Citroen is unique in the automotive world. If you ever get access to one, take the opportunity to drive it. Citroens are unlike a conventional suspension car, but you can get used to it and certainly never get the sense that you are not in control. It just reacts differently than what we've been conditioned to expect. The SM was a tour de force of French style and Citroen technology combined with a Maserati V6 engine. It was a sensational car internationally. It is marvelous to look at and to drive. The cockpit experience is almost equally rich. The seats don't have conventional bottom and back cushions, instead they are a continuous contour. Fabulously comfortable. I've cut the soundtrack back to just the beginning and the end. I hope you enjoy this, your comments are welcome.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
one of the greatest cars in the world a true tour de force of what Citroën were capable of.
There simply is nothing else that does come close to how a SM drives. The only exceptions are the DS/ID series and the CX.
Keep in mind people, this car was shown to the world 47 years ago and still looks like it came from Mars.
So very true. The SM embodies the definition of Sensational.. both styling and driving. There is nothing like it except another Citroen..
Just as well I bought a CX, then!
BX GTi 16v had hydrogas and was the best handling car I have ever driven.
O I miss my id19
The Citroën GS had a modern 4 cylinder boxer engine, smoother than the antiquated engines of the ID/DS models during the era of the SM.
The SM still puts ALL modern car to shame, even other European cars.
Big Citroens hydro-pneumatic suspension (DS SM CX) are how all cars should ride.
To me everything else is simply inferior & substandard technology, no matter how much it costs.
Add the amazingly powerful all-round disk breaks, the variable assisted power steering, unworldly road holding, self leveling road clearance, automatic compensating breaking distribution front to rear, self leveling light cluster, headlamps that turn with cornering...
This is a vision of the future that should have been. Today's cars are disposable rubbish in comparison to an SM.
N.B. I have 2 CX's
Thanks Trespire - don't forget to include the beautiful C6 too.. discontinued in 2010 I believe? I drove a green C6 last summer. It's equally refined, with gorgeous exterior and interior styling. But here we are in 2016 and Citroen has discontinued applying its hydro-pneumatic suspension technology in their cars. I have done no research on the decision. What meaning we can draw from Citroen's decision is perhaps open to debate.
The French Citroen website shows the C5 is still available with hydraulic suspension. It seems to be an option however.
Sorry to say, but XM has a VERY good drive! I had one, and it was better than my couch!
Xantia is "harder", but also good. C5 with Hydractive is good! And C6 is brilliant!
António Miranda
I most certainly believe your XM was more comfortable then sitting on a couch.
If you ever have a chance to ride in a CX (not the sporty CX 25 GTi Turbo as it has stiffened suspension) Let me know how they compare !
trespire They ride well as well. So does the XM! :)
Have you ever ride an XM?
This car will still be ahead of the time in 20 years. Thank you a lot for uploading this video, and don't say sorry for the camera shake.
My mom drove a 1975 Citroen SM
.... the car was silver with a red velour interior..... It was the THE MOST COMFORTABLE care EVER!!! She drove it until 1999 when she bought an Audi S8.... I Loved that SM... it was such a great car... My mother drove it HARD.... and it had around 180,000 miles when she got rid of it... she LOVED that car... she also had a Maserati Biturbo, in the 80's and drove it alot also..... The SM was such a great car... very fiddly timing... but the engine was pretty dang reliable... my Step dad took care of it...I just remember him on;y using a special fluid for the suspension......Many many great memories!!!!
Awesome background Brent, thanks for sharing.. there is indeed nothing like a Citroen and the SM stands out in the Citroen family. .. that special fluid is LHM mineral oil, it's green.. unique to Citroen systems.. part of the "cool" factor.
+ Arthur Harvey, I do believe that Rolls Royce used LHM fluid in some of their braking systems. It became a fairly common problem where "New" owners did not read the manual, put DOT4 brake fluid into the brake reservoir, and shot all the seals! A VERY expensive mistake.
I also remember a short ride in a DS on a French holiday back in the summer of 1976 :-). But then, with all the cobbled streets in some areas, they needed suspension like that!
Thanks for the reminder - I have indeed heard the same thing about LHM used in Rolls.
wow, does the S8 still run?
