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Citroën SM V6 — 1971

An early SM in sensible and good foundational condition for the model. It was privately imported and is reportedly the first SM ever imported to Sweden. However, before the car can be driven or any work can be done, the engine requires a thorough technical inspection and modification by someone with model-specific expertise.

Peter Sundfeldt
Inspector
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Rebecca R Bengtsson
Case manager
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"An iconic and almost mythical grand tourer from Citroën in the 1970s, featuring an Italian heart and smooth, hydropneumatic French engineering with a distinctive design"

COUNTDOWN
CURRENT BID
ENDED
300 000SEK
LOT NUMBER
LOCATION
17353
FÄRJESTADEN/ÖLAND
RESERVE PRICE
Not reached
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Peter Sundfeldt
Inspector
Send message
Rebecca R Bengtsson
Case manager
Send message

"An iconic and almost mythical grand tourer from Citroën in the 1970s, featuring an Italian heart and smooth, hydropneumatic French engineering with a distinctive design"

Description

It was registered and privately imported by its first owner in May 1971, making it the first Citroën SM to be registered in the Swedish vehicle registry. The car is believed to be the very same one that the magazine Teknikens Värld used as a test car. The Swedish general agent for Citroën didn’t receive their examples until later that year. The ownership history is well-documented, with the car being based in the Stockholm area, although in recent years, the owner kept it at their summer house on Öland. It is now being sold by the estate. The last approved inspection was on 2018-08-02, and upon the next approved inspection, the car will be exempt from future inspections.

Technical data

  • Year
    1971/1971 
  • Registration date
    1971-05-05 
  • Mileage
    7 529 km 
  • Kw / hp
    125 / 170 
  • Fuel Type
    Petrol 
  • Transmission
    Manual 
  • Interior finish
    Textile 
  • Colour
    Gold Metallic Feuille Dorée 

Condition

  • Mechanical condition:

    The engine starts easily, although the choke lever doesn’t lock in place. Regardless, this engine requires a thorough inspection and modification by someone knowledgeable about it before it is started again. The Swedish Citroën club knows who can handle these engines and who should be trusted with a rebuild or modification. The exhaust valves were originally filled with sodium gas, but they were thin and could crack at the stems, leading to numerous failures when the model was new. The engine’s poor reputation was often due to mishandling by service technicians, where the reassembly of the heads, caps, valves, and camshafts was done with less precision than the sensitive design required. The timing chain tensioner was another weak link, though it didn’t cause the same catastrophic damage as when exhaust valves failed.

  • Interior condition:

    The durable blue-gray fabric found in the early models is in good condition on the front seats, though the rear seat fabric has some UV damage along the top. The carpets are also in good condition, as are the headliner and dashboard. There are a few small panels left to be mounted, though it’s unclear where they belong, but they can be seen in the blue cabinet in the photo.

  • Exterior condition:

    Beautifully repainted in the original color, code AC319 Feuille Dorée. The chrome, bumpers, headlight glass, emblems, and details all look great and match well with the rest of the car’s exterior. The tires are in good condition and of the correct size. There are a few small panels left to be mounted, though it’s unclear where they belong, but they can be seen in the blue cabinet in the photo.

  • General condition:

    With an owner’s awareness to invest in expertise and service from the right specialists, this car represents a delightful and sensible example for an enjoyable future with an SM

MOT (tech. insp.)

Fordonsstatus: Avst 2019-07-04
Ursprungsbesiktning: 1971-05-05 (regbes)
Datum i trafik första gången: 1971-05-05
Senast godkända besiktning: 2018-08-02
Besiktigad tom: 2021-03-31
Skattebefriad: Ja
Körförbud: Ja
Antal ägare: 6

Facts about the model

In the 1960s, Citroën initiated a project called S (for sport), with the idea of taking a significant performance leap forward from the DS. The ambition eventually became to elevate the brand to the true top class, and on March 11, 1970, Citroën SM was introduced to an impressed automotive world at the Geneva Motor Show. It caused a great stir in the trade press and was named one of the world’s most exciting cars by leading motoring magazines.

