1971 CITROEN SM Registration Number: LYX 12K Chassis Number...

Estimate

£5,000 - £6,000

1971 CITROEN SM

Registration Number: LYX 12K
Chassis Number: 00SB5906
Recorded Mileage: 26,187 miles

- In current private ownership for 44 years
- Offered for full restoration

‘Project S’ emerged from Citroën’s requirement to develop a sports variant of the revolutionary DS. As was customary for the quirky French firm, many running concept vehicles were developed with increasingly complex and upmarket features to differentiate the ‘sports’ project from the popular DS. The acquisition of Maserati by Citroën in 1968 was motivated by the possibility of harnessing Maserati’s high-performance engine technology to produce a true Grand Tourer, combining the sophisticated Citroën suspension with the power of a Maserati V6.

The result was the Citroën SM, which was first shown to rapturous appreciation at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1970. It went on sale in France in September of that year in left-hand drive only, although right-hand drive conversions were later offered in the UK and Australia. The SM was Citroën’s flagship vehicle, competing with other high-performance GTs of the time from manufacturers such as Jaguar, Lotus, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo and Porsche. It was also Citroën’s way of demonstrating just how much power and performance could be accommodated in a front-wheel drive design. As an example of Citroën’s optimism and progressive technology, the SM was untouchable, and similarities drawn by pundits of the day to the design and futurism of aircraft such as Concorde cemented the love affair still borne by car aficionados today.

Registered new in the UK on 8th December 1971, this Citroen SM has been in current ownership since October 1980, and last road licensed in 1985. Finished in metallic blue with a blue cloth interior, after nearly 40 years off the road the Citroen has sadly succumbed to the elements and is now offered for full restoration. The SM shows 28,187 miles recorded, and is offered with its older Vehicle Registration Document.