I gave the Audi S8 to my 18 year old son( Big mistake)who was in school in NH... and he wrecked it in 2013.... it had about 130,000 miles on it at the time. it was a fun car... but VERY expensive to maintain!!!
I used to have a Citroën Xantia and I loved the hydraulic system. Especially when someone was "pushing" from behind and I drove full speed across a sleeping policeman and the guy behind me had to break really, really hard because his exhaust bumped against the ground. You could drive over any sort of bad road and never experienced a rough ride. A truly awesome system.
Citroen SM My all time favorite car. Cool groovy intro music too :)
I drove one of these through the Rockies (Calgary to Vancouver) in the autumn of 1976. Most amazing car I have ever driven (it had the correct headlights too, not the crappy seal beams demanded by the idiot laws in the US). Would love to do that drive again.
Sorry Pal, but I am soooo envious of you.....I was regularly driving my 1969 Cortina GT from either Edmonton or Calgary to Vancouver, and happy as a lark, buto to do the trip in Citroen....which I had a chance to ride in Algeria in 1971.....that trip of yours must have been awesome...never owned a Citroen, but relied heavily on my 2 Renault R4'S....paid $200 for 2 in 1980 in Vancouver....more reliable than our 1976 SAAB!!!
...but I must point out, getting a ride in a Citroen in Algeria ranks pretty high on the "cool scale".. Well done you.
Major Frost if you still had it, id buy it
Amazing car... unique... this car fascinated me even when I was a child, and in those time it was a used car that no one wanted. In Italy the SM were lying in dealerships crouched like a tiger and dusty waiting for a new owner that never came. And the prices were very very low, at that time..
an icon of a car.
my parents had a ds,cx and bx.
the cx was the car I learnt to drive in,which had self centering steering so strong, when stationary it would self centre the wheel,the brake pedal was akin to a switch, the instruments reminded me of a spirit level,the indicators (mounted on a rocker switch/ didn't self cancel and the suspension (as all Citroën lhm fluid systems) self levelled, could be raised or lowered and (super cool) was used during a wheel change.
you put the car on its highest suspension setting,got out the 'jack' (which was a solid lump of metal) inserted it and lowered the car to it low position,the car would lower and the wheel next to the jack,would raise off the floor for changing
wonderful memories of my teenage years.
only rust and not very good mpg were the down sides I remember (and feeling a bit like a boat, albeit a safe one,when pushing on through the twistys.
the SM was the car I wanted my dad to buy, but he discovered the Jensen interceptor, was a '4' seater,cheap to buy (at 8 years old) and the big chrysler V8 rumble (with aftermarket cherry bomb silencers)
A Fool With A Tool had 3 bx's in the family starting with a 85 17rd hatch bought brand new and picking it up and looking at that incredible dashboard of the mk1's has always stayed with me.
Very nice footage, dear Arthur! Sensational car! Greets, Rolf @#
What a nice vid! i was shocked at how the signal sounds and lignts in the vid were bringing mermories back to me. i was 4 in 1977 when my dad bought a ds when we lived in the north of France, and i remember being in this car at 4 and 5.
The sounds in the vid bring me back to the feeling of sitting in this car. the air grid also and the details a kid put somewhere in his mind. Well now all this is coming back. thank you for these images, i almost can remember smell the car!
i didin't know people were interested in citroen in the us or even drove some sm! my childhood took place in sm , plenty of cx, a bx ..
My dad passed away last year , i had to drive his xantia with hydrolic suspension to take care of things. well it was a bad looking car (a car from these bad years of citroen, that look like they where made for old people only), but the driving was awesome, way bether than my actual C4. now they killed citroen anyway, lets hope the DS brand will lead the way again... but it won't be legendary again
A beautiful car that was so ahead of its time! Thank you!
Great video, gave a real sense of the unique experience. I can't afford one at the moment, but wish I could.
Using french band Air as a music....very cool.
Beautiful car, I always loved Citroën and their genius features.
The French have a unique sense of style. It's unlike anywhere else in the world... and I'm personally happy about that.
Pretty good video! Love the sound of the engine as well.