Citroën sought a partner who could deliver the advanced engine the project required, and after initial contacts in 1965, an agreement was made with Maserati, which in 1968 led to the famous Italian firm becoming a subsidiary of Citroën. The project manager for Project S was Jacques Né, the chief designer was Robert Opron, and a very important person in this context was the hydraulic genius Paul Magès.

The legendary designer Giulio Alfieri, who had been responsible for all Maserati models for both track and road since the 1950s, was tasked with developing a 90-degree V6 engine with a displacement of 2.7 liters. In a few weeks in 1965, a demonstration model was produced based on the V8 that powered the Mexico and Quattroporte, which originated as the power source in one of the leading Formula One cars of the late 1950s, the 450S. The power curve and dimensions were approved, and Alfieri began work on a new engine featuring the four-camshaft technology typical of Italian thoroughbreds and a twin Weber carburetor for each cylinder pair, but with entirely new solutions such as main bearings integrated between the block halves and driving the camshafts and accessories via an intermediate shaft. The engine was extremely compact, which was necessary as it was to be mounted as a front/mid-engine behind the gearbox in the classic layout dating back to the Traction Avant.

The new flagship from Citroën not only had an exciting engine but was also an advanced further development of its predecessor, the DS, with a beautifully streamlined coupe body, hydropneumatic suspension, and the old stability concept with a wider front track than rear. The five-speed gearbox and high-pressure assisted brakes, mounted inboard at the front as before but now with discs all around, were carried over from the DS. New was a sensational speed-dependent power steering system called Diravi; developed to offer extreme power assistance at low speeds, which gradually decreased at higher speeds, in combination with very small steering movements. Additionally, the steering wheel automatically returned to the center position. The front was dominated by a battery of six headlights under curved covers, with the innermost pair, like on the DS, following the steering movements—here, however, the movement was activated by a hydraulic system. The interior could be ordered in leather or fabric, electric windows were standard, and most models were equipped with air conditioning. After a year, a version adapted to American regulations was introduced, which excluded the covered headlights. An automatic transmission was offered after a year, initially combined with the 2.7-liter engine, which was not an entirely successful combination, but later with the same 3-liter engine developed for the Maserati Merak. For the 1973 model year, except for the US model and European automatic transmission cars, fuel injection in the form of Bosch D-Jetronic was introduced.

The Citroën SM had good performance with a top speed of around 220 km/h and an incredible combination of handling and comfort. It was groundbreaking and much admired but was considered to require a lot of adjustment from the driver. Relative to its high price, sales were decent in the early years but slowed down with the 1973 oil crisis and almost came to a standstill until the model was discontinued in 1975. The model quickly gained a bad reputation for operational issues and engine failures, but over the years it has proven possible to make it reliable with relatively small modifications. The total production was just under 13,000 cars, distributed worldwide, with France, Italy, and the USA being the largest markets. It was never made in a right-hand-drive version.

The coachbuilder Chapron produced eight open models called Milord and seven four-door SMs named Opéra. Additionally, they were commissioned to manufacture two extended open SMs for use during state visits, naturally called Présidentielle.

The powertrain was used in the Maserati Merak, introduced in 1972. In its early years, this model also shared the dashboard with the SM and was produced until 1982 in 1,800 units.

Ligier, who had been commissioned to assemble the small production runs of the 1974 and 1975 SM models, also used its engine and gearbox in their small, lightweight coupe, the JS2, of which about seventy examples were built.

Location and viewing Information

Location: Färjestaden/Öland

For viewing the vehicle, contact the inspector/case manager:

Peter Sundfeldt
+46 0705-38 80 22
peter@bilwebauctions.se

Pick up

Collection must take place before: 2024-09-19.

NOTE! Payment (deposit to our account) must be made within 5 days and before collection.

Auction information

General information about the condition of the vehicles .
  • At this auction, many vehicles have been included in car collections and have been stored (mothballed) for a long time. For this reason, they are described from a collector's perspective and may need technical reviews and maintenance service - oil, battery replacement, new tires, brake review, etc. - before they can be used. .
  • During the auction days information about a vehicle may be updated up to the day before the auction ends. When you bid at the end of the auction period - and also if you have made an earlier bid - we therefore ask you to read the descriptions carefully, in case something has been changed due to new information.
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