Citroën SM V6 2.7 - 1973

Citroën SM (1970–1975): the techno-GT that fused French hydraulics with an Italian heart

In 1968 Citroën bought Maserati, tasking Giulio Alfieri with creating a compact, refined V6 for a new high-speed GT known internally as “Project S.” Robert Opron penned the dramatic fastback body, its wind-cheating nose sealed by a glass fairing and six Cibié headlamps. The result, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, was the SM: a front‑drive grand tourer capable of more than 220 km/h, at once exotic and eerily composed.

The early SMs carried Maserati’s all‑alloy 2.7‑litre quad‑cam V6 on triple Weber carburettors (about 170 PS DIN). Citroën layered in its most advanced tech: self‑levelling hydropneumatic suspension, high‑pressure power braking and the now‑legendary DIRAVI speed‑sensitive, self‑centring steering. Period testers raved about its high‑speed stability and magical ride; the unfamiliar steering feel divided opinion at first, but many grew to love its precision and straight‑ahead stability.

Competition was eclectic: Jaguar’s E‑Type 2+2 and later XJ‑S, Porsche’s 911, Mercedes‑Benz’s SL, even Maserati’s own Indy. Yet nothing matched the SM’s particular blend of serene ride, aero efficiency and front‑drive packaging. In 1972 a Bosch D‑Jetronic injected 2.7 arrived (≈178 PS), followed by a 3.0‑litre version in 1973 (≈190 PS) and, mainly with that engine, a Borg‑Warner 3‑speed automatic for markets that demanded it. Instruments evolved from avant‑garde “drum” dials to more conventional round gauges, while U.S. cars lost their swivelling headlamps to sealed‑beam regulations.

Fame and curiosity followed. Coachbuilder Henri Chapron created the long‑wheelbase SM Présidentielle parade cars for the French Presidency; Georges Pompidou used them for state occasions. The initials “SM”? Take your pick: Sport Maserati, Série Maserati or the cheeky French nickname Sa Majesté (“Her Majesty”), a nod to the DS “La Déesse.” A well‑circulated tale has President Pompidou gifting an SM to Leonid Brezhnev, who reportedly pranged it the day he received it. Decades on, the car still turns up in films and music videos whenever directors want instant 1970s futurism, and it’s been celebrated by enthusiasts from Jay Leno to restoration specialists on Wheeler Dealers.

Despite its brilliance, fate was unkind. The 1973 oil crisis, tightening U.S. rules and dealer unfamiliarity with the complex hydraulics and Maserati V6 hurt reliability reputations (timing‑chain tensioners and poor maintenance were frequent culprits). Peugeot’s 1974 takeover of Citroën ended SM production in 1975 after roughly 12,900 built, and Maserati was sold the same year. The engine lived on in the Maserati Merak and Ligier JS2, while DIRAVI‑style steering foreshadowed modern variable‑assist systems. Today the SM stands as one of the great grand tourers: audacious, comfortable, and devastatingly rapid across a continent when properly set up.