Air - perfect soundtrack for this car!
Thanks.. (and the title of this particular piece translates to "The Silver Woman"... !)
Enjoyed the ride!!
My favorite car of all time. It is so complete in design, and engineering. It does not even date itself. Still looks as amazing now, as it did back then. Would love to drive one. Brilliant car.
Thanx from France for this nice tribute ! With French music !
Allors, me oui! It was mon pleasure! :-)
Merci pour la promenade ...❤
Merci pour cette promenade ! 😉
Stunning cars, even today they look futuristic
very nice engineering and very finely detailed car
A very nice driving 👌😊
One of my bucket list rides.
Great Car ! Great video !
Citroën SM absolutamente único en sensaciones y conducción...
All the cars look like this now. Put a plastic fascia front piece with LED lights, a couple of front cooling vents for the front brakes, remove the rear fender skirts and you have a nicely sculptured 2017 Acura. The Citroen SM, arguably, is the most influential post WWII car design as seen from 2017. Imagine this car with a modern engine, a good 8 speed transmission, 40 mpg on the road, and a ride so smooth riders could wake up refreshed traveling across Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas (and the driver would not be that tired either.)
I have driven an SM in the Early 80s, and true, it's an experience you cannot explain to someone, who has never driven a Citroen.
All their ventures were magnificent.
From the Traction Avant, 2CV, Ami, GS, CX, DS, all of those were Brilliant cars to drive, and FAR ahead of the time.
They did, however, lose it a bit when they started introducing (hot) Hatchbacks, and lost their eminent styling and comfort.
Find one in a barn in France, and you've got yourself a project that will give you joy and fulfillment for a long while, especially since (spare) parts are still readily available through various websites, like eBay and Amazon
SM. Un'auto unica. Un'emozione di guida indimenticabile.
Very nice weather and a very nice landscape and roads to drive around on with an SM. Resembles Sweden (my home-country) quite a bit!
Thank you for a nice greeting!
When I sold my SM it went to Norway! I like Norway very much, to!
Today I drive around in an Citroen DS 23 Pallas Injection of 1974 year model. Not a bad choice either.....
If you own this SM I wish you all the best and that you can maintain it in good working order for a long time to come.
Hjertelig hilsen fra Göteborg
Sverige
Takk Jourwallis, I am good friends with a local Citroen mechanic here. This SM came up for sale from one of his clients, and this drive was to share the experience of the SM's remarkable qualities. I love the style and general experience, but this was not the right car for me to buy at the time. I recently drove a 2010 C6 that was also very stylish and nice, but didn't have correct US import documents.. far too risky. Enjoy your DS on your lovely country's roads!! Vennligst.
johan cruijff LEASED this car when he played for Barcelona. what a fantastic car. absolutely unique. My uncle had a DS, I recall, this was in the 60s, how we would drive over a road in Rotterdam with socalled 'keitjes'. Sort of the same a the infamous 'kasseien' in the north f France (Paris-Roubaix, famous cycling tour with the notorious 'kasseienstrips'). You simply did not feel a SINGLE vibration. Unbelievable. So smooth, yet nothing like the american 'floating'
The word you're looking for is 'cobblestones'. :-)
sounds good :)
Wow.. what a great music intro. Awesome.
Fulltone - yeah, I totally lucked into that track from another CZcams clip. The title, the French and the mood fits perfectly.
Nice video, and a nice tribute to a great vehicle. I'm a little caption-happy in my videos and yours reminded me of that (also caption-happy) About that stop sign you ignored....
gloriousness indeed
that was awesome!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to get more time behind the wheel of an SM again some day.. !
Amazing car. The "Maserati" Paul Crewe destroyed at the beginning of The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds & Ed Lauter. I can also recall a French cinema release with a car chase involving one of these going down narrow paths in a municipal park & the guy was doing about 110mph!!
Definitely remember that scene! It was his girlfriend's car and he trashed it, right? Wow, I haven't thought of that movie in a long time.. Here I found a low quality capture of the scene.. ugh, they sank the SM at the end... czcams.com/video/njxecsSsqY8/video.html
Good choice of music.
Smoothest ride on wheels. Period.
Absolutely... an amazing experience.
R.I.P. hydro. Last hydropneumatic C5 was built June 2nd, 2017.
The Concorde among suspensions is ceased. :/
Merde!
I only disliked because it made me sad.
A couple of DSes, lancia fulvia and a fiat 124 spider. Quite a collection
Awesome
I was a small dealer in New Orleans for Citroen. I would stock one SM in the showroom. My personal car was a used SM. The Cit.distributor for the east coast was in New Jersey. If I got a order for a new SM, I would fly up to New Jersey and drive back. I think the SMs' forte was driving on the interstate at very high speeds(over 100) regardless of road conditions. Of course, I would have to watch out for the cops, but through Alabama and Miss., I didn't see too many.
I remember Patrick Mcgoohan ( Danger Man) driving one of these in a Columbo episode many years ago I was surprised of all the cars he the producers could give him to drive he was in one of these. They were a very quirky unusual car back in their day and people either loved the look of it or down rite hated it haha I thought how cool is that at the time.
Notice the comment 'steering is a little bit unusual' and that's because of the self centering system Citroen employed.
I used to have a CX with the same system and quickly found out that you can't take your hand of the wheel after going round a bend or turning a corner.
With this system, you had to steer the car back on course instead of letting the wheel slip through your hands, otherwise you would quickly find the car heading toward the kerb or wrong side of the road.
Timeless French/Italian breathtaking classic!!!
I LOVERMONT !
The Very Best.
Nice video and great to hear that lovely engine. I am aching to drive one of these. Citröen were so audacious. The SM and the GS were both launched in 1970 but the development costs drove them to be taken over by much more conservative Peugeot. Perhaps fitting as Citroën took over Panhard and allowed the brand to wither.
Christopher Hunter Glad you enjoyed the video. I don’t usually speak in my videos, but the SM was such a unique experience, I tried my best to convey what it felt like. So smooth, and ‘alive’ at the same time. If you’re ever near Albany, NY... come to think of it, the annual Citroen Rendezvous is held nearby June 18-21, 2020.. You’ll be able to find a ride there if you attend. Cheers! citroenrendezvous.org
camera-point is often behind the car-seat covering those unique-dash-features
what an amazing car. years ahead of its time. the driving part kind of lost it for me when the driver didn't seem to know how to hold the steering wheel in his hands correctly. still a beautiful car and good video.
tim, how do you think a steering wheel should be held?
i've driven hydraulic citroens for the last 40 years..unfortunately never an SM...and , although the last ones i had (XM's and C5's) had computer controlled hydraulics, the driving experience is the same : you float over the bumps, it's another world... the spirit of andré citroën haunts these cars... :-) unfortunately, they (the PSA group) are exorcising their cars, because hydraulics "are to expensive to build" !! nincompoops....
Agreed. However they are bringing a new system to the market to most of their cars (except DS models), which is supposed to be rather good too. And more affordable. I'm intrigued, as most cars are way too harsh.
They have a new patented suspension system now, also very good on the new Cactus and C5 SUV models.
@@jjpeeters67 yes the new suspension is more comfortable than classic suspensions, but far away from the hydraupneumatic suspension...
Hydraulics don't sell cars. 0.01% of the new car buyers care. Roads are much smoother than French roads in the 1950s.
nice stop there at the stop sign....just the way we all do it.....I believe it is implied that it's a "suggested stop"....
..thanks for understanding human nature better than most. It was my snap decision to roll through it just to keep momentum on a completely empty road. Cheers!
Thanks not too many experience type videos like this around. You may find that if the suspension starts behaving strangely that the spheres might need topping up with N02
NO2 will corrode everything it touches. It is a powerful oxidizer.
Use pure nitrogen. Air is 78% nitrogen mixed with 20% oxygen and 2% argon. We don't want the oxygen or water in air inside the "spheres" (pressure accumulators). Nitrogen is denser than other inert* gases so doesn't leak as fast. It's readily available in any city and inexpensive. I still have my nitrogen cylinder, hose and Schrader valve chuck that I used to recharge my spheres. The last went inflating tires.
* Nitrogen is inert at any temperatures found in a motor vehicle outside a high compression combustion chamber.
class. my mate was looking to buy one for 27 g’s
stephenm6100 That’s an excellent descriptor: Class. Hope your mate finds a good one... Cheers!
Amazingly advanced technology-pity Citroen doesn't sell in the USA.
1973. And they're still making things that look like boxes.
I love this car... I also love Vermont!! It's perfect for driving. Especially the twists and turns. This car is virtually stable on curves. The nose indications were interesting to see. It's in great condition. I wonder how it handles in snow? Thanks loads!!
Thanks for your comments, it would indeed be very interesting to try one in the snow! Never thought of that. Maybe I can set that up this winter. Glad you got a sense of the nose 'attitude' from the clip. I can't say enough about how unique the experience is. The shop gets Citroen customers from all over the country, and is actually located in upstate NY, about 40 miles from VT. A lovely area for driving no matter how you turn it.
@@65SATisfaction - Being aware that electronic stability control, electronic antilocking brakes, electronic ignition, electronic rain sensing wipers were still in the future, the SM goes marvellously in the snow. With one occupant it has about 2/3 of its weight on the (front) drive wheels.
The only strange thing is due to the rear track being narrower than the front, the rear tends to wiggle in rutted snow and ice.
Lumenition optical ignition was a real improvement in keeping the motor in tune. A Nippondenso A/C compressor was much smoother than the (USA) made York they came with. And a Delcotron alternator was cheaper than a set of brushes for the Sev-Marchal alternator.
1971 DS21 Pallas
1971 DSpécial - got the 21 motor from the rusted-out DS21 Pallas. So, DSpécial 21!
1970 ID21FH
1969 ID21F
1972 SM 2.7 5 speed
1972 SM 2.7 5 speed
1973 SM 3.0 5 speed
All gone. 😪
I miss my SMs DSs and IDs!
All I have left is a set of Weber 42DCNFs from one of the SMs, a pair of non-US front turn signal lights and a pair of non-US taillights for a D.
Superb car (when in very good condition) having owned a C5 & C6 both of which had problems with their suspension nearly all the time.....they are cars for experts only I would say.
You can see a lot this car in the 70s French movie "Cesar and Rosalie"
That nose up feature is still present in my 2005 model Citroen C5 where there is quite similar suspension system except the pump is electric. When accelerating hard nose goes up and when you are at around 40-50mph car finds it's balance when acceleration rate is slowing down. Hydraulic suspension just is really soft in front-back roll direction but leveling handles the situation with slight delay.
Thanks for sharing that! I drove a lovely 2010 C6 last summer and it was equally smooth and "reactive", but it didn't have so much of the nose up/down movement. I wish I could have video'ed that drive, the C6 was also a fabulous car!
+Arthur Harvey C6 has also adaptive stiffness so it changes the "hole size" between the piston and suspension sphere, it might do the trick with up and down. C5 (which is same platform than C6 but short wheelbase variant) has only firm/soft settings by opening valve to additional suspension sphere in both axles. Still it's nice ride in both. Of course C6 is even better and that probably will be the best hydractive variant as this system is not available anymore after current C5 is phased out. End of an 50 year era of amazing suspension system.
+Karjis I drive a C5 for work, cover over 2000Km every week. Refuse to drive another car but a big Citroen with hydro-pneumatic systems. Told my boss. so he got me a C5 saloon.
My first C5, a silver series 1, recieved it with 80,000Km on the clock, gave it back after 5 years with 470,000 Km on the clock, zero problems, motor was still good with economy of 10Lt/Km.
Now I'm on my 2nd Citroen C5, a metallic gold series 2, with all the bells & whistles. After lots of repairs it is now perfectly reliable.
Just refilled 65lt of petrol for 760Km. Hows that for economy !
As for passive safety, suspension geometry, steering response, breaking distance, comfort. In my opinion all other saloon cars are of inferior engineering.
If I could drive a CX or an SM for work . . . .
trespire whoa you drive quite a lot. I'm just doing 500-600km/week. You are in luck if no troubles with those km:s on the clock. Mine has only 290,000 and list of broken things is long just in last 30 thousand. Like, alternator died, right rear suspension cylinder started leaking a lot, both main engine mounts failed last winter, driver's heated seat broke down, webasto diesel heater temperature sensor died, turbo vacuum control valve was stuck and EGR vacuum pipes were full of some goo which caused errors. But all this is not too expensive. Okay and front ball joints needed replacing also, but that is normal wear. Just the rear suspension cylinder was a bit pricey as I have of course the plus version of Hydractive and then the cylinder cost double compared to standard version. And the seat heater is probably dead because seat cushioning is a bit worn and wires snapped next to seat frame.. at least I hope so. Aand okay the last happiness is that steering rack started to leak last month. Just a bit but still it is leaking.
But still, it's amazing ride and car is just so calm to drive on motorway 130-140 set to cruise and it is just like driving with your favourite living room chair. I think many faults in my car is because it is old taxi and that's why it has had lots and lots city driving around the block. Also Finnish winters are not the easiest for hydraulics but these newer ones which uses LDS fluid handles cold weather lots better than old LHM equipped thing.
Mine is 2.2 HDi which eats just around 6,5l/100km even it has automatic gearbox, and being 2005 model it is just 4 speed gearbox. I've heard that the 2006-> with 6 speed box drinks even less.
Karjis If your C5 was a taxi then that could explain at least some of the faults.
Being in a cold climate, I would keep an eye out for any deterioration of rubber parts. Also have a close look at all the fluids. Mineral based oils are hygroscopic & will absorb water over time, couple that with subzero temperatures.
LDS I believe is synthetic, don't know much about it.
Mine is a 2liter petrol, but a diesel it might be a good idea to choose a good quality cleaned for the fuel system & use it once every two months or so. To slowly clean the system. Did something similar with mine, used to fill up 5 - 6 liters of 98 octane then fill the rest with 95. Engine runs very smooth & got better economy.
By the way, I provide technical service for Finnish industrial machinery :-)
Why did Citroen stop developing this type of car is a mystery. The C6 was also incredible, they should have continued pushing this technology
Cost more to make and had almost no sales appeal. 99.9% of the market is interested in styling and the monthly payment.
I have an XM and it's fantastic car as long as it works (which doesn't last long)
Very nice video. could you tell me please the music that was playing at the beginning?
Hi Chris, thanks for asking; it's appropriately called "La Femme d'Argent", by Air off their 2006 album 'Moon Safari'.
Arthur, thank-you so much for responding. I'd not heard of Air before, but am listening to this album on Amazon Prime right now. Thanks, again. And I've enjoyed your other vids that I've seen
Chris Moorman You are most welcome! Glad to be of service and happy you enjoy the clips. I've got some new ones in editing…
Why does the musci... is the music from the begining from RollerCoaster Tycoon 3? It sounds so like it.
RollerCoaster Tycoon3 is similar.. but this music is appropriately titled "la Femme Argent" by Air...
Thats a naughty french name, that was hip and classy in the 70s.
Thanks for the ride! Too bad cars with hydropneumatic suspensions aren't made anymore afaik.
The question is: Where was this video recorded? It looks a lot like north central Ohio near where I have been driving recently. Could it be southwest of Canton, Ohio? I am pretty sure that it is not up in Mass. or even upstate NY.
Dennis Freeman - LOL. This is indeed upstate NY, as are all my videos unless noted otherwise. Towns of Duanesburg, Esperance, and Delanson to be more specific.
Cool car!
Any info on the intro music?
Tial Mk4 supra Thanks. A very appropriate piece of music called 'La Femme Argent' - you can get detailed info by clicking 'Show More' under the Description box at the top of all CZcams clips. On a mobile device it is the small 'pull down' triangle at the top right of the menu bar.
Watch Jay Lenos review, (Lenos garage) on his, and his test ride, to hear how someone familiar with the car and who appreciates the fact its a 1972, and the technology and handling is fantastic. The car isn't supposed to be a muscle car, this guy keeps talking about power... Its an all inclusive package with these, excellent handling, decent enough power, beautiful trans for those who can shift it the way it should be, (not jamming gears like here) and the best suspension ever made IMO... also the lowest air drag of any car... .. One of the most comfortable and exciting to drive family cars you'll ever experience!!
Nice Video. Glad you enjoyed the car. Was this your first time driving the car? Most people who drive an SM for the first time take a while to get used to steering and braking smoothly. As someone who has driven and also worked on these cars for more than 30 years, you have my compliments for not making as many mistakes in your history and analysis of the car as many other reviewers do.
One question out of curiousity... in the last few seconds of the video you showed a fuel injected SM which is evidently under restoration. Was that car in Dave Burnham's workshop also?
Hi Eric, thank you for your compliments and sorry for my tardy response - This was my second time driving an SM, the first time was a most enlightening experience and I knew I just had to drive one again. I've also driven a C6. Yes, that fuel injected SM was also in Dave's shop, a total nut & bolt restoration finished last year. He is happy to be very busy these days with a backlog of SM customers. Cheers!
@@65SATisfaction - I wish someone like Dave had gotten my Citroëns. I had a rustfree undamaged body that I planned to use to move the machinery and furniture to from my badly rusted SM. I was looking to install a power sunroof that I rescued from a wrecked Peugeot 604. Things happen. I suspect that all of my cars were scrapped.
Hi Al, thanks for the comment. Yeah, Dave and his crew are very skilled with Citroens, as you probably know.
You should've put cameras at the wheels the front and the back to give the real feeling of it's smooth drive.
Thank you, that is an excellent suggestion! I will absolutely give that a try the next opportunity I get with an SM!
What is the value of the SM in the U.S. today? Over here in Germany the car is really expensive, often with major rust problems, only a few experts can fix the suspension, and the Maserati engine is a nightmare to repair if you ever find spare parts... There is still a version of the SM with a Citroen engine which is more reliable.
Although it´s a beauty, I can´t recommend it. My former neighbour - Citroen enthusiast - gave up on the SM since he was not able to finish restauration and fix technical problems.
Why didn´t you remove the right head-rest??
And what´s wrong with using a proper wind-shield on the mike?
Otherwise interesting. I have owned one myself, once (a fuel injected 1973)
Thanks Jourwalis, I simply didn't think of removing the headrest. Nothing is wrong with using a wind muff on the mic. I am as surprised as you are that the wind was too strong for the one on my microphone.
Nice car !!! Ho made the intro music ?
Takk Jostein, jeg antar du snakker norsk? Den kuule intro musikken er 'La Femme d'Argent' fra gruppa Air... veldig passende til SM'en..
Hei og 1000 takk for info. Har Citroën som favoritt og kjente igjen musikken. Tenkte det var Indochine , men nå skal det handles musikk:-)
er ikke på fb, men er på G+ og YT med min foto-og bilinteresse. I´m following you.
kjente igjen coveret tverrt. den kan være i min vinylsamlig , men uanset på på itunes. Takk igjen. Du kanskje kjenner til Desireless (voyage,voyage?)
+Jostein Næsheim Hei og takk, jeg har ikke hørt om Desireless, skal sjekke de på iTunes!
Like driving a boat!
it is not a good idea to hop while walking and filming
... but great car worth to be remembered
and driving it feels like hovering above the road
(with putting the road-clearance lever to 'high', it does out-class most SUV things)
... but the curve on 10:15 - wrong. NEVER shift down before a curve - either keep speed or let it roll with less right pedal or clutch out - I'd even speed up to make front drive pull the thing through the bend. Shift down afterward if necessary, there is plenty of time then.
Thank you. The video would be smoother if I owned a "steady cam" device, just doing the best I can. Regarding gear shifts and throttle position through the curves at the 10:05 mark - don't be silly - of course you can downshift approaching a curve if the conditions require it. This is a video experimenting with the SM's full range of dynamics. You'll notice I demonstrate three different approaches at each of the following three turns - and give throttle to pull thru Turn Three at the 10:40 mark. This was deliberate and the SM handled each situation well. I hope to get more driving time in an SM. Cheers!
@@65SATisfaction - A '70s Cadillac road ark would've done as well being driven like in the video. If you were still running Michelin XWXs you could push a lot harder but why risk a classic car? The SM isn't a sports car. It's a Grand Touring fast highway cruiser. When it was introduced in 1970 French Autoroutes had no overall speed limit. The SM was designed to cruise at 220 kmh (130 mph) from one gas stop to the next.
diferent headlight for us market
music..AIR..moon safari album.
sometimes I feel like the SM was made by Aliens, the car is so advanced that after driving this one all modern cars feel primitive
SUPERBE !! UN AMATEUR DE CITROEN DS ET SMBELLE SM - SUPER INTERIEUR CUIR - LE V6 MASERATI !!j'AVOUE QUE JE PREFERE LA VERSION FRANCAISE AVEC SES PHARES DIRECTIONNELS SOUS LA VERRIERE - B R A V O !!!!!!
The late soccer hero Johan Cruijff had one.
La femme d'argent .....
indeed a costly woman this SM
Were is this filmed?
Ulf Larsson the film was taped near Duanesburg, Esperance and Delanson, New York.
Okay. I was going to ask. My guess was somewhere in New York State.
Great stuff, looking out of the front window "with you". (I live in a flat country.)
I had a feeling that you were almost exclusively going downhill which is, of course, physically incorrect, hehe.
Yum Yum
I'm green with envy 😣
want want want
Can't remember witch movie it was but a girl pointed at Citroen SM and said" my Ferrari" not a car you see everyday.
Voyage, voyage var en hit tidlig 90-tall. Du vil huske den . Forresten SM er det vakreste på hjul i mine øyne. Restaurert den selv? Ser noen nevner C6 , helt enig , en ekte Citroën limusin ,og med hydraulisk fjæring . På min G+ side ser du min samling på ca 100 skalamodeller av Citroën.
Nei, ikke restaurert selv. Denne SM'en var til salgs ifjor hos en Citroen mekaniker som er en god venn av meg her borte. US$40,000. Jeg hadde prøvd en hvit 5-gir SM til salgs hos han året før men kunne ikke helt slå meg til ro med tilstanden. Denne var i bedre stand og jeg fikk tilbud om å prøvekjøre den før den ble avertert på internett. Jeg tok kjøre turen, men kjøpte den ikke. Stilig som fytte-rakker'n er den jo, men jeg trenger mer hestekrefter for å være helt fornøyd. Ja, en C6 vil jeg gjerne erfare som "daily driver", men de er ikke lovlige å importere hit ennå. Skal se om jeg kan finne G+ siden din, og kikke på modellene dine - er de plast-byggesett? Mvh
Looks like you're driving in the NEK ...
..this SM has a Vermont owner, but I was driving it around upstate NY in this video....
I had a DS-21 72 but THIS "SM" IS MY F-N@# DREAM CAR!!! The think that sucked was the green goblin. I used red transmission fluid... Ya ya it's kinda bad, but then loosing your keys is the worst a new key and ignition was over $700. What's worst is your uncle selling it to a junkyard. I had it at my parents house while I was working out of state for a year. Parents got a divorce the house was foreclosed and my uncle who lived next door didn't even contact me. It was hipster chick magnet. I never got laid..but my friends who road with me did. Ohh I do have a Dye-Cast scale model I bought at the Paris Citroen showroom. I hand carried that fucker all the way to SFO
Great to watch (but please take a lesson how to properly operate a steering wheel).
how about electric conversion in SM
Good luck. The fuel tank compartment and muffler recess would hold a fairly large battery. The hydraulic system uses very little power actually pumping. I would guess that turning the pump constantly uses more power than the actual pumping does.
The alternator and electric clutch driven A/C compressor would be eliminated in favor of a sealed system heat pump.
The SM, while a safe car for its day, is a 50 year old design based on a 65 year old design.
No turning headlights
Very few cars are as desirable to me.
wow those old cars were so noisy
Astonishingly expensive, compared to other cars when new, plagued with expensive reliability problems, this Gallic charmer turned heads. The real problem was that if you could afford this car, you would probably buy something else...if you were not French. Actually not that many were sold in France either.
I have no idea what total production was, but about 2,000 were sold in the US.
@@65SATisfaction The production was 12920
Your not doing wierd Dynamics...you are driving the